Bad Consultants

I’ve consistently heard one thing about IT consultants — most of them suck horribly.

I have to say that I’ve also found this to be true, but not for the reasons I thought. I thought it was an issue with technical ability, but it’s not. It’s not that the consultants I’ve seen are weak technically; their problem is that they seem to have very little regard for what clients want and need, which, if I were to nitpick, is of at least moderate interest.

I’ve seen on a number of occasions where the consultant comes in and essentially starts preaching to his flock. This is how it’s going to be, we know what’s best for you, etc. They simply fail to listen, and what makes it worse is that they seem to favor pre-packaged solutions over those that are customized. Of course, in order to customize a solution they’d have to listen to the client, which could be part of the problem.

At any rate, while it’s bad for most clients (since they’re dealing, by definition, with most consultants), it’s actually quite positive for me. I’m coming to realize that I can be at a major disadvantage technically, i.e. not even in my area, and still offer far more to the client than a so-called expert. The reason for this is simply the willingness to truly listen to the problems that a client is facing, and then follow-up with efficient, customized solutions.

Perhaps it’s bad business to do this; perhaps I’m being naiive about how consulting works. I’m willing to accept that as a possibility. I do know, however, that it’s not possible to make money doing using my approach then I will simply move on to something else. I refuse to become what I see in these others. For the time being, though, I’m going to continue with my theory that you can make money consulting in this ideal, enjoyable way.

We shall see.