They say it is good to begin a blog with something positive to share with readers. Since the very intent of a blog is to share honest views/thoughts with a larger audience, I would rather write what my mind dictates than be preoccupied with churning out “positive or motivational” gyan in the hope to catching some readers!
Today has been a day of reflection. For the millionth time in the 10 years that QC (Our favorite “short form” for Quadrangle Consulting) has been in existence, our identity was questioned. Our identity comes from the services we provide our clients. It comes from the long term client engagements we have been able to successfully drive and also from the fact that we are a set of very bright and passionate consultants. We love what we do and have great pride in our work.
But in today’s corporate world there is little value for passionate and dedicated consultants. Today’s world values a brand. The brand covers up for everything – from the attitude of the consultant, the limp service that is sometimes provided, the high price for something that is a day’s work and also for mistakes made during the assignment. This is not to say that great brands don’t do great work. Great brands became great because they do (or did) great work. But the great brand does not mean all its consultants are as great as the brand. And the great brand’s follies are accepted while our strengths are questioned. That’s the most painful part of being a “so called” small consulting firm.
Just because the world does not consider us a “brand” or just because we operate with a small team in a residential office, it is assumed we are not worthy of respect. It is assumed that we will be happy to send a proposal, even if it is a mere formality of purchase rules. It is assumed we can be called on a Saturday and asked to go to office, it is also assumed that we are so “desperate” for business, that we can be spoken to rudely, made to wait at the reception endlessly and also be questioned on our man-day rate in a tone that reeks of sarcasm. Strangely it is also assumed our time is for FREE and that we would do stuff FREE just to gain “entry” into a company. Yes, we would do stuff FREE, but not to get entry…. But to work on a challenging task that pushes our intellectual boundaries!
It is a feeling of pride to pitch for business and get it basis the strengths and passion you bring to the table. We are usually kept deprived of this feeling, because we are remembered only when budgets are low and a “cheaper” vendor is needed. I would rather lose the bid than get it because it was the lowest quote. Yes, our quotes are lower but not because we give shoddy work, not because our consultants lack intelligence or expertise, but because we have lesser overheads!
In these 10 years, through these severely “humiliating “experience, we have learned to value our pride more. We have met the good side of the corporate world, in the shape of excellent clients. Clients who choose us because they had faith in our capabilities, client with whom we have 100% repeat business, clients who forever try and give us suggestions to enhance our marketing and after having given up on us…just refer us to others. These clients are a part of the same corporate world but they stand apart. They stand apart because their corporate values teach them to treat consultants as partners, not vendors. Because they believe in fair evaluations and in dignity in interactions. These clients have nourished our identities, pushed us to challenger ourselves, and in return we have delivered value to their processes and people. It’s been a relationship of mutual respect and admiration.
We would rather invest in these client and work for them than invest in new relationships that signals a journey of humiliation right from the 1st meeting.
Being a “small consultant” gives us the power to say “no” to assignments and clients that question our identity. We don’t have a south eastern office to report to and neither do we have high overheads! We need business to keep our small salaries going, to fund our annual historical international trips and to (most importantly) nourish our minds. We have our regular clients who love our work (and we love working with them!) and once in a while we stumble upon a nice client who hires us for expertise. That works for us. And hey! We are small, because we choose to be small, choose to create our own identity and face the corporate world armed with our expertise. We are small because we felt we did not need the cover of a “brand” to create our sense of accomplishment. We are a brand for the clients we work for and we are a brand for ourselves.
Today has been a day of reflection. For the millionth time in the 10 years that QC (Our favorite “short form” for Quadrangle Consulting) has been in existence, our identity was questioned. Our identity comes from the services we provide our clients. It comes from the long term client engagements we have been able to successfully drive and also from the fact that we are a set of very bright and passionate consultants. We love what we do and have great pride in our work.
But in today’s corporate world there is little value for passionate and dedicated consultants. Today’s world values a brand. The brand covers up for everything – from the attitude of the consultant, the limp service that is sometimes provided, the high price for something that is a day’s work and also for mistakes made during the assignment. This is not to say that great brands don’t do great work. Great brands became great because they do (or did) great work. But the great brand does not mean all its consultants are as great as the brand. And the great brand’s follies are accepted while our strengths are questioned. That’s the most painful part of being a “so called” small consulting firm.
Just because the world does not consider us a “brand” or just because we operate with a small team in a residential office, it is assumed we are not worthy of respect. It is assumed that we will be happy to send a proposal, even if it is a mere formality of purchase rules. It is assumed we can be called on a Saturday and asked to go to office, it is also assumed that we are so “desperate” for business, that we can be spoken to rudely, made to wait at the reception endlessly and also be questioned on our man-day rate in a tone that reeks of sarcasm. Strangely it is also assumed our time is for FREE and that we would do stuff FREE just to gain “entry” into a company. Yes, we would do stuff FREE, but not to get entry…. But to work on a challenging task that pushes our intellectual boundaries!
It is a feeling of pride to pitch for business and get it basis the strengths and passion you bring to the table. We are usually kept deprived of this feeling, because we are remembered only when budgets are low and a “cheaper” vendor is needed. I would rather lose the bid than get it because it was the lowest quote. Yes, our quotes are lower but not because we give shoddy work, not because our consultants lack intelligence or expertise, but because we have lesser overheads!
In these 10 years, through these severely “humiliating “experience, we have learned to value our pride more. We have met the good side of the corporate world, in the shape of excellent clients. Clients who choose us because they had faith in our capabilities, client with whom we have 100% repeat business, clients who forever try and give us suggestions to enhance our marketing and after having given up on us…just refer us to others. These clients are a part of the same corporate world but they stand apart. They stand apart because their corporate values teach them to treat consultants as partners, not vendors. Because they believe in fair evaluations and in dignity in interactions. These clients have nourished our identities, pushed us to challenger ourselves, and in return we have delivered value to their processes and people. It’s been a relationship of mutual respect and admiration.
We would rather invest in these client and work for them than invest in new relationships that signals a journey of humiliation right from the 1st meeting.
Being a “small consultant” gives us the power to say “no” to assignments and clients that question our identity. We don’t have a south eastern office to report to and neither do we have high overheads! We need business to keep our small salaries going, to fund our annual historical international trips and to (most importantly) nourish our minds. We have our regular clients who love our work (and we love working with them!) and once in a while we stumble upon a nice client who hires us for expertise. That works for us. And hey! We are small, because we choose to be small, choose to create our own identity and face the corporate world armed with our expertise. We are small because we felt we did not need the cover of a “brand” to create our sense of accomplishment. We are a brand for the clients we work for and we are a brand for ourselves.
1 comment:
I completely agree with Radhika..."size is not everything".
However, I think somewhere, being a "boutique" consulting firm, especially an all-woman one (trust me, we tried to hire a guy) has its own hurdles. On the other hand, its not "US" vs. "Them"...I would rather stick to seeing this as a conversation about "Identity and positioning".
Is it that the entire concept of "working for self-satisfaction and staying constructively productive" has lesser staying power in an industry (i.e. HR Consulting?) pinned on "creating value" (sic)? I wonder...
Afterall, we love our work and we love doing it. So what if we are bit more emotional than the rest of the lot...? [and charge a bit less ;)]
cheers,
Anubhuti
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