Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants

HR Outsourcing

As HR executives look at their options for outsourcing, many are opting for a selective or piecemeal approach, according to a study by Watson Wyatt.

The study of 182 US companies found that retirement plan administration tops the list of outsourced systems, while only 22 percent of companies outsource payroll.

In the years ahead, look for more organizations to evaluate their options for outsourcing health and welfare benefits administration. Expect less emphasis on the outsourcing of recruiting and performance management, which are considered more strategic processes for the growth of a business.

HR executives are continuing to push for more influential roles in their organizations. And selective outsourcing of the biggest administrative processes and systems can offer executives an opportunity to remake the role of HR.

What will be helpful for these executives is objective advice for managing large-scale outsourcing projects, and for transforming the HR services delivery model.

Tip #17: Sweat the Small Stuff

In July 2008, Spanish cyclist, Carlos Sastre, cruised to victory in the grueling, 23-day Tour de France race. Sastre won the 2,200 mile race in 87 hours, 52 minutes, and 52 seconds. The second place finisher, Cadel Evans of Australia, rode in 58 seconds behind the leader.

It's common for athletes to win events by razor-thin margins, and we're used to hearing and reading about such dramatic finishes. But the fact that many consulting sales are also won by a hair is not so well known.

If you ask consultants how they win the most competitive sales, often they will point to the small stuff like doing that extra client interview, verifying the facts two or even three times, and anticipating every possible client question. Sure, the overall project strategy must be solid, but what often makes the difference in a win is how you manage both the big and small stuff.

So when you're in the middle of a competitive sales process, ask yourself three simple questions:

• What don't I understand about this project yet?
• What's missing from my proposal as it stands right now?
• If I was the client, what would make me buy this proposal over the others?

Your answers to these questions will help uncover big and small issues. If you want to win consistently, ignore the common advice that tells us not to sweat the small stuff. Those details could just be your own 58-second lead.

Dude, Where's My Laptop?

We all know the airport security drill: Shoes off, laptop into a bin, and then watch your belongings roll along the conveyor belt as you pass through security.

It's easy to lose track of your stuff as the TSA people watch your every move.

According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, every week, more than 10,000 laptops are reported lost at the 36 largest airports in the US alone. What's worse is that 65 percent of the lost computers are not reclaimed.

The problem is pretty bad at smaller US airports too. The study reports that 2,000 laptops are lost in those airports, with almost 70 percent remaining unclaimed. The reason for the high number of unclaimed computers: 77 percent of people surveyed believed they had "no hope" of recovering a lost computer at the airport.

If the number of unclaimed computers is truly this high, more than 400,000 laptops are unclaimed every year. What the heck are airport managers doing with all of those laptops?

The reminder from the study is to protect your laptop when traveling. Keep your eyes open and don't get distracted by the security screening process.