<figure class="
sqs-block-image-figure
intrinsic
">
















</figure>

One facet of our business is technology consulting and I can’t help but be amused by a subtle nuance that I’ve seen every IT consulting company do at one point or another. They constantly refer to themselves as a “partner”. We do this at Corporate Strategy Partners too. Keep reading to see why we're different....

Your typical IT consultant works with you to do a specific project. They might deploy Office 365 (which we do). They may come in to renovate your data center approach (which we do). Maybe they come in to sell you licensing (which we do). What don’t they do? They aren’t looking for a relationship. At least not it the right sense... But we do. Most are looking for whatever projects they can milk out of a customer before their services are no longer needed.

It’s probably important to define “relationship” as well. You could be a repeat customer for them, buying project after project. However, these are tactical things.  They're simply filling a "right now" need. The key to a great consultant/client relationship, an actual relationship, is involvement.

Think about it like dating. You start out by learning more about the people involved (initial projects). Then you start to get a bit more serious and start dating exclusively (trusted & go-to provider). Then, after you’re totally comfortable and have dealt with any commitment issues, they get married. This is where the relationship gets to shine because the consultant operates in the inside circle, is involved in day-to-day advisory, and can be a sounding board for important decisions. You have a direct, no-assistant line to your person and you know they are as committed to the success of your business as you are. They feel great when the company improves and succeeds and they share the guilt and disappointment when the company falters.

THAT is a relationship. And THAT is a partner. 

Often times, the fear that people have about consultants is that they are poised to replace staff and functions inside the business. I’m sure there are some that are just really leveraging the connection and project to prove their worth and then apply for an internal position. Those aren’t consultants. They are subcontractors or temp-to-hire. And to be completely frank, we don't want your job. We want to help you succeed at your job, which means we have succeeded at our job.

Here are some high-level easily defining characteristics to tell if you have a “partner” or a “vendor”

• Do you have your consultants direct mobile phone number (partner) or just their office number or worse, the support line (vendor)?

• Are they available for you 24 hours per day (partner) because business doesn't just happen during business hours, or are they available 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday because their business only happens during business hours (vendor)?

• Are they always looking for the next project (vendor) or are they discussing your business and market strategically and identifying ways for you to be more competitive and cost-conscious (partner)?

• Do they refer to you as a client (partner) or a customer (vendor)?

• Do they want you to spend lots of money (vendor) or spend money on the right things (partner)?

 So would you prefer to have vendor, or would you prefer to have a partner?