Consulting News

Ask Dr. Imran Shah about his accomplishments, or his firm’s accomplishments, and he’ll instead tell you first about his clients’ accomplishments.

With emerging risks rapidly approaching—unexpected consumer attitudes, upheaval in the retail industry, channel conflicts, product customization, dynamic pricing and an e-commerce-fueled direct-to-consumer (DTC) shift, CPG companies are scrambling for answers. Can consultants provide them?

The following is an excerpt from the book Procurement 20/20: Supply Entrepreneurship in a Changing World by a quartet of McKinsey & Company consultants—Peter Spiller, Nicolas Reinecke, Drew Ungerman and Henrique Teixera.

Most companies focus their innovation on new products.

They say that doctors make the worst patients. Along those lines, consultants surely make the worst clients. Or, at least, the most difficult negotiators. Whether that’s true or not, I can vouch for the most difficult consulting contract negotiation I ever conducted being at the hands of Aaron Veshama, the COO of a Massachusetts-based consulting firm.

Today’s business leaders face intense pressure to deliver results in an uncertain, chaotic, and high-stress business environment.