Top Ten Things a Consultant
Shouldn't Tell a Client
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That was my first guess as well,
but then I really thought about it.
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You should see the hotel I'm
staying at.
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Hey, I just realized that I
was in junior high when you started working here.
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I like this office space. I'll
have them put me in here when you're gone.
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My rental car looks nicer than
that junker you're driving.
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Sure it'll work; I learned it
in business school.
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So what do you need me to tell
you?
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Of course it's right; the spreadsheet
says so.
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I could just tell you the answer,
but we're committed to a three month project.
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What are you, stupid?
Top Ten
Things You'll Never Hear from a Consultant
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You're right; we're billing
way too much for this.
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Bet you I can go a week without
saying "synergy" or "value-added".
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How about paying us based on
the success of the project?
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This whole strategy is based
on a Harvard business case I read.
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Actually, the only difference
is that we charge more than they do.
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I don't know enough to speak
intelligently about that.
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Implementation? I only
care about writing long reports.
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I can't take the credit.
It was Ed in your marketing department.
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The problem is, you have too
much work for too few people.
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Everything looks okay to me.
Top Ten Things
You Shouldn't Say at a Consulting Interview
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I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind
of person.
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Do you pay overtime?
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I hate flying.
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I'm useless without ten hours
of sleep a night.
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There are lies, damn lies, and
statistics.
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Do you cover rental cars for
collision?
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Stanford taught me that working
in teams is great for slackers.
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I think three letter acronyms
are for people too stupid to remember whole phrases.
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Two words: family first.
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Call it what you want, it still
means firing people.
Top Ten Ways
To Know You're Dating/Married To A Consultant
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Referred to the first month
of your relationship as a "diagnostic period".
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Talks to the waiter about process
flow when dinner arrives late.
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Takes a half day at the office
because, "Sunday is your day."
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Congratulates your parents for
successful value creation.
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Tries to call room service from
the bedroom.
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Ends any argument by saying,
"let's talk about this off-line."
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Celebrates anniversary by conducting
a performance review.
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Can't be trusted with the car-too
accustomed to beating up rentals.
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Valentine's Day card has bullet
points.
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Refers to lovemaking as a "win-win".
Top Ten Ways to Know
You've Got the Consulting Bug
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Can't stop using words that
don't exist.
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Worried that he who dies with
the most frequent-flyer miles wins.
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Use so much jargon in conversation,
friends think you're speaking a foreign language.
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Constant urge to give advice
on subjects you know nothing about.
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Always-hyphenating-words-that-don't-need-to-be-hyphenated.
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Keep seeing bullet points everywhere.
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Can fit the thematic undercurrents
of "War and Peace" into a two-by-two matrix.
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Tired of having a social life
beyond work.
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A two-page story in Business
Week is all it takes to make you an expert.
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Firmly believe that an objective
viewpoint means more than any real work experience.
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