Consulting Skills for Client Success Training

Course:              Consulting Skills for Client Success

Training Type:   Classroom Training – Online training (Virtual Classroom)

Number of students per session: Our class sizes are typically 4-6 students per session. Our  classes are intentionally kept small in order to foster more interaction between the instructor and students. We limit classes to a maximum of six (6) students unless we are teaching a private group or organization.

Locations:           Toronto (1 Yonge St),

Duration:            2 Day Training (10 AM- 5 PM) Weekends & Weekdays options

Special Offers:   Sign up with a friend and save 5% each  – Sign up with 2 friends and save 10%

Corporate Training:  Contact us for special offers ( Training at our location or on site at your location, anytime , anywhere)

Course Overview

The course content draws from the largest and most admired consulting companies in the world and is specifically designed to provide insight on what a consultant does, what corporations and senior people look for in consultants, how to successfully engage and create relationships with clients and even how to successfully ‘pass’ a consulting interview.

Project team members, from Business Analysts and Project Managers to Subject Matter Experts and Technical resources are consulting every day in their interactions of problem solving, risk analysis and so much more.

With this internalized set of abilities – have you ever wondered about elevating your skills and experience game by understanding the executive perspective and what they look for in consultants? Engaging senior people with confidence and being a leader in their eyes? Going out on your own for consulting? Interviewing and working for the Big Consulting houses – what do they expect?

As a Consultant and Leader, you required to engage stakeholders with credibility. The credibility comes from refined soft skills, consultant behaviors and practical, applied methodologies to solve problems and/or take advantage of opportunities which you will learn about in this course.

Learning Outcome

At the end of this two-day training, participants will be better able to:

• Use the five-step consulting engagement life cycle and associated methods and actions to successfully consult with your clients
• Learn about and apply different strategic frameworks with emphasis on management consulting strategic frameworks in the areas of Strategy formulation and practice applying them to o understand the factors internally and externally influencing competitiveness o           generate strategy for an enterprise, o     assess and select from options
  • • the ability to view business problems from an executive management perspective
    • developing business judgment.

• Assess your behaviors against the competencies required for consulting and identify how to leverage your strengths and close any gaps
• Increase your credibility and value by adding consulting skills to your current skill set
• Understand what thinking abilities global consulting corporations and technology leaders look for when interviewing
• Create an awareness of critical soft skills such as Influence, Organizational and Cultural Intelligence in the Client-Consultant Relationship

Who is the Course for?

The course is designed for professionals and subject matter specialists including Project Mangers and Business Analysts who want to apply their expertise to help organizations analyze business problems, identify solutions and achieve them. It is also designed for individuals looking to leverage their skills and transition to an independent career. Experienced consulting practitioners who wish to improve or refresh their basic skills, insights and approaches are also welcome.

Course Outline

Introduction to Consulting  

• Introduction to Consulting
• The Role of a Consultant
• PMI: Driving Change and Creating Business Value
• Workplace areas to Consult in
• Consulting as a Career
• What companies look for in Consultants
• The multiple roles of Consultants
• The 5 step Consulting process

Entry and Critical Early Engagement of Clients

• Establishing an initial relationship
• 6 Foundational Consultant Characteristics for Client Success
• Qualifying the Client Need – Strategic Questioning Framework
• You as a Brand – How to establish the value you can offer in the client interview(s)
• What Clients expect from Consultants
• Client/Sponsor Commitment Analysis (can we depend on this person to champion us and maintain influence)
• Active listening
• Understanding and aligning to the clients culture

Strategy Concepts and Applied Frameworks – Discovery and Analysis

• Define Problem or Opportunity explicitly
• Establishing a clear definition of desired outcomes
• Identifying success criteria
• Validate assumptions
• Mitigating Ambiguity – Scope, Context and Requirements
• Data Collection
• KPI Alignment

Feedback and Buy-in

• Influencing Clients and Stakeholders
• Selling Yourself and Your Branding
• Motivations in the Consulting Process
• Recognizing and handling client concerns or objection

Preparing Implementation

• How Programs and Projects relate to Strategy in Corporations
• A brief on Benefits Realization
• Setting up for Success – The Change Management Framework
• *Note – “Preparing Implementation” is in the Consulting process of transitioning and not meant to be exhaustive.

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