Creating an effective operating model for a professional services organisation, without adding bureaucracy
Introducing new processes into a workplace isn’t always popular. People associate them with needless admin and extra work. But well thought out structured processes do the opposite – they streamline activity and boost productivity. And at some point in the journey of every growing business, creating them becomes vital. That moment often arrives when your […]
A simple guide to vastly improving your sales process
For some reason, ‘selling’ has always been an unsavoury word in the consultancy business. Some see it as being beneath them, some will outright refuse to do it. But why? There’s nothing to feel uncomfortable about. Selling is, in essence, exactly what good business is about on almost every level. The key is to recognise […]
How to improve your consultancy’s sales process
Is your consulting firm good at sales? If the answer is no, you’re not alone – there are common problems with the sales process in many professional services companies. People either can’t do it; won’t do it; or perhaps shouldn’t be doing it at all. And all too often selling can often revolve around an […]
Using a weighted sales pipeline to make better resourcing decisions
By Stuart Gallie “…you can’t please all of the people all of the time” Anyone who’s ever worked in resourcing, capacity management or talent deployment within a services business will recognise the words of poet John Lydgate. When allocating people to engagements and projects, “all of the people” can include clients, sales executives, account managers, […]
Choosing the right PSA – revisited
We are regularly asked for our opinion on the PSA market, our approach to key selection criteria and for insight on how to navigate the common pitfalls. In reality, there are well over 50 software products that are classified as PSAs and they are all very different. Some perhaps aren’t really PSAs at all and […]
Why do I need a PSA anyway?
Many businesses reach the point where investing in an accounting package makes much more sense than continuing to manage the firm’s complex finances on a spreadsheet. And the same logic holds true for investing in Professional Services Automation (PSA). When driving improved business performance becomes important and you need to manage your back and front-office activities more effectively, […]
If consulting is a coal mine, what’s our canary: How do you know when your value propositions and operating model are misaligned?
Professional services businesses are in principle very simple – find people to deliver the work you have sold or find work to occupy the people you have employed – but in practice they can become very complex. The complexity often arises from the fluidity of the businesses: timing of new deals, the skills matching of […]
Good governance has never been more important
How your business operates is always important, but it’s particularly critical in more challenging times such as the ones we’re facing at the moment. One of the keys to operating effectively is good governance, underpinned by accurate and relevant management information (MI). Real business impact When you’re battling to stay buoyant in stormy economic times, […]
Using good governance to win ‘good business’
One of the key benefits of establishing good governance is the role it plays in enabling you to win “good” or profitable business that you can successfully deliver. Failure to do so can result in you taking on “bad business”, which could lead to both a loss-making project and, critically, reputational damage if you have taken […]
Finding the professional services automation tool that’s right for your business
Regardless of where you are on your growth journey, at some point your consulting business will hit a roadblock. You may even be there right now. As a start-up you managed everything on spreadsheets and like all good consultancies do, these spreadsheets have grown. Covering everything from sales pipeline to billing to resourcing to holiday […]