KIA Corner: 'Sailing' in a Downturn

By Greg Baranszky In a previous KIA Corner article, KIA Managing Director JJ Sendelbach presented a cogent view of the current consulting marketplace: trends driving (or inhibiting) consulting work and what the most adept, best-prepared, and more realistic firms are doing to thrive in the downturn.

The motto "never let a good recession go to waste" is these firms' battle cry and we at KIA are witnesses, sometimes "up close and personal," to some remarkable success stories in what is admittedly a very difficult market. JJ's article garnered exciting feedback from consultants and industry experts across the world and KIA believes that to now focus on one aspect of superior firms' performance in the downturn is the best use of this space we can imagine. This aspect comprises the tactical (short-term) and strategic (longer-term) methods firms are employing to boost their top lines, strengthen existing client relationships, and "meet and greet" new prospects and successfully convert them into clients.

Observed through custom strategy and research engagements KIA is performing for consulting firms of all sizes, we see that the smartest marketers are using a mix of methods that are designed to 1) win business in the short term, 2) begin to mine longer-term opportunities, and 3) train their own staff to see marketing and client development as everyone's job in the organization. In short, the long-time exponents of "consultative selling" are now, often under increasing pressure, coming to understand what people in other industries have long known: when it comes to driving revenue, "it takes a village" of people for whom marketing is ingrained in their DNA.