Consulting

An "old fashioned" approach to consulting

A client once told me that my approach to consulting was a bit "old fashioned". At first, I was a bit taken aback. But once he explained what he meant, I understood it to be a compliment. To this day, I happily embrace this characterization and I'd like to share with you what it is about my approach to consulting that has some calling it a bit "old fashioned". I hope it will helpful to you as you consider whether or not I am the right person to help you address your particular challenges.

When you hire me, you get me.

Although I have a wonderful and talented team that works closely with me, when you hire me for private consulting work, you get me. (That's also why my rates are what they are. No junior substitutions.)

You don't hire me to learn on your dime.

I only accept work in areas where I have commanding experience and expertise. (I know it sounds strange, but yes, I often decline work for this reason.)

Advice and Counsel. Not Implementation.

My job is to provide clients with unbiased and completely independent advice and counsel. I don't believe that is possible as long as I have an economic interest in the outcome of my client's decisions. For this reason, I do not engage in any technology implementation services at all. There are plenty of other fine firms who do that. I restrict my consulting work to true advice and counsel.

In today's hype-driven world, Marc Schiller is one of few who've actually earned descriptions like "visionary" & "thought leader"
Dr. Charles Popper
Chief Executive Officer
TechPar Group (Former CIO of Merck)

Unconditional value guarantees.

My fees for private consulting work are substantial but they pale in comparison to the value clients receive. To reduce the risk for clients and to ensure you experience that for yourself, I offer money-back guarantees on my work. (And that holds true for my books, seminars, and other programs as well.)

My clients

Over the years, many different executives have hired me. My clients have included: Fortune 100 CIOs, CEOs, VPs of sales and marketing, BI directors and managers, big five consulting firm managing partners, software company presidents, venture capital boards and a variety of middle market IT and business executives. What they all had in common: a desire to cut to the core of an issue in the fastest time possible and to receive unvarnished counsel on how to address their particular problem.

Areas of focus

Speciality Area
Your Need
Tactical Topics Addressed
IT Vision & Strategy
...to develop a compelling IT strategy and communicate it effectively to secure approval and funding
  • IT Operating Model
  • Aligning IT with the Business
  • IT Management Metrics
  • Proving the Value of IT
  • IT Organizational Design
Project Definition & Oversight
...to ensure your high-dollar IT initiative is defined, designed, and overseen to guarantee your success.
  • Oversight, Architecture & Governance
  • Project Definition & Solution Design
  • RFP Development & Vendor Selection
Mergers & Acquisitions
...to prepare for or steer through an impending merger or acquisition
  • M&A Due Diligence Review
  • M&A Integration Design
  • Succeeding on the back end of a Merger
Running IT as a Business
...to re-energize your group with a new operating model, improved leadership and business competencies
  • IT Leadership Capability Development
  • Competency Assessment & Development
  • Storytelling & Communications Excellence
  • Building Business-Intimate IT Leaders
Informatics, Analytics & Business Intelligence
...to upgrade your company's reporting, analytics, insights and organizational intelligence
  • Insight Improvement
    (Review, Design, Peer Challenge)
  • Project Oversight Services
  • Analytical Storytelling

Perhaps you think my strategic focus areas are beyond the scope of your current initiative. To bring it down to earth (or to use today's common terminology) here is a list of the tactical topics I work with on a regular basis.

What makes me different?

In addition to my "old fashioned" approach, three things distinguish my work:

"Marc's creativity and insight are tightly coupled to real-world needs, so he is able to help others translate vision into real value"
Adam Klaber
General Manager
IBM Consulting Services

The clear path - First and foremost is my near-obsession with the critical path. When you work with me, you can rest assured I am charting the most direct course to the goal as possible.

Concise, High-quality deliverables - Second, my written materials and deliverables are brief and of exceptional quality. As a writer and professional speaker, my team and I excel at delivering broadcast-quality deliverables. I bring this discipline and capability to client engagements in order to make my clients shine.

It's all about you - Finally, to the one you'll likely feel most clearly, my complete and total dedication to your personal success. My long-held philosophy is people first, projects second. In other words, my job is empower you not overpower you. That's why you will never see my firm's logo on any deliverable. I will never do your presentation. It's my job to build those competencies in you and your team.

Interested in learning more?

If you interested in learning more about my private consulting services, I offer a private consulting starter session that allows you to "kick the tires" for a very low introductory fee.

If however, you are ready to go right now, and would like to learn about my one-day money back trial consulting offer, drop me a line. I'll be happy to discuss it with you.