Video Case Assignment 2/29/2021 6pm

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Week3.pdf

Skill of the Consultant

and

Project Proposals

Appreciate the skills effective management consultants bring to the job

and in particular recognizes:

 project management skills necessary to keep project on schedule and

on budget;

 analysis skills needed to understand the client business; identify the

opportunities it faces and develop strategies to exploit them;

 relationship-building skills needed to relate ideas to positively influence

decision makers and to make the project happen in real organizations.

Understand the selling process of a consulting project.

Recognize the key elements of the project proposal and how they may

be articulated in order to have an impact and to influence the recipient.

Overview

The consultant is often an outsider who brings benefits in having an outside

perspective; however, in order to succeed, they need to build relationships.

The consultant must develop

 an ability to manage the consulting exercise as a formal project

 an ability to manage the analytical skills necessary to gain an

understanding of the client business and the possibilities it faces

 an ability to communicate ideas and positively influence others

The “Consultant”

Consultant

Client

A consulting project is a self-contained one.

Essential skills are the ability to define objectives, develop

formal plans and be able to sequence and prioritize tasks.

Important skills needed are the ability to manage finances,

recognize the expertise needed and manage one’s own

time.

Project Management Skills

Analysis skills

 Consultants need to add some new insights through existing

information and using their own personal experience.

 It is essential a consultants are able to process information and

draw conclusions, recognize the external opportunities and

challenges the business faces and finally assess the business’s

internal condition.

 Identifying what information is available and what is needed,

assessing the business’s financial situation, evaluating the

business’s markets and analyzing the firm’s decision-making

processes.

Organizational Life Cycle

Embryonic Growth Shakeout Maturity Decline

Audience Early Adopters Mainstream Population Late Adopters Laggards

Market Small Growing Flattening Large Contracting

Sales Low Growing High Flattening Moderate

Competition Low Beginning Moderate High Moderate

Relationship-Building Skills

 Getting ideas implemented from a consulting project relies on

relationship-building skills.

 Essential ones are building rapport and trust with the client,

communicating ideas effectively and negotiating objectives

and outcomes.

 Important skills are effective questioning, working

effectively as a team and demonstrating leadership.

The Consulting Selling Process

Identify potential targets.

Decide on the product offering

Conduct a competitive review

Promote your consulting services

Follow up resulting sales enquiries

Meet potential clients and discuss requirements

Prepare a project proposal

The Function of the Project Proposal

 The proposal is designed to highlight the work that will be

undertaken and forms the basis of the commitment and

expectations from the client.

 There is a balance between what is realistic and what the client

would like in an ideal world. Promising too much is as bad as

promising too little.

 Early on the consultant has to understand the client’s needs and

expectations.

The Project Proposal

This should be a clear, well-structured business document

of as short a length as possible to provide the main ideas.

It should include at a minimum….

• title and executive summary

• the client’s requirements

• your team’s approach

• activity and time plan

• key personnel

• summary of relevant experience

• costings

Intuition

Data

Managing • Team

• Client

• Self

Analyzing • Framing

• Designing

• Gathering

• Interpreting

Presenting • Structure

• Buy-in

Problem Solution

McKinsey Model