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The Virtual Consulting Discussion List [VCDL]
http://www.TheVCF.com/vcdl.phtml
April 28, 2003 Digest #3
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List Moderator: Michael S.DeVries DeVries@cris.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ...
---> [NEW] <---
#1 Is off-shore outsourcing a "bane"
or a "boon"
for Virtual Consulting?
- Michael S. DeVries
#2 Typical breakdown of Cost of Goods for
software / products?
- Michael S. DeVries
#3 Request for your Recommendations
and/or Reviews of Virtual Consulting Resources
- Michael S. DeVries
---> [CONTINUED] <---
#4 Where / how to find good Virtual Consulting
Clients / Engagements?
- Randy Bennett
#5 Are any of you already successfully engaged
in
Virtual Consulting?
- Michael S. DeVries
---> [NEWS] <---
#6 Press Release - Vantiis Consulting officially
launches
---> [INTRO] <---
#7 Steve Wasiura
---> [HELP WANTED] <---
---> [ADMIN] <---
************* [NEW] ***************
#1 Is off-shore outsourcing a "bane"
or a "boon"
for Virtual Consulting?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, April 28, 2003
Fellow Virtual Consultants,
An article in CIOInsight,
http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,3959,940
251,00.asp
Quoted some interesting survey results from
companies that have gone offshore.
"Of those companies that have gone offshore,
88 percent said they had gotten better "value
for the money" with U.S. firms. That isn't
too
surprising.
What is surprising, and what has to be
worrying U.S. IT services firms, are some
other results of the survey: - 71 percent said
the
"quality of the deliverable" was better
than U.S.
firms provided, and - 67 percent said "on-time
delivery" was better. In other words, India's
IT
services firms are outperforming their U.S.
counterparts in three key areas: they're
producing better products and services; they're
doing it faster; and they're charging less. That's
good news for CIOs, but bad news for U.S.
firms." -
I know that there has been and continues to be
"heated" discussions and debates about
off-
shore outsourcing in many forums.
However, what I would like to discuss and
hear from you fellow Virtual Consultants,
herein is ...
Is off-shore outsourcing a "bane" or
a "boon" for
Virtual Consulting?
What do you see as the Risks, Issues,
Opportunities, and/or Rewards of off-shore
outsourcing relative to Virtual Consulting?
How might we turn this ongoing trend to our mutual
benefit?
I hope that this will generate some stimulating
discussions!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
-----------------------------------------------------------
#2 Typical breakdown of Cost of Goods for
software / products?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, April 28, 2003
Fellow Virtual Consultants,
We are working on developing a concept that we
hope will be both mutually beneficial to Virtual
Consultants as well as (we really hope!) to all
IT /
software professionals, and we could use your
help
by answering the following (and subsequent)
questions, that being ....
Based on your knowledge and experience ...
What is the typical breakdown of Cost of Goods
for
software / products?
And/or more specifically ...
Of the total Cost of Goods for software / products,
what (average) percentage of the this total cost
is:
1) "Product Conceptualization" cost,
e.g. R&D,
concept, feasibility and/or market analysis, studies,
etc.?
2) Product Development - from requirements
through development, testing, documentation and
release (we have / can get industry standard
breakdowns of the % of cost, time and effort of
each
phase within the "standard" System Development
Life Cycle")
3) Sales and Marketting and Customer Support (not
including product maintenance)
We would appreciate any references to any
"industry / standard" information regarding
these
cost breakdowns for software products.
We will share more, and exciting, news about
these
ideas as they come to fruition and for our mutual
benefit! :)
Thank you for your help!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
-----------------------------------------------------------
#3 Request for your Recommendations
and/or Reviews of Virtual Consulting Resources
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, April 28, 2003
Fellow Virtual Consultants,
I would like to request your ...
Recommendations and/or Reviews of Virtual
Consulting Resources.
What books, e-books, magazines, etc. have you
found related to (anything regarding) Virtual
Consulting that you would recommend?
and why?
Further, if you are willing to post your Review
of this
material for our mutual benefit, this would be
appreciated!
Please (clearly) indicate if you are the author,
reseller and/or have any other "vested interest"
in
any material that you recommend and/or review,
which is only "straight forward and fair"
right?
We look forward to hearing about your favorite
and/or the best Virtual Consulting Resources you
have discovered!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
************* [CONTINUED] ***************
#4 Where / how to find good Virtual Consulting
Clients / Engagements?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: randybennett@earthlink.net
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 09:39:13 -0400
At 07:26 PM 4/21/2003 +0000, Michael S.DeVries
wrote:
>Let's share our thoughts, experiences, ideas
and
best practices
>regarding ...
>
>Where / how do you find good Virtual Consulting
Clients / Engagements?
>
>Do you get most of your Virtual Consulting
Clients
/ Engagements from:
>* Referrals from other Consultants?
>* Referrals from previous (satisfied) Clients?
>* From your Web Site(s)?
>* From Consulting Firms?
>* From Job / Freelancing "Boards"?
>* From Recruiters / Headhunters?
Michael,
This is a good question at a great time, at least
for
me. I am preparing to start
my own business to offer consulting/coaching
services and have been giving this
question a lot of thought. I wonder if others
on the
list can confirm/deny the
results of my investigations.
According to industry research, books on the
subject, and both real and virtual
discussions with other independents, it looks
like
referrals from clients and networking and the
top
two methods of obtaining leads. Various forms
of
publishing, from writing articles to your web
site,
follow closely. Interestingly, at least to me,
is that
while advertising is the least likely to produce
leads,
PR is another high ranking method.
In constructing a marketing strategy I have built
it
along these lines. I am planning to continue
networking among fellow professionals and where
potential clients are likely to be. I will spend
time
writing articles and continuing to deliver professional
papers, and I will build a web site.
Does this follow the real-life experiences of
those on
the list? I would really appreciate seeing a
discussion on this.
Thanks in advance,
Randy Bennett
EC Stratagems
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[Now back to our "regular scheduled programming"
...
-----------------------------------------------------------
#5 Are any of you already successfully engaged
in
Virtual Consulting?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, April 28, 2003
Fellow Virtual Consultants,
Some of you may already be aware of this, but
...
I have also been attempting to stimulate
discussions about Virtual Consulting (and The
Virtual Consulting Discussion List) in several
other
forums, e.g. some of what use to be the Usenet
/
Newsgroups and are now 'Google Groups', etc.
Therefore, I have posted a similar message on
this
topic and initiated fruitful discussions regarding
it in
several of these other lists, forums and/or goups.
Some of these (outside) discussions have produced
some very interesting and helpful information
that I
want to share with The Virtual Consulting
Discussion List!
Whereas it is the policy of this and most other
discussion lists / forums that you must have the
explicit permission of a posting's author as well
as
typically the list / forum's Moderator to cross-post
their messages in other lists ....
It was recommended that I could more easily cross-
post the link directly into these discussion threads
for your reference, reading and benefit.
You may find / read the currently ongoing
discussion threads on this topic via the following
links (some of which I know are kinda long and
you
may have to copy/past the whole link/URL into
your
browser address line - sorry :( ):
In the alt.computer.consultants.moderate Group
at
Google at:
http://www.google.com/groups?dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=3EAC6B13.4070902%40rochester.rr.com&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%
3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26group%3Dalt.computer.consultants.moderated
In the misc.business.consulting Group at Google
at:
http://www.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=b8ehr40jun%40enews4.newsguy.com&rnum=4&prev=/groups%3Fas_epq%3DVirtual%2
520Consulting%26safe%3Dimages%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26lr%3D%26num%3D100%26as_scoring%3Dd%26hl%3Den
In the 'Consulting-Gigs' List at Topica at:
http://www.topica.com/lists/GIGS/read
Iff you post a response to any of the postings
in any
of these groups, please feel free to cross-post
your
message, and you may invite responders to do
likewise, here in The Virtual Consulting Discussion
List so that we may all more easily benefit from
you
comments and responses. Thank You!
I will post references to any beneficial responses
I
may be able to elicit on other Virtual Consulting
topics as they become available.
I hope that you also find these discussions
beneficial as well!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
************* [NEWS] ***************
#6 Press Release - Vantiis Consulting officially
launches
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, April 28, 2003
April 22, 2003 Vantiis Consulting, Inc., a
"virtual consulting agency" issued a
Press
Release announcing it's official launch.
Please see the complete Press Release
regarding the launch of Vantiis Consulting, Inc.
at:
http://www.vantiis.com/042203pr.htm
[Moderator Comment - Please note that
although I also felt that this was "News
Worthy" for our Virtual Consulting Discussion
List Members ...
"Your Virtual Moderator" is also a Member
/
Independant Consultant affiliated with Vantiis
Consulting. Therefore, if you happen to join
the Vantiis Consulting network, please let them
know that you were referred by
Michael S. DeVries]
************* [INTRO] ***************
#7 Steve Wasiura
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: <idesignlist@waztech.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 14:28:53 -0400
Hi My Name is Steve Wasiura and I help serious
small businesses improve their websites. I've
found
that most clients want to have the security of
a face
to face meeting before any "virtual"
consulting can
be done. I chalk this up to being burnt or hearing
about people who've been burnt by long distance
scam artists. I find that once the trust is established
between both parties, they are very open to the
virtual mode. That has been my experience.
My big question for the list involves virtual
consulting with webcams, or something that would
simulate the concept of a face to face meeting.
Although work is very busy right now in my area
where I can reach all client locations within
1 hour of
driving time (70 miles) [yes I live outside any
big city
so travel is very quick.] I am concerned about
the
future when I want to expand outside my local
area
and be able to exponentially grow my customer
base, so that I can get away from project work
and
into a more profitable production system.
So has anyone used webcams in terms of doing
virtual consulting from the start, or has it all
been via
telephone and email? What were your experiences
both good and bad in regards to webcams?
Steve Wasiura
waztech.com
[Moderator Comment -
Welcome to The Virtual Consulting Discussion List,
Steve! :)
Ok ... Who's next?]
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