One on One

Consulting’s One-on-One

Consulting's One-on-One

Watch Jessica Blume, national managing director for Clients & Industries for Deloitte Consulting, discuss more about her clients and financial recovery.

There is no doubt that this recession has been both brutal and prolonged for many consulting firms. And Thomas J. Waite, President and CEO of Waite Associates, should know. He’s on the front line, advising the leadership teams of consulting firms on how to improve their market position. That’s a difficult task, given that in today’s environment revenues are declining, billable hours are falling, clients are slower in paying, and, as a result, partner incomes have dropped and scores of consultants and staff have been laid off. sat down with Waite to discuss why he thinks a recovery may be sooner than most think and what firms should do in the meantime.

On Friday, May 8, Deloitte acquired the vast majority of BearingPoint’s North American Public Services Practice as well as other business units, including: healthcare, emerging markets, state and local government services, and education. While Deloitte’s presence in the state and local marketplace has been larger than in the federal space, the firm had been growing its federal practice at a significant clip even before the acquisition.

Andrew Sobel has nearly 30 years of management consulting experience—the last 13 years as the president of Andrew Sobel Advisors. Sobel has written several books about building and maintaining client relationships, including and . His latest, was released earlier this month and can be purchased at book stores or on Amazon.com. Sobel sat down with One on One to discuss his strategies for building client partnerships.