The Top Consultant: Developing your Skills for Greater Effectiveness

Chapter 1: The Nature of Consultancy

Figure 1.1: Evolution of activities in a consultancy practice

Figure 1.2: Evolution of activities in a consultancy practice

Chapter 2: Managing a Consultancy Business

Figure 2.1: A model of a consultancy practice

Figure 2.2: An added value model of consultancy

Chapter 3: Product Definition and Marketing in Consultancy

Figure 3.1: Business development in a consultancy firm

Figure 3.2: The branding of consultancy offerings

Figure 3.3: Relative benefits of using outside consultants and internal staff

Chapter 4: The Consultancy Sales Process

Figure 4.1: The consultancy sales process

Figure 4.2: Developing relationships with new clients

Figure 4.3: Developing relationships with existing clients

Figure 4.4: Prospection— The EDIT process

Figure 4.5: Targets for finders, minders and grinders

Figure 4.6: The sales pipeline

Figure 4.7: Relationship development record

Figure 4.8: Prospects record

Figure 4.9: Proposals record

Chapter 5: Conducting Specific Sales Transactions

Figure 5.1: The selling spectrum

Figure 5.2: Factors influencing selling performance

Figure 5.3: Selecting a management consultancy - research by MORI for KPMG

Figure 5.4: Setting targets for a discussion

Figure 5.5: Developing business with a new client

Figure 5.6: Outline agenda for an initial meeting

Figure 5.7: The probing pyramid

Figure 5.8: Progressive precision of specification

Figure 5.9: Contents of a proposal (source— Institute of Management Consultancy)

Figure 5.10: The virtuous circle of improving selling skills

Chapter 6: Consultancy Problem Solving

Figure 6.1: The critical skill of projectizing

Figure 6.2: A simple model of business organization

Figure 6.3: Consultants and problems

Figure 6.4: Progressive precision of specification

Figure 6.5: Issues shown on a cause and effect diagram

Figure 6.6: Successive levels of intervention should be treated as different phases of a project

Figure 6.7: The problem solving approach

Figure 6.8: Assumptions and hypotheses at each level of intervention

Figure 6.9: The problem solving approach as an input-output model

Figure 6.10: Data collection evolves with the project

Figure 6.11: Open-ended data specification

Figure 6.12: Close-ended data specification

Figure 6.13: Pros and cons of different methods of data collection

Figure 6.14: From data to recommendations

Chapter 7: Commercial Aspects of Consultancy

Figure 7.1: Invoicing schedule

Chapter 8: Operating a Consultancy Project

Figure 8.1: The structure of a consultancy project

Figure 8.2: Terms of reference

Figure 8.3: Scope and deliverables for each level of intervention

Figure 8.4: Assignment objectives

Chapter 9: Managing Client Relationships

Figure 9.1: A spectrum of products and services

Figure 9.2: The role of the account manager

Figure 9.3: The value of maintaining the client relationship

Figure 9.4: The different wants of clients and consultancies

Figure 9.5: Conflicting demands on a consultant

Figure 9.6: Perceptions are all

Figure 9.7: The client's comments