Organisations need consultancy advice but cannot afford full-service fees. Solidus has a flexible and innovative approach to both services and charging.

Creative Pricing to Meet Client Needs

to Solidus has an answer that makes consultancy advice much more affordable and more appropriately aligned with the clients’ real needs.Traditionally consultancies have taken over a piece of work for clients and provided full services using their own consultancy staff. In good times that has generated good fees, and profits, for consultancy firms. Clients have often had discomfort with that approach but in the current straitened circumstances can no longer afford it. The danger is that they will not get the advice they need.

Expensive Full Service Consultancy Often Does Not Meet Clients’ Needs

By handing over a complete piece of work to the consultancy firm the client misses out on many important benefits as well as paying higher feeds than is strictly necessary. In particular with the traditional approach:

• There is limited knowledge and skills transfer to the client staff ensuring the client remains dependent on the consultants,
• The solution is external and not owned by the organisation which makes implementation more difficult and potentially compromised,
• Client lacks flexibility as it is not equipped to respond to changing circumstances so is again dependent on the consultancy for maintenance of the solution,
• Clients are paying for training junior consultants rather than their own staff which would retain the knowledge within the organisation.

Solidus has developed an approach that addresses these issues and seeks to give the client maximum benefit from consultancy at an optimised cost.

Flexible and Innovative Approach to Consultancy Projects

Solidus new approach is based on providing leadership and management of the consultancy assignments whilst using the client’s own staff to undertake the bulk of the detail work. Solidus believes that this delivers almost all the benefits of consultancy expertise at reduced cost and with important additional benefits.

The Solidus approach is to maximise benefit to the client with minimum consultancy input. This is done through:

• Using client staff to undertake data collection and basic analysis,
• Developing, mentoring and supporting in-house staff to allow them to undertake that work and use the skills in the future,
• Consultants providing overall direction, support and guidance during the research phases,
• Consultants working with the client staff to interpret the finding and develop the necessary strategies and plans. The client then “owns” the resulting solution and plans which will ensure greater acceptability. Staff have the knowledge to flex the plans as needs change with little or no need to resort to further consultancy support.

Solidus consultants actively working to make themselves redundant by leaving staff with the skills and knowledge to take the work forward.

This approach allows a client to closely tailor the use of consultants to their needs and budget whilst still having the benefit of the consultant high-level expertise.

However this is not the only innovative aspect of the Solidus approach. Solidus recognises that clients have different resource constraints. Some will be cash strapped and therefore keeping fees to a minimum will be needed. Others will not have the staff, perhaps as a result of downsizing, to undertake the work and will need more consultant input.

Flexible Charging to Meet Client Needs

Solidus brings a creative approach to charging. Whilst a traditional fees based model will suit many clients. Where it does not, Solidus will look for creative ways for the client to pay for the work that suits both parties. Apart from a fees based approach, whether fixed price or time and materials, other models might be:

• Reduced fees plus a bonus based on clearly measurable outcomes,
• Reduced fees plus a share on any savings or benefits where these can be fully identified and directly attributable the consultancy work.
• Reduced fees and a share of equity
• Fees might be spread over a period longer than the work.

This is not a exhaustive list and the model is entirely flexible but clearly has to work for both client and Solidus. However Solidus is always open to suggestions as to how it might be rewarded for its work.

Flexible and Innovative in Supporting Clients

So Solidus is able and willing to tailor its consultancy work to fit a client’s needs. As a result the client gets access to high level expert advice at time when it is needed even though budgets are under enormous pressure. As a result the client can aim to improve earnings faster than perhaps would have been possible.

Contact Martin Wilson directly on +44 (0) 7831 410 801 or via e-mail.