Consulting Skills: Word of the Day is "Tendentious"

From dictionary.com:

tendentious \ten-DEN-shuhs\, adjective: Marked by a strong tendency in favor of a particular point of view.

Over the years I've known a few consultants who embody this word. They've mastered a topic area or a toolset, and they seek ways to apply it in every situation. Need to improve brand perception? You need a corporate podcasting program. Need to reach loyal customers with product updates? You should think about podcasting. Need to reach 200 million impressions for your product launch? Do it, do it, do it with podcasts!

Don't be like that. Don't be a solution in search of a problem.

Saying don't be tendentious is just another way of saying DO be open-minded. So the real message is that good consulting is about good listening and creative problem-solving. This is hard to do, because when we get good at something, or have a success, we tend to want to repeat it. The trick is recognizing the problem and developing a repertoire of solutions, and the flexibility to invent new solutions, that can be applied as appropriate. Whether they know it or not, your clients need you to be a strategic partner. You're the one with the expertise.

It works the other direction, too: Clients hiring consultants sometimes do so precisely because they've prematurely settled on a solution and want a consultant to help them implement it. In those situations, consultants sometimes need to help define the problem and work through the solution.

As a consultant with a focus on social media, I field a lot of questions about online communities. When folks talk with me, they very often have already decided that what they need is some kind of online community, and very often they've started with the tool they envision implementing. ("We need a wiki!) Very often, I find myself redirecting those requests.

For one major client, I'm working on a community strategy pitch presentation that basically says their brand is the very opposite of community, and they should be thinking about word-of-mouth instead. It's possible I'll get eaten alive. That's consulting--light a candle for me.

Comments

[Phil Barrett]

I totally agree with your POV. A few years ago "CRM" was all the rage...and suddenly everybody had a "CRM" solution - which was often software / off-the shelf.

Good marketers / consultants need to be platform, technology, and channel agnostic. Don't go looking for a problem to solve your solution...

I'm working in the mobile space a lot these days, but there are times when i re-direct clients back to web, email, or gosh, print!

[Ryan]

Yep, I'm actually finding technology agnosticism to be a selling point these days. Thanks for the comment, Phil.

[reena kapoor]

So true, Ryan. Reminded me of the time my father a doctor would get frustrated when patients showed up in his office wanting x-rays even before they had discussed their problems with him or given him a chance to diaganose the malady.
often companies want a social media/ community solution whether it fits the brand or not or their own company infra/culture. one other problem i see is that their view is that this is a static marketing tactic in that you put it out there and it's done. so they put a project team together to implement the community but seem to be giving dangerously little thought to ongoing maintenance and active support which is what is needed to tend to this garden or it shall wilt and die qucikly...