Home   About   Services   Client Testimonials   Contact   Blog  
 
Friday, November 23, 2007


Having spoken with many Interim Managers I find that they tend to fall into one of two camps: Serial or Parallel.

Serial Interims are probably what most people consider to be the classic type. They work on an assignment in a full-time capacity for a length of time (usually 3 to 12 months) and then, when they complete it, they move onto the next gig.

But, just as many entrepreneurs have started describing themselves as "serial" or "parallel entrepreneurs", this second category exists in the interim market.

In fact, I would describe myself as a "parallel interim manager", in that I work on a portfolio of client assignments at the same time.

It's a bit like the portfolio worker concept identified by Charles Handy.

It could be that this mode of working is more suited to smaller businesses and start-ups, which are my clients. The necessity to run multiple projects is usually due to clients wanting my expertise without the capital commitment of hiring a full-time Sales Director.

Also, I've personally found that sales and business development are processes that can be effectively segmented into activities run in parallel. Some care needs to be taken not to start two assignments at the sames time (which is when they are most intense and require full commitment) but generally the model works well.

Many of my associates also take this approach, running client or their own business projects alongside other engagements. Again, this is typically a good fit for small businesses or larger companies that want an interim for special project or strategic initiative (such as to validate a new market).

The classic serial approach is best for stop-gap or "business as usual" interim work. However, the reality is that interims are rarely used for "business as usual" within the sales function.

Labels: ,

Posted by: David Regler @ 5:04 pm |  0 comments  | Links to this post  

Bookmark and Share



Key challenges for today's Entrepreneurs

Is LinkedIn rolling out social spam now?

Re-thinking the B2B sales model

Is social media now just a blur?

Sales Trends for 2012

So, who's doing "sales"?

Where's the hidden revenue in your business?

Does your business have an austerity plan for growth?

Outbound marketing is evil and useless

B2B lead generation survey on tactics and trends


November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
March 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
May 2011
July 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012

Current Posts

Powered by Blogger





2003.
All content © Maine Associates Ltd 2010 All rights reserved. Read our privacy policy