The Trusted Firm: How Consulting Firms Build Successful Client Relationships [Hardcover]

Fiona Czerniawska (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470027177 | ISBN-13: 978-0470027172 | Publication Date: January 12, 2007 | Edition: 1

The consulting industry has been on a roller-coaster ride since the heady days of the 1990s. After a recession triggered by the dotcom crash, it's now growing rapidly again--but in a market that has changed beyond all recognition. Fees are down, buying is centralized and many clients are ex-consultants who know all the tricks of the trade. It's a hostile environment in which great personal qualities are no longer enough--consultants need trusted firms behind them, helping them deliver results. This unique journey through the new consulting terrain looks at how leading consulting firms worldwide create a platform for success: what values they need; who they recruit and what recruitment processes work best; how they keep their finger on the pulse of the market; how they match the right people to particular jobs.

"This book is essential for both client and consultant to understand the pitfalls to avoid and the conditions neccessary for successin todays' complex, multi faceted project environment."
-- Peter Hill, Chief Executive, Management Consultancies Association


"The Trusted Firm presents a compelling blueprint for the consulting firm of the future. From concepts to tactics, this book shows firm leaders why and how to rethink their businesses to earn client trust?the ultimate market differentiator."
--Michael W. McLaughlin, Editor, Management Consulting News and author of Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants

"Fiona, astute observer, commentator of the management field, provides insight and clarity to the chaos of rapid changes in our clients' evolving demands and how our firms can most effectively respond to them.
A must-read for understanding data on contemporary client demands; a valuable contribution to our field. Czerniawska explicates the dynamics of the three-pronged relationship between the client, the consultant and the firm. She explains why each aspect of this tri-partite relationship is equally significant in the successful engagement."
--Elizabeth Ann Kovacs, President & CEO, Association of Management Consulting Firms

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a must-read for anyone employing the services of a consultancy firm." (Credit Control Journal)

From the Inside Flap

The consulting industry has been on a roller-coaster ride since the heady days of the 1990s. After a recession triggered by the dotcom crash, it’s now growing rapidly again—but in a market that has changed beyond all recognition. Fees are down, buying is centralized and many clients are ex-consultants who know all the tricks of the trade. It’s a hostile environment in which great personal qualities are no longer enough—consultants need trusted firms behind them, helping them deliver results. This unique journey through the new consulting terrain looks at how leading consulting firms worldwide create a platform for success: what values they need; who they recruit and what recruitment processes work best; how they keep their finger on the pulse of the market; how they match the right people to particular jobs. 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470027177
• ISBN-13: 978-0470027172
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,747,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Consulting Based on Trust and Value, May 9, 2008

By 

Vaishali Naroola (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trusted Firm: How Consulting Firms Build Successful Client Relationships (Hardcover)

The word `Trust' really caught my attention. We are in a knowledge economy and that itself is based on Trust. The WKID pyramid indicates how we go from Data to Information to Knowledge and finally to Wisdom.

Knowledge is transmuted into Wisdom only when it is applied and yields sustainable results. Consulting as a successful business model is based on this single premise. Where trust comes in is to trust individuals enough to invest in them, coach them, and allow them to make smarter decisions to create value.

Personal and corporate lives are being more interwoven. Consulting projects are more multi-disciplinary and the changes that are being affected are more widespread in scope and scale. All of these require that there is trust between clients and consultants. The book however, points out the irony that the process of hiring consultants is becoming more mechanical in nature by methods such as, electronic auctions and blind bids.

The book introduces the concept of a Delivery Triangle: People, Process and Values and how consulting firms can build trustworthy relationships. Having empathy for the client and being able to demonstrate is key to a successful client relationship and smart consultants know this. A joint client-consulting team is an effective way of making the client feel like they are being respected and in contrast to solutions just being imposed on them.

The book emphasized that consulting is people oriented, the recruitment and retention policies have to be carefully evaluated to bring the right kind of people in. The employees have to feel engaged with the consulting firm.

Next, the process part of the equation is discussed. The consulting firm has to decide how it wants to be perceived in the market place: as a brand or a specialized firm. A strategic intent to specialize can be at the peril of foregoing short term revenues. The relationship building aspect cannot happen where procurement departments rely on electronic or standardized selection processes for awarding the work contracts. The danger here is of bringing in the wrong firm and making the consulting firm feel like a commodity. This might have ramifications on the client-firm relationship and the industry on the whole. This further highlights the issue of corporate trust. The sales structures that might work for one client or consulting firm might be very different from what would work for another one. Leading from this, account management has become a discipline unto itself.

The six incremental degrees of management thought leadership is a good way to look at how knowledge becomes wisdom and yields results. The six degrees as covered in the book are internal knowledge-sharing, recognition among colleagues, increased presence on short-lists, lead generation, differentiation, and agenda setting. It also gives people a clear structure and path to navigate in building trust and continuously focusing on the business aspects of consulting. Thought leadership is integrally linked to the culture of a consulting firm.

This book makes a fine point of a consulting project being successful when it is not just a consulting project. The treatment and engagement is of acute concern at both ends and success often hinges on this very soft moving target of a skill set.

A good example is when consulting firms come together and work on a complex project as a consortium. It is potential toxic situation but if managed well, it also can offer the highest rewards. Teamwork and an understanding of how the services can be offered as a bundle as opposed to standalone components greatly enhances the value proposition play for the consulting firms. There were good examples of consulting engagements that required innovative thinking. One of them was the London Eye's revenue generation.

On the whole, I would recommend this book to understand some real concerns that mire the image of consulting as a profession and possible ways to overcome these biases. It reinforced the idea that along with thought leadership, management consultants would do well to develop their social and human sides as well. It should definitely be given a reading by someone entering the consulting industry.