INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
New England Chapter

News and Views

In this issue:

Upcoming Events

IMCNE Members
in Print

IMCNE Member Appearances

Summer IMCNE Roundtable Discussions

News from
the Board

IMCNE Member Profile
Michael Daily

Upcoming Events

Friday, September 14, 2007
Consultants Roundtable - 8:00 am
What's Wrong with Targets?
with Mary Adams CMC, Trek Consulting
Panera Bread
34 Cambridge St., Burlington, MA
781-272-1365

Do you help your clients develop goals and targets? Then please join Mary Adams CMC of Trek Consulting www.trekconsulting.com in this discussion of the best way to do that.

This roundtable was inspired by a recent article by Ian Graham, “What’s Wrong with Targets,” published in the Perspectives on Performance newsletter.

This article maintains that targets focus on the ends not the means, encourage mediocrity, and reinforce command and control. The alternative posited is to focus on working on the systems and processes that create value—then use measures to understand and improve performance of the systems.

This article turned my thinking on its head. I invite you to join me in a discussion of these powerful ideas and if/how we can all apply them in our clients’ organizations.

Target Audience: All Management Consultants

Mary Adams is the current President of IMCNE and a co-founder of Trek Consulting. She works as a trusted advisor to corporate leaders seeking to grow and adapt their businesses. One of her primary areas of interest is the field of intellectual capital—how tangible results are derived from the intangible means of production in the knowledge economy.

Don’t Miss This Three-Part Program!

Thursday, September 27, 2007
Hilton Garden Inn
Watham, MA

Mark Your Calendar – More details to follow!

2:00 to 5:00 CMC Information and Application Session

5:00 to 6:00 Briefing by Sponsor Harvard Business School Press

6:00 to 9:00 Networking, Dinner and Panel Discussio

6 – 9: Networking, Dinner and Panel Discussion:

"Success through Collaborative Consulting”
Advice from Consulting Pros

Has there ever been a time when you could have benefited from additional work given by another consultant? Or perhaps you needed additional skill sets or bandwidth to compete for a consulting project?

Whether you are an individual practitioner or own a firm, forming joint intellectual partnerships are becoming increasingly necessary to thrive in this new century!

Learn how to effectively collaborate with the consulting community from a panel of experts with different but proven business models. Our panel of seasoned consulting professionals have been through it all. They can help you to avoid the pitfalls, navigate through the changes and stimulate new ideas that will be sure to impact your success!

5- 6 PM Pre-Dinner Briefing by Harvard Business School Press

IMC New England will be helping launch a new and exciting relationship between our organization and the Harvard Business School Press over the coming year. In our pre-dinner seminar on September 27th, representatives of HBSP will be telling us about on-line content that IMC members will be able to use and re-sell to their clients. Come hear about this opportunity and help us shape our relationship with this premier sponsor.

2- 5 PM Interested in becoming a Certified Management Consultant (CMC)?

Stop by the CMC Application Session from 2:30-5:30 at the Hilton Garden Inn prior to the IMCNE dinner meeting. Bring your laptop! We'll have an electronic version of the application available and CMC committee members there to answer any questions. Come to learn more and get started now on the process-join us on the 27th and leave with an application ready to submit! For further information, please contact Glenn Bachman at .

More information to follow on all these great sessions—in the meantime block this day off on your calendar!

Other Events

The Wisdom of Living with Global Change: An Evening with Julio Olalla, Tuesday, September 4th at 6 PM. To register go to www.icfne.org

IMCNE Members in Print

Lewis Green, L&G Business Solutions, http://www.l-gsolutions.com, is one of 104 marketing bloggers from 10 nations authoring The Age of Conversation, an e-book to benefit children’s charity. Lewis Green of  Avon, CT joined online with other bloggers to write The Age of Conversation, a book that published July 16. Green writes a blog called bizsolutionsplus, which ranks in the top 30 most-read marketing blogs in the world. Green's fifth book, Lead With Your Heart, is scheduled for release this fall. His articles have appeared in newspapers, magazines and newsletter across the world. Green contributed an essay titled Conversation that Connects You to Me. For all of business history, one of our primary goals has been to talk with our customers in ways that grow our businesses and meets their needs," Green says. "Today, it is more important than ever, as new technology allows customers to easily compare our products and services to our competitors' products and services."

Wheeler Performance Group http://www.wheelergroupllc.com/ was recently recognized as "2007 Business of the Year" by the Harwich, MA Chamber of Commerce for bringing leadership, increasing professionalism and education to its members.

On July 10, John Wheeler, Wheeler Performance Group http://www.wheelergroupllc.com/ launched a second year of radio shows on business success strategies. This monthly series is offered through WOMR.

IMCNE Member Appearances

Carol Bergeron, Bergeron Associates, http://www.bergeronassociates.com/ was a facilitator at the OD Learning Group July 18th meeting on Partnering Organizational Development and Business.

Summer IMCNE Roundtable Discussions

Top Ten Reasons Why Projects Fail

An IMCNE roundtable took place on July 19th in Burlington, MA, at Rebecca's Café. Presented and moderated by Jim Stewart, six consultants discussed the subject for 1 1/2 hours. The top reason for project failure discussed was in the area of scope control. It was agreed that consultants often don't know what the scope of the project is or how to control it. A tool known as a work breakdown structure, which is a hierarchical, pictorial method of viewing the scope, was introduced. It gives all stakeholders a clear idea of what exactly is in-scope vs. out-of-scope. Some of the other reasons for project failure introduced were poor project communications, lack of risk management, poor estimating and the rise of the "accidental" project manager. In the latter case, a person who is a subject matter expert is promoted to project manager but not trained in the requisite skills. In the area of risk management, a matrix was introduced which assists in tracking and prioritizing risk.

Jim Stewart, PMP is the owner of JPStewart Associates. Founded in early 2003, the firm provides project management, consulting, and training services to corporations and universities. 

Getting Articles Published!

At this roundtable at Rebecca’s Café on July 26th, Ken Lizotte CMC spoke about the importance, myths, and process of publishing articles. Attendees had varying experiences with publishing articles, one of whom (Jim Stewart) had published an article but had never received any feedback or recognition, and the other (Curtis Bingham) has frequently published articles and was once offered a consulting engagement when someone found his articles on-line. Curtis had also been contacted by freelance writers for interview contributions three years later, and has booked speaking engagements as a result of his published articles as well. Curtis received payments for consulting engagements totaling $25,000 in one year directly attributed to published articles.

Based on such experiences, Ken explained how publishing articles must become a part of a consultant’s ongoing business lifestyle.

1. Why publishing articles is important:
   1. Automatically establishes credibility that you may not have had before (an editor/publisher endorses your ideas by publishing them)
   2. Visibility: You must publish ongoing articles, at least 4 per year, because clients and your target market will start seeing your name. One time is not enough
   3. Internal benefit: crystallize thoughts, in-depth creative process gives you new ideas, helps with speaking, helps better articulate ideas
2. The how-to of publishing articles:
1. Brainstorm ideas, construct an AIL (article ideas list) of topics to write about. Come up with many article ideas
2. Determine your target audience: people who will give you business or refer you to business, people who will hire you
3. Research publications that your target audience would read. Find out about these publications through online search engines, referrals or observations based on what publications your audience reads, or databases like myedcals.com.
   Publications that will take outsiders are generally more likely to publish your article. Imagine the name of a publication that your audience would read and search for it on the internet. The internet can be a powerful search tool, as are online publications in general, because of the visibility, convenience, and accessibility.
4. Get the contact information (name and e-mail address) of the editor. Correspond through e-mail rather than by phone or land mail.
5. Send out 3 or 4 ideas from your AIL to the editor. Tailor your ideas list to the publication. Each idea need only be a few sentences long and should appeal to the publication.
6. Wait for the editor to contact you. If you don’t hear back, send out the very same e-mail. If you do not receive a positive response, try sending some different ideas. Most editors will not contact you at all, and the responses you receive will mostly be the positive ones.
7. If the editor accepts your article idea, find out what word count and deadline she wants you to observe.
8. Write and edit your article.
9. Send it to the publication.
10. Be proactive; don’t wait to see what will happen. Hand your article out to prospective or current business contacts, display it on website, alert people on your e-mail list that it is going to be published, and alert them again when it is published.
11. Keep coming up with new article ideas and making use of your old articles.
3. Questions from attendees (and responses):
1. Q: Can the credibility of the publication hurt you if it publishes your article? A: Contrary to academia, the quality of the publication won’t likely hurt your reputation in business since the credibility or “value” of the source doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you have gotten published at all!
2. Q: How can you know what articles your audience needs to read? A: Pay attention to feedback you get from your readers and your clients and your day-to-day interactions.
3. Q: If I’m planning on writing more articles, should I go back to publications where I have already been published? A: Yes, you have more credibility with them with each article you publish, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try for other publications as well. Think in terms of steps (“What can I do to get published?”) rather than “reach” (“Is this publication too obscure or too select for me?”)
4. Q: Should I keep track of the article ideas I send out and send out different ones if I don’t receive positive responses? Or should I move on? A: Usually you’ll hear from at least one publication if you send your ideas to many publications, but if you’re targeting a publication that you really want to be published in, send the same e-mail you sent before. If you don’t receive a response, try sending some other ideas.
5. Q: Can I publish an article I’ve already published in one publication in another? A: Yes. The copyright belongs to you, and the publication only owns the layout of the article in its publication.

Ken ended the program by suggesting that those who wish further information should email him at or visit his “published articles” page and “Thought Blog” on his website www.thoughtleading.com.

Getting Books Published!

At the August 1st IMCNE roundtable, Ken Lizotte CMC discussed the option of business book publishing. Because the next logical step, after publishing articles, for an entrepreneur to reach expert status is publishing a book, Ken explained the importance and implications of publishing a book in business, including the process, publisher options, myths, and pros and cons of each route an author may decide to take.

1. Why publishing books is important:

1. Credibility
2. Visibility
3. Authority as a thoughtleader
4. Opens door for speaking engagements, especially paid ones
5. Book is a marketing tool
6. A requirement for entrepreneurs who want to reach expert status because it separates you from your competition
7. It shows an in-depth thought process that demonstrates your insights and experience

2. The options of publishing books:

1. Self-publishing
1. Print on demand: write your manuscript first, and find someone on your own to edit it if you want editing. Then call the publisher and send them your manuscript. For a fee, starting at as little as a few hundred dollars, they will find someone to help with cover art, register you with the Library of Congress, get your book online and to bookstores for orders, and print as many or as few copies as you want as you pay by the book. Compared to traditional “commercial” publishing, it can be cheaper and less time-consuming, and you begin to receive royalties with your first book because the company has invested less money in you than in the commercial way. Self-publishing can be a great passive income strategy because you can control the margin of investment as well as the content.
2. Old-fashioned way: doing everything yourself! You don’t have to take this route due to the print-on-demand option but if you want higher profit margins, you may want to choose this.
2. Commercial publishing: research publishers on your own or through databases, gather e-mail and names of acquisition editors, create a book proposal (see the how-to article at the thoughtleading website with instructions), send a short query describing your book to publishers, and send your proposal if they express interest. If they accept the proposal, they will edit your manuscript, find cover art, register you with the library of congress, and get your book online and to bookstores for orders.
   
   You’re on your own either way. The main difference between self-publishing and commercial publishing is the credibility you will gain (or not gain) based on your publisher.

3. Misconceptions

1. A commercial publisher will promote your book: You must demonstrate to them that you can promote it yourself.
2. Having a bestseller is the best thing that could happen to you: Authors of bestsellers spend lots of time speaking and traveling to promote their books and ideas, along with facing the pressure to write another book. Authoring a bestseller commands a career and lifestyle change from a consultant to a speaker and author, which you may or may not want.
3. A publisher will always give you an advance payment: If anything, you will receive only $3 – 5k. The publisher knows that you are writing your book to leverage your business, and willing to take the risks in order to profit in the end, so it is less likely to pay you in advance.
4. The publisher will always work with you to develop your writing: Publishers are busy and devote as little time as they can to you. If you want to improve your writing, you usually have to hire a consultant or coach.

Questions from attendees (and responses):

1. Q: Hardcover versus soft cover?: A: Hardcover is better as a better business marketing tool for prestige if you plan to give your book away, but soft cover is better in terms of sales.
2. Q: Would self-publishing a first book give the author a leg up on getting a commercial author interested in his next book? A: It depends on whether or not your self-published book has been selling. The real question is in evaluating why you would want to move from self-publishing to a commercial publisher, i.e., is it worth it?
3. Q: Is it better to begin with self-publishing or a commercial publisher? A: If you’re not sure, start with the conventional approach by creating a book proposal and sending it to publishers. If you don’t have any luck, it may less frustrating to self-publish.
4. Q: Will print-on-demand publishers help you with cover design, registering your book with the library of congress, and making it available for orders? A: Yes, the print-on-demand publishers do the same as the commercial publishers in this department.

Ken ended the program by suggesting that those who wish further information should email him at or visit his “published articles” page and “Thought Blog” on his website www.thoughtleading.com

News from the Board

Next Event Featuring You?

Have you read a good business book lately? Do you have a question that you would love to ask a group of consultants? Are you one of our New England members that is tired of all our meetings being held in Boston? Do you have a challenge that you are facing and would like to get feedback? Do you have a case study that would fuel a good discussion? THEN USE THIS RESOURCE! 

It takes about three minutes to fill out a Roundtable Proposal. You give us a title and description; we’ll publicize it and handle registrations. This program helps our members Get Smart, Get Known, Get Business. What are you waiting for? Download the form today from our Programs page (http://www.imcne.org/programs.htm)

The Next Step in Your Professional Journey

We have a good group of members that are going to pursue their CMC this spring. It’s not too late to join and take your career to the next level. For more information contact Glenn Bachman, CMC glenn@ravenbusiness.com 401-635-0050 or Mary Adams, CMC or 781-729-9650

IMCNE Member Profile

Michael Daily

Michael Daily is on his third career. The first was in Hi-Tech, which was reasonably successful, but his MIT degree should have been in EE not ME. He left Hi-Tech with experience as a CFO/COO and some understanding of software development and equipment manufacturing. He then joined one of his college roommates in a development-stage company that built the largest supplier of hardwood dormitory furniture in the world.

After leaving that, Michael embarked on a much different course as a volunteer for nonprofits and eventually as a principal founder and first Executive Director of the Executive Service Corps in Northern New England . The nonprofit recruits senior managers who volunteer their time and expertise to provide management consulting to other nonprofits. Most of its services are directed to the smallest and most needy nonprofits.

Michael has trained 25 volunteers and Executive Service Corps has done 80 projects for 40 clients. “It is a great way to give back,” he says. Michael lives in southern NH with his wife, Lisa, and a new kitten, Winston.

Learn more about Michael and his business by visiting his firm’s website http://nonprofit-consultants.org

Share Your News

Share news about your firm with our community by submitting information on collaborations with other members, upcoming speaking engagements, and new publications. Eligible publications are books or articles that have been published recently by a print or on-line magazine. We are happy to post a copy of your article on the IMCNE website if you send us a Word or .pdf document with the full text.