How the Service Works: Information for Consultants

Process

If you are a consultant, you will follow the following four steps:

Step 1: Enter your information. The first step is to enter on-line information about your firm (or practice or sole proprietorship). This information includes contact information, firm expertise and capabilities, and billing information. You will also be required to agree to a Statement of Ethics and Agreement as a prerequisite for being listed. It takes about 15-20 minutes to complete five pages of information (but you can save and return to the form, as desired).

Step 2: Get listed in the network. Once you are approved and your listing fee is received, we will list your firm in the network for one year (365 calendar days).

Step 3: Await an inquiry from an organization. Organizations (“clients”) will access this network throughout the year, seeking various subject matter experts that fit their requirements. If your firm’s capabilities and characteristics are among the best matches with the hiring client’s requirements, your contact information and verbatim firm description will be provided to the hiring organization. Typically, you will then be asked to complete the hiring organization’s interview and selection process to finalize the scope, solution(s), and terms of engagement. At this point, you are free to discuss and negotiate directly with the hiring client. Once you secure a contract, we ask that you report the terms of the contract to the Council.

Step 4: Provide feedback on the network. At the end of your one-year listing, we will solicit your feedback on the network. We will also ask you to report all revenues received from this service.

Benefits

This service can uniquely supplement a consultant’s existing marketing strategies. The network may increase your firm’s exposure and brand awareness, as well as generate client leads and serious prospects. This network can benefit consultants because:

 

• It offers a potential channel of leads and a legitimate mechanism to create market awareness for your services and capabilities.
• It is neutral, independent, and unbiased. Each search produces a list of 0-5 consultants (depending on how many match the client’s requirements), upon which the client can interview and make a decision.
• It is reasonably priced, and fees are tiered to fit your needs.

 

Fees

Consultants pay a small fee for this service, and the pricing is flexible so you can choose what best matches your needs. You can choose a higher up-front listing fee with lower subsequent referral fees for projects secured through the service, or a lower up-front listing fee with higher referral fees. You can chose from the following options:

	Listing Fees*			Referral Fees**
	Member Rate	Partner Rate	Public Rate
Option 1	$50	$100	$150	10%
Option 2	$100	$175	$250	5%
Option 3	$150	$275	$400	None

* The listing fee is an annual fee. Members of the Minnesota Council for Quality receive a discount on listing fees: $50 for Option 1, $100 for Option 2, and $150 for Option 3.

** The referral fee represents a percentage of the first year’s total revenue associated with a specific referral, including any follow-on or expanded work within the first year. The maximum referral fees represent an annual cap for all referrals and related follow-on work with a specific client. There is no cap limiting total fees for all clients. (For example, a $500,000 contract paid by one client yields a $10,000 referral fee under Option 1, while a consultant with five contacts with five clients each paying $100,000 will pay referral fees totaling $50,000 under that same Option 1.) They are suggested maximums; however, if you or your firm is inclined to make a larger contribution in consideration of larger referrals, the Council would appreciate the increased support.

To get started registering for the network, click here.

To return to the main Consultant Referral Network page, click here.