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Consulting 2020example of this phenomenon. Strategy firmsare pushing ‘downward’ into OM; IT firms arepushing ‘upward’ into OM, and non-traditionalsuppliers, such as large engineering basedfirms, are pushing ‘inward’ into OM.How do you stand out insuch a crowded space?Greg: Truly differentiating is becoming moredifficult every day and is a key concern for manyof the firms we engage with on a regular basis.Clients are using words like ‘clones’ or ‘theswarm’ to describe their consulting providers –not words that any Consulting firm would liketo hear applied to itself.In a market where so many firms are so good,or at least competent, at so many differentfunctions, we see the real point of differentiationas the way that Consulting firms deliver theirservices - not necessarily the quality level ofthe services themselves, because the qualityis so similar.Our analysis shows that ‘Customer Experience’is composed of very specific elements that firmsmust get right to stand out from their competitors.These include knowledge transfer, joint clientconsultingteams, success-based fee structures,thought leadership that is more than marketingcollateral for the firm, and true partner-levelinvolvement in all phases of project delivery. Allof these raise not only traditional measures ofclient satisfaction but also what Doublejay callsclient involvement with a Consulting brand. Firmswhich score highly on client experience-basedinvolvement measures are the ones which becomethe go-to option in a client’s mind and trulystand out from their competitors. Some firmsunderstand this intuitively, but we have seenvery few that have systematized this approach.The ones which have are reaping the benefits.JJ: I was discussing this subject with a verysophisticated user of Management Consultingservices at a Fortune 10 company and he said‘The best thing I can say is that when I send anemail to my Consulting partner on a Sundayafternoon asking a question, I get an email backanswering that question by Sunday evening.And he’s not charging me for that. So I willalways go back to that firm because that’swhat I’m looking for. Any firm can do the actualproject. I’m looking for something else.’What’s next in Consulting?What should companies andfirms alike be thinking about?JJ: Based on over 50 projects and marketresearch we have developed what we call‘Consulting Quo Vadis?’. In this scenario analysis,Consulting as we know it today, will disappearand will be replaced by two business models.The first one is best described in today’s terminologyas ‘high end staff augmentation’. It willentail everything that a company needs to setup, socialize, organize and run large scale andcomplex projects. Consultants in this categorycome through the door with three major ingredients:1. Tools, how to organize and run large projects,2. Experience, based on cases worked on before,3. And an unbiased outside-in viewpoint.The second category we have started toname ‘evidence based consulting. These areConsultancies who are absolute subject - andvertical - experts. No matter whether the projectis, a strategy, efficiency, finance, IT or HRproject, the Consultancy again brings threesignificant ingredients along:1. Hard fact evidence based on ‘big data’(historic and predictive business intelligence)2. True partnership with the client (long-standingrelationship with all levels and LOBs of the firm)3. A business model that lends itself to share in therisk and the rewards of the project with the client.Is there a game-changing business model comingour way that will make Consulting as we know ittoday a thing of the past? We believe absolutelyyes! And it is not going to be one or the otherConsulting model of the future, it’s going to beboth! There is need and a place for both. Thegood news for consumers of Consulting thoughwill be that there will be significantly more choicesthan today. Where today’s decisions who to‘ The real point ofdifferentiation is theway that Consultingfirms deliver theirservices.’work with and how are often made within theold boys club and with an eye towards boardroom assurance, tomorrow’s decisions will bebased on who has the most evidence in ourvertical and horizontal and who do we trust isour best partner in this regard today and forthe foreseeable future?Do you think Consultingfirms recognize the speedof change?JJ: There are three categories of Consultancyout there: Leaders, Followers and Sleepers.That’s my answer.Greg: There are fewer Leaders than Followersand fewer Followers than Sleepers. Our view isthat these are fundamental changes that willalter the way Consulting is done. If they don’tadapt, many firms won’t be in existence in5 or 10 years.JJ Sendelbach is Managing Director at DoublejayConsulting LLC and Greg Baranszky is a Director.Doublejay Consulting, founded in 2003, is a strategicadvisor to the professional services industry.CLOSEWORK® GLOBAL REVIEW 2012 61