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The Glass Half Full (or Perhaps, Overflowing): A Matter of Perception

By Alan Weiss

I hear about the “woes” of the consulting profession all the time. You’ve heard them: There is no universally-recognized accreditation; competition from larger firms; price-conscious buyers; yadayadayada.

Yet, some of us have managed to flourish. How can that be? It’s all a matter of one’s attitudes and perceptions about this profession. After all, the first sale you have to make is to yourself. Too many consultants are not obtaining that first sale.

Here are some differing views on common issues:

1. There is no universal accreditation.
Right, and there probably won’t be. (Everyone claiming Y2K, ISO, EuroXYZ, and everything else turned out to be wrong, right?) The great news is that there is zero cost of entry to this profession. You don’t even need a university degree, and a lot of people I know who have several, act as if they don’t have any. The advantage is that no arbitrary set of “approvers” exists anywhere to determine whether or not you are a consultant. The buyer is the true arbiter, and you can’t ask for a better path.

2. The large consulting firms are consolidating and are powerful.
They consolidated because they were mostly failing. The “audit mentality” of the large firms continues to haunt them, and they are actually driven, strategically, by production capability: How many people can be kept on a billable basis every day (whether the client needs it or not)? I believe that hourly billing is unethical, and a senior partner closing a deal which then triggers an onslaught of junior people on site is laughable. Solo practitioners are light on their feet, focused, cost-effective, and worth a value-based fee.

3. Technology is advancing too rapidly.
The computer is the latest iteration of movable type, thanks to Guttenberg, and cell phones are variations on a single ring. Technology most favors the solo practitioner because it affords the leverage for us to consult remotely, time shift internationally, abjure a large staff and office support, and so forth. Remember the New Yorker magazine cartoon of the two dogs at the keyboard, chatting: “The best thing about the Internet is that no one knows you’re a dog.” Half of my record year of revenues last year came from services I wasn’t providing three years ago, thanks to technology and its reach.

4. Buyers are price conscious.
The wrong buyers are price conscious, and that’s a fine criterion to determine whom to stay away from. Human resource people, trainers, brokers, meeting planners, and all sorts of assorted middlemen and gatekeepers are not buyers of consulting services. They are the protectors of budgets, egos, and their turf. Our true buyers are line executives who are accountable for results, and can find the money to make a sensible investment in a consulting project with dramatic ROI. So find buyers who do not view you as a commodity, but as a peer in the business community. If they begin by talking “price,” they aren’t the right buyer and you’ve lost control of the discussion.

5. The consulting market is saturated with competitors.
Yes it is, as are the exotic car, fast food, and liquor markets (or, even more specifically, the vodka market). What’s the point? Competition opens markets. Remember Yogi Berra: “No one goes there any more, it’s too crowded.” It’s a great time to be a consultant, because more and more people, in profits and not-for-profits, are using us. They are going to use someone, so it may as well be me or you.

6. The economy is erratic.
The U.S. economy is at $12 trillion, the strongest economic engine yet encountered. Would you rather be in the Italian market, or the New Zealand market, or the Andorran market? Something like $60 billion or more was spent last year on consulting services. Post-Katrina, post-911, post the oil price increases, post-Iraq, post-everything, the economy is bustling and in need of all kinds of consulting services. Most major international economies are also strong, especially helpful if you are transnational and global in your consulting.

7. There isn’t enough time for me to market and deliver.
That’s right, if you want to maximize the labor intensity of your marketing and delivering. But there’s enough time to do both right and spend the afternoon at the pool if you work, conscientiously, to reduce labor intensity, educate clients the right way, and judiciously use subcontractors and other resources. This business is about client’s being delighted with results, not clients utilizing every ounce of your methodologies.

If it’s not the economy, not the technology, and not the competition, then what is it? It’s either your attitude or your competence. You can build competencies, but if you need an attitude adjustment, you may need a good coach.

Whoops! Still another market…

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Alan Weiss, Ph.D. is the author of twenty-five books—including Million Dollar Consulting—which appear in seven languages. He runs the unique Million Dollar Consulting™ Colleges three times a year, and has a global mentoring program. You can reach him at www.summitconsulting.com, where you can download hundreds of free articles. He has won dozens of writing and consulting awards and is a member of the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame®.