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Why Did a Consulting Team Rip Up the Client’s Info Sheet and Walk Out of a Million-Dollar Deal?
And what can it teach us about resisting shiny-new-thing syndrome?
A friend of mine is a business consultant for a major firm. He told me about the first big — as in multi-million-dollar — deal he was part of.
At the first in-person meeting, the client handed the consulting team a list, with the directive “Tell us your proficiencies with the following software and hardware systems.”
He said that the team leader looked at the sheet for a moment, and then ripped it up and threw the pieces on the floor. “That’s not what we’re here for,” he said. “Call us when you’re ready to talk about the actual problems.” Then he and the team walked out of the meeting.
My friend told me he was kind of freaked out. “Ummm…I know I’m the new guy, but it’s my first multi-million project. Can we maybe not set it on fire in front of the client?”
His team lead reassured him. “They’ll call us back.” He explained that the thing about being a consultant is that your bona-fides are established before you walk in the door. “Consultants can show up as an outsider and it’s assumed that you’ve earned it.”
