Thursday 26 November 2009

Open Space discussions - what topics interest you?

One of the highlights of the conference for me was the Open Space discussion. The key feature of this session, facilitated by Chris Pearse, was that the topics for discussion were suggested entirely by the delegates - and the discussions were also self-led and managed. Some of the topics were ones I expected to come up, but others were a surprise and it was great to have such a wide range of open and constructive conversation. It seems a pity to stop there, so I've set up a discussion for each of the topics that was suggested on LinkedIn so people can keep chatting.

The threads were;

what is the outlook for public sector spending, who will gain and who will lose?

how to use Skillfair better?

how do pay grades & structures impact on company performance?

how can consultants use social marketing effectively?

how can Skillfair help consultants collaborate to win larger bids?

hobbies and interests

what tips do people have on tendering successfully?

Monday 23 November 2009

National Freelancers Day

We're really looking forward to meeting people at Henley in support of PCG's National Freelancers Day - if you're too far away from Henley there are meetings organised for this afternoon all over the UK. Just go to http://www.nationalfreelancersday.org.uk to find a local event or register to view the webcast which is live now.

Thursday 19 November 2009

Consultants Conference 2009 - presentations

It's taken me a while to 'come down' after yesterday's conference. We started the day with a sinking feeling as news came in of people who'd been on the road since 6.30 and were still stuck in driving rain 3 hours later, but once things were under way it felt as though the sun had come out.

The change in format, 3 quick presentations, a long discussion and then parallel workshops, seemed to work very well as the pace varied and we were kept moving around both mentally and physically.

Slide shows are never as good as hearing real people speak but the morning presentations are now available on Skillfair for those who couldn't make it - and anyone who wanted them as a reminder.

Tuesday 17 November 2009

Follow #sfair on Twitter for news of the conference

We finally made it to Manchester ready for tomorrow's conference - after a fine display of how genuine attention to customer service can (just about) retrieve the worst situations. Our train started from Southampton at 10 am bit was an hour late by the time we joined it and finally gave up the ghost at Birmingham New Street at 3pm.

What was a fairly difficult situation that could have resulted in some very grumpy travellers was relieved by the tone of voice of the train customer service assistant whose final announcement (after 10-15 apologies for earlier delays) - started with 'I've got some bad news, I'm really sorry but this train is terminating'.

Her honesty and genuine appreciation of the difficulties that the problems presented was really refreshing!

None of us like delivering bad news to our clients, but I know from experience that however complex the situation it's best to be direct and honest as that leaves the customer respecting what you've done - even if they are still inwardly fuming!

We hope none of the people attending tomorrow's conference will get stuck on a train, but if you do, or you just can't make it to Manchester please remember to follow #sfair to keep up with what's being discussed and we'll give you a full run down on Friday!

Thursday 5 November 2009

Who are your real competitors?

The current economic climate means there's a good deal of competition for consultancy projects of all kinds and if you keep finding clients shutting the door on you it can start to feel as though the last people you want to connect with are other consultants who may compete with you.

My experience though is that I've much more often lost business to other issues within the client than to other consultants. Reasons for not starting a project have included;

We don't have the budget
The boss doesn't want to change what we already do
We'd rather use an in-house person because otherwise they'll be made redundant
Priorities have changed - and the budget's gone with it

In fact, I've found that other consultants have been a very good source of leads as they have direct contacts with businesses that are very difficult to obtain from scratch. Of course, they're unlikely to refer business to you unless they're sure that you'll do a good job and maintain their good relationship with the client - so its well worth nurturing relationships with your peers so that they view you as a 'good person to do business with'