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OPINION
A broader view of client objectives allows us to add value and, in some cases, recategorize isolated projects into stepping stones that line the path to the client’s ultimate goal. Consulting for the forest, not the trees
A s technical consultants, too often we find ourselves relegated to providing guidance for a specific project with no real context of the larger picture. Perhaps this phenomenon is based on our relationship and history with the client, or perhaps the client naturally keeps their long-term strategy close to the vest. Regardless of the reason, to be effective consultants, it is to our client’s advantage to share the ultimate goals and objectives of the organization with us, their technical advisors. A broader view of client objectives allows us to add value and, in some cases, recategorize what were once viewed as isolated projects into stepping stones that line the path to the client’s ultimate goal.
Kollan Spradlin
In order to gain insight into our client’s organizational objectives, we must first build a relationship of trust by taking a genuine interest in their long-term success, not only in the outcome of a single project. However, conversations that facilitate trust are generally unnatural to technical professionals and don’t yield immediate results. Strong relationships can take years to develop and are often built upon consistent client experience over time. Therefore, it is important to establish the characteristics that will define our services and to provide our client an experience that reflects those characteristics over multiple interactions. Those qualities will vary
depending on consulting firm and client, but some examples could be responsiveness, reliability, or innovation. What attributes will our client associate with our name? Once a level of trust is achieved by meeting or exceeding expectations over time, the real work of getting to the root of our clients’ objectives can begin. ■ ■ Getting consensus. While establishing a relationship built upon trust is a prerequisite to understanding our various clients’ strategic goals, we must also be wary of being caught
See KOLLAN SPRADLIN, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 26, 2022, ISSUE 1458
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