Center for Business-to-Business Consulting

Our Approach

We offer clients three ways to establish a consulting relationship with the Breckenridge Institute – all of which are predicated on identifying the degree to which the client understands the problem definition, solution, and the results they want to get. Since consulting services are intangible, it is important to clearly define the explicit and implicit expectations between the Institute and our clients - especially what the deliverables will be. The Breckenridge Institute will assume one of three roles, or move between roles as appropriate for a specific project.

Expert-Services Role

Some clients do not have the resources, time, or expertise to address a need or issue, so they ask the Breckenridge Institute to provide the information or service for them. The Expert-Service Role works best in circumstances where the problem definition, the solution, and the desired results are clear to the client. The deliverable for the Expert-Services Role is the agreed to product or service.

Diagnostic Role

Clients who choose the Diagnostic Role want an “objective” third-party perspective. Symptoms may include things such as high turnover, customer complaints, decrease in sales, but it’s not clear what’s causing the problem. This approach works best in circumstances where a client has made multiple attempts to correct a problem and not succeeded. The Diagnostic Role works best in circumstances where the problem definition and the desired results are clear to the client, but the solution is not. The deliverable is usually a written report that analyzes then summarizes the data gathered, and a presentation that outlines a path forward for potential solutions that will produce the desired results if implemented.

Collaborative Role

Clients who choose the Collaborative Role understand that neither they nor the Institute know enough initially to define the kind of expertise that might be relevant to addressing their needs and issues. The Collaborative Role is a joint evaluation where the client and the Breckenridge Institute’s staff explore circumstances where neither the problem nor the solution is clear. The deliverable is the creation of a relationship in which we teach the client how to “self” diagnose and constructively intervene in organizational structures, systems, and culture with the goal of making their organizations more effective and getting the results they want. The essence of this relationship is captured by the saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Throughout the consultation process, the Breckenridge Institute strives to continually clarify the explicit and implicit expectations of both clients and our staff so that both are clear about the project’s status and deliverables.

We Deliver Insights, Change, Results™