I chose a career in consulting because I love solving problems, am dedicated to continual learning, and have a passion for teaching. I was first introduced to consulting in graduate school and immediately knew this was my calling. I was enticed to find the perfect mix of client engagement strategies to maximize value and build long-lasting relationships, with the goal of one day becoming a leader in the consulting industry.
I am a 6-month newbie to Skypoint CSG and Power BI. My background is in healthcare, where I worked within the intersection of technology and delivering positive health outcomes. I have hopped between large, medium, and small sized firms over the years. One thing that attracted me to Skypoint CSG was the quality and warmth of the individuals, which was so different than my big firm experiences. I was thrilled to have finally found a group of individuals that shared my values around ethics, continual learning, and building a positive work environment. I was presented the opportunity to work at Skypoint CSG and be given the autonomy to implement best practices as I saw fit. Here was my chance to take all the things I saw done wrong in my past jobs and act on what I thought was right.
Winning Business with Power BI
I was asked to present to the Microsoft Partner Network specific to Power BI on a topic of my choice. I am light years away from becoming a Power BI guru, but one thing I have refined are best practices to delivering Power BI solutions. The goal of every solution is to maximize client value and foster a long-term relationship. My presentation titled “Winning Business with Power BI” is the cross-roads of my core values, insights, and recipe to delighting a client.
Many of the points in this presentation seem counter-intuitive to a consulting firm. Black-box solutions that are unmaintainable by a client is the consulting partner’s dream. This translates to a client held hostage by a solution that delivers just enough value to cover the astronomical management fee set by the firm. I’ve seen this in action and it is not pretty. It leaves a client hating their consulting partner and fueling every attempt to claw themselves out of the situation. While this method may be fruitful to the firm’s bottom-line, I don’t see it as sustainable.
Skypoint CSG was founded off their slogan “delighting clients since 1993”. To delight requires devotion to the best interest of your client no matter the cost. Balancing client expectations and the bottom-line of our firm is difficult when client dependency is not part of the business strategy. Thus, what has emerged is a strategy built on expertise, thought leadership, and community. Please download and click through my presentation slide deck to learn more.
Download presentation deck: Click Here
Summary:
- Find your niche in Business Intelligence
- Practice trust, empathy, and compassion
- Be visible
- Incentivize thought leadership
- Develop a partner network
- Foster a local-community
- Enable Power BI champions
