The Next Step: Becoming a Professional Services Maturity Topographer

Now that you have a better grasp of the framework, it's time for some plotting.  By the end of this exercise, you are going to be an expert professional services assessment topographer - and your value to your own firm will have just doubled because you are going to know more about your firm (and what to do next) than anyone else.  Trust me on this one.

Time for some homework.  Literally, this is going to take some time.  Be assured that the better you conduct your analysis, the more likely you will be able to pinpoint a PSMM Protocol Pack that will help you mature your firm, element by element.

Why go to such lengths?  The answer is simple:  the consulting business is very complicated.  There are many factors that go into PS maturity, and you need to consider all of them.  One kink in the chain can put you behind your competitors.  Measure twice, cut once.

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Here are the elements we are going to be plotting.  Each section deserves to be plotted on it's own map.

Elements to be plotted	Brief Overview
Clients	How does your client see you today relative to your competitors?  Plot each one.  There is only one way to do this:  ask your customers to plot you.
Consultants	Plot each consultant.  We aren't plotting according to their skill level, rather, their placement is dependent upon how well they understand the professional services business and how much they currently contribute to revenue growth.
Sales Personnel	Plot each Business Development Executive (or what ever title you give them).  In what level are they actually selling?
Sales Support	How mature are your practices for educating and empowering your sales force?  What type of business does it influence?  You may need to plot sales support for each practice (if you have more than one)
Recruiting Personnel	Plot each Recruiter (or what ever title you give them).  How well can they actually represent your business and articulate that to prospective talent?  Looking at the Consultants that were plotted above, what kind of talent are they actually hiring?
Service Offerings	Plot each one.  Are they skill specific or do they solve specific business issues?  Be cognizant of the service offerings that are a front for staff-augmentation.

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