REASONS FOR ORNERY CONSULTANTS

<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Earlier this year, the Institute of Management Consultants in the United States held its annual conference, but deliberately broadened the appeal to embrace the entire consulting profession and not merely IMC members. This is consistent with IMC’s philosophy to try to be a voice for the profession as a whole, not only solo practitioners (a philosophy that, as a former IMC board member, I vehemently disagree with, but that’s an issue for another time).</span></div>

Avoiding Pitfalls in the Transition to E-Commerce

In 1995, I was part of a team of three people charged with building the first national website for MediaOne (now called AT&amp;T Broadband). We argued about the design, struggled with the content, and sweated over the technology that tied it together. Finally, on November 20,1995—a full seven months after our first meeting—we launched the site.

Book Review- The First World War

You may wonder why C2M is reviewing a book about World War I. There are a couple of reasons: First, the story of World War I is the story of the consequences of planning gone awry. Second, Keegan’s book provides a magnificent case history of the use and misuse of planning—the first in our literature.

Maintaining Authenticity and Credibility

What happened to this consulting project?” “Why did it go wrong?” “What could I have done to avoid these problems?” Probably most consultants have had to look in the mirror at some point and ask these questions. Sometimes things just don’t work out.

Plus Three Greats, Minus Two

Our editorial house has three new occupants, Dave Norris, Alan Weiss, and Alex Zabrosky. I’ve asked each to introduce himself in his own words.

Sealing the Deal over the Business Meal

Doing business over meals is a ritual that has existed for centuries. Taking clients to breakfast, lunch, or dinner has long been an effective way to build relationships, make the sale, or seal the deal. These meals are essentially business meetings. Knowledge of your product or your service is crucial to the success of the meeting, but so are your manners. Too many people jeopardize an opportunity because they fail to use good dining etiquette. Here are a few basic rules to make the experience pleasurable and profitable.

The Client's Viewpoint- Just Too Damn Hard

As a small manufacturer and marketer of hats and fashion accessories to Australia’s retailers and department stores, one of the hardest concepts I have had to understand over the past few years is that the world we live in is grossly “over shopped.” Here in Australia, we have more retailers per head of population than virtually any other country on earth. This of course means competition on a massive scale.

Word Corner- The Missing Link

The missing link, otherwise known as the little bridge that wasn’t there, is a common hazard of our profession. For example, on page 26 we may read about something called “the Budget Ledger.” On page 63, we sud­denly encounter “the Expense Ledger (currently called the Budget Ledger).” Surprise,surprise! Has it always had both names, or are we proposing a change in title? Careful questioning of the writer elicits the fact that we are indeed propos­ing a change in title — he just hasn’t men­tioned it.

Ειυαι ελληυικα σε μευα (or Contracts 101)

If the title of this article is Greek to you, try this in English (as quoted in Foolish Words: The Most Stupid Words Ever Spoken):