The Value Proposition of an Independent IT/Telecom Consultant

One of the very first questions I am often asked when talking with a new prospective client is “what differentiates your services from the other two dozen or so companies who have called this month and offered to save us money?”  The simple answer is our experience,approach, and results, but these are all a manifestation of a conscious choice to be a true independent consultant and the business philosophy that goes along with that choice.

By definition, an “independent” consultant is one whose compensation comes totally from client fees and not tied to any other third parties whether they are vendors, carriers, or other types of service providers.  The truth of the matter is that there are very few truly independent IT/Telecom consultants in today’s market place.  The vast majority of consultants in the IT and Telecom industry derive a good portion of their overall revenues from sources other than just their clients. 

For example, many so called “consultants” are actually commissioned brokers of the services and products of their affiliated industry partners. The revenue from these industry partners allows them to offer their services to a seemingly lower cost to their customer, when in reality the customer actually pays higher rates, and hence gets less overall savings, since the additional potential savings are being used to compensate the “consultant”. Their main value proposition is making it easier for their clients to buy their recommended solutions, which is actually just a consultative sale.  These type of consultants claim they are vendor neutral and client advocates, but this is really only true as it pertains to the products and services offered either by these third party industry partners or by their own parent company.

The ever changing technologies and service offerings available in today’s communications technology market place make it extremely difficult for internal staff resources to keep up with these changes while still doing their primary job of administering and maintaining the products and services already in use by the organization. It is in this environment where the value of using outside assistance to help optimize current infrastructure resources comes into play.   Once the decision is made to retain a consultant, the choice of consultant will dictate the ultimate success of the endeavor.  Do you chose a consultant with the freedom to look at all alternatives and help you find the best solution for your specific needs, or do you use a consultant tied to only offering solutions he has deals to represent? 

When Telytics, Inc. was founded in early 2004 the driving philosophy that would guide our consulting practice was based on the following principles:

• Focus on being the client’s advocate and their most trusted advisor.
• Remain independent of any other compensation that could influence, or even be perceived as impacting, our recommendations to our clients.
• That there is no one solution that works best for everyone, but a best solution that meets the business goals and objectives of an individual client.
• Under promise and over deliver, instead of over promise and under deliver.
• Mitigate risk, maximize results, and always deliver great value for our services.
• That the best results are a team effort, where we use our specialized expertise and talents, as a supplemental resource to empower existing client resources to achieve better results for them and their company.
• Measure your success by the results achieved, not the fee received.
• Be professional, ethical, and always strive to enhance the value and the results we obtain for our clients.
• Focus on win – win.

I am proud of Telytics’ steadfast adherence to those principles and the superior results we have achieved for our clients. 

From the client’s perspective, there are many benefits to an independent consultant approach.

These benefits include:

• Access to supplemental expertise and resources not available internally.
• The ability to have the consultant provide services in parallel with other ongoing staff tasking to allow greater multi-tasking and faster achievement of results.
• Exposure to new information and alternative technologies to augment decision processes.
• Unbiased assessments that are focused on optimized solutions to meet specified client goals and objectives, with added benefit of potentially significant additional cost savings.
• The additional expertise offered by an independent consultant can help mitigate risk and identify more effective approaches.
• A good consultant will make you look like a hero to your management team.
• Exceptional return on investment potential for projects identifying cost savings and implementation strategies.
• Since future engagements are generally predicated on results, the independent consultant is well motivated to achieve superior results.
• Independent consultants can be more strategic in aligning solutions to meet client’s business needs, taking a bigger picture approach for Client’s benefit.

To achieve the benefits cited above, it is also very important that the client understands its role in the success of any independent consultant engagement.  From the consultant’s perspective, the failure of the client to recognize the value proposition of the client-consultant relationship and do their part to ensure the ongoing success of the partnership is probably the most frustrating aspect of the independent consultant’s practice. The consultant’s ability to provide maximum value to the client is totally dependent on maintaining the ongoing relationship with the clients.

The secrets to success in this endeavor:

• Communications.  Failure to continue to communicate between projects can result in missed opportunities for additional optimization and cost savings benefits.   
• Trust. A good consultant should always be looking out for your best interests.  Believe them before you believe your carriers or other service providers who are more likely to be protecting their own revenue then giving you the truth.
• Do not procrastinate, nor use “other priorities” as an excuse to not engage a consultant who may be able to bring significant value in parallel to this other tasking.  Time is money, and the delay could cost your company big money.
• When budgets are tight, a good cost management consultant can be your best investment, as generated savings are often as valuable, and produce better ROI, as increased revenues.
• See the bigger picture. Publicly traded companies can see their market value significantly impacted by increased earnings per share due to consultant generated IT/Telecom cost savings.
• Support the Client/Consultant team. Positive ROI is good for both parties.
• The truly independent consultant is a unique and increasingly rare breed in today’s often commodity driven industry. They can also be a company’s most valuable asset in dealing with the ever changing IT and telecommunications environment, and the challenges associated with procurement of services and products to meet unique business needs.   

The independent consultant, since they have nothing to sell but their expertise, must continually update and maintain a broader scope of current industry knowledge and latest technology trends so that they can continue to provide additional value and superior results for their clients.

Telytics specializes in providing clients with this type of independent supplemental expertise and would welcome the opportunity to assist your company in optimizing its current IT/Telecom cost management processes during this challenging business climate.

Thanks for reading!

Gary Eckert

President/CEO

Telytics, Inc.

760-918-5568

www.telytics.com

National Award Top 25 Contributor to IT Financial Management Profession over past 25 years

2015 Chairman QED San Diego, providing National Thought Leadership for over 50 years