Decision Time

Tell me a little more about your firm - how are you structured? How do you charge?

Before you retain us, you should understand exactly who we are, how we work, and how that benefits you. We are a “virtual” organization. That means that we work out of individual offices, and rely on telephones, Skype, the Cloud, and airplanes to corroborate. How does this benefit you? Glad you asked! First, we don’t have much overhead, so our fees aren’t inflated to cover buildings, mahogany meeting rooms, and college recruitment costs. Secondly, we’ll determine internally who is “lead” on your project by matching your request to our strengths. If we haven’t worked in your area, we’ll tell you so.

Working this way also enables us to get you the very best talent for a project. As an example, while we were helping with Strategic Placement with a cellular service provider, certain rural area assessments were required. We hired the very best focus-group moderators for them, established in the area. We aren’t focus-group experts, and we will never use your money to learn a skill we don’t have. We consider that to be dishonest. If your need requires creative processes, we work with some of the very best writers, artists, designers, photographers and other professionals in the land. Folks you almost certainly would not find on your own.

As you think about the concept, realize that when you hire consultants, you are effectively “renting” their minds to work for you. Their real world experience, network of contacts, and wisdom combine to produce their “work-product.” What about references, you ask? They are useful, but understand any credible consultant will have good references. Further, in our business MANY of our clients don’t want you to know who they are. The product of our work tends to be highly confidential and guarded. We will never betray a customer who has asked for confidentiality.

As you consider your retention decision, ask some penetrating questions. Who seemed the most “real?" Who forced you to think about the situation from an angle you hadn’t considered? Who did you feel most at ease with? Who’s actually going to be doing the work – the person sitting in your office or some mysterious “staff” in their office?

The decision you are wrestling with is never an easy choice – particularly when you remember you’re banking on the result - sometimes quite literally - for the future revenues. We stand ready to support you. Call today to discuss your needs.

Return to "Home" page