Customer Reviews

Developing Knowledge-Based Client Relationships: The Future of Professional Services (Knowledge Reader)

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Although written for and about professional services, the analysis and prescriptions in this book apply to any organisation that is concerned with building value-adding relationships with its clients. That is almost every business except one that is purely in commodities.

It is a first class book: well argued, well written and structured, clear and easy to reference and use. It succeeds admirably as a practitioner's manual. Prior understanding of the field is not essential, while established practitioners will find much to learn.

Knowledge is defined as 'the capacity to act effectively' and 'knowledge management' as referring to the dynamic processes associated with recognising knowledge as a primary asset and attempting to make it more productive. An important consequence of the definition is that knowledge is held only by people. The core of knowledge management initiatives lies in building and developing relationships between people, and knowledge transfer occurs between people. The key to effective knowledge transfer is therefore intimacy and trust.

He argues that knowledge, how it is generated, used and transferred, is probably the key source of differentiation in a world that is heading rapidly to commoditisation. Adding value to clients through knowledge transfer "can only be done with a highly interactive approach that draws on and develops relationships."

There is a detailed discussion of the role of information and the critical importance of understanding how to add the greatest value to information so that it can become can become valuable knowledge for clients.

A great deal of work went into conceptualizing and crafting this book, and I give very high marks to the author, who does a really superb job of integrating insights from knowledge management, information technology, cognitive modeling, and client relationship or account management. This book makes the jump from airplane reading, to "hold and read several times more."

At the heart of the book, and many appear to miss this on the first reading, is the author's distinction between commoditized information services and differentiated information services. The first, aided by automation, is on a downward spiral in terms of both value and pricing, and competition is fierce. The second, partially aided by automation but ultimately being unique for rising to a higher level of knowledge service delivery that can only be done by expert humans, is where value pricing and differentiation can be found, and where professional services need to go if they are to remain profitable.

The second urgent and valuable insight the author shares with us is the co-evolutionary nature of a service that evolves through constant knowledge transfer to the client and constant co-creation of new knowledge as the competitive advantage; and a very deep and broad relationship with the client at all levels of both organizations. One leads to the other, the other leads to finding new business with the same client, and the cycle repeats itself. This insight is especially relevant to all those who are using information technology to force single human account managers to handle more and more accounts remotely, all the while "losing touch" with their clients for lack of time to make the personal visit or personal telephone call. This is also explicitly contrary to the prevailing "black box" model where knowledge is withheld as proprietary--the author makes it clear that in this new era, withheld knowledge is much less valuable and much less survivable--this is a dying model.

Among the sections of the book that I found especially worthwhile, partly for their elegance of expression and partly because they represent a considerable professionalism in distilling vast arrays of writing by others, were those that itemized the seven processes for adding value to the client relationship by adding converting information into knowledge (filtering, validation, analysis, synthesis, presentation, ease of access and use, customization); the rare simplicity of the distinction between implicit and explicit knowledge and how to communicate both kinds of knowledge; the brief but sufficient discussion of four key humans in the loop: the senior representative, the relationship coordinator, the knowledge specialist, and the knowledge customer; and the more general discussion of the various means for communicating knowledge value to the client, both in terms of channels and in terms of events including scenarios and wargaming.

Contrary to the publicity, this is not a case study book, although the several "gray block" inserts are both helpful and credible. This book is an executive primer for managing value in the 21st Century, and it merits several readings, not one.

Where the book falls short, and it may be that this is deliberate and better left for another book, is in the section on pricing knowledge services. Despite a fine summary of the kinds of pricing that are used, from time and materials (both the predominant means and the least profitable) to retainer to contingency to commissions and tenders, one is left feeling that neither the author nor his otherwise excellent sources have really come to grips with the fact that clients are still mired in an industrial-age financial mindset that values fixed goods and is not yet ready to pay for intangible knowledge goods. My own research suggests that fully half of the competition for knowledge professionals comes from client middle managers and senior sales or production experts who believe that they know everything they need to know to make good decisions--the other half comes from niche providers of very fragmented services, from the aggregators of online information (Factiva, Lexis-Nexis, DIALOG) to the market research firms (FIND/SVP, Fuld, SIS) to private investigative groups (Arkin, Kroll, IGI) to academic consultants (Harvard, UT) to localized information brokers listed in the Burwell Directory...and many many other sources including commercial imagery and Russian military maps of third world regions that most knowledge specialists--as well as their clients--overlook completely. Somewhere in all this mix, the big accounting and legal firms are trying to leverage their access to clients by becoming portals to global knowledge, and they are *not* delivering the integrated value they should--a value that can only come when the author's wisdom becomes conventional, and every professional services person knows how to define the question, discover and validate the sources, discriminate and distill the many sources into a value-added compelling presentation, and do so in timely easy to use fashion.

Some will be deceived by the very easy to read and well-organized sections into thinking this book is slightly superficial. That is not the case. This is a very well researched book that represents enormous value-added because the author has creatively distilled and organized at least four separate literatures, and done so in a fashion that will repay multiple readings of the book by the new standard: at least twice the value of your time taken for each reading.

Dawson hits it right on the head. His no nonsense approach allows the reader to dig into the subject of managing client relationships in the new economy better than anyone else I've read.

I found the beginning a bit slow, but only because it explains the context for readers of all experience. I highly recommend pushing through the introductory chapters as quickly as possible because the meat of the book is excellent and exciting, particularly the discussion on linguistics. (And, I'm not a big fan of linguistics!)

Michael Ross EVP Capital Markets Thomson Financial Boston, MA

As a consultant who lives from one engagement to the next one of the buzzwords as projects are wrapped up is "knowledge transfer". It is almost like an afterthought and triggers some frantic activity to throw together a last minute plan, get the client's staff to absorb an array of information in a compressed timeframe, and sign off. This book changes that approach for me, and does so in a big way.

After reading the proactive approach to planned knowledge transfer, which needs to be a part of the initial project plan, I would consider the approach I cited above to not only be unprofessional, but borders on malpractice.

This book treats knowledge as a valuable commodity (something the business development types certainly preach, but the engagement team misses), and provides a methodical approach to using knowledge as a the product. Given the fact that we consultants are selling that very thing (knowledge) in a perfect world there should be no need for this book. Unfortunately, this book is sorely needed, and should be required reading for every consultant, regardless of whether he or she is a independent or member of one of the "Big 5".

Rarely do I read a book than makes a dramatic impact on my thinking, or fills me with resolve to immediately assimilate and use the content - this one does. I think it is an important work that is well written and gives a strong foundation for ethical practices and professionalism.

Ross Dawson states what many of us in professional service firms have known for some time: that black box solutions to our clients' needs quickly become commoditised (and suffer declining margins) and that knowledge sharing is the only way to build successful (profitable) and lasting client relationships. Dawson's approach to knowledge management is refreshing; he correctly concludes that KM is not just about an organisation's internal processes and systems but first and foremost about people. And the most important people are our clients. Dawson analyses the ways in which effective knowledge transfer can add value by facilitating better decision making by our clients and enhancing their capabilities. He deals directly with the risk of educating clients to the point of self-sufficiency and the ways in which we can join with our clients in the 'co-creation' of knowledge. There is a wealth of well presented and instructive material in this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone responsible for building and sustaining client relationships.

Because of their vanguard position as information builders and providers, professional services firms are even more vulnerable than most organizations to the rapid changes caused by the New Economy. Ross Dawson's book offers a great prescription for any company, large or small, whose business depends on developing and leveraging information to build lasting customer relationships. As the forces of the network economy transform "bricks-and-mortar" industries like retail and distribution, it's easy to overlook professional services as a focus for change. Those who do, though -- especially those in the industry itself -- do so at their peril. If they don't use Ross Dawson's excellent blueprint for the future of their business, their competitors certainly will.

Well written and organized text on client relationships and the issues of dealing effectively with knowledge sharing and transfer in business. This book is a practitioner's manual that discusses key foundations of this topic, and then later examines some of the primary approaches used, with a majority of the book covering implementation of these ideas. Dawson begins the text by indicating that "even if you are brilliant at engaging in knowledge-based relationships with your clients, that does not help you if your clients do not recognize the value you can create for them through this deeper level of engagement. Professionals must lead their clients into knowledge-based relationships by demonstrating the value of collaboration. On every front, the future success of professional services firms will depend absolutely on the leadership capabilities within the firm." The author furthers this line of thought by discussing recent growth of the U.S. economy, which was driven by information, ideas, services, and knowledge. But while value is in knowledge, the most powerful trend in business right now is commoditization: "Without a relationship you become a commodity. With a relationship, everything is possible. You can create far greater value for your clients than your competitors can, and as a result lock your clients into longstanding, mutually profitable, collaboration."

Dawson discusses the guilds of yesteryear, the predecessors of today's professions, the purpose of which in part was to protect the commercial privileges of those who held valuable skills and knowledge. But this philosophy cannot continue in a world where vast amounts of information flow freely. The author contrasts delivering professional services in such a manner, by which a client receives an outcome, but does not see the process involved, and is not wiser as a result of the engagement, as the "black box" approach. Continued pursuit of such an approach is detrimental to the professional services firm. "These black box services are opaque to the client. Since the only reference point the client has is the result, it is relatively easy for other firms to replicate that result and then compete primarily on price. In other words, they are commoditizing the service." With a knowledge based approach, however, "the outcome is that clients are more knowledgeable, are able to make better decisions, and have enhanced capabilities. In short, the client is different as a result of the engagement. Professional firms and clients are pooling their capabilities to create results they could not achieve individually. This makes it impossible for competitors to replicate these outcomes. The entire engagement is based on rich interaction, meaning there are many opportunities to develop a valuable and lasting relationship."

One of the best segments in this text is entitled "Why should I teach my clients to do what I do?", where the author notes that "the great fear of professionals is that if they make their clients more knowledgeable they are giving away their key productive asset from which they make money. In many cases this is a misunderstanding of the nature of knowledge-based relationships. This is often not about teaching your clients to do what you do but making them better at what they do, which is very far from doing yourself out of a job. In other cases, it is true that knowledge-based relationships result in clients becoming more self-sufficient. In some cases, it is true that knowledge-based relationships result in clients becoming more self-sufficient. In some situations it is possible that this means they will rely less on you in the future. More often their increased self-sufficiency will allow you to move to higher value and more profitable types of engagements. Either way, refusing to engage in knowledge-based relationships with clients is an unsustainable position. In professional services, the far greater risk is that competitors will offer more value to your clients than you do, so that you will lose all their business."

Another favorite of this reviewer is the 10-page segment "Models of relationship management", where Dawson explains that different models can be created by using diverse approaches to how the four primary knowledge relationship roles (senior representative, relationship coordinator, knowledge specialist, and knowledge customizer) combine and relate. With the guru model, most of the high-level client contact is concentrated on an individual or small number of individuals. Contact begins to expand beyond this key contact at the professional services firm with the expansion model. The mirror model is a bit different, because people communicate directly with their peers as opposed to through a formal relationship manager. And the integration model is the stage at which the boundaries between the firm and the client blur beyond recognition. As the author notes, these four models coincide with each of the stages of relationship development: the engaging, aligning, deepening, and partnering stages. Quite simply, this 350-page text is well thought out throughout, and is well recommended for independent consultants, consultants in professional services firms, and clients who are engaged or are considering engagement with such entities.

This book is a must-read for any professional services executive who is serious about winning and keeping customers.

Lots of good ideas on how to reach out to your clients more effectively, ideas which force you to think about how you are treating your own clients!

Well-punctuated with case studies. Look forward to Dawson's next book..

This book reads like a dull sociology treatise. It is hard to argue with most of the points, but much of what is stated is obvious. Dawson is heavy on theory, but light on example and ways to apply the theory. A book this hard to read (i.e., dull) should at least deliver a great deal of wisdom. It doesn't. Contrasted with a lively and example-filled book like Thomas Stewart's "Intellectual Capital", Dawson's work doesn't make the grade.

This book reads like a dull sociology treatise. It is hard to argue with most of the points, but much of what is stated is the obvious. It is heavy on theory, but light on example and ways to apply the theory. A book this hard to read (i.e., dull) should at least deliver a great deal of wisdom. It doesn't. Contrasted with a lively and example-filled book like Thomas Stewart's "Intellectual Capital", Dawson's work doesn't make the grade.