Alan Weiss
At various times in my career I’ve worked with the largest consulting firms to help some of their varied practices, and also with mid-sized and boutique firms to help transition to value-based approaches. These have been wonderful assignments, and the fee is only a part of it.
The very large firms I’ve worked with are desperately in need of, well, consulting help. They suffer from:
- Silo and not multi-disciplinary thinking
- Lack of reinforcement for change initiatives
- Prima Donna exceptions for high performers
- Accounting systems which dictate sales strategy
- People who are worked to death trying to make partner
- Partners who have “made it” and refuse to rock the system
- A production capability mentality
- Very little regard for personal life or balance
- An ethical conflict with their customers (time based billing).
I could go on. I made my mark as an organization development (OD) consultant, and in my observation of these firms, as usual, the cobbler’s children are the worst shod. I find these organizations to be a horror show, which I would suspect is why we’re all refugees from some corporate environment.
You and I are the raptors in this world. We should have no fear of the brontosaur’s size or the tyrannosaur’s ferocity.
Stop Thinking Like McKinsey
I remember working for months to “de-program” a consultant who had spent seven years or so with McKinsey but was trying to make it on her own (which she has since done spectacularly well). It’s tough to change that mindset and regimen.
But my message to you is that your major competition is not from these monoliths. They are ponderous and unwieldy, riven by political factions, and able to sustain themselves only on huge projects which can employ hundreds of hungry mouths (viz.: billable hours). In fact, the most competition you face isn’t even from other solo consultants; it’s from internal capability.
That’s right—most clients considering solos are wondering if they can conduct the project themselves. Of course, you can demonstrate why they can’t:
• Too expensive to do internally
• People will be pulled off something (they weren’t idle)
• Poor credibility
• Tainted view
• Influenced heavily by politics and superiors
• Other priorities might take precedence mid-stream
• Etc.
What we have to fear is in the mirror: the fears we create and the self-doubt we allow to flourish unchecked.
Understand Your Worth
If you play on the other person’s turf, with their equipment, their rules, and their officials, you will lose the game. It is senseless for you to be a miniature mega-firm or even a smaller version of a boutique. Be yourself and understand your native advantages.
The first sale is always to yourself. Write down the ten greatest advantages of using your talents and learn to repeat them glibly and easily. If you can’t cite your advantages, who can? You’ve missed the first sale and you won’t make any others.
If you’re challenged, don’t get defensive. Just reply: That’s exactly why you need me! If you’re a one-person shop, then they need you because you bring no overhead, provide instant responsiveness, and permit no filtering through others.
If you’re on the “other” coast (or around the world), they need your global or national experience, your “fresh air” from afar, and your wealth of best practices from all over the place. If you don’t charge by billable time the way most (poor) consultants do it’s because you don’t want a meter running, don’t want to force an investment decision every time they might need you, and don’t want to be in conflict with the client (their shortest resolution is your poorest work week).
Stop fearing what others may or may not do and begin focusing on what you will do. Most times, you control your own destiny. It’s not the competition on the outside, and the internal competition is really laughable. It’s not technology, not the economy, and not the fates.
It’s how well you are prepared to take action. If that buyer in the mirror is too tough for you, you’re probably in the wrong profession.
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