| In my career I have been fortunate enough to work | | | | presentations. |
| for two of the best companies on earth: Accenture | | | | A consultant needs to shelve the urge to cram as |
| and Microsoft. In my eleven years at Accenture I got | | | | many pretty slides into a presentation as they can. |
| a tremendous education on systems development, | | | | The client doesn't necessarily need to see all of the |
| project management, strategic planning, and client | | | | gory details. I've learned to focus many of my |
| service. In my nine years at Microsoft, I took most | | | | presentations into a core deck and an appendix. The |
| of what I learned at Accenture and learned how to | | | | core deck focuses on three core components: a |
| apply it in a very practical and effective manner. Both | | | | concise articulation of the problem, the proposed |
| experiences were key to my growth as a | | | | solution to the problem, and how the solution will be |
| professional. | | | | implemented. The appendix contains other supporting |
| When I left Accenture to go to Microsoft, I found | | | | pieces of information that the consultant only |
| myself moving from the consultant's side of the desk | | | | reviews with the client if necessary. I've been able to |
| to the client's side of the desk. At Microsoft I had | | | | get my point across to my client in a very crisp, |
| the opportunity to work with a large number of | | | | concise manner and was able to deep-dive on |
| consulting firms in my various jobs managing IT | | | | questions as necessary. True, you may only need a |
| projects, heading up Corporate Procurement, and | | | | small portion of your appendix and much of your |
| managing Corporate Planning & Budgeting. In | | | | hard work may never see the light of day, but if |
| working with many of these firms, I had ample | | | | you're solving the client's problem, who cares? |
| opportunity to reflect on my own career as a | | | | The client generally knows the theory, what they |
| consultant and think about how much better a | | | | may not know is how to practically apply it - I've |
| consultant I would have been had I viewed things | | | | been through one-too-many presentations as a client |
| more from the client's perspective. It is this | | | | where a consulting firm brings in their industry expert |
| client-based, or pragmatic consulting that dramatically | | | | to talk about the problems that face my industry. |
| increases a consultant's effectiveness and builds | | | | After they go on for about fifteen minutes telling me |
| long-term win-win relationships with clients. | | | | theory I already know, I would ask, "So how did you |
| The "Ah-ha's" | | | | fix it?" More often than not, the industry expert only |
| In moving from the consultant to the client role, I | | | | knew vague details about how someone else dealt |
| was able to clearly articulate some principles, or | | | | with the problem, if the problem was dealt with at all. |
| "Ah-has," that many consultants either don't | | | | Knowing the theory only gets you through the first |
| understand or don't practice on a regular basis, as | | | | mile in a 26-mile marathon; knowing how to apply the |
| follows: | | | | theory in a very practical and effective manner gets |
| Consulting is more about listening than speaking - | | | | you through the rest of the race. |
| Being an active listener and asking a lot of questions | | | | Clients want to hear about how their problems can |
| of the client is crucial to getting a deep understanding | | | | be solved in a practical, straightforward, effective |
| of the client's issues and hot buttons. Too frequently | | | | manner, not about lofty theory. If your theories don't |
| I've seen consultants rush in with their perspectives | | | | solve problems, save them for late-night philosophical |
| on theories or problems without truly taking the time | | | | discussions over a favorite beverage. |
| to listen to what is important to the client. | | | | Relationships are more important than short-term fee |
| Sometimes things worked out OK, but there were | | | | goals - True, consultants are in business to generate |
| times where the consultant's perceived understanding | | | | fees and make money. There's nothing wrong with a |
| of the problem didn't represent the client's true | | | | profit motive and a goal to make money. Where it |
| problems. The end result was is a ticked-off client | | | | does become a problem, though, is when short-term |
| who viewed the consultant as a pompous jerk. | | | | fee goals cause a consultant to do something that is |
| A consultant needs to resist the urge to present | | | | not in the client's best interest. Those consultants |
| solutions before the client has a chance to fully | | | | that seemed to always have one hand in my pocket |
| explain the problems. It could be that the consultant | | | | weren't the consultants that survived in the long |
| understands the problem very well, but to develop a | | | | term. |
| connection with the client, you need to let the client | | | | The consultants I respected the most are those who |
| articulate their issues and concerns. That connect | | | | told me things like "I really don't think you need me |
| time with the client is important to building the trust | | | | on this," or "You could probably do this yourself and |
| and credibility that both the consultant and client | | | | save some money." When a consultant puts my best |
| need to work effectively together. | | | | business interests over their own fees, my trust in |
| True credibility is achieved fastest by demonstrating | | | | them goes up exponentially. True, the consultant may |
| a thoughtful understanding of the client's problem - A | | | | have a short-term fee hit because they didn't sell a |
| consultant may have a strong understanding of | | | | job, but the long-term potential for win-win between |
| industry or functional issues that other companies | | | | the client and consultant was more attainable and far |
| face, but that doesn't mean that those problems | | | | more lucrative. |
| apply to the client. When a consultant assumes that | | | | Saying "I don't know" is OK at times - Being a |
| problems other companies face apply at the client, | | | | consultant doesn't mean that the omniscience fairy |
| they take a definite risk in establishing credibility with | | | | came to you one night, waved her magic wand, and |
| the client. Even worse is when the client explains their | | | | deemed you the all-knowledgeable one. Sometimes |
| problem and the consultant either doesn't | | | | issues will come up that the consultant can't answer. |
| acknowledge the problem or doesn't get it after | | | | Some of the ugliest situations I've seen were when |
| repeated explanations. The longer it takes for a | | | | the consultant tried to fake his way through a topic |
| consultant to grasp the client's problems, the shakier | | | | he had no business addressing. A simple "I don't |
| their credibility becomes. | | | | know" would have been far better than throwing up |
| A consultant needs to put themselves in the client's | | | | a smoke screen and hoping no one asks questions. |
| shoes, understand the client's problem from their | | | | Having said this, there are two caveats to note: first, |
| perspective, and not make generation assumptions | | | | whenever a consultant says "I don't know" they |
| about the complexity or urgency of the problem. | | | | need to follow it up with "but I'll find out and give |
| Show an "I feel your pain" perspective of the client's | | | | you an answer by x date." Second, a consultant only |
| problem and you'll quickly get over the credibility | | | | gets a few "I don't knows" before they're labeled as |
| hump and get the client to where they want to listen | | | | an incompetent doofus who doesn't know their |
| to you. | | | | subject matter. Having a strong understanding of the |
| "Concise" is more important than "more" - I personally | | | | subject matter the consultant professes to be |
| fell victim to this as a younger consultant. Many of | | | | expert in is mandatory; having a shaky understanding |
| my presentations were measured in part by how | | | | will get you voted off the island in the first round. |
| many slides and how much information I could cram | | | | True effectiveness as a consultant means the |
| into a presentation. It was commonplace for me to | | | | consultant listens to the client, understands their pain, |
| create 100+ slide PowerPoint presentations which | | | | presents practical solutions in a concise manner, and |
| would take several hours to go through. When I | | | | demonstrates the utmost in honesty and integrity. |
| joined Microsoft, I was thoroughly thrashed the first | | | | Keep these things in focus, and you'll earn and keep |
| time I created a pass-the-weight-test presentation. I | | | | the best clients. You will establish yourself as a |
| learned quickly to focus on concise, tight, | | | | pragmatic consultant who sees things from the only |
| treat-every-word-like-you're-spending-a-dollar | | | | perspective that matters -- that of the client. |