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This is a shameless piece of market research. In reviewing my consulting
practice over the past few years I came across some materials developed for
one of the world's largest (#7 at the time) consulting firms. These are a
combination of self-instructional, coached and instructor-led sessions
aimed at newly-hired consultants. The topics dealt with include consulting
"basics" (e.g., the structure of the consulting industry, the economics of
a consulting business, various models of consulting, problem solving
models, priority setting, engagement management, project management, time
management, etc). Skill areas addressed include gathering information,
writing, facilitation and presentations. It occurs to me that these
materials have value to others, hence my questions.

1. Is there a market for materials like these? (Please answer yes or no)

2. Would you buy materials such as these? (Please answer yes or no)

3. If you were in the market for such materials, how much would you pay
for them? (Please indicate two prices here. One is your preferred
price. The other is the maximum you would pay, with $50 as the minimum and
increasing in $25 increments. For example, you might prefer a price of
$29.95 but you would be willing to pay as much as $100). Remember, this is
the price for only the materials.

Preferred Price =

Maximum Price =

4. Beyond the materials, what other kinds of support regarding consulting
and consulting skills would interest you?

(Turn your imagination loose here)

--

You can reply by hitting the reply key on your e-mail system and inserting
your answers in the text above.

--

Fred Nickols
The Distance Consulting Company
"Assistance at A Distance"
http://home.att.net/~nickols/distance.htm
nickols@worldnet.att.net
(609) 490-0095

Fred,

You might consider asking groups of consultants, such as the Institute of
Management Consultants. They offer annual workshops on the basics of
management consulting. I taught the marketing part a few years ago and had
to completely discard their materials as both obsolete and flatly incorrect.

1. Is there a market for materials like these? (Please answer yes or no)
Yes: Smaller consulting companies. IT consultants.
No: Big consulting companies. They have their own in-house
training.

2. Would you buy materials such as these? (Please answer yes or no)
No. I've developed my own approach to my professional discipline.
No. Books like "Million Dollar Consulting" by Alan Weiss are hard
to beat.

3. If you were in the market for such materials, how much would you pay
for them? (Please indicate two prices here. One is your preferred
price. The other is the maximum you would pay, with $50 as the minimum and
increasing in $25 increments. For example, you might prefer a price of
$29.95 but you would be willing to pay as much as $100). Remember, this is
the price for only the materials.

Can't say. I have almost no idea what you materials look like, what
they cover, etc.
Can't say. I'm not currently in the market for such materials, so I
need enough knowledge to justify interest.

Preferred Price =

Maximum Price =

4. Beyond the materials, what other kinds of support regarding consulting
and consulting skills would interest you?

(Turn your imagination loose here)

Fred, I've developed materials, too. I refer to them as "tools".
Having had a software company, I designed my method as reusable and
transferable processes. These are not about how to be a consultant, but the
methods a MARKETING consultant could use to rapidly penetrate and serve
target markets.
When we think about the major consulting companies, every new
consultant comes in and learns how their new employer does it. A tools
transfer happens.
When someone strikes out on their own, they have a certain amount of
knowledge, but not always effective processes to enable high-quality client
service and rapid business development. Even someone who worked in
marketing, for instance, may not be able to serve clients in marketing
because their own view of client needs is limited to what their previous
employer wanted.
Given your slogan, you could serve the consulting community by
finding, qualifying, and offering "tools" at both the business level (what
you are now considering) and at the professional discipline level (a new
concept for you).

Gary
----------------------------
Dr. Gary Lundquist -- The Scientist-Marketer
Author of: TECHNOLOGY AND THE AGENTS OF CHANGE
The power of marketing to change companies and change lives
Garyl@market-engineering.com
Market Engineering International, Inc.
The Bridge Between Science and Marketing
www.market-engineering.com
303-840-9929, FAX: 303-841-6636
12006 N. Antelope Trail, Parker, CO 80138, USA

Fred,
Answers inserted below. I had been an internal consultant for some time,
and recently ventured to independent consulting, so as a "new" learner, have
been researching consulting as a practice and also processes. Hope it
helps,

Lisa Elliot, President
Ocean Tides Performance Group
699 Ash St. Winnipeg, MB R3N 0R5
Ph: 204-489-9755 Fax: 204-489-9779
lelliot@home.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU]On Behalf Of Fred Nickols
Sent: Sunday, March 05, 2000 6:24 AM
To: MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Shameless Market Research


This is a shameless piece of market research. In reviewing my consulting
practice over the past few years I came across some materials developed for
one of the world's largest (#7 at the time) consulting firms. These are a
combination of self-instructional, coached and instructor-led sessions
aimed at newly-hired consultants. The topics dealt with include consulting
"basics" (e.g., the structure of the consulting industry, the economics of
a consulting business, various models of consulting, problem solving
models, priority setting, engagement management, project management, time
management, etc). Skill areas addressed include gathering information,
writing, facilitation and presentations. It occurs to me that these
materials have value to others, hence my questions.

1. Is there a market for materials like these? (Please answer yes or no)
I'll have to say maybe, depending on quality. There are a number of
resources already available. I have texts from my consulting association
(Canadian Association of Management Consultants) as well as popular books
such as Peter Block's work. I use websites and group lists such as these
for resources/info specific to my area (HR/Training/Performance
Consulting/Competencies).

2. Would you buy materials such as these? (Please answer yes or no)
Yes again depending on quality, notably topics that are not covered
elsewhere. The texts I have do not cover writing and facilitation a great
deal, and are fairly general when outlining processes.

3. If you were in the market for such materials, how much would you pay
for them? (Please indicate two prices here. One is your preferred
price. The other is the maximum you would pay, with $50 as the minimum and
increasing in $25 increments. For example, you might prefer a price of
$29.95 but you would be willing to pay as much as $100). Remember, this is
the price for only the materials.

Fred, this depends on the format of the "sessions" as well as length,
deliverables, etc. In general:
Preferred Price = <$100

Maximum Price = $300

4. Beyond the materials, what other kinds of support regarding consulting
and consulting skills would interest you?

-access to experts for advice/coaching/mentorship
-group discussion lists such as this one, solely on independent consulting
-resource lists of tools, processes, articles, etc for use or purchase
-overview of research/tools/methods used in various fields of consulting

(Turn your imagination loose here)

--

You can reply by hitting the reply key on your e-mail system and inserting
your answers in the text above.

--

Fred Nickols
The Distance Consulting Company
"Assistance at A Distance"
http://home.att.net/~nickols/distance.htm
nickols@worldnet.att.net
(609) 490-0095