Welcome to the ibd Eastern Group of
Business Development Consultants
Whichever source of outside help you are considering, they should be able to give satisfactory answers to any of these questions. We certainly
can!
- How will you help us clarify our objectives?
- During our initial no-charge, no-obligation meeting, our Business Advisor will seek to understand your issues and problems and the circumstances in which
they exist. They will do this by helping you to understand them so you can articualte them yourself.
- How will you help us define our desired end result?
- In the same process, the Business Advisor will help you understand and articulate sensible and achievable end results, and the value they will bring to you
and your business when they are achieved.
- Why should we use you? Why should we use anybody?
- Current and former clients of ibd-Eastern tell us that we are very good at helping them help themselves. We don't make suggestions until we
understand the problems and circumstances, we help Clients see the full value of fixing their problems, we work with them and not for them at a pace that suits them, we
introduce the best experts we know for each part of their business that needs attention, and our fees enable them to gain a significant return for a modest
investment.
The benefits of using outside assistance are many. If nothing else, having to explain a problem to an outsider generally makes it clearer in your
mind. But smaller businesses will rarely have every single skill they need to run their organisation at its optimum level, so working with a group like
ibd-Eastern gives you access to a pool of expertise that you only pay for when it is needed.
- How will you help us decide who has responsibility for what?
- By discussing the issues together we will arrive at an agreed plan of action to reach the objectives and deliver the desired result. Part of
this process will include identification of the resources and skills required for each element, and the allocation of tasks and responsibilities.
- What will we have to invest to achieve the desired result?
- Generally there are four key areas of commitment that are required from every Client to every project. As already noted, we work with you
and not for you, so you will need to commit your own time to the project. It will be impossible to do the best job together unless we have access to all the
necessary facts and figures, so you will need to commit to providing all information relevant to the project. As we work together, some tasks will emerge and
get allocated which do not require joint effort, so you will need to commit to 'doing your homework' on time and to the highest possible standard, just as you would
expect us to.
Fourthly of course there is the budget for the project. It is important to understand where the funds will come from to support this initiative, but until we
both fully understand the problem and the value of fixing it, it is impossible to quote a fee. Rest assured our fee will represent a modest investment for
a significant return.
For our part, we will agree with you the elapsed time by which the project needs to be completed, and an initial estimate of the time commitment required from your
side. We will put in place mechanisms to check progress and we keep these time estimates under review. However, as we always quote a fixed fee for a
fixed scope project, the work takes as long as it takes to achieve the result within the elapsed time agreed.
- What information will you need from us?
- Again it is impossible to say in detail until we get started on the project, but by working together on business issues it becomes quite obvious what is
needed and what isn't. This information is then volunteered by the Client and doesn't have to be demanded by the Business Advisor.
- How will you help us gain maximum outside awareness of what we have achieved?
- We have Marketing and Promotional experts within our group who can be brought in to advise you on getting your successes widely known within your market,
in the most effective manner.
- How will we agree that the end result has been achieved?
- Part of any project and the agreement on which it is based has to be the inclusion of agreed means of knowing what needs to be measured and how, in order
to clearly determine that the end has been reached. This will be covered before we ever start.
- How will you help us integrate this project and its results into our current activities/ workload?
- Understanding your current activities and workload is just one aspect of understanding all the circumstances within which your issues
exist. This will be covered before we ever start, and the integration will form part of the action plan we jointly develop and carry out.
- Is there an independent body that can review cases in the unlikely event of a dispute?
- ibd-Eastern is part of Initiatives in Business Development Group Ltd. who can be asked to arbitrate in any rare dispute that cannot be resolved between
the individuals concerned. .
- Do you hold Professional Indemnity insurance?
- In the unlikely event of a catastrophic breakdown of the relationship, all of our members have their own Professional Indemnity
insurance.
To book an initial no-charge, no-obligation meeting to discuss how we might be able to help you and your business, please just let us have your details. |
