We will be offering most conference materials in both paper and “soft copy” versions.  We have found that many participants bring their laptops and view the handouts electronically. A week before Confab, each participant will receive a link to the presentation materials and handouts so they can download the materials they want.  In fact, all presentations will only be available electronically.

Before Confab, participants will also receive an email with links to the on-line evaluation form (created by our exhibitor, Agile Northwest), the on-line questions for the Talk Show, as well as various other information bulletins.

Watch your email for the links and help us reduce waste!

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At this session, many consultants in the audience lined up at the microphone to express their opinions and agree or disagree with the panelists.

John Weathington, Treasurer of IMC USA NorCal, expresses his opinion during ethics panel.

Note that the views expressed by the panelists were rehearsed in advance and were intended to voice two opposing responses to each ethical dilemma. They are not necessarily the viewpoint of the consultants mentioned below.

The first case was commented on by Jennifer Leake, CMC and Chief Mining Officer of Consultants Gold, Inc., and Mark Haas, CMC and founder of Research and Organizational Management, Inc. The case featured a medicare practice in which physicians saw patients but also ran a medical lab that processed their patients’ lab work. A consultant went into the medicare practice to consider bidding on installing a new computer system. During the initial meeting, the medicare practice staff stressed the need for the new system to measure the lab’s profitability. Was this a conflict of interest? Was it possible that the practice’s physicians were ordering lab work to be paid by Medicare that wasn’t entirely necessary but would positively affect the practice’s profit?

Mark Haas expressed the viewpoint that the consultant was not yet engaged with the medical practice and therefore was not required to take action on the situation as an ethics issue. He cautioned against drawing conclusions without having all the facts. He did say that the IMC Code of Ethics states that consultants are obligated to tell clients or potential clients if they are doing something wrong. Jennifer Leake sited parts of the Code of Ethics that relate to consultants maintaining objectivity and integrity. Since Jennifer had some business dealings with pharmacies in the past, she felt her background could bias her. She said she would withdraw from the opportunity because of a conflict of interest.

The second case was presented by Allan Peterson, CMC, Principal Consultant of Peterson Associates, LLC, and Larry Mandelberg, founder of Growth By Design. In this situation, a consultant lost a hard drive that contained confidential client data while travelling. The consultant arrived at his destination and, when he opened his bag, the drive was missing. Allan presented the viewpoint that until the consultant should take time to investigate and get more information about the missing drive (the drive may have been left at his previous location or may be turned in by a good samaritan). Larry sited the IMC USA Code of Ethics section that says if at any time confidential data is exposed the consultant is required to make immediate disclosure.

Bob Phillips of RW & Associates and Jim Soudriette, CMC, FIMC and General Partner of The Galaxy Organization, presented the third case about a company that wished to introduce a new, low-cost treatment for late-stage AIDS patients to an underdeveloped country. In the course of setting up the deal, the company was told that the fastest way to get the product into use in the country would be to pay a large sum (a bribe) to a local distributor. Jim presented the viewpoint that the ability to serve late-state AIDS patients trumped the fact that the company was required to pay a bribe. Bob presented the opposite view: no matter what the situation, consultants must advise their clients that it is not ethical to pay bribes, no matter what the outcome.

Which side would you take on these ethical issues for consultants? Please comment.

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Dr. Lynn Ellsworth Tayler presents Core Value Index to Confab conference for consultants

For example, if a person’s dominant style is that of a “Merchant” with the core value of Love, that person may experience life disappointments that come about because they are not balanced in their use of the core values Power, Wisdom or Knowledge.

According to Dr. Taylor, in a survey of over 500 companies, 34.8% of workers are rated “D Players,” because their employers don’t know who their employees are and what their core values are. By evaluating these workers and moving them to roles that maximize their core values, the companies can improve productivity.

Dr. Taylor says that alignment of core values with work and life roles is always at the center of business problems. “It’s always people. We need to get every person in the right seat doing the right job.” He sited a Gallup poll that states that 75% of people in the United States are not engaged in their work.

This session is a great example of how important the “soft” or people issues are to consultants and their clients. What has your experience been? Please comment on this issue using the form below.

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In June of this year I attended the Marketing Profs B2B Forum in Boston, Massachusetts. I had been following and implementing some of the new marketing practices for my own consulting practice and for my B2B clients, such as blogging and using social networks to create online awareness of your brand, product and services.

At the conference some of the top marketers and social media experts and practitioners in the nation were present, and I got to meet with them one-on-one. The face-to-face time I had with these experts and with other attendees was unsurpassed. My time spent in webinars and on conference calls was no match for being there.

Another conference I attend quite frequently is the annual conference of the Association for Strategic Planning. This conference is attended by strategic planning and other executives, consultants and academia. The content and networking at this conference is great. Strategic planners refer to me when they need a marketing consultant who is strategy savvy and who can execute plans, so ASP’s conference is very worthwhile.

Finally, for nine out of my twelve years of consulting, I’ve attended Confab. Confab is chock full of take-aways for consultants. I always come back to my office with a list of action items to implement. In addition, I find that consultants are often the first people to know of needs for other consulting at their clients sites, and they like to refer to other consultants that they know and like. What better way to build relationships with other consultants than attending the annual conference for consultants by consultants. Better yet, volunteer and serve on the conference committee, which I have done for the last two years .

What conferences do you attend? How have you benefited from them? Which ones do you recommend for other consultants? Please comment using the comment fields below.

Jennifer Beever

Confab Marketing Chair

CMO for Hire, New Incite

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Jim’s reference to the “Solo Consultant’s Dungeon” refers not only to the physical isolation of independent consultants who work alone, but also the emotional isolation that can lead to procrastination and avoidance of administrative and other support functions that consultants need to do. According to Jim, consultants should spend time on four main work efforts:

1. Consulting. Be the best you can at delivering your consulting services. This is your number one focus.
2. Marketing. When you are not consulting, you should be marketing. Jim doesn’t believe in hiring marketing service providers because they are expensive. He is an advocate of hiring business coaches who help the solo consultant stay on track and stay accountable.
3. Giving. Consultants can give in many ways, including:
   • Serve on a non-profit board
   • Mentor new consultants
   • Give consulting away to loyal clients (especially in tough times)
   • Create a product and give it away
4. Learning, including participating in webinars, seminars, association meetings; reading books, whitepapers, blogs; getting certified, etc.

Jim ended his talk with a caution to consultants to avoid the tendency in the dungeon to ignore the things we know we should do. Great session!

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Weiss spoke to 200 consultants today at the opening keynote lunch for Confab 2009, the Institute of Management Consultants conference for consultants by consultants in Reno, Nevada. In addition to his advice about having confidence, Weiss added good news. Because of a lack of trust among corporate executives for big consulting firms, there is more opportunity for the small and mid-size consulting firms and independent consultants.

Following the good news, Weiss went on to deliver the bad news. If consultants are expecting to reach corporate contacts through social networking, including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, they’re wasting their time. He listed ten key things consultants need to do to thrive in any economy. These are:

1. Have focus and discipline
2. Identify key markets
3. Leverage relationships
4. Maintain a clean database
5. Develop a brand
6. Use a sales process
7. Work with great people
8. Act! Do something!
9. Have a great support system
10. Have belief and faith in what you do

Weiss added some final words, “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying.”

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Cherryll Sevy, Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and former Chair of Confab, consults with Drumm McNaughton, CMC and Chair of IMC USA, on her putt at the 18th hole.

Doug Zogby, President of IMC Arizona chapter, Jon Paul, CMC, from IMC Chicagoland, and James Rodgers, CMC, from IMC Georgia chapter finish the 18th hole in style.

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