Introduction to consulting essentials Calvert Markham
Introduction to consulting essentials
Feb 25, 2016
Introduction to consulting essentials. A consulting relationship can mean a range of things. A contractual relationship. A professional engagement. With individuals. With organisations. Elevation Learning definition: what is consultancy?. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Introduction to consulting essentials
Calvert Markham
A consulting relationship can mean a range of things
A contractual relationship
A professionalengagement
With individuals
With organisations
Elevation Learning definition: what is consultancy?
Delivering specialist skills in a
client environmentConsultant
The hierarchical organisation
Consultancy skills
Consultant’s specialist knowledge
Application Understanding organisations
The area of interest
...and so is this
This is what you know
Qualifications in Professional Consulting
• Launched by the Institute of Consulting and their parent, the Chartered Management Institute in 2012
• The qualifications fit on the national Qualifications and Credit Framework at:– Level 5, equivalent to HND
– Level 7, equivalent to post-graduate
• Available from selected Approved Centres, of which Elevation Learning is one
How they work
• The syllabus and examination standards for a number of “units” on topics in Professional Consulting have been specified for each level
• Successful completion of a unit wins a specified number of credits for the learner
• The learner can accumulate these credits to progress from an Award, through Certificate, to Diploma at each level
Level 5 Level 7Award 7 6Certificate 13 13Diploma 43 52
Number of credits needed for...
Learners should allow up to 10 learning hours per credit to include both guided learning and private study and on-job activities
Why bother?
To consultants A lifelong and a public recognition of abilityA powerful way of consolidating the learning on a training programme and applying it to develop performance back at work
To employers Examinations provide an incentive to apply and demonstrate learning by improving performance, on the job Offering a lifelong qualification could appeal to potential recruits and also deter defections to employers who do not offer this benefit.
To clients Qualifications provide reassurance that a particular consultant is suitably equipped to carry out a piece of work
There are benefits for all:
What topics are covered?
LEVEL 5 LEVEL 7Introduction to consulting essentials Organisational structure and culture
Planning and managing consultancy interventions
Entry and diagnosis
The client relationship Group dynamics and facilitating skills
Communication for consultants Communicating strategies for consulting
Problem solving tools and techniques for consultants
Managing consultancy interventions
The role and responsibilities of a consultant Tools and techniques for effective consulting Managing the business of consulting
The core units are:
There are additional optional units for the Diploma
Today’s messages
• Be clear what you should be famous for
• Make sure people know about you and your services
• Use opportunities to develop your network
• Do good work
Today’s messages
• Be clear what you should be famous for
• Make sure people know about you and your services
• Use opportunities to develop your network
• Do good work
The power of brands
“Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.”
Jeff Bezos, quoted in: Brand you
Core story
1. We are a large, well established, specialist training company
– Supporting facts– What this means– Illustration
2. We design and deliver high quality development programmes
3. We work internationally across all sectors4. We are highly regarded by our clients 5. Our consultants are first rate trainers and
developers6. We have a significant impact on individual
and corporate performance
Ask “so what?” to get to client benefits
Have “golden nuggets” available to back up your story
Today’s messages
• Be clear what you should be famous for
• Make sure people know about you and your services
• Use opportunities to develop your network
• Do good work
Recognition of need
Does client recognise the need?
Do we recognise the need?
Yes
No
YesNo
?
Build value of doing
something
Maintain a dialogue
Develop a sales
discussion
Use campaigns to support your marketing. Our policy in 2013
Getting a yield from existing clients• Campaign “Maintaining the
presence” so they think of us should a need for our services arise.
• Use campaigns to promote specific sales propositions
Client acquisition• Promotional activity should
attract new clients to our web site
• Cold calling does not work in our business. We need to link to new markets via intermediaries
Today’s messages
• Be clear what you should be famous for
• Make sure people know about you and your services
• Use opportunities to develop your network
• Do good work
17
The leverage of association
Client relationships
Capability
Me
Me
Others
Others
Alliances leveraging off others' client
relationships
Alliances utilising others'
capabilities
Consultancy firm
Sole practitioner
Today’s messages
• Be clear what you should be famous for
• Make sure people know about you and your services
• Use opportunities to develop your network
• Do good work
Cornerstone client survey
Critical attributes• Your staff has the excellence in technical skills required to do the job• You work with us as a partner we trust you• You don’t wait for me to initiate everything; you anticipate• You have a high level of integrity and professional ethics• Your service offered excellent value for the fees charged• Your people are accessible• You show creativity in your proposed solutions• You have a good understanding of our business• You are very flexible and willing to adapt to our changes• You keep your promises on deadlines
The CONSULT delivery process
Closure
Intervention
Diagnosis
Contracting
Entry
The STAR approach
Situation appraisal
Tactics and planning
Action
Review
STAR and the CONSULT process
Critical activity S T A REntry/engagement
Establishing a relationship with a new client
Client profiling Impact and meeting preparation
Meeting skillsSelling yourself and your firm
Process review
Contracting Setting up a project
Establishing terms of reference
Helping clients be good clients
Negotiation Assessing risk
Diagnosis Progress review meetings
Understanding what is the real problem
Knowing what soft data is needed
Questioning skillsHandling difficult client situations - assertiveness
Assessing the state of readiness for change
Intervention Making recommendations
Creating change in a client
Influencing and persuasion techniques
Client presentation
Embedding change
Closure Case review Assessing success
Case conference
Extension selling
Case review
Situation analysis: analysing what’s going onTactics: planning what to do
Action: techniques to use with the clientReview: outcomes achieved and what to apply next time
STAR and the CONSULT process
Critical activity S T A REntry/engagement
Establishing a relationship with a new client
Client profiling Impact and meeting preparation
Meeting skillsSelling yourself and your firm
Process review
Contracting Setting up a project
Establishing terms of reference
Helping clients be good clients
Negotiation Assessing risk
Diagnosis Progress review meetings
Understanding what is the real problem
Knowing what soft data is needed
Questioning skillsHandling difficult client situations - assertiveness
Assessing the state of readiness for change
Intervention Making recommendations
Creating change in a client
Influencing and persuasion techniques
Client presentation
Embedding change
Closure Case review Assessing success
Case conference
Extension selling
Case review
Situation analysis: analysing what’s going onTactics: planning what to do
Action: techniques to use with the clientReview: outcomes achieved and what to apply next time
The reception test
Your organisation is hiring consultants for a project. A prospective bid team is in reception and your boss says, “Walk through reception and tell me what you make of them.”
What factors would make a good or poor impression on you?
You never get a second chance to make a first impression
55%38%
7%
How you look
How you sound
What you say
Mehrabian on impact
STAR and the CONSULT process
Critical activity S T A REntry/engagement
Establishing a relationship with a new client
Client profiling Impact and meeting preparation
Meeting skillsSelling yourself and your firm
Process review
Contracting Setting up a project
Establishing terms of reference
Helping clients be good clients
Negotiation Assessing risk
Diagnosis Progress review meetings
Understanding what is the real problem
Knowing what soft data is needed
Questioning skillsHandling difficult client situations - assertiveness
Assessing the state of readiness for change
Intervention Making recommendations
Creating change in a client
Influencing and persuasion techniques
Client presentation
Embedding change
Closure Case review Assessing success
Case conference
Extension selling
Case review
Situation analysis: analysing what’s going onTactics: planning what to do
Action: techniques to use with the clientReview: outcomes achieved and what to apply next time
Managing expectations is key
Expectations are set in the pre-contract stage...
...and met post-contract
...but often need to be renegotiated to take account of changed circumstances
Contract
Checklist of expectations
• What is to be covered - the scope?
• What is the client going to get - and when?
• What are the respective responsibilities of consultant and client?
• How is the engagement to be managed - e.g. progress review meetings
• What are the unwritten expectations of this client
STAR and the CONSULT process
Critical activity S T A REntry/engagement
Establishing a relationship with a new client
Client profiling Impact and meeting preparation
Meeting skillsSelling yourself and your firm
Process review
Contracting Setting up a project
Establishing terms of reference
Helping clients be good clients
Negotiation Assessing risk
Diagnosis Progress review meetings
Understanding what is the real problem
Knowing what soft data is needed
Questioning skillsHandling difficult client situations - assertiveness
Assessing the state of readiness for change
Intervention Making recommendations
Creating change in a client
Influencing and persuasion techniques
Client presentation
Embedding change
Closure Case review Assessing success
Case conference
Extension selling
Case review
Situation analysis: analysing what’s going onTactics: planning what to do
Action: techniques to use with the clientReview: outcomes achieved and what to apply next time
Be clear about whether you are working in the Problem space or Solution space
S
P
Solution space
Problem space
Time
What IS the problem?
What COULD the solution be?
What SHOULD the solution be?
What COULD the problem be?
Where we identify the possible
alternatives and propose a valid
solution
Where we identify the problem and
diagnose the situation accurately
STAR and the CONSULT process
Critical activity S T A REntry/engagement
Establishing a relationship with a new client
Client profiling Impact and meeting preparation
Meeting skillsSelling yourself and your firm
Process review
Contracting Setting up a project Establishing terms of reference
Helping clients be good clients
Negotiation Assessing risk
Diagnosis Progress review meetings
Understanding what is the real problem
Knowing what soft data is needed
Questioning skillsHandling difficult client situations - assertiveness
Assessing the state of readiness for change
Intervention Making recommendations
Creating change in a client
Influencing and persuasion techniques
Client presentation
Embedding change
Closure Case review Assessing success
Case conference
Extension selling
Case review
Situation analysis: analysing what’s going onTactics: planning what to do
Action: techniques to use with the clientReview: outcomes achieved and what to apply next time
Recommendations need to meet a number of criteria in order to be valid
Achievable
AcceptableAdeq
uate
The WIIFM factor
What’s
In
It
For
Me?
STAR and the CONSULT process
Critical activity S T A REntry/engagement
Establishing a relationship with a new client
Client profiling Impact and meeting preparation
Meeting skillsSelling yourself and your firm
Process review
Contracting Setting up a project
Establishing terms of reference
Helping clients be good clients
Negotiation Assessing risk
Diagnosis Progress review meetings
Understanding what is the real problem
Knowing what soft data is needed
Questioning skillsHandling difficult client situations - assertiveness
Assessing the state of readiness for change
Intervention Making recommendations
Creating change in a client
Influencing and persuasion techniques
Client presentation
Embedding change
Closure Case review Assessing success
Case conference
Extension selling
Case review
Situation analysis: analysing what’s going onTactics: planning what to do
Action: techniques to use with the clientReview: outcomes achieved and what to apply next time
Closure
Key activities
• Extension or disengagement
• Technology transfer
• Sign off with client
• Invoicing
• Documenting the project
• Maintaining the relationships
• Knowledge management
Pitfall 1: Order taking is easy selling
You are an HR consultant. A new prospective client calls you up. “We need someone to profile our people. It needs to be done yesterday.”
It falls in your area of expertise. So why should you hesitate - or should you hesitate at all?
Pitfall 2: What’s in a name?
The project has started, but you need to give it a name. You’re from JKL consultants, and the client says, “Let’s call it the JKL project - and it will be good publicity for you.”
Pitfall 3: Sam’s the man
The client says, “It’s a good idea to have someone responsible for the project from our side. Sam will be responsible. I’d like you to work with Sam, and he will report to me on progress from time to time.”
Pitfalls in delivering consultancy
#1 Doing the wrong job
#2 A mismatch of expectations
#3 Forgetting that all projects are joint ventures
#4 Losing contact with decision makers
#5 Being subservient to clients
#6 Sacrificing the good for the ideal
Good work needs good clients
• You have to help your clients be good clients
• The amount of effort depends on the complexity of the project and the maturity of the client
Low effort Medium effort
Medium effort High effortLow
Low
High
High
Maturity of client
Complexity of project
Related Documents
