Here’s an Example of a Disconnected Conversation A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine and I were talking about a particular consulting project.  We just weren’t connecting in our conversation somehow — I kept repeating my points and he kept repeating his.  It felt like we were disagreeing somehow, but neither of us were actually saying that we disagreed with the other.  Still, we felt increasingly frustrated. He kept asserting that the client’s CEO needed to show stronger leadership, including by being more participative. I kept agreeing.  I suggested one-on-one with his ..read more

See Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations (Part 1 of 3) and Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations (Part 2 of 3). 8.  The focus of consultant projects can change frequently. Smaller organizations, like larger organizations, are dynamic and complex.  New and different problems can arise at any level in the organization.  However, in smaller organizations there are few internal systems to reliably notice the problems and solve them.  Thus, there usually is little time between when an issue arises and is felt by everyone in the organization.  As a resul ..read more

See Challenges in Consulting to Small Organizations – Part 1 . 5.  The organizations are often too small to justify or pay for expensive outside advice. Even when struggling with recurring issues, many small organizations hesitate to spend money on what is seen as diverting valuable dollars from sales and services.  So when they do hire consultants, it is usually for specific, low-cost technical advice – and that advice had better solve the organization’s problems and fast.  So consultants might form relationships with these organizations primarily by promoting their technical s ..read more

Small organizations are often like small families, with all of the ensuing dynamics and challenges that we encounter in families of our own.  This presents special challenges for consultants when working to help leaders of these organizations to solve problems and learn at the same time.  However, this also presents opportunities for the consultants who understand the nature of small organizations and how to work with them.  Here are some observations from working with many small organizations over the years. 1. Their leaders often work alone – they are not used to asking for he ..read more

As we clarified in Parts 1 and 2 of 3, if your clients don’t participate in the consulting to improve their organization, then you are faced with the dilemma:  “Should I just do the work for the client, or should we keep slipping deadlines in the project”.  However, long-lasting change will not occur in their organization if the client does not have strong understanding, commitment and participation in the changes.  So if you do the client’s work, it is not likely that your project will be successful.  Here are some additional suggestions for getting your client to particip ..read more

As we clarified in Part 1 of 3, if your clients don’t participate in the consulting to improve their organization, then you are faced with the dilemma:  “Should I just do the work for the client, or should we keep slipping deadlines in the project”.  However, long-lasting change will not occur in their organization if the client does not have strong understanding, commitment and participation in the changes.  So if you do the client’s work, it is not likely that your project will be successful.  Here are some additional suggestions for getting your client to participate: R ..read more

A common question that we get is “How can I get my clients to participate in the consulting project when they seem too busy to even attend our meetings?”  This question is relevant whether you are an internal or external consultant. In those situations, you are faced with the dilemma:  “Should I just do the work for the client, or should we keep slipping deadlines in the project” Research suggests that long-lasting change will not occur in an organization if the client does not have strong understanding, commitment and participation in the changes.  So if you do the client’s wo ..read more

There are numerous sources of online information about how to market a consulting business, for example, use your browser to search at inc.com, marketingsuccess.com and entrepreneur.com.  We have been teaching consulting skills for many years, and the advice that we hear from our students about what has been successful for their marketing often does not closely match the advice in the online information.  In this post Part 1, we share the first five of the 10 most suggested strategies for successful marketing. #1 — Have a Passion for Helping People Without that passion, your marketin ..read more

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