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IDC Reveals Customer Perception of Leading Services Firms and Key Selection Criteria in New Special Study

ozgipsy — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:19:00 +0000

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In a new special study entitled, Market Perception of Services Firms: Key Attributes for Success, IDC evaluated in-depth responses from 430 respondents in the U.S. and found that customers are most likely to focus on basic buying principals when evaluating a vendor. Core criteria like quality, competitive pricing, and technical expertise are regarded as most important factors across the board, among all company sizes, industries and professional roles. IDC believes that even a small vendor that is able to tangibly deliver on these attributes can stake a place in this market.

Companies specifically asked about as part of this survey included Accenture, BearingPoint, Capgemini, CSC, Deloitte, EDS, HP Services, IBM Global Services, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, and Unisys.

”Market perception continues to be fragmented in the services industry, but service firms that can clearly demonstrate their value proposition, put together compelling solutions across the partner ecosystem, and capitalize on their market perception strengths, will continue to succeed,” said Cushing Anderson, vice president for Consulting, Systems Integration, HR and Learning Services.

This IDC study was designed to provide service firms a better understanding of customer perceptions about service firms and the attributes that drive customers’ buying decisions. This report also identifies which services firms have the strongest market perception among customers, and the circumstances in which these perceptions are strongest. Customer preferences and their ranking of service firms for different service engagements are also included, to show a clear understanding of how clients consider and select service vendors.

Key questions addressed in this study include:

Which service firms hold the top spots for market perception by industry and service area?
What are leading firms’ strengths and how do customers rank their overall delivery of services?
What criteria do customers use to evaluate services firms and how much weight do they allot to each – by industry, company size, and profession?
Who are the best-in-class services firms and how do differences in vendor perception impact competitive positioning?

IDC will be presenting high level results of this special study in a Telebriefing on December 13, 2007 at 12:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time. To register for this event, please go to – http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=IDC_P16720 – and click the “Register Now” button.

If you are interested in purchasing the special study, Market Perception of Services Firms: Key Attributes for Success please contact your IDC Account Manager or email mbambauer@idc.com.

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New Global Challengers Pose Growing Threat to Established Industry Leaders, According to a New Report by The Boston Consulting Group

ozgipsy — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:29:00 +0000

SOURCE: The Boston Consulting Group

17 Companies Join The Boston Consulting Group’s List of 100 Emerging Giants in This New Edition for 2008

The 2008 BCG 100 New Global Challengers List Includes 17 New Entrants

NEW DELHI, INDIA–(Marketwire – December 3, 2007) – Companies from rapidly developing economies (RDEs) are globalizing so quickly that they pose an urgent threat to industry leaders, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) warns in the second edition of its report on 100 of the most formidable companies from RDEs. The report — titled “The 2008 BCG 100 New Global Challengers: How Top Companies from Rapidly Developing Economies are Changing the World” — is being published today.

The BCG New Global Challengers list comprises 100 companies that are growing fast, globalizing aggressively, and reshaping global industries. With over $1.2 trillion in total revenues(1) and more than a half trillion dollars in yearly purchases, the BCG New Global Challengers are already formidable. But their ambitions are daunting — according to the report, their combined revenues will reach $3.3 trillion by 2010 and a massive $11.8 trillion by 2015. Meanwhile, hundreds more RDE-based companies will gain critical mass and launch global expansions as well.

“Industry leaders need to understand these new rivals and act quickly,” urges David Michael, the report’s coauthor and a Beijing-based BCG senior partner. “For those who move fast, the challengers could become key clients, suppliers, and even strategic partners. For those who don’t, the challengers will represent fierce competition and, in time, become potential acquirers.”

By many measures, the BCG 100 New Global Challengers are already outperforming established industry leaders. In the past five years, the Challengers grew revenues faster than the S&P 500 — in fact almost three times as fast since 2004 — earned a higher average return on sales, and created far more shareholder value. “The challengers are increasingly looking for acquisitions abroad,” said report coauthor and BCGBCG partner Arindam Bhattacharya. “In 2006 they completed 72 outbound acquisitions, up from 21 in 2000. The average size of these transactions grew from $156 million in 2001 to $981 million in 2006.”

“Executives at established industry leaders might not be able to pronounce the names of many New Global Challengers,” commented Michael, “yet it is essential for every executive to develop clear strategies for dealing with this group of huge and ambitious companies. Never before have so many potential competitors and customers arisen so quickly on a global scale. Moreover, the challengers have completely different approaches to competition, taking advantage of their bases in emerging markets. Many established industry leaders are frankly unprepared for these new types of competitors. They are also unprepared to capitalize on the sales-growth opportunities presented by selling to these companies.”

Of the 100 companies on BCG’s list, 41 are from China, 20 from India, and 13 from Brazil, with the rest coming from 11 other rapidly developing economies. In this edition of the report, 17 companies appear on the list for the first time, as they break into the ranks of the leading challengers entering the global stage. Notable newcomers to the 2008 list include Grupo Bimbo of Mexico, Nine Dragons Paper Holdings and Sinomach of China, Suzlon Energy of India, Tenaris of Argentina, Marcopolo of Brazil, and Inter RAO UES of Russia.

The full list, which is part of the report published today, is the result of careful screening of more than 3,000 companies from all of the world’s major RDEs. The screening was based on companies’ total revenues, their share of overseas revenues, and their degree of global ambition. (See Appendix B for the full list.)

To order a copy of The 2008 BCG 100 New Global Challengers go to: http://www.bcg.com/impact_expertise/publications/request_form.html?report=global_challengers_2007

The report’s authors are Marcos Aguiar (Sao Paulo), Arindam Bhattacharya (New Delhi), Laurent de Vitton (Beijing), Jim Hemerling (San Francisco), Kim Wee Koh (Singapore), David C. Michael (Beijing), Harold L. Sirkin (Chicago), Kevin Waddell (Warsaw), and Bernd Waltermann (Singapore).

(1) Figures from 2006, the most recent full financial year data available for comparison

About the Methodology for Selecting the 2008 BCG 100

Produced by BCGBCG’s Global Advantage practice, the report — “The 2008 BCG 100 New Global Challengers: How Top Companies from Rapidly Developing Economies are Changing the World” — is based on a detailed screening of more than 3,000 companies from RDEs. First, the BCG research team ensured that the candidate companies were truly RDE-based. Next, it homed in on large players — generally those with $1 billion in sales or greater. Finally, it looked at three years of financial data and scored the remaining companies using five globalization criteria: international presence of the company; major international investments pursued in the past five years; the company’s access to capital for financing international expansion; the breadth and depth of its technologies and intellectual property; and the international appeal of its offerings and value propositions.

APPENDIX A. The new Challengers

The 17 additions to BCG’s 100 New Global Challengers list are

Changhong Electric, a Chinese home appliances company (2006 sales, $2.4 billion)
Chery Automobile, China’s leading exporter of cars (sales, $2.6 billion)
COFCO, China’s largest manufacturer, importer, and exporter of oils and food (sales, $17.9 billion)
CSAV, a global top-ten shipping carrier based in Chile (sales, $3.8 billion)
CSIC (China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation), the country’s largest manufacturer of ships and marine equipment (sales, $8.0 billion)
Grupo Bimbo, a Mexican food and beverage company (sales, $5.9 billion)
Inter RAO UES, Russia’s largest importer and exporter of electricity (sales, $1.0 billion)
JBS-Friboi, Brazil’s largest beef and pork processor (sales, $1.9 billion)
Marcopolo, the world’s third-largest maker of bodywork and components for buses and vans, based in Brazil (sales, $820 million)
MOL Group, Hungary’s leader in oil retailing, fuel retailing, and gas transport (sales, $13.7 billion)
Nine Dragons Paper Holdings, the largest paperboard-packing manufacturer in China and one of the largest in the world (sales, $1.0 billion)
PKN Orlen, a Polish oil and gas company (sales, $17 billion)–the largest company in Central Europe
Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co. (ZPMC), a leading China-based manufacturer of container cranes (sales, $2.1 billion)
Sinomach, one of the world’s leading machinery contractors, based in China (sales, $5.1 billion)
Suzlon Energy, the fifth-largest company in the world for wind energy, based in India (sales, $1.8 billion)
Tenaris, an Argentina-based maker of tubes and pipes for the oil industry (sales, $7.7 billion)
VTech Holdings, the China-based market leader in Europe and the United States for educational video games and an innovator in cordless phones (sales, $1.2 billion)

APPENDIX B: The full list of 100 companies that comprise the BCG 100 New Global Challengers — see graphic above.

Also available as PDF at: http://www.bcg.com/about_bcg/media_center/articles/GlobalChallengerslist.pdf

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Contemporary Lifestyle Consulting Offers Advice for Coping With Job Transitions Over the Holidays

ozgipsy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:49:00 +0000

With an Imminent Job Change, People May Feel a Fear of the Unknown and a Sense of Insecurity That Clashes With the Family Security and Togetherness That Make the Holiday Season Special; Tolu Adeleye of Contemporary Lifestyle Consulting Offers Some Advice for Those Undergoing a Major Job Transition During the Holiday Season

VICTORIA, BC–(Marketwire – December 6, 2007) – Facing a job transition isn’t necessarily a pleasant prospect even at the best of times. According to a study published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal), the self-reported health status of people facing a job change or job loss showed significant deterioration when compared to people with secure jobs.

“It’s already stressful to deal with career transitions normally,” said Tolu Adeleye, a partner of Contemporary Lifestyle Consulting, Inc. (http://www.staysanethroughchange.com). “When it’s the holiday season, it can be even harder to cope.”

Adeleye says that with an imminent job change, people may feel a fear of the unknown and a sense of insecurity that clashes with the family security and togetherness that make the holiday season special. The added stress of the holiday season also makes it harder to cope. She offers some advice for those undergoing a major job transition during the holiday season.

The first thing she suggests is to be in the moment, especially when attending holiday gatherings.

“If you’re present in the moment, then you’re not thinking about your impending job change or what tomorrow will bring,” Adeleye said. “You are only focusing on this time with your family and enjoying it. That alone will help coping with a job transition immensely.”

Adeleye also advises people to use the happy, euphoric feeling that comes from celebrating a joyous occasion to cast their career transition in a new and positive light.

“It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking about the stressful, negative part of a job change, and you let fear and worry take over,” Adeleye said. “You can use the positive emotion you experience from being with your family to give you momentum into the change. Instead of viewing it with fear, you can view it as a new adventure in your life.”

People with a job change in the near future should also be careful making New Year’s resolutions, Adeleye says. Throwing in more change where there’s already insecurity about a job transition could add more stress to the situation.

“Try to make realistic resolutions,” Adeleye said. “You’ve already got one major change happening in your life. Handling too many life changes at once may bring unbearable pressure on you.”

For more information about how to cope with a job change during the holiday season, visit Contemporary Lifestyle Consulting online at http://www.staysanethroughchange.com and get 10 percent off their e-book, “Stay Sane Through Change.”

About CLCI

F. David Webster, M.A. and Tolulope A. Adeleye, Ph.D. founded Contemporary Lifestyle Consulting in September 2005. CLCI seeks to empower people with time-tested tools for turning times of change into stepping stones to greater fulfillment.

Tolu Adeleye, Ph.D.
Phone: 250-744-2159
Email Contact
http://www.staysanethroughchange.com

Dave Webster, M.A.
Phone: 250-744-2411
Email Contact
http://www.staysanethroughchange.com

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SteelCloud Announces $1 Million IT Consulting Services Contract With One of the Country’s Largest Transit Authorities

ozgipsy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:39:00 +0000

December 06, 2007: 08:30 AM EST

SteelCloud, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCLD), a manufacturer of embedded integrated computing systems, announced today that it received a $1 million IT consulting services contract from one of the country’s largest transit authorities to accelerate compliance with the Payment Card Industry’s (“PCI”) Data Security Standard. SteelCloud will provide a team of security engineers to assist in implementing formal security policies and vulnerability programs to protect customer information.

Under PCI, all companies that accept credit cards are required to comply with 12 security-related requirements that call for, among other things, encrypted transmission of cardholder data, periodic network scans, logical and physical access controls, activity monitoring and logging.

The volume of the transit authority’s credit card transactions exceeds 5 million per year resulting in well over $100 million in revenue making adherence to the PCI Data Security Standard absolutely essential.

“As I mentioned in September, one of my top goals is to grow our services business with little to no additional investment,” said Robert Frick, CEO and President of SteelCloud. “This award signifies that we are achieving success in meeting this goal without diluting or losing focus on performance and growth of our core integration business. This contract utilizes our network security and IT compliance capabilities, which are two areas that we anticipate significant growth considering the current regulatory and security requirements within the marketplace.”

About SteelCloud

SteelCloud is a leading provider of embedded integrated computing systems to the industrial automation and military COTS server markets. The Company has cultivated numerous strategic relationships with thought-leading organizations such as Intel, Microsoft and systems integrators. The Company’s ISO 9001:2000 certified Quality Management System ensures commitment to high quality standards and continuous quality improvement in all aspects of its business. Over its 20-year history, SteelCloud has won numerous awards for technical excellence and customer satisfaction. To learn more about the specialized computing platform and engineering services offered by SteelCloud, please visit www.steelcloud.com.

“Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in the foregoing are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. It is possible that the assumptions made by management are not necessarily the most likely and may not materialize. In addition, other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include the following: business conditions and the amount of growth in the computer industry and general economy; competitive factors; ability to attract and retain personnel, including key sales and management personnel; the price of the Company’s stock; and the risk factors set forth from time to time in the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to its annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Forms 10-Q; and any reports on Form 8K. SteelCloud takes no obligation to update or correct forward-looking statements.

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ThinkFire Names Former Bain & Company Partner, Steven J. Hoffman, President

ozgipsy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:27:00 +0000

Prior Head of Bain’s Boston Office will Manage ThinkFire’s Growth and Operations

WARREN, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ThinkFire, the leading intellectual property business advisor to high-technology and private equity firms, announced today that the board of directors has named Steven J. Hoffman to the newly created position of president. Mr. Hoffman, who was also elected to the company’s board of directors, was a former Bain & Company partner and headed its largest office.

Mr. Hoffman will be responsible for the management of ThinkFire’s operations and its expansion in current and new areas. He will free CEO Dan McCurdy to spend more time developing strategic initiatives to combat the ever-increasing threats posed by patent trolls, evaluating business and IP issues in domestic and international private equity transactions, and advising business and IP executives in the U.S. and abroad.

“ThinkFire is enjoying another year of record growth,” said Dan McCurdy, CEO. “Steve brings a wealth of management and professional services experience to the company, and we welcome his expertise as we expand our business, including IP strategy, market analysis and patent brokerage.”

“I’m excited to be joining an industry leader in the rapidly growing IP services sector,” said Mr. Hoffman. “ThinkFire has achieved a great deal since its inception in 2001. The company’s expertise and depth uniquely positions it to realize even greater growth in the near term as demand for business advice on IP matters continues to exceed supply.”

Mr. Hoffman was responsible for restoring Bain & Company’s 450-person Boston office to profitability in 1992. More recently he served as Senior Vice President and head of the global strategy practice for CSC Index. In his prior role as the head of Index’ Chicago office, he grew the practice from 18 to 115 people and $32mm in revenue, making it the firm’s largest and most profitable office. At Sapient, a $250MM publicly held software development and consulting firm, he served as Executive Vice President in charge of the firm’s financial services practice.

Mr. Hoffman holds a B.A. in Economics from Wesleyan University and a M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago.

In a separate matter, Don Boreman has left ThinkFire. Don had served as Executive Vice President.

About the Company

ThinkFire, Inc. (www.thinkfire.com) is an intellectual property services firm that works with leading information technology, telecommunications, semiconductor, software, consumer electronics, financial services, and private equity firms. ThinkFire’s IP management resources help its clients increase profitability, minimize expense, and enhance freedom to operate. Since 2002 ThinkFire has achieved more than $1.5 billion in sales, licenses and judgments for patent owners worldwide.

ThinkFire’s professionals include negotiators, market analysts, technologists and patent attorneys who have been previously associated with leading technology and professional services firms including IBM, Accenture, Siemens, PwC, Lucent Technologies, Bain & Company, The McKenna Group, and Intel. ThinkFire offices are located in greater New York, Boston and San Francisco.

Contacts

Brody Berman Associates
Bruce Berman, (+1) 212 683 8125 x 216
bberman@brodyberman.com

BearingPoint Names F. Edwin Harbach CEO

ozgipsy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:25:00 +0000

Third-Quarter Form 10-Q Filed; Company Sheds Late Filer Status

MCLEAN, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BearingPoint, Inc. (NYSE:BE), one of the world’s largest management and technology consulting firms, announced today that its Board of Directors has named Ed Harbach president and chief executive officer and a member of the Board of Directors. Harbach, who has more than 28 years of experience in the consulting industry, has been the Company’s president and chief operating officer since Jan. 2007.

Harry L. You, who joined as chief executive officer in March 2005, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities and will be succeeded by Harbach. You successfully led BearingPoint through an important period of rebuilding and improved financial management.

The Company also today filed its third-quarter Form 10-Q making it current and up-to-date in its periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Roderick McGeary, chairman of the board, stated, “BearingPoint continues to make great progress. Harry helped to build the financial foundation necessary to position us for future success. The Board and Harry agreed that this is the perfect time for a change in leadership. We are thrilled that Ed will lead the Company into the next, critical phase of achieving strategic and operational excellence. Ed has extensive experience in the consulting industry, and has already brought great value to BearingPoint as the leader of its day-to-day operations. With his proven ability to tackle operational challenges, drive business results and increase client satisfaction, Ed will be instrumental in helping us make the final push on our business turnaround and execute our strategy for long-term growth.”

McGeary added, “Ed’s appointment reflects the Board’s determination that the best way for the Company to create value for its shareholders, clients and employees is by intensifying our focus on operations — and leveraging the full scale and scope of our global business, including continuing to own and operate our European practice as an important part of our consolidated business. Ed will pursue this strategy with a focused and disciplined approach to driving profitable growth, building the Company’s cash flow and strengthening the balance sheet.”

Harbach stated, “I am very enthusiastic about taking on the chief executive role. I have worked in the consulting business for my entire career and I am confident that our Company can create long-term value for shareholders. BearingPoint has world-class people and a solid customer base with great potential. I look forward to working with the Board, our management team and our global employee base to operate the Company efficiently and to continue to establish BearingPoint as one of the world’s premier management technology and consulting firms.”

Prior to his role as president and chief operating officer of BearingPoint, Harbach served as a managing partner and member of the leadership team at Accenture and held key client-facing and executive positions throughout the organization. In addition to leading global client relationships with several Fortune 100 companies, Harbach served as chief information officer and managing partner, Client Satisfaction and Quality, and also served as turnaround leader on a number of critical client and organizational assignments in multiple geographic regions.

McGeary added, “We thank Harry for his hard work and important contributions to BearingPoint over the last three years. Harry’s leadership has been important, particularly in building a strong foundation to bring current the Company’s financial reporting, strengthen the balance sheet and resolve a significant number of serious financial, compliance, legal and other issues which existed when he arrived. On behalf of the Board and management team, we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

You stated, “I am delighted that we have been able to get current and I look forward to pursuing other opportunities. It has been a privilege working with the many talented people throughout BearingPoint over the past three years. I am proud of the progress the Company has made. It is a real testament to our franchise and to the tenacity of our people.” You continued, “I have known Ed for several years and am confident in his abilities to lead BearingPoint into the future.”

BearingPoint will host a conference call today to discuss the Company’s 2007 third quarter 10-Q filing at 8 a.m. ET. To participate on this call, please dial: (800) 399-6696 [(706) 679-7614 outside the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada] approximately 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the call. Alternatively, to listen to the live call, please go to the Investor Relations section of BearingPoint’s Web site at www.bearingpoint.com. A replay of the conference call will be available online at www.bearingpoint.com approximately two hours after the end of the call and via telephone by dialing +1 (800) 642-1687 [(706) 645-9291 outside the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada] and entering conference code 24637176 from 11:00 a.m. ET on Dec. 3 through 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 17.

About BearingPoint, Inc.

BearingPoint, Inc. (NYSE:BE) is one of the world’s largest providers of management and technology consulting services to Global 2000 companies and government organizations in 60 countries worldwide. Based in McLean, Va., the firm has more than 17,000 employees focusing on the Public Services, Financial Services and Commercial Services industries. BearingPoint professionals have built a reputation for knowing what it takes to help clients achieve their goals, and working closely with them to get the job done. Our service offerings are designed to help our clients generate revenue, increase cost-effectiveness, manage regulatory compliance, integrate information and transition to “next-generation” technology. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.BearingPoint.com.

Some of the statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections. Words such as “will,” “expects,” “believes” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and as such are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions as to future events or our future financial performance that may not prove to be accurate. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in these forward-looking statements. As a result, these statements speak only as of the date they were made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

Media Contacts:
BearingPoint
Betsy Palmer, 404-242-4638
betsy.palmer@bearingpoint.com
or
The Abernathy MacGregor Group
Lex Suvanto, 212-371-5999
917-496-7287
lex@abmac.com
or
Investor Contacts
BearingPoint
Francesca Luthi, 646-584-0657
Francesca.luthi@bearingpoint.com
or
BearingPoint
Denise Stone, 973-214-9953
Denise.stone@bearingpoint.com

Sapient Named a Leading Interactive Marketing Agency by Independent Research Firm

ozgipsy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:12:00 +0000

Sapient Delivers Unparalleled Technology and Analytics Skills for Interactive Marketing According to New Independent Report

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sapient (NASDAQ: SAPE) today announced that Sapient Interactive, its marketing services group, was named a leading interactive agency in the “Forrester Wave™: Interactive Marketing Agencies, Q4 2007” (December 2007) report published by leading independent analyst firm Forrester Research. According to the report, “Sapient is the agency for companies with complex interactive technology and marketing needs,” and “Sapient possesses deep technology integration capabilities and solid measurement and analytics services.”

The report also called out the following key findings:

Sapient has a well-articulated process for defining clients’ needs in interactive marketing and has a large, well-skilled staff to deliver on that strategy.
Sapient has a staff with diverse backgrounds and a breadth of skills (with digital and traditional media). It has experience with all of the interactive channels and has robust tools for campaign management and reporting.
Sapient has a broad set of resources for monitoring social media including third-party brand monitoring tools as well as proprietary bots and Web crawlers. It also has a dedicated team that studies and helps implement social media channels and other emerging media.
Sapient’s leadership includes people with backgrounds in marketing, advertising, technology, management consulting, and research. The average tenure is nine years. Sapient’s CEO, chief creative officer, and business unit leads are entrepreneurs who have created value for clients and shareholders. It has a mix of acquired talent and people that have moved up the ranks of the company. Industry expertise of the management team includes financial services, packaged goods, travel, automotive, electronics, media, as well as marketing services.

“For the second time this year, Sapient Interactive has been recognized as an industry leader in the interactive agency space, demonstrating the depth of our creative, marketing strategy and media expertise. This is further evidence that our differentiated strategy is working,” said Gaston Legorburu, chief creative officer of Sapient. “Forrester’s report provides a way by which prospective customers can evaluate our solutions and further reassures our existing clients that they are partnered with one of the best in the world. This report highlights our exceptional track record of integrating technology, strategy, creative, analytics and customer insight to solve clients’ most important brand challenges.”

Sapient Interactive is the largest independent interactive agency in the world—and the first of its kind, providing brand and marketing strategy, award-winning creative work, web design and development and emerging media expertise. The company integrates creative marketing concepts with technology tools and platforms that drive new customer acquisition build loyalty and increase meaningful dialogue between brands and their customers. Last April, Sapient Interactive was named the second-largest interactive marketing agency in the US by Advertising Age. It was also named the second-largest interactive agency in Germany by the German Association for Digital Economy and the largest digital marketing agency in the United Kingdom by New Media Age. Sapient was also recognized as a leading interactive agency in the “Forrester Wave: European Interactive Agencies – Web Design Capabilities, Q4 2007.”

To view the Forrester Interactive Marketing Agencies Wave, visit: http://web2.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,42367,00.ht ml (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser’s address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

About Sapient

Sapient, a global services firm, operates two groups—Sapient Interactive and Sapient Consulting—that help clients compete, evolve and grow in an increasingly complex marketplace. Sapient Interactive provides brand and marketing strategy, award-winning creative work, web design and development and emerging media expertise. Sapient Consulting provides business and IT strategy, process and systems design, package implementation and custom development, as well as outsourcing services such as testing, maintenance and support.

Sapient’s passion for client success—evidenced by its ability to foster collaboration, drive innovation and solve challenging problems—is the subject of case studies on leadership and organizational behavior used by MBA students at both Harvard and Yale. Leading clients, including BP, Essent Energie, Harrah’s Entertainment, Hilton International, Janus, Sony Electronics and Verizon, rely on the company’s unique approach to drive growth and market momentum. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sapient operates across North America, Europe and India. For more information, please visit www.sapient.com.

Sapient is a registered service mark of Sapient Corporation.

Contacts

Sapient
Gail Scibelli, +1 617-452-1911
gscibelli@sapient.com
or
fama PR
Doug Fraim, +1 617-758-4176
sapient@famapr.com

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Do you really want to be a consultant?

ozgipsy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:42:00 +0000

When somebody asks you if you are happy doing what you are doing what do you say? If you are anything like me, you probably tell them that you love it. I get to advise the leaders of industry, I am at the heart of change, and I can see the world revolve from where I sit. Along with that people pay me well and I get to travel around the world at other people’s expense.

Fantastic job, what I always wanted to do when I was growing up in the remote Australian Outback. Yes, sounds great doesn’t it, well be careful what you wish for.

Consulting is a great managerial discipline to be working in, and it does have all of the advantages above, as well as a few others. However, it also has a great deal of sacrifice, hard work, and strain associated with it.

I travel a lot; in fact, I have traveled just about every week this year away from my family. I get to see my two small kids every weekend (sort of like prison really) and the strain of raising our family has fallen squarely on the shoulders of my wife.

Like you, I work long hours. 8-hour days exist only in my distant memory. During the day, I am often client facing, and in the evenings, I have to catch up with everything else we are supposed to be dealing with, for all the other clients, the prospects and our own internal processes.

Then there is the continual self-promotion and networking activities. If you are a consultant, you need to be doing this sort of thing. Alan Weiss recommends a book, or a product of some sort, every year. Why? Credibility, notoriety,, being recognized as an obvious expert within your field, and to create gravity towards you in the marketplace.

The networking for me is a lot of fun. I have been doing this my entire career now so it is more of a hobby than a duty. Nevertheless, it is still there, meet, connect, share experiences, and find common ground, drive opportunities their way, etc, all part of the great game of building a network.

Does that sound like fun? Sometimes, at other times it is just a string of empty hotel rooms with my life on the end of a cell phone.

Jack Welch, put it clearly in his book titled “Winning”. Very few people in the world actually get to have it all. The Life/Balance thing is wonderful for consultants to talk to others about, but in reality, it does not exist. Either you can choose to be on the fast track, or you choose to be on the slow track.

That is the balance – you get to choose. Spend all the time with your family that you want to, and make sacrifices relating to your career. Alternatively, spend most of your time promoting your career or your business, with the sacrifice being on the side of the family.

Consultants don’t often get to choose this really. Our lives are ones of continually striving to keep clients happy, continually trying to justify the size of the fees that are paid, continually looking for the next purchase order – and so on.

For me right now, it is okay. I like it, I really like it actually, I miss my kids, but I have chosen things to be like this so that later I can spend all the time I need to with my wife and my kids.

The day I don’t want to do this anymore, then I need to find a way to make the work come to me rather than travel all over the world going to the work.

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