Member News

Join RPCN member, Larry Berger, for Sales 101. This basic sales training workshop will showcase the three parts of a sale, ABC vs. OPC sales methods, the differences between “big ticket sales” and “small ticket sales,” and the meaning of www.com as it pertains to sales and much more. This virtual workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 22, Saturday, August 22 and Tuesday, September 22, from 6-7:30 p.m. The cost is $25 per session. Register here. Contact Larry Berger at (585) 233-1068 with any questions.

Simon Vision Consulting Program is Looking for Clients Needing Consulting Help, and for Mentoring Volunteers

Due to the success of prior Simon Vision Consulting programs, the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business (Simon) and RPCN plan to continue the program this coming fall semester. We will be looking for RPCN members to mentor student project teams and also for clients with projects on which the student teams can provide assistance.

I have written about this ongoing program before, but to update you, RPCN has been supplying mentors to Simon Vision Consulting teams at the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business (Simon) for the past five semesters. This program is an effort to increase experiential learning opportunities for Simon’s MBA and MS students. It is a student-run program that usually has 4-5 student members per team. Each team provides consulting to (typically) a local small business for 8-12 weeks, i.e. one semester. (In the semester that follows, Simon sometimes has another student consulting team take over another project for the same company.)

Participation in the program is voluntary for the students and is not part of the regular Simon curriculum. In addition to the RPCN mentors, there are a couple of faculty advisers who help the students run the program.

If you or a client or associate have a well-defined project that could be outsourced, the Simon Vision Consulting Program could be a great source to get your project completed. Projects are typically staffed with four to five Vision consultants and a project manager. Ideally, projects in the fall semester last about eight weeks, longer projects may also be viable. The leadership of the Simon Vision Consulting  Program will work with you to define a project that can be successfully completed within these constraints.

The project can be any business problem. Simon Vision Consulting teams have successfully completed projects focused on marketing, business strategy, financial planning, operations, competitive analysis and the like. Examples of completed projects include reviewing ways to decrease seasonal fluctuations in sales, developing a financial plan to solicit funding, and exploring new marketing channels. You can see that the projects can take on a wide variety of topics. And did we mention that the student teams work for FREE?

Projects are vetted by the Simon Vision Consulting student governing board and typically 6-15 projects are chosen each semester. For the fall semester, which will start in August, we are expecting 12-15 projects to be chosen.

In July and August we will be looking for volunteers willing to be mentors in the fall semester in July and August. If you have in interest in helping Simon fulfill its motto (“Where thinkers become leaders!”) and also have experience in marketing, general management, operations, or even consulting in general please let us know and we will add you to the mentorship roster. (After all we are the Rochester Professional Consultants Network, so you should be good there!)

For the fall semester we are looking for up to 15 RPCN members who would be available to meet with students every two to three weeks over the 12-week project term. We are also looking for additional RPCN members who could provide specific subject-matter expertise should the student teams require it. We are anticipating the program will begin at the end of August or early September and the projects would begin soon thereafter with a mid-November target for project completion.

Last semester due to the COVID crisis, the project mentors met with their teams virtually via Zoom for about an hour 2-4 times; we anticipate that project mentors would meet with their teams 3-6 times (most likely 4-5 times) this semester. The time commitment on the part of project managers should therefore be only about 10-20 hours over the course of the semester. We do not yet know whether teams will be allowed to meet in person or if this will be a virtual meeting experience once again but we do expect all appropriate precautions will be taken to keep the meetings a safe learning experience.

If you are interested in having a Simon Vision Consulting Project Team perform work for you, or would simply like more information about the program, (or of course if you’d like to volunteer to be an RPCN member mentor to a student team) please contact Dave Bassett at dbassett@basstat.com.

—Dave Bassett

Can Consultants Help Companies Survive Covid-19?

“Entrepreneurial Ecosystem” describes the Rochester-area innovation and startup scene. This supportive environment trains, coaches, mentors and funds entrepreneurs to commercialize their ideas.

Rochester’s support system increases the probability of success in an environment where startups often fail. The Covid-19 Pandemic has upset many business plans and caused entrepreneurs to seek new business models that can survive social distancing, new supply chains, online interactions including meetings, marketing, sales, etc.

Consultants can play key roles in this environment by supplementing an entrepreneur’s skills with technical or business expertise, and connections to critical resources. This value is especially important as startups respond to the economic stress from Covid-19.

What can Consultants provide?

Technical Expertise: An entrepreneur could be an expert in a technical area (like medical imaging, for example). A consultant might provide the entrepreneur with the following skills: produce a prototype that demonstrates concept feasibility; prepare a product for manufacturing; design clinical trials for FDA Approval; etc.

Business Skills: Entrepreneurs often lack business knowledge. Business-savvy consultants can supply the practical nuts and bolts of strategy, management, marketing, financing, etc. while the entrepreneurs concentrate on perfecting their ideas.

Discipline: Great ideas usually can’t get off the ground without good planning and execution (plus a lot of luck). Accomplishing goals should not be left to chance. A consultant-mentor can help an entrepreneur be accountable for accomplishing tasks that must be done when they need to be done.

Consultants can bring:

Objectivity: Consultants be trusted sounding-boards. They can tell the hard truth without fear of “losing their job” (unlike employees fearing repercussions from a boss). Also, consultants can get the ear of management that some employees cannot. How often have you heard “I’ve said the same thing the consultant says, but my boss doesn’t listen”?

Time: Consultants can spend the time required by high priority problems. They concentrate on solving a critical problem while the entrepreneur fights other fires caused by Covid-19.

Approach: A consultant can bring effective ways to approach a problem or improve a situation. For example, entrepreneurs often assume, through intuition, that customers will buy their product. A consultant can organize a project for the entrepreneur to interview prospects and discover a product’s value before going to market and finding that no one will buy it).

Longer-term Resource: If consultants perform well, entrepreneurs might make them partners in the enterprise (or employ them).

How to pay for consultants?

Startups without income or profit may face a problem paying consultants for their work. Sources of money for consultants might be:

• Grants or Government funds are sometimes available to pay for consultants (directly to the entrepreneur or through connecting agencies and organizations).
• Equity Investment from Angel Investors or Venture Capitalists. Unlike loans or credit, re-payment isn’t expected until the enterprise is profitable or sold.
• Other Consultant Compensation Options: Deferred payment, equity in the enterprise, percentage of profits, in-kind payments, etc. One or more of these might be very desirable as Covid-19 wreaks its economic havoc.

How to find a consultant?

Our area is blessed with many consultants with business and technical skills. Ask for recommendations from other entrepreneurs who use consultants. Contact the non-profit Rochester Professional Consultants Network with Rochester Professional Consultants Network (www.rochesterconsultants.org). We have members with many types of consulting expertise.

—Bob Lurz

Have You Heard an Inspiring Speaker?
Consider RPCN!

Since 2013 RPCN has been on a quest to “Learn from the Best”. We have brought in speakers who have made their mark in various aspects of business. We find many presenters through networking and at conferences, workshops, trade shows, universities, and professional organizations. Through these resources, we have engaged some very stimulating, insightful and inspiring speakers. Members have suggested a topic of interest or a speaker that turned out to be a real inspiration. Presenters have mentioned that speaking at RPCN is so interactive, they actually learned from the group.

We have been inviting members to participate more broadly in the programs.

• Have you identified a topic that we seem to have missed in our offerings?
• Have you been to a presentation or a conference where a presenter did such a good job, that you believe RPCN should hear him or her?
• Have you been so inspired by a topic but you thought you could better?
• Would you like to cover a topic of your own?  

If you answered yes to any of these questions, as a member, RPCN may be the place to make your suggestion, recommend a speaker or a topic, or try out your material to hone your speaking skills.  

We’ll even give you feedback as you compose your presentation, slides, and speech. 

Drop us a line at programs@rochesterconsultants.org.

Here’s to your success!

—Michael Van der Gaag, RPCN Program Chair

RPCN Video

Watch the new introductory video here.

RPCN Podcast

To listen to an RBJ podcast in which RPCN's David Powe and Laurie Enos talk about our great organization, click here.

Upcoming RPCN Events

Visit the RPCN website for a list of all upcoming events.

Enhancing Human Capital Lunch & Learn Updates

We held another RPCN EHC Lunch & Learn on Zoom on Thursday April 16 at 11:30 AM. Our topic was building trust, based on Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits.” We had nearly two dozen attendees including two non-members and two members attending for the first time. The discussion was lively, and centered around trust and how to gain the trust of the people we interact with by having a special focus on Covey’s “Emotional Bank Account” (or Trust Bank Account). 

We had a lot of discussion about what Covey considered the six major deposits to the Emotional Bank Account (understanding the individual, attending to the little things, keeping commitments, clarifying expectations, showing personal integrity, and apologizing sincerely when you make a withdrawal). A possible addition was also discussed - whether there should be a seventh major deposit—exhibiting vulnerability / authenticity.

We also discussed how problems can actually be opportunities to build that Trust Bank Account and, further, how the current COVID-19 is providing opportunities for us to build trust with our coworkers, clients, and suppliers.

Did You Know?
The RPCN Website: 
Edit Your Profile

Did you know that being a member of RPCN can increase the possibility of gaining new business? Of course you did! There are many ways for potential clients to find you, but one sits in the background just waiting to be checked out by some one who needs your consulting skills.

When you joined RPCN, you had the opportunity to fill out your Profile. Some members fail to do a complete job and some members take the time to do it right. Did you know that if a potential client searches the website for a skill that you have, your name will come up, but only if the search term is somewhere in your profile? If it’s not there, you may have lost business…

The point is that your profile is an especially important part of your RPCN presence. If, for whatever reason, prospects find you on our website, the better your profile information is, the more likely you will be called by what may be a potential client. An incomplete profile means that you may be missing out on business and not even know it.

Here is how to complete or edit your RPCN profile:

1. Login to the RPCN website.
2. Once logged in, either your Name or Member Login will appear at the place where you logged in. Click on whichever one is shown. 
3. Click on View Profile. A My Profile page will appear.
4. Under that is an Edit Profile button. Click on it.
5. You can now edit any area of the page. Fill it out as completely as you can.
6. When finished, click on the Save button at the top of the page.

You are finished updating your profile. The likelihood of a potential client finding and needing you has just increased substantially. 

Take the time. Do it!

—Steve Royal

Membership

Not an RPCN member? You can join RPCN now to receive great benefits, including free admission to RPCN presentations, a listing in the RPCN Member Directory, and discounts to RPCN events. Click here for more information on joining RPCN.

Program Ad Sheets

At every RPCN meeting, and at our events and tradeshow booths, RPCN distributes the Program Ad sheets.

Ads are inexpensive and support RPCN. The cost for members to advertise is $20 for 2 months. For non-members, the cost is $40 for 2 months. The deadline to get your ad included in the September/October 2020 calendar ad sheet is August 15, 2020. Sign up for your ad here.