The termination phase: planning your presentation and exit
Part 10 of 13 of my series on the profession of management consulting
However it ends, be it with a resounding success or a brilliant catastrophe, all client-consultant engagements become terminated. During this phase, lessons are learned, acceptance of deliverables is gained and postmortems are performed. When it comes to termination, I’d like to touch on a couple of areas that I personally feel are important: planning your final presentation and your eventual exit.
The presentation
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a good number of presentations during my career as well as presenting a few here and there. Everyone has a style unique to them and what works for one may not work for another. But in management consulting, there’s an unspoken standard to crafting your presentation. Here are some things to consider:
Mind the clock
Nothing kills a presentation more than poor time management. Chances are it was hard enough to book time with the client. If you can’t get your point across within the alloted time you may put the final acceptance at risk or at the very least you will appear unprepared and rude. Definitely factor in time for questions and answers at the end of your presentation. If needed, set ground rules, e.g., no cell phones or interruptions during the presentation. Also, glance at the time occasionally so you can pace yourself. And please remember to rehearse at least once.
Do your homework
It’s good to know who you will present to. It may be in your best interest to research your client to see his leadership style, He could be the straight-to-the-point type or a natural born orator. Also, patterns in his work history may hint at whether you’re in for some resistance during the presentation. Perhaps your client likes big change and you’re recommending something more incremental. It’s best to brace yourself and be ready to manage expectations.
Your deck is your deliverable
Unlike a pitch, a consulting presentation is more structured. It will be what the client refers to when you’re long gone. Since no one likes to read long reports, your deck has to be succinct and actionable. Here are some ideas to consider:
- Have a flow, tell a story that is easy to follow.
- Find a balance between too much information and insulting your audience.
- Start each slide with the key message of the slide – i.e. front-end them. You’ll lose people’s attention along the way. Best to give them what they need to know up front.
- Follow each headline with supporting evidence.
- End each slide with an actionable item or implication – recapture that interest with something they can act on.
- Review the deck with new eyes and see if it speaks for itself.
- Unlike a pitch, you may want to err on the side of putting a tad more words than usual.
The exit
The termination phase is a great time to start transferring knowledge. I suggest a gradual exit as opposed to a sudden one. Giving the client increased responsibility and knowledge gradually makes it easier for them to absorb everything and they will be comforted with the fact that you will be around to clarify any questions they may have.
Sell yourself
A consultant’s client list can be his lifeline. Without this list, you may end up “on the beach”. Treat every exit as an opportunity for future business. Here are some pointers to help you facilitate future work with him:
- Treat each termination as a new entry phase.
- Keep in touch with the client.
- Pique his interest with other projects that could be worked on in the future.
- Follow up with them during implementation to see if all is well.
- Get their input on your performance to identify areas that you need to work on.
Remember consulting work is (hopefully) a never ending cycle of entries and exits. Smoothing out the transitions will go a long way to stabilizing your income, your workload and your reputation.
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