I had a very interesting question come in yesterday via email and I think it makes a great topic for discussion.

To paraphrase the question, a very skilled Business Analyst working as a consultant asked:

When talking to a potential new client how much information can I share or talk about from previous clients without violating confidentiality agreements?

This is a great question and always a hard one to answer, because as a business analyst one of your primary functions is to analyze and understand complex business processes and author documents detailing how these processes work or the plans for improvement.  This is obviously critical information for your client and highly confidential.

How then can you demonstrate to a new client that you as the consultant have the skills that you say you have, without showing them other clients’ confidential information?

The answer is of course that you have to and you can’t.

You have to prove that you can deliver the goods and you can’t violate the trust of prior clients.  When asked to see samples, and everything that you have written is confidential, you certainly have a challenge to deal with.  But if handled properly your potential clients will be satisfied that you have the skills and will respect you for keeping your word on confidentiality.

I have done some significant Business Analyst work in the past and have generated some high quality documents during those projects.  I believe that I have already explained my role with Extolutions.  You can check out my background on LinkedIn.  I am a partner in the firm and I try to stay as hands on as possible.  I manage some client relationships, recruit new consultants, and bill directly to clients working alongside of our consultants.

I have been very proud of my work, and of course wanted to use it to help me get the next job by showing the quality of my work.  So how have I overcome this challenge?

As a rule, a company will not want you to share any information that you have produced for them.  Here is what I have done in the past to help with building a portfolio and a provable track record.

• I do not keep electronic copies of the work that I have done for a client after the engagement has finished.  I turn everything over.  If I have done any work off site, I delete the electronic copies that I had.
• If you are working as an truly independent consultant for a fixed price or fee for a deliverable then you can specify before beginning your engagement that you want to retain the right to use certain documents as part of your resume portfolio.  Most often this is not the case.

Permission

The key to doing this right is to get permission from you client while you are still engaged.

• There may be some documents that you have written that are not sensitive at all.  If that is the case then ask for permission to add them to your professional portfolio.
• After completing a deliverable that I was exceptionally proud of, I would (on my own time) strip all of the company detail and confidential information out of the document.  Replacing all references to anything identifiable within the organization with a generic term such as “Large Pharmaceutical Company”
• I would then submit this document to my manager requesting permission to add the document to my personal portfolio.
• If explained properly most managers will be very agreeable once they understand your objective.  Particularly if you had shown them similar documents to get your current position.
• I would not do this for more than 1 document with a particular client.   You never want to create work for your client if you can help it.
• Reinforce that you are not looking for a new job, just keeping your portfolio up-to-date as a professional consultant.
• You should be proud of your work and want to show others.
• If they say No do not press the issue at all.  Just thank them for considering it and let it drop.  But if they do say no then your manager may be more inclined to give you a recommendation.

Recommendations

• I actively ask for references and recommendations of all my clients, both hard copy letters and via LinkedIn.
• When asking for a recommendation your timing is critically important.  The best time to ask is after you have delivered something or just after you have some level of praise or positive feedback.
• Kindly ask if they would mind giving you a recommendation.  Offer to write it for them and submit to them for approval and signature.
• I always print these out and include them with my resume when interviewing for a new job.
• I want to show all potential future clients that I am good at what I do and that they will be satisfied if they hire me.
• When interviewing I offer to setup a reference call with a previous client if they would like.

If you have done a good job and you are not overbearing in asking for assistance, I have not encountered any resistance.  If you are good at what you do I have found that most people are willing to help you build your professional credibility, you only need to ask.

I hope this helps.  Please let me know what you think and please ask any questions that you might have.  I have probably answered most questions dozens of times over the last 15 years.  But if I don’t have the answer I will find it out for you.  My entire goal with this blog is to help.

-Mark

I consider professionalism to be the single most important personal quality that anyone can have and I am always surprised when I find it lacking, particularly in contractors and consultants. Over the last 15 years I have seen people reprimanded, not hired or flat out fired for some of the most shocking decisions, but the one that gets to me the most is a lack of professionalism. Even if you can do a job well but you conduct yourself poorly, you will probably get fired, and in my opinion rightly so. Dishonesty, petty bickering and getting involved in office politics should have no part in your life.

Professionalism is all about taking your job seriously and doing what you are supposed to do in an appropriate manner. Typically consultants make a lot of money and clients expect a higher level of professionalism from them than the average employee.

If I am lucky enough to hear about a consultant’s unacceptable behavior early enough, I try to coach them into a correct course of action before the ax falls. I typically do this with one of my many Gene Malone speeches.

You see it took me a long time to understand just how wise my father actually is, probably because of the riddles with which advice is often delivered, but upon reflection, good advice is good advice and I have been preaching it ever since.

My old man has a unique ability to succinctly boil down complex problems into pithy moral statements and 3 element lists. I always thought, “But Dad, life is just not that simple.” … Turns out that it is. Frankly, there are usually only 2 ways to do things, the right way and the wrong way, the trick is to find the line and be on the right side of it.

Long ago when I graduated from college with a completely useless degree, Geno gave me his 3 Rules of Business. I have never forgotten them and I have passed them on many times. Now pay attention, these rules are the foundation that everything else builds upon, the 3 rules that you must never ever forget in order to have a successful career in any profession.

1. Never ever steal a nickle, it is too easy to make an honest buck.
2. Never ever burn bridges, the world is much smaller than you think.
3. And absolutely, always do what you said that you would do.

I know, earth shattering huh? But look around at the office tomorrow and you will see how often these rules are broken. The first rule should not even require a comment, but it happens. People take things that belong to the company, steal time and bill for it, lie about what they are doing when surfing the internet. My advice to those, stop being stupid before you fired if not arrested.

Rule number 2 is probably the most useful of the three, and it’s infraction has the most far reaching consequences. I quoted it as I received it, but you should read further into it. It really means don’t speak so freely, don’t ever tell someone what you think about them when you are unhappy.

Think whatever you want and keep your mouth shut. Chances are very high that one of a couple of things will happen in the future. You may turn out to be wrong in whatever your opinion was at the time. You may have not had all the facts at that moment. You may change your mind or your opinion on the facts. Most likely, you will need to work with this person again in the future and you will wish that you had kept your mouth shut. Complain to your spouse or friends if you must, but hold your tongue.

Lastly, be dependable. If you say that you will have something done on Tuesday, get it done by Tuesday. If you will not be able to get it done, don’t say that you will. Never give your word that you will accomplish something and fail to do it. The most frequent complaint that I have heard over the years is that “We like the guy a lot and he does great work, but his stuff is always late and he is constantly making excuses.” Stop making excuses and start giving real estimates. Once you say you will do something, do it even if it kills you.

-Mark

This approach to becoming a top level performer and an ‘All Star’ consultant is a systematic approach that will help you to create a professional image and personality that is always held in high regard.  This ‘secret’ is simply about continously striving to become a better person, and I mean actuality becoming a better person not just acting like a better person.

To me this means conducting yourself everyday with honor, integrety and honesty.

But, today’s blog is about value and how you better deliver some today before you get fired. 

Please, do not ever forget that you are a consultant, a hired gun brought in to solve a very specific problem.  You have been selected for this particular job, because your client believes that you and you alone are the best person for this job.  Their trust and faith in you has been backed up with a significant investment, I am sure that you are aware that you make more money than you would in a full time role.

Your objective should always be to get the job at hand completed, as quickly, efficiently and cost effectively as possible.  I never worry about working myself out of a job, my objective is to always finish what I was hired to do.  I know and trust that, IF I can do that well, then I will always be working.   For those of us that take each and every day seriously our income is not a fact to be shy about, we make more money because we earn it! 

This is what today’s topic is really about, a reminder of the fundamental truth when we accept a contract position, the key word in that phase is contract.  You have entered into a contract for a deliverable.  You have  accepted a responsibility and you should feel obligated morally bound to deliver the highest possible value to your client every single day without exception.  There is no room for half hearted effort, slacking off or anything short of your best.

I can probably stop with this blog right here because this might be my best piece of advice, take your job seriously and treat everyday like it was your first day.

But, since it ties nicely into my next topic of how Professionalism will get your further than Technical knowledge, you may hear from me next week.  Please subscribe, you will get the blog delivered to your inbox and I have some great stuff planned for subscribers only.

Questions, comments or concerns?

-Mark