Interviews
- »One on One with Ed Hess
Grow or Die. It’s probably the most common business axiom, and the least accurate, according to the new book “Smart Growth: Building an Enduring Business by Managing the Risks of Growth” (Columbia Business School Publishing). To better understand the book’s implications for firms, Consulting’s One-on-One sat down with the book’s author, Ed Hess, a former Arthur Andersen strategy consultant and current professor at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business.
- »One on One with Summit's David Litherland
When prospective employees interview for a job, they obsess over making a good, lasting impression. Firms should do the same. To learn how firms can avoid typical pitfalls, Consulting’s One on One sat down with David Litherland, managing partner of Summit Search Group, an executive search firm specializing in placing professionals within professional service firms.
- »One on One with PwC's Tom Craren
Senior executives are becoming immune to traditional marketing. Marketing consultants tell us that to pierce through the white noise of corporate communication, firms should consider “content marketing”. Instead of more traditional marketing, providing valuable insight and perspective in a blog or electronic newsletter can serve as a more effective door opener. One of the best examples is PricewaterhouseCoopers’ “10-Minute” series. For almost three years, PwC has boiled down complex thought leadership into small electronic pieces an executive can read in about ten minutes. To learn more about PwC’s marketing efforts, Consulting’s One-on-One sat down with Tom Craren, the firm’s brand strategy and thought leadership leader. His team of 20 writers produces between two to three 10-minute pieces each month, along with more detailed white papers.
- »One on One with Stanford Hospital's Kate Surman
Transitioning healthcare companies from paper to electronic records presents huge consulting opportunities.
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2009
»Small Firms Remain Optimistic
Despite taking the full brunt of the economic slowdown, small consulting firms remain optimistic about 2010, according to a recent survey of 274 consultants by Women in Consulting, a San Francisco-based network of consultants at small firms.
In the sample, the average small firm saw revenues fall 25 percent in the last 12 months; even the top 20 percent of performers saw a 10 percent contraction. However, many expect to see an improvement in the next 12 months—more than one in three expect to see revenues increase by this time next year.
Where will that growth come from? A separate study of 250 small companies (those with between $2 million and $50 million in annual revenue) suggests they are starting to be recovery-minded.
According to the study by Clemente Communications Group, the top priority for consulting projects will be revenue growth and strategic diversification (selected by about half of clients).
Decreasing operating expenses—a standard project during the beginning of a downturn—was a priority of only about one in three clients. Small companies say they expect to primarily hire IT (59 percent) and HR consultants (37 percent).
Clemente’s read is that while clients may increase their consulting spend in 2010, they will remain focused on finding ways to do more with less.
—Jess Scheer
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