Engaging Management Consultants - or how to avoid getting ripped off

Engaging Management Consultants - or how to avoid getting ripped off
Management consultancies have a reputation for ripping off
their clients. But is this always deserved? There are
many reasons for engaging management consultants. You may
need a particular technical skill, you may need an
objective, third party opinion, or you may have some short
term needs for expertise in change management. There are
also lots of instances when you shouldn't use consultants:
you're not sure what the problem is and you want them to
tell you; you have a budget you need to expend by a certain
date; you want them to make some people redundant. These
are not good reasons for engaging a consultancy and will
inevitably lead to disappointment. Taking a responsible
role when contracting with consultancies will ensure this
disappointment is avoided.

First Step: Decide whether you need a consultancy or not

To decide whether it's appropriate to engage with a
consultancy or not, consider the following:

What is the need or problem you want to address and why do
you think this need or problem exists? Will it be solved by
this intervention or will the underlying issue still exist?
What skills are you looking for? What value might a
consultancy bring to your business? What risks are there to
your business in using an outsourced resource?

Second Step: Draw up the initial brief

Once you've convinced yourself and the business that it is
appropriate to engage a consultancy, draw up a brief. Your
brief should be jargon free and contain:

1. A summary description of your organization: its purpose
and values, what it does, its size and structure

2. The need or problem and why you think this problem exists

3. What you want the consultancy to deliver in terms of
outputs and deliverables

4. What role you want the consultant to play

5. Who will be managing the role of the consultants and
what reporting you expect to take place - weekly, monthly
etc

6. A provisional budget. To decide on a budget think about
the impact of the problem and potential value of the
solution. Basing buying decisions purely on cost is not
always effective. An hourly or daily rate will not tell
you the whole story - a consultant with a high hourly rate
may produce value faster than one with a lower price. In
addition, experience suggests that if you force consultants
to quote daily rates they will charge you for every single
project meeting, conversation or journey. An overall
project fee may provide the basis for a more productive and
flexible working relationship.

7. A description of the kind of person(s) you want to
engage: their skills, experience and skill set. Industry
experience can be a massive plus factor but you have to
trade this off against the actual project demands that may
not be industry specific. A specialist software consultant
may be more suitable for a software project in the oil and
gas industry than an oil and gas specialist.

8. Timetable for the work

Third Step: The Pitch

After shortlisting your potential suppliers you will want
to meet them face to face.

During the pitch don't be impressed by techno babble.
Attempts to impress you with an extensive list of acronyms
and niche industry speak often hides a superficial
understanding of the real issues to be addressed. Instead,
look for a company that listens to you and makes a
presentation or pitch that is both specific and sympathetic
with your company's objectives, not just one where they
have performed a "find and replace company name" from a
previous document.

Assess the individual and the consultancy. Remember big
consulting companies are not always the best in every
situation. Larger companies can lack flexibility in both
internal processes and the way they handle clients. Larger
companies also have costly head office functions to support
- these costs will be passed on to you through higher fee
rates.

Boutique or niche consultancies can provide specialist
advice in a particular expertise area. They can be more
cost effective than larger consultancies. The disadvantage
is that they may not have the breadth of experience in
house to service a large scale change project. The same
applies for one man bands.

Fourth Step: Reference Checking

Your original brief gives the basis for assessing which
consultancy you should hire. When deciding who to work
with review your personal contact through phone calls,
meetings; written information such as research reports,
websites, CVs and the written proposal; and references or
recommendations from other people.

Fifth Step: Contracting

Your fifth and final engagement step involves drafting a
formal contract which should include:
- The work to be done

- The person(s) who will be delivering the work

- The person who is the lead contact in the organization

- The timescale and deadlines for the stages, if relevant

- The fees to be paid and the schedule of payments

- What expenses will be charged for, and at what rate

- Whether VAT is charged and on what

- Any required insurances (such as professional indemnity
insurance)

- The work to be done by your organization eg arranging
meetings, room hire

- Copyright of written and other creative materials (unless
agreed otherwise, copyright belongs to the creator, ie to
the consultant/trainer)

- How and when the work will be reviewed and what will
happen if either party is dissatisfied

----------------------------------------------------
Pam Kennett is Founder and Director of Chiswick Consulting
Limited a management consultancy which provides advice and
direction to clients in marketing and human resources. Pam
has been a management consultant for more than 15 years.
Contact her at pam@chiswickconsulting.com or visit
http://www.chiswickconsulting.com .

Kathy learns how to get the best out of staff she's "inherited"!

Kathy learns how to get the best out of staff she's "inherited"!
Kathy, an admin manager with a large manufacturing
organisation, was at her wit's end. In the main she loved
her job, but just recently she'd 'inherited' two staff from
another department and they were making her life
unnecessarily difficult.

The two women in question - both in their early 50's - had
been told six months previously that their jobs were under
threat of redundancy. However, at the eleventh hour, the
HR department - out of loyalty to the two women who'd
worked with the company for more than 15 years - had found
new positions for them.

At first the duo had been relieved to know that they would
still be getting their monthly pay packet - but the stress
of the previous six months' uncertainty was beginning to
take its toll. Unsurprisingly, both women had been unnerved
by their experience and they'd separately - and secretly -
vowed to themselves that they'd never "give their all" to
their employer again.

While their stance may have been understandable, for Kathy,
it was untenable. New to her own job, she was keen to prove
herself - but with these two "unengaged" women, Kathy knew
that she had a major problem on her hands. Determined not
to let the situation beat her, Kathy had given me a call to
ask for help.

First, I knew that Kathy needed to understand how her two
staff felt, so I asked her to imagine being in their shoes.
After I'd taken her - in her imagination - through the
experience that the two women had been through, I asked her
how she thought she'd feel in their situation.

"I guess I'd feel as though the company didn't really value
me. I'd be shocked to think that I could so easily be
removed from a job I'd enjoyed for a number of years and
I'd be really worried about how I was both going to make
ends meet and get another job."

Already, Kathy's voice was beginning to soften as she began
to see the situation through their eyes. "And I guess," I
added, "it would be a bit like going through the grieving
process. At first, there'd be disbelief, followed by
anger, then sadness. The next stage in the process would
be a kind of numbness - followed by a letting go and
choosing to get on with life."

Kathy had nodded at this, saying, "Yes, I can see that if
I'd been in their situation, I'd have felt both hurt and
angry. And while I might have been relieved in the short
term to know that I'd still got a job which would take care
of my financial worries, I probably would have soon got
pretty resentful at having to leave what had been a
comfortable situation!"

She'd raised an eyebrow and then smiled in understanding
when I'd gone on to explain that the two women had probably
been projecting their resentment onto her and the new team.

"In reality, their lack of engagement has little to do with
you and a lot to do with them. But as their manager - and
now that you understand why they're behaving as they are -
it's still up to you to rekindle their enthusiasm."

Noting Kathy's perplexed look, I continued, "And the best
way to do this is to spend time with each of them
separately so that you can get to know them. Find out what
interests them and get them to tell you about their
personal goals. And if they don't have any goals, help
them to create some. Behave as though you were their coach
- and remind them of the bigger picture. Challenge,
motivate and inspire them - and above all, make THEM
important."

Kathy knew then that if trust were to be rebuilt, then it
was up to her to take the first step.

When Kathy and I next touched base, she reported that
things had changed dramatically. "It took a little while,"
she conceded, "but I stuck with it. It was much easier
knowing why they were behaving the way they were. Because I
was able to stop taking their negativity so personally, it
was so much easier to see behind their resentment. As you
suggested, I spent time with each of them and once they'd
put together some personal goals, things really started to
improve. Frankly, I was amazed. I suppose, in order to be
motivated, everyone needs to be aware of their 'personal
reason why'!"

----------------------------------------------------
Olivia Stefanino is a leadership consultant, speaker and
author of the internationally acclaimed management book,
"Be Your Own Guru". Interviewed on more than 25 radio
stations and featured in "The Guardian", "Natural Health"
& "Red", Olivia is a guest columnist for a number of
national and international publications. Download your
fr*ee e-booklet, "128 ways to harness your personal power!"
by visiting http://www.beyourownguru.com

Marketing Strategy Mentality: Do You Have It?

Marketing Strategy Mentality: Do You Have It?
Most small business owners and independent professionals
start their business primarily because they have knowledge
and skills that are in demand. While they understand
intellectually that they have to market and sell, often it
does not translate on an emotional level. Many business
owners tend to look at marketing as a necessary evil and in
many cases have negative beliefs toward it. They could not
stand to be hounded by those pesky salesman in their
previous jobs and do not want to "become on of them." As a
result, the tendency is to focus on the aspects of our
business that were the reason we chose to go into business
in the first place, the actual application of our knowledge
or skills.

What is a marketing mentality and how is it developed?
There are three components all that link together. The
first component is belief. What are the underlying beliefs
that affect our mentality? It encompasses our attitudes,
thoughts, fears, expectations, and lack of experience. Our
actions are shaped by what we think about, what we assume
to be true and where we choose to focus. If the thoughts
are negative or avoidance minded then we will see marketing
as undesirable and in some cases unethical. It will
manifest in self talk such as I don't deserve referrals, my
marketing won't work anyway, I will look desperate, if my
service or product is good the market will know that, I
don't like networking etc.

The second component is behavior which is generally driven
by our beliefs. The decisions we make every day are
critical and negative beliefs about marketing affect the
decisions that are made. For example, how often do we plan
for the week and tell ourselves that on Tuesday we will
focus three hours on marketing. Tuesday morning rolls
along and we receive a client call or an issue or problem
with an employee and then rationalize that the marketing
must be put off because these issues must be dealt with
immediately. The question is how often this is really
true. In my experience working with clients the answer is
rarely. Although we know that the marketing is important
we let our negative beliefs affect our behavior. Before we
know it the pipeline is dry and then some type of marketing
activity is undertaken in an unplanned haphazard manner.

The third component is relationship. In order to have
consistent lead generation and sales there must be a
relationship cultivated with an adequate amount of
prospects. This is the main function of marketing. It is
the adage of people do business with those they know, like
and trust. Without a consistent and systematic marketing
plan there will not be a sufficient lead generation process.

The linkage is very powerful. The beliefs affect the
behaviors and the behaviors affect the ability to develop
the relationships. The connectivity between these elements
is extremely leveraged in both a positive and negative
direction. When there are aligned the results are
extraordinary and when they are not the results can be
devastating.

So if you are in this quandary what can be done about it?
First sit down and make a list and inventory what your
beliefs are about marketing. Be honest and list as many as
you can. Then ask yourself about whether these beliefs are
really true or just simply a personal bias. Second, are
you really absolutely sure what you believe is true or is
it possible that it is not. Next evaluate how this belief
affects your behavior and what would happen if this belief
is changed. Try to reconstruct the thought to a more
positive mindset. The next step is to translate those new
thoughts into new behaviors. One of the best techniques
for doing so is to block out time on your calendar and
treat it as if it were an appointment with your best
client. You surely would not miss an appointment with your
best client to deal with a task that was short of an
emergency would you? After a short time these new
behaviors will become habits and the rewards will follow.

If marketing is a struggle it is absolutely critical to
engage in this marketing mentality process. Many companies
with great services and products go out of business because
they could not implement a consistent lead generation
system. Most often that failure starts with the lack of a
marketing mentality. The great news is that the necessary
mentality can be developed with effort, focus and an open
mind. You will amazed by the impact on your business.

----------------------------------------------------
David Eissman founder of Guaranteed Growth Systems and the
creator of the Growth Accelerator System - "The fuel to get
you there faster "teaches business owners and independent
professionals how to create a step by step lead generation
and sales conversion system resulting in increased revenue
and profits. For FREE content rich information on how to
accelerate the growth of your business visit,
http://www.GuaranteedGS.com

21st Century Recruitment 4th Article

21st Century Recruitment 4th Article
What a good jobsite looks like?

This fourth article in the series is more a checklist and a
series of questions to ask yourself before parting with
your cash, with the thousands of jobsites available on the
Internet today the challenge of choosing the right one or
right ones for your recruitment needs is a real challenge.

The look and feel of a website is crucial in attracting
visitors to use a site, factors such as how attractive the
site is are important, but not as important is its clarity
of purpose and the ease with which you can navigate the
site. What does all this web speak mean, well it means is
it easy on the eye, is it clear what the site is about and
is it easy to search for jobs and apply for them as a
candidate? The aforementioned are just a few of the basics
but it is amazing how many jobsites do not meet these basic
standards.

Other key factors to consider from the candidate or
jobseekers point of view are key:

* Are their a good number of jobs on the site appropriate
to the specialism of the site? Answer should be YES
* Is there an accurate job search function that includes
all relevant job types, location and salary range? Answer
should be YES
* Does the candidate have to register to apply? Answer
should be NO
* Can the candidate be alerted to new jobs matching their
search criteria, by email and by sms? Answer should be YES
* Can the candidate register and put their CV in a database
and then apply for multiple positions? Answer should be YES
* Does the site have vacancies from employers as well as
agencies? Answer should be YES
* Does the site allow registration and the ability to be
selected by recruiters for contact against search criteria
without compromising personal identity? Answer should be YES

Factors to consider from a recruiter point of view include:

* Is there third party evidence of site traffic and
demographics available? Answer should be YES
* Is there a FOC trial available? Answer should be YES * Do
you have access to a searchable candidate database? Answer
should be YES
* Do you have a choice of payment options and flexibility?
Answer should be YES
* Can you receive direct applications from candidates that
do not wish to have their CV in a database? Answer should
be YES
* Are their opportunities to promote your vacancy in
prominent areas of the site? Answer should be YES And
finally do such job sites exist? In my next article I will
begin evaluating the jobsites that do meet these critical
tests

----------------------------------------------------
Louise G is a highly experienced sales recruitment
professional with over 20 years experience in all areas of
sales recruitment and is currently Sales and Marketing
Director of The sales Recruitment Jobsite.
Find out more about The Sales Recruitment Jobsite the place
for sales jobs and sales recruiters all around the globe at
http://salesrecruitmentjobsiteblog.blogspot.com or go to
the new site http://www.salesrecruitmentjobsite.com

Secrets of Low-Cost Marketing

Secrets of Low-Cost Marketing
It's a dilemma that most small businesses and startups
face: You must market and advertise, but you're strapped
for cash. Fortunately, ideas, energy and imagination can
make up for meager marketing budgets. Whether you're an
established company or a nascent business, the marketing
formula is the same. You'll need to start with:

1. The right message

2. To the right audience

3. At the right time

Here are a few secrets to getting the most bang for your
buck:

* Maximize Internet marketing opportunities

The Web has opened up a world of low-cost marketing
opportunities, from email and e-newsletters to blogs and
podcasts. Also, consider search engine marketing and
programs like Google's "Ad Words," which charge on a
pay-per-click basis.

More Ideas: If you want to send an e-newsletter or conduct
a low-cost email marketing campaign, try Constant Contact
(as low as $15 per month). To get a great list of
prospects, sign up visitors to your Web site (a no-brainer)
by offering a gift (a short report, 10 tips from an expert,
or something humorous) or rent a targeted email list at
Postmaster Direct. Find out more about pay-per-click ad
opportunities at Google.com.

* Seek publicity

Send out press releases and look for "hooks" to get your
company covered in print or on TV or radio. Also, make the
most of trade showsby speaking on industry panels to
position yourself as an expert in your field. (Speakers and
panelists at trade shows often receive free registration.)

More Ideas: PR Newswire.com details the components of a
press release and offers other tools for publicizing your
business. This Marketing Sherpa article provides tips for
getting on panels at conferences and trade shows.

* Adopt Guerrilla Marketing techniques

Guerilla Marketing is described as "a proven method of
achieving profits with minimum money." After 14 million
books in 41 languages, Jay Conrad Levinson's low-cost
tactics are still going strong. Some of his tried and true
tips include writing a column for your local paper, sending
"off-season" cards (instead of holiday cards), and even
slipping your business cards into relevant books at the
bookstore or library.

More Ideas: Learn more about Guerrilla Marketing at
gmarketing.com.

* Harness the power of Word of Mouth marketing

Word of mouth, or buzz marketing, has been generating buzz
of its own as a powerful and inexpensive marketing
discipline. Create your own customer evangelists and let
them spread the good word.

More Ideas: Visit Bravenet.com to add a free
"tell-a-friend" tool to your Web site, e-newsletter, or
emails, or try the low-cost Tell-a-Friend Wizard. For more
ideas on how to generate buzz, visit WOMMA, the Word of
Mouth Marketing Association.

* Consider low-cost, "do-it-yourself" media options

Before you invest in an elaborate direct mail campaign,
consider sending less expensive mail such as postcards or
birthday cards to clients. Piggybacking on existing
community promotions such as participating in town days,
and developing loyalty or frequent-buyer programs are other
"frugal" methods.

More Ideas: Try a low-cost postcard service such as
ModernPostcards.com. Your business can join an existing
loyalty program such as MyPoints.com or establish a custom
loyalty program with companies such as Maritz. Find dozens
of frugal marketing tips at FrugalMarketing.com.

Tips & Tactics:

In a world of spam and impersonal emails, try sending
personal, hand-written notes.

Find a related but non-competitive partner and join forces
to share marketing efforts.

Do "grassroots" marketing research by talking to your
customers one-on-one.

Join newsgroups and online discussion groups to position
yourself as an expert.

----------------------------------------------------
Lou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer
with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and
promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps
entrepreneurs create video for the web at
http://www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com . In addition, Lou works
as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a
ghostwriting site at http://www.GhostwriteForYou.com .