Business System Consultation Center - Our Business System ColumnVol.11 2011.06.01 Takahashi Minoru

Hired an external consultant, the company improved — happy ending?

Thank you for your interest and continued support.
This is Takahashi from the Marketing Plan Research Laboratory.


"Actually, we’ve brought in a consultant, and this quarter’s financial results are looking much better."
No systems vendor would fail to be delighted to hear that.
After all, if our clients make money, they’ll be busier—and that means they’ll buy more systems from us.


(We’re aware that we’re not particularly money-hungry,
　　but the fact that they placed an order for our system
　　is tantamount to them recognizing our value, and that makes us very happy.)


But hold on a second, Mr. President.
"Hire a consultant, the company improves, and that’s the end of the story?"
That alone would make the consulting fees a waste.


It goes without saying that bringing in a consultant will improve the company.
There’s something even more important than that.
"You, the president, need to acquire the same skills as that consultant."
In other words, make an effort to learn the ropes.


There are plenty of strategies for doing this.
・Take them out for drinks and meals (preferably with a pretty young woman)
・Bombard them with endless “what-if” scenarios about management
・Ask why they reached that conclusion; probe for the root cause
・They always have a mental checklist for tasks, so try to figure it out
・Ask: “If you had hired a consultant five years ago, what would the outcome have been? Why?”
・Have the president himself try to mimic a consultant’s role within the company and evaluate the results
・Ask for the titles of the books they used for their studies
・Conduct a corporate investigation on the firm they belong to


You might get a sour look from the consultant or feel embarrassed,
you’ve already paid a sum that should cover it.
Why not throw yourself at them with the guts to suck them dry
Why not give it your all with the guts to suck every last drop of essence out of it?


That's all, Thank you for reading.

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