Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with consultancy

PR success fees: I need the skinny

OctopusRex — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:43:24 -0800

How exactly do big PR firms calculate success fees? Do they "cap" them, or is the sky the limit? Or do they structure them so that no one would use them? Do they use the face value of AVE (1 page in newspaper = 1 page advertisement value) or do they use multiplicators?

Becoming a Strategy Consultant.

Zé Pequeno — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:57:01 -0800

I'm almost finished with my Masters in International Business and have started sending out job applications to a number of companies, nearly all of which are involved in strategic consultancy. The top companies, quite understandably, are fiercely competitive. I know I have what it takes, but I want the best chance possible of showing them that too. I've sent out applications to some of the most well known and respected companies across Europe and I've even received some invitations to attend interviews. These interviews are infamous amongst business school students for being especially tough and often rather obscure. For example, in one book, a would-be McKinsey employee is asked to calculate the weight of a jumbo jet; another was asked to estimate the number of firemen in New York City. Obviously, they are not interested in an accurate answer (if you were, by some strange quirk, able to answer such questions, they'd probably not want you anyway) but they do want to see some innovative, clever patterns of thought.

What I want to know is, how can I best prepare myself for this kind of grueling? Sat down in the comfort of my own home, I was able to think of many possible responses to such questions but I'm not sure I could do it in an interview situation.

I'm also interested in suggestions with regard to improving general numeracy. I am rather good at working out arithmetic in my head but, to my detriment, didn't listen well enough at school so some of the things you just HAVE TO LEARN passed me by. A great deal of toil here at business school has helped me catch up a lot, but still.

I look forward to your suggestions! Feel free to contact me through private message.

How do you justify spending half a million pounds on a logo?

chrismear — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 09:11:43 -0800

Help me understand the marketing/branding industry. The 2012 London Olympics committee just spent £400,000 on this new logo. How does a branding company justify this kind of money to just design a logo? That can't be all there is to it, right? What kind of things actually get delivered and done on a project like this?

How much to charge an ex-employer?

dogsbody — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 10:45:36 -0800

How much should I charge as a consultancy rate to my ex-employer? I've recently resigned (amicably) from a full-time job to become self employed. My old boss has raised the possibility of my coming in from time to time to help out, whilst I get my own business up and running and the extra cash will certainly be helpful. My quesetion: should I just charge my old salary divided by 365? What sort of mark-up could/should I add on in consideration of my changed circumstances?

Oh, I'm in the UK.

Seeking open source software resources (case studies, advice) for web design and consulting

will — Wed, 10 Dec 2003 04:42:54 -0800

I'd like to move my web design and consulting business to running on completely open source software. Any penguins have any good case studies, papers, blog posts or advice on making the switch?