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Why "Off the Shelf" is Off the Wall

There is tremendous value in providing intellectual capital that is uniquely yours to a client. That capital may be in the form of ideas, models, processes, new combinations, or customized approaches.

Providing "off-the-shelf" material is never very valuable and places you in the commodity category. Why would consultants do this?

Because many don't have much creativity or intellectual capital.

Forget about "Revenue Streams"

There is a wide variety of test instruments on the market to enhance consulting "revenue streams." You can buy tests for, say, $12 each, and "sell" them to the client for, oh, $100 each. Whoa! That's an $88 margin! Great, right?

There are "off-the-shelf" 360° products. These are the height of folly.

No, kind of dumb. These tests aren't valid, are used by thousands of internal and external resources, and are pretty transparently just a way to try to justify more fees when the consultant is bereft of any other offerings. And are you really in this profession for $88 margins?

There are survey sites on the web, where consultants can organize electronic samples for clients. But anyone can do that. Isn't it more valuable to design and implement a unique survey instrument? How hard is it to subcontract the technical help you might require to uniquely administer and analyze it?

There are "off-the-shelf" 360° products. These are the height of folly. What could be easier than designing a series of questions for a specific client, so that you create a 360° experience unique to the client's culture and environment? Why take something that anyone can purchase and which, as a generic approach, isn't really precisely good for anyone?

Shouldn't consultants do a 180° change of heart on that one?

The problem is that too many consultants look at revenue streams while they are too lazy to develop their own specific intellectual property. They'd rather buy a hackneyed commodity than create a distinctive personalized approach. That's not only lethargy, it's stupidity.

Who would you hire?

Would you hire a financial specialist who comes in with a model you've seen elsewhere and who wants to "fit you into it," or would you be more inclined to hire someone who listens carefully to your particular circumstances and objectives and responds with options specific to that context?

Even automakers provide options to create the feeling of personalization for discriminating customers: The more expensive the car, the more creative the options.

Consultants need to understand that, despite the absence of licensing, this IS a PROFESSION. That means keeping abreast of state-of-the-art developments, continually improving one's skills, and for the best of us, contributing intellectual capital.

When I was being interviewed by the CEO of a billion dollar company as a possible consultant for their strategy work, the first question he asked was, "What intellectual capital would you bring to the table?" I responded with a copy of my book on strategy and told him that the unique approaches therein would be further modified for his unique situation. And that's what we did. (Every time I use an example from my experience in my books or columns, someone writes in or does an Amazon review stating that I'm "arrogant. “If you can do it, it ain't braggin', said Dizzy Dean, and how else can I demonstrate that it works?)

Executive-level buyers don't want to hear about your 8-step process or where they fit into your universe.

Find your own originality.

I've never understood what "motivational speakers" mean when they chant about being "authentic." But I do know that consultants need to be original in what they provide if they are to separate themselves from others ostensibly providing the same services. Value is about unique contribution, not mindless emulation.

Whenever I see that someone is "licensed" or "certified" to teach, distribute, implement or whatever (you choose the verb), I realize that they are always going to compete on a training or vendor level, are not going to deliver outstanding value and, hence, will not be able to command high fees. Executive-level buyers don't want to hear about your 8-step process or where they fit into your universe.

They want to hear new ideas, best practices, and unique value that are encompassed in your expertise. They don’t want to hear about methodology that can be bought and sold by the ton. They want to know about results that very few people can generate (or else they'd be doing it themselves with their own staffs).

You need to go against the flow and get out of the product/revenue stream. There's a wonderful word—"widdershins"—which means "in a contrary direction; counterclockwise." That's the way to start undoing an "off the shelf" 360° instrument and turning back the tide.

If you've been in this profession for a few years, and can't do anything original, and are still purveying other peoples' ideas and instruments, then maybe this isn't the place for you.
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Want to read more by Alan Weiss? Visit his author page.

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. He has won dozens of writing and consulting awards and is a member of the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame®.

Visit his blog at www.contrarianconsulting.com.