The eConsultant

The eConsultant--written by bestselling author of the foundation text in IT consulting, The IT Consultant--is a hands-on guide for enhancing your consulting skills and helping your clients create successful strategies for the Network Economy. Freedman works with consulting companies and clients around the world, helping them prepare their businesses to win on the Web, and The eConsultant brings you the best of this extensive real-world experience. You'll learn lessons from the champions on the Internet, and discover how to help clients avoid the errors of the Internet "gold-rush." You'll read in-depth interviews with thought leaders of the Network Economy, including leading venture capitalists, eConsultants, and IT analysts. The eConsultant provides a complete course in the theory and practice of guiding clients to success in the next phase of the Internet revolution.

"Internet consulting is a broad and complex topic, and Freedman has done a great job of covering the range of strategic issues consultants must deal with. Rick has written another valuable book that belongs on every IT consultant's bookshelf."
--Larry Tanning, president, and CEO, Tanning Technology Corporation"The eConsultant" ist ein praktischer Leitfaden, der sowohl für Neulinge als auch für erfahrene IT-Consultants geeignet ist. Er bietet eine Einführung in die notwendigen Verfahren, Tools und Strategien für erfolgreiches E-Consulting. Der Band basiert auf der fast 20-jährigen Erfahrung des Autors sowie auf Interviews mit praktizierenden Internet-Consultants. Zunächst widmet sich Autor Rick Freedman ausführlich der theoretischen Seite, um die täglichen Herausforderungen und Probleme zu beschreiben, die bei der praktischen Umsetzung der anvisierten Internetaktivitäten eines Kunden auftreten können. Dann erläutert er genau die Unterschiede zwischen der technologiebezogenen Rolle des traditionellen IT-Consulting und der strategiebezogenen Rolle des Internet-Consulting. Darüber hinaus weist Freedman auf spezifische Bereiche hin, in denen der E-Consultant seine Kunden gesondert beraten muss und geht auch auf die Grundlagen des Internet Marketing ein, wie z.B. auf den Einsatz von Suchmaschinen, E-Mail und 'Communities of Interest', mit deren Hilfe die Webpräsenz des Kunden weiter ausgebaut werden kann. Ein unentbehrlicher Praxis-Ratgeber für E-Consultants. Preface xi

Acknowledgments xvii

The New IT Consulting Model 1

The Internet Changes Everything! 1

The Net Changes Business 3

The Net Changes Consulting 7

Some Things Never Change: The Constants of IT Consulting 12

A Conversation with Skip McDonald 15

A Methodology for Internet Consulting 17

Similar Models in Place 17

Articulate a Strategic Vision 20

Plan the Engagement 21

Architect the Strategy 24

Deliver the Strategy 27

Improve the Strategy 28

An Interview with Jim Highsmith 29

Basics of Business Strategy 37

Strategic Thinking 37

Success by Strategy 38

Problems with Strategic Planning 43

Strategic Fundamentals 45

Competitive Advantage 56

Strategies for the New Economy 59

Industry Transformation 59

The End of Location 61

Information Migration 62

Toward the Perfect Marketplace 65

Beyond the Basics 68

Internet Business Models 70

Building the Architecture 101

The Danger of Downtime 101

An Interview with Chuck Krutsinger 104

eBusiness Technical Design Process 106

Develop an Architecture Strategy 112

Forecast Customer Behavior 114

Develop Service Expectations 116

Design Infrastructure Details 119

Design Application Details 121

Design Operational Processes 123

Integrate, Prototype, and Test Architecture 126

Deploy, Operate, and Maintain Architecture 127

An Interview with Larry Tanning 130

Web Marketing 135

Experience Marketing 135

Advertising Is Dead! 138

eBranding 140

Who Is the Internet Customer? 148

New Economy Marketing Models 150

The Message for Internet Consultants 165

The Virtual Meets the Physical 167

Reconstructing the Chain 167

Delivering on the Click 168

Servicing the Surfer 176

Change Hurts! 183

Why Make a Change? 183

Change Management 185

An Interview with Tuck Rickards 192

The eConsultant's Report Card 199

What They're Saying 199

Why Measure eConsulting Results? 202

Creating Measurable eConsulting Engagements 203

Communicating the Outcome 206

Surfing the Wave: Keeping Ahead of the Changes 209

Age of Rapid Change 209

Developing Your Strategic Skills 210

An Approach to Constant Development 213

Tales from the Fall 217

A Year of Change 217

Toys Online---No Game 218

B2B---2B or Not 2B? 220

Falling Up 222

Lessons from the Fall 224

Where the Internet Is Going 227

Life-Changing Events 227

An Interview with Seth Neiman 230

Bibliography 239

About the Author 241

Index 243

"...I found this book to be exceptionally good in almost every aspect...the style is intelligent and unpretentious..." (Supply Management, 1 November, 2001) Rick Freedman is the founder of Consulting Strategies, Inc., an information technology (IT) training and consulting firm. He has eighteen years experience as an IT consultant, both as an employee of Fortune 500 firms including Citicorp and Dun & Bradstreet, and as a principal consultant for Cap Gemini America and ENTEX Information Services. Rick presents seminars on IT and consulting skills to organizations world wide. He lives in Lenexa, Kansas with his wife Terri and their two golden retrievers. Written by Rick Freedman-bestselling author of the foundation text in IT consulting, The IT Consultant--The eConsultant is a hands-on guide for enhancing your consulting skills and helping your clients create successful strategies for the Network Economy. Freedman works with consulting companies and clients around the world, helping them prepare their businesses to win on the Web, and The eConsultant brings you the best of this extensive real-world experience. You'll learn lessons from the champions on the Internet, and discover how to help clients avoid the errors of the Internet "gold-rush." You'll read in-depth interviews with thought leaders of the Network Economy, including leading venture capitalists, eConsultants, and IT analysts. The eConsultant provides a complete course in the theory and practice of guiding clients to success in the next phase of the Internet revolution. "Internet consulting is a broad and complex topic, and Freedman has done a great job of covering the range of strategic issues consultants must deal with. Rick has written another valuable book that belongs on every IT consultant's bookshelf." --Larry Tanning, president, and CEO, Tanning Technology Corporation

"I love this book! Working at Cisco has given me an opportunity to work with many start-ups and companies that are trying to re-engineer themselves. There are very few qualified eConsultants that can guide these companies into the Network Economy. We at Cisco are counting on the readers of Rick's book to show the way." --Mark Beausir, senior sales engineer, Cisco Systems

"By bridging the gap between technology and strategic consulting, Freedman's The eConsultant helps IT advisors advance to the next level." --Jonathan Heng, practice principal - eBMS Compaq Global Services

"Freedman's book is a comprehensive guide to the new economy, and a must-read for any technology consultant who wants to transition to being a strategist and an eConsultant." --Gayle Jones, program director, IT Center for Business and Technology, Johnson County Community College

"IT consulting has changed radically over the past five years, thanks to the Internet. No one knows IT consulting better than Rick Freedman, and no one is better equipped to help consultants navigate the new terrain. For experienced and novice consultants, for corporate employees who do in-house consulting, Rick's new book is an invaluable guide and resource." --Hillary Rettig, former senior technology editor, VARBusiness magazine and president, Technocopia, Inc.

"This book should be required reading for any consultant or IT professional who intends to help companies forward their e-business initiatives. Freedman lays out the steps that will separate the successful firms from the wannabes. His style is straightforward and on the money." --Chuck Krutsinger, COO, Interlink Group