Hello…
Before we get started, let’s get this out of the way because it’s going to come up.
Added value. At the end of the day. Bandwidth. Benchmarking. Best practice. Bird’s eye view. Blue-sky thinking. Boil the ocean. Bottoms-up. Bring to the table. Buttoned-down. Buttoned-up. Circle back. Close the loop. Cradle to grave. Deep dive. Elevator pitch. Elevator test. Fact pack. Granular. Hit the ground running. KPI. Leverage. Low-hanging fruit. MECE. On board. Off the bench. Off the clock. On the beach. On the clock. On the same page. Opportunity cost. Paradigm shift. Ping. POA. POOMA. Pushback. Re-frame. Run the numbers. Sandwich method. Scope creep. Slopey shoulders. Sniff test. Stand up call. SWAG. Think out of the box. TOIL. Top-down. Touch base. Transparency. Upward feedback. Upward management. Utilization target. 80/20 rule.
This “consultant-speak” is nothing more than lingo consisting of obscure terms and acronyms; and false erudition and insight. But don’t be fooled. They’re clichés. Consultants use one or more of these terms in almost every conversation with prospective and established clients to bolster their own self-importance. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear a consultant at lunch ask a waiter: “what are this restaurant's core competencies”! This contrived lingo is nothing more than a security blanket to justify over-priced services or compensate for a lack of cogent analysis and alternatives. Don't misunderstand our point. We know these terms. We have used these terms. But, we just don't see the need to use them to justify our expertise and our clients prefer a more straight forward means of communicating.
The old saying “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach”, while unfair to teachers, is very appropriate for consultants. Only we would add “those who can’t teach, consult.” These days everyone is a consultant. How hard can it be? The very definition of the word, means “a person who provides expert advice”. An “expert” seems to be anyone that has done something once or they read a related article.
Why the skepticism about a profession to which we belong? Well, it doesn’t have to be this way. Wentworth Zimmerman, Inc. offers an alternative. For starters, we begin by telling any potential client that we know our advice is worthless if it is not considered. Additionally, our process is rooted in our experience of walking in your shoes. It is said that the best architects see space differently than others. Similarly, we see problems and solutions differently. Our proven successful processes result in enlightened perspectives and alternatives to help you implement solutions that fit your unique business’ culture, values, and needs. No recycled boilerplate. No substituting experience with abstract theories. And no consultant-speak.
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