Developer: Daphne Li Reviewer: Susan Lonergan Cartha O’Hare John Clarke bc How to be a Great AC March 1998 Copyright? 1998 Bain & Company, Inc. 2 GreatAC Getting the job done Managing up The perfect client meeting Developing personal style Building a rewarding career Key takeaways Agenda 3 GreatAC Getting the job done Managing up The perfect client meeting Developing personal style Building a rewarding career Key takeaways Agenda 4 GreatAC Bain caseteams address a considerable range of strategic issues. Strategy consulting Corporate strategy Business unit strategy Performance improvement How should a company with many businesses achieve its growth objectives? How should a business unit respond to its competitors? How many manufacturing plants does a company need? What products should client produce in each plant? Example: Types of Strategic Issues 5 GreatAC Compoutek Axels-4-Rent Business problem: Answer: First-year AC workstream: Length of case: AC travel: Business unit strategy (PC business unit) Exit the retail PC market Cut costs through complexity reduction Implement process and organization redesign Phone competitors to gather data about the PC market Analyze client data relating to accounts receivable and inventory turns Build economic model Three months Monthly local visits to client to gather data and attend meetings Corporate strategy (growth strategy) Target and retain most profitable customers through marketing programs and travel agent commission structures Focus on corporate accounts that are already penetrated, but are currently underperforming in share targets Size rental car market based on secondary research and customer surveys Splice and dice client customer database to establish segments Research other companies’ retention programs (e.g., airlines# frequent flyer) Six months Weekly trips to NYC for client task force meetings Example of Caseteam Assignments 6 GreatAC Caseteam Coordinator Vice-President Manager/CTL Experienced Consultant New AC New Consultant Experienced AC While you may frequently encounter variations, a typical caseteam structure looks like the following: Caseteam Structure 7 GreatAC Your mix of responsibilities will vary from case to case. The job Research/data gathering Analysis Communication Team Market size and dynamics Competitors Client data Customers Database manipulation Models in Excel Regressions Data into appropriate slide format Arriving at the strategic answer Blank slides storyline proper format Oral communication informal team meetings with consultant/manger overheads to caseteam Coordinating workstreams with other ACs/consultants Participating in team brainstorming sessions and team meetings Overseeing production for presentations Caseteam events Areas of Responsibility