Beyond Referrals was recently interviewed by Jon Hansen at Procurement Insights on our thoughts around the procurement of professional services.
Jon's site is a great resource for anyone wanting to read more around this subject...
http://procureinsights.wordpress.com
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The BR Blog: Better Ways to Sell AND Buy Professional Services
To date Beyond Referrals has primarily addressed the sales end of professional services business development with only occasional input into the buying side of the equation. Our ultimate goal however, is to improve the selling AND the buying of all professional services as the two are inextricably linked together.
On the buying side, the RFP has been the focus of my criticism for all my career. Unfortunately the lack of a meaningful alternative has let it live long past it's usefulness. I mean really, how many people stay up late plotting better ways to evaluate sector and technical expertise?
Apparently I do. And over the next few weeks, months, and years I'll be sharing better ways to buy on this blog.
"Why?" you ask.
Recently at the Purchasing Management Association of Canada Conference in Newfoundland I witnessed first hand the interest that corporate procurement professionals across North America have in the area of improving professionals services procurement. I have not seen this in the past.
This new attitude inspired me - so after much deliberation this blog has just officially shifted gears. It is now the safe-house for sellers and buyers of professional services to experience thoughts and ideas from both sides of the engagement, in order to identify better ways for clients and consultants to find, and begin working with, each other.
If, through communication of better processes, consultants, clients, and procurement professionals can remove cost and inaccuracy from the current selling/buying experience (and there is plenty) then everybody wins.
As a starting point, I'd like to offer the following.
If you'd like to receive a copy of the audio recording of the Beyond Referrals presentation to PMAC titled RFP's And Professional Services: Finding A Better Way, simply e-mail your request to Cal@BeyondReferrals.com Note that it is not currently available but I will send it as soon as I receive it from the nice folks at PMAC.
Conversely if you'd like a video copy of the Selling Consulting When You're Too Busy Consulting speech delivered in a few dozen cities across North America (and soon Barbados) e-mail your request to Cal@BeyondReferrals.com That one we can ship right away.
There is no cost for either.
Take care and talk to you soon.
www.BeyondReferrals.com
On the buying side, the RFP has been the focus of my criticism for all my career. Unfortunately the lack of a meaningful alternative has let it live long past it's usefulness. I mean really, how many people stay up late plotting better ways to evaluate sector and technical expertise?
Apparently I do. And over the next few weeks, months, and years I'll be sharing better ways to buy on this blog.
"Why?" you ask.
Recently at the Purchasing Management Association of Canada Conference in Newfoundland I witnessed first hand the interest that corporate procurement professionals across North America have in the area of improving professionals services procurement. I have not seen this in the past.
This new attitude inspired me - so after much deliberation this blog has just officially shifted gears. It is now the safe-house for sellers and buyers of professional services to experience thoughts and ideas from both sides of the engagement, in order to identify better ways for clients and consultants to find, and begin working with, each other.
If, through communication of better processes, consultants, clients, and procurement professionals can remove cost and inaccuracy from the current selling/buying experience (and there is plenty) then everybody wins.
As a starting point, I'd like to offer the following.
If you'd like to receive a copy of the audio recording of the Beyond Referrals presentation to PMAC titled RFP's And Professional Services: Finding A Better Way, simply e-mail your request to Cal@BeyondReferrals.com Note that it is not currently available but I will send it as soon as I receive it from the nice folks at PMAC.
Conversely if you'd like a video copy of the Selling Consulting When You're Too Busy Consulting speech delivered in a few dozen cities across North America (and soon Barbados) e-mail your request to Cal@BeyondReferrals.com That one we can ship right away.
There is no cost for either.
Take care and talk to you soon.
www.BeyondReferrals.com
Friday, May 23, 2008
Purchasing Professional Services Speech in Newfoundland
Greetings from The Fairmont Hotel in St. John's Newfoundland (Canada). Over 600 purchasing professionals from the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors across North America are here for a few days exploring better ways to buy everything from forklifts to consulting services.
Which explains why I am here.
Yesterday morning I presented "RFP's And Professional Services: Finding A Better Way" and according to Sharon Ferriss the Director of Public Afairs and Communications for PMAC (Purchasing Management Association of Canada) it had the highest pre-registration of the many concurrent sessions and in the end somewhere between 120 and 150 attended the session.
Aside from some shameless self-promotion the reason I mention this is that the big crowd and post-speech inquiries and questions indicate an interest on behalf of procurement professionals in improving how they use (or even IF they should use) an RFP to select professional service providers.
So what does this mean for you?
Tell the purchasing people you know about this presentation. If they are considering improvements to their RFP processes for professional services and want to read or hear more about how to do it I'd be pleased to share my slides. And if the audio worked out the way I hope the speech will soon be available on the web or CD as well.
Which explains why I am here.
Yesterday morning I presented "RFP's And Professional Services: Finding A Better Way" and according to Sharon Ferriss the Director of Public Afairs and Communications for PMAC (Purchasing Management Association of Canada) it had the highest pre-registration of the many concurrent sessions and in the end somewhere between 120 and 150 attended the session.
Aside from some shameless self-promotion the reason I mention this is that the big crowd and post-speech inquiries and questions indicate an interest on behalf of procurement professionals in improving how they use (or even IF they should use) an RFP to select professional service providers.
So what does this mean for you?
Tell the purchasing people you know about this presentation. If they are considering improvements to their RFP processes for professional services and want to read or hear more about how to do it I'd be pleased to share my slides. And if the audio worked out the way I hope the speech will soon be available on the web or CD as well.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Barbados 2008
I was recently asked to speak at a conference in Barbados and have accepted. If you'd like a tax deductible reason to visit Barbados in the fall of 2008, while also learning how to increase margin and sales volume, stay tuned - I am planning special things for this conference.
The Episode in Which Cal Realizes Good Blogging is Hard Work
This blog is intended to share some insights and observations with other consultants but also to function as a test of blogging. This post combines both intentions. In very brief form....
Lesson One: I have realized that blogging requires more commitment than I have made to it.
Lesson Two: Blogs must be made more public than I have made this one.
More on this later....
Lesson One: I have realized that blogging requires more commitment than I have made to it.
Lesson Two: Blogs must be made more public than I have made this one.
More on this later....
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sales Effectiveness Report
I recently read about the Watson Wyatt 2008 Report on Sales Effectiveness and Compensation and it had some interesting information. Included was a finding that by shifting 2 hours per week from administrative tasks to selling related tasks an additional $90,000 - $120,000 could be realized by effective sales people.
I first found out about the study from the Top-Consultant.com e-newsletter. It's UK based and a great source of global consulting related information and services .
I suggest you subscribe to it if you are in the management consulting industry.
I first found out about the study from the Top-Consultant.com e-newsletter. It's UK based and a great source of global consulting related information and services .
I suggest you subscribe to it if you are in the management consulting industry.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Good Branding Gone Bad
The title of the article in the February 2008 issue of Psychology Today caught my eye. “Becoming Your Own Brand” spoke directly to the advice I give many of my management consulting clients. As I read further I was enchanted by the words of Judith Sills, the author and PhD. “Your brand” she states “is the professional identity you create in the minds of others”. Perfect. An article I can forward to my clients.
But wait. There’s a hitch. A bit of sidebar advice has derailed her argument.
“Don’t make your niche of expertise too narrow” she suggests. As an example she suggests that describing your expertise as “business practices” leaves a lot of industries open while describing your expertise as “international shoe industry business practices” limits your options.
It certainly does limit your options. And that’s a good thing.
What she fails to recognize is the advantage that limiting your options offers the professional. By focussing on narrow areas of expertise and well-defined markets, it allows professionals to allocate their scarce marketing efforts in the most efficient manner possible. And more importantly, narrowly focussed experts are very attractive to clients who see that expertise as relevant and valuable to their firm.
This is why true, narrowly focussed experts, attract clients from around the world and command premium fees while generic business practice “experts” grind out reports for low margins and long nights, always struggling to chase the next client, rallying around their marketing mantra of “broad expertise”.
There is no such thing as “broad expertise” and the author makes the common undergrad mistake of attempting to position a generic skill set as a “distinctive and desirable” market position.
This critical flaw in an otherwise commendable article makes for another good start, and predictable bad finish, in the race to advise professionals on branding and market positioning.
But wait. There’s a hitch. A bit of sidebar advice has derailed her argument.
“Don’t make your niche of expertise too narrow” she suggests. As an example she suggests that describing your expertise as “business practices” leaves a lot of industries open while describing your expertise as “international shoe industry business practices” limits your options.
It certainly does limit your options. And that’s a good thing.
What she fails to recognize is the advantage that limiting your options offers the professional. By focussing on narrow areas of expertise and well-defined markets, it allows professionals to allocate their scarce marketing efforts in the most efficient manner possible. And more importantly, narrowly focussed experts are very attractive to clients who see that expertise as relevant and valuable to their firm.
This is why true, narrowly focussed experts, attract clients from around the world and command premium fees while generic business practice “experts” grind out reports for low margins and long nights, always struggling to chase the next client, rallying around their marketing mantra of “broad expertise”.
There is no such thing as “broad expertise” and the author makes the common undergrad mistake of attempting to position a generic skill set as a “distinctive and desirable” market position.
This critical flaw in an otherwise commendable article makes for another good start, and predictable bad finish, in the race to advise professionals on branding and market positioning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
