INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
New England Chapter

News and Views

In this issue:

News from Committees
Looking for Newsletter Articles

Member Spotlights

Next Event:
Friday
May 14, 2004

CMC Corner

Welcome New Members

Member Feature Article
Creating Growth for Professional Services in a Down Economy
by Bonni Carson DiMatteo, CMC

Breakfast Brainstorms Calendar

emerson consulting
group inc.
"We turn consultants into thought leaders!"

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Next Event:

Friday
May 14, 2004

Annual Meeting
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Afternoon Seminar
2:00-5:00 p.m.
Sheraton Lexington, Lexington, MA

How to Create Marketing Gravity: Draw People to Your Value

with Alan Weiss,
internationally-renowned speaker, consultant and author of Million Dollar Consulting

Sorry, Sold Out
Click here to get info on possible cancellation seats available

For complete details, visit IMCNE.org

News from Committees

The Newsletter Committee is looking for articles. Please contact Ethel Cook at if you have an article you'd like to submit.

Member Spotlights

Fifi Ball (Squared Away) and business partner Sally Brickell spoke before the annual conference of the National Association of Professional Organizers, which was held in Chicago, IL on April 28. Their session was entitled "Business Organizer as Consultant: Exploring Best Practices."

Carol Bergeron's (Bergeron Associates) article, "Aligned Talent Strategy, Achieve Competitive Advantage" was published in Executive Excellence Magazine, April 2004.

Allan B. Haberman, Ph.D. (Haberman Associates) is the author of the chapter "Biotechnology and the Future of the Pharmaceutical Industry" in the book "Biotechnology and the Future of Society: Challenges and Opportunities", published by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR). The book is a collection of papers by the speakers at the ECSSR conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in January 2003.

Bonni Carson DiMatteo, CMC (Atlantic Consultants) had her article, "Igniting and Leading Change" published in Thinking Aloud, Your World WIT Newsletter (Women in Technology).

Mark Swartz's (Accretive Consulting Group, LLC) article, "State needs to take aim at target businesses" was published in the April 5, 2004 issue of the Providence Business News.

Isn't it your turn to be in the spotlight? Send your name, your business name and 1) recent awards/distinctions/professional certifications you've received; 2) public speaking engagements; and 3) published articles. (Be sure to include key facts, such as when, where and for whom.) You must be an IMC member or affiliate to be featured. Email them to Ethel Cook at , Subject: IMCNE spotlight.

The CMC Corner

Have You Earned Your CMC Yet?

Join the ranks of the true professional consultant by applying for (and attaining) the preeminent mark of excellence among management consulting professionals, the exclusive Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation, available only through IMC. A CMC after your name signifies evidence of the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession. Less than 1% of all consultants have achieved this level of performance. Learn more by clicking imcusa.org/cmc.acgi

An invitation to IMCNE CMC members — This section is dedicated to you. If you have commentary you'd like to share, here is a forum for you. Send your commentary to our Editor, Ethel Cook, for consideration. Email Ethel at , Subject: CMC Commentary.

Welcome New Members

George Sopel, Vacovec, Mayotte & Singer LLP

Member Feature Article

Creating Growth for Professional Services in a Down Economy
by Bonni Carson DiMatteo, CMC

If it's a down market for business, is it a down market for professional services? Not necessarily. In fact, if we look at crisis as an opportunity, this could be the best year yet. Whether you are in financial planning, accounting, legal, medical or consulting services a down economy is no reason for your business to be down. For our services, 2003 has created more business than any other year in our twenty years in business. Here is how you can create growth for your professional services in a down economy.

As a professional who helps other companies succeed, you have to ask yourself the big questions you ask your clients.

• What do you want?
• What are the barriers?
  
• What assumptions or beliefs are holding you back?
  
• What would success look like?
  
• What would be a first step?
  
• What is your strategic plan?
  
• What is your SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats)?
  
• What are your core competencies?
  
• What are your LOBs (lines of business)?
  
• Who is your target market?
  
• How can you reach them?
  
• What are the compelling needs of the current market place?

Look at your service as a business, not a practice, and establish a plan of action that will create a continual pipeline of business. Here are some questions to help you do so. Ask yourself the What, How, Who, When questions, and from those answers you can develop a business plan to grow your business in a down economy.

Creating New Business, Questions to Grow your Business:

What Questions:
What does your market need?
    Bundled service, niche services, and allied services
What are the current trends that your service or product can address or advise?
    Acquisitions, transitions

How Questions:
How can you reach them?
    Networking, speeches, cold and warm calls, written articles, surveys, partnering with colleagues, sending information, partnering with other services
How are you different?
    Industry experience, bench strength and background, flexibility, size, personal attention
How can you help?
    Strategies to avoid risk, take calculated risks, understand new strategies

Who Questions:
Who can you contact?
    Associations, circle of influence, old clients with new contact, old colleagues with new contacts, radio, TV engagements
Who is your ideal customer? Where can you find them?
Who can you partner with where your weakness can be their strengths?

When Questions:
When can you schedule time to regularly follow up, write, and call.
    Follow through and accountability is the key to your success

Creating New Business from Old Business, Questions to Grow your Business:

What Questions:
What has changed since you last contacted an old client?
What are their current needs?
What are new opportunities?
What can you offer?

How Questions:
How can you contact them?
    Phone, mailings, newsletters, recent article that might be pertinent, speaking engagements at their associations, customer satisfaction surveys can all be recontact possibilities
     Follow up to see if last recommendations are being implemented
     Ask them how the previous piece of work was of value
How can you help?
    Strategies to avoid risk, take calculated risks, understand new strategies
How do your strengths match their threats or opportunities?

Who Questions:
Who should you contact?
    Your last contact in the organization, his or her replacement or find where that person has moved to in a new company
Who can they recommend you contact who might benefit from your services?

When Questions:
    At least quarterly in a variety of ways phone, mail, email, article

Once you have answered these questions, you can focus on the following six recession-proofing steps:

Step One: Identify What You Want

• Define success: How many clients simultaneously or sequentially and with what kind of project?
• Write down your goals where you can see them daily
• Ask yourself every day: What am I doing to create business?
  

Step Two: Refuse to Prohibit Growth or Business Development

• Challenge the assumptions and identify any self-sabotaging thinking, such as: "No one is buying services in this market"
  

Step Three: Assess Your SWOT

• Capitalize on your strengths and opportunities
• Mitigate your weakness, challenge the threats
  

Step Four: Do a Market Analysis

• What do people and companies want?
• Find some way to fill these wants
  

Step Five: Make a Business Plan that includes What, How, Who and When

• Include mailing, phone contact, networking, speaking engagements over the next 12 months
• Contact your circle of influence and influencers regularly
• Do you need additional LOBs, such as training, facilitation or products?
• Establish an accountability plan with a partner, colleague or coach

Step Six: Be Grateful and Generous

• Whether it is the network or your old customer -- let them know how much you appreciate their confidence in your work
• Give them a lead to new business
  

Those in the professional services business are always marketing and selling to keep out of the feast or famine cycle. New business or recycled old business usually takes two to four months to generate. It is something that must be done constantly and in a variety of ways: networking, personal contact, public speaking, writing, brokering, and media appearances. This is a business and you are the CEO. You can make this your most successful year, and the work begins now.

Bonni Carson DiMatteo, CMC is president of Atlantic Consultants, Wellesley, MA. Atlantic Consultants offers coaching, training, facilitation and consultation in leadership and organizational effectiveness to small to large-sized companies as well as individuals from the Fortune 1000. Her workshop "Growing Your Business" is offered regularly in the greater Boston.

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Breakfast Brainstorms Calendar
Free to IMCNE members and affiliates, $10 for nonmembers

Monday, May 10, 2004
7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Rebecca's Café, Burlington, MA

Monday, June 7, 2004
7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Sheraton Wayfarer Restaurant, Bedford, NH

Want to host a Breakfast Brainstorm in your area? Contact for details.

Strategic Partner Events — Check out our Calendar of Strategic Partner and Other Events on our web site for more information on events of interest. Click www.imcne.org/spcalendar.html, then click on the appropriate link for detailed information that could save you money.

Book Reviews Solicited

Read any good books lately? Book reviews of up to 150 words are needed monthly. Business books and those you found helpful from other genres are of special interest. Email Ethel Cook at , Subject: IMCNE book review