THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PRACTICE AND THE CLIENT


At one extreme the relationship between the consultancy practice and the client is arm's-length; the consultancy is employed on a one-off basis to meet a specific need that the client is unable to meet from its own resources. At the other extreme there is an almost symbiotic relationship; the consultancy has been selected not only because of the value it can add to the client's business, but also because they feel comfortable doing business together - there is a good cultural match. With the evolution mentioned earlier, so too has the typical relationship between consultancy practice and client developed, from the arm's-length sale to the alliance based on a long-term mutual benefit.

Not all relationships between consultancies and their clients will be this close, of course; at the start, many will be on an arm's-length basis, anyway. The important point is that there has been a change in mind-set; a consultancy is not engaged in just a sale: it is developing an alliance. Long-term considerations apply, rather than just those relating to the immediate transaction with the client.

Again, the growth of the consultancy business means that it is quite possible that a senior executive commissioning a consultancy project may have had a period of experience as a consultant (or will have worked with consultants before) and will be familiar with the techniques of selling and operating consultancy assignments. Clients have matured in their evaluation of the consultancy offering. This means that there is now a larger measure of equality between consultants and their clients.




The Top Consultant. Developing Your Skills for Greater Effectiveness
The Top Consultant: Developing your Skills for Greater Effectiveness
ISBN: 0749442530
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 89

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net