Interim
Management Marketing and Support Programmes
The
Challenge!
So, how do existing Interims and new potential Interims manage
their independent careers? How do they find the right assignment
in the right client sector, at the right time and at the right
daily rate and above all, the assignment that can provide the
launch platform for the next opportunity? Furthermore, Interims
must be able to “market” themselves and be able to
build a business relationship from the outset with the client,
and then close the deal in a “win-win” situation.
Whilst on assignment would it not be to your advantage
to have a support organisation dedicated to your individual needs
as an Interim? An organisation that not only can launch a marketing
campaign whilst you are on assignment to quickly secure your next
opportunity, but can also coach you in specific career skills
to enhance your personal marketing.
If, after
a period of Interim self-employment you would like to consider
a move into a permanent full time position for a while, one of
Proteus’s programmes for employed clients is also an option.
This would guide you in the right direction; building on your
existing skills gained as an Interim, but possibly in a sector
that you had not considered.
The Numbers Game!
Interims usually embark on a round of registration with Interim
Management agencies. Your CV is acknowledged and perhaps you have
an interview with the agency. Your CV is then deposited on a database
and then you wait!
The phone doesn’t ring so then you wonder
if the CV you deposited is the best one. Is the daily rate you
are asking the right one to secure an assignment? Would registering
with more interim agencies help? Do the agencies really understand
the skills you are offering? What’s my sector doing? Should
I consider a different sector? Maybe several part time assignments
are the answer? Maybe working with other Interims to offer the
client a “package” of skills is the answer? Is your
personal network providing access to the unpublished opportunities?
Etc, etc…. but the phone still doesn’t ring.
Then, you get the opportunity of an assignment
from an agency, at a rate that’s usually negotiated with
the client BEFORE he’s even seen you. You will need to make
a presentation! You will need to market yourself! You will need
to tailor your CV to the client’s requirements! You will
need to understand the clients company! You will want to be able
to negotiate the “package” including the daily rate
- BUT that deal is already done. You could lose out! Are you confident?
When was the last time you did this, and was it successful…months
ago if not years!
And every day that passes, you are not earning,
- added pressure to settle for something that is second best!
How many others are trying to get the same assignment at interview,
- 5 or 6, more? Will these agencies look overseas for the right
assignment for the Interim, if the Interim wishes to seek offshore
experience? Does the Agency have a history of established clients
spreading over 15 years that may traditionally have only considered
full time employees, but who could find the proposition of an
Interim very attractive, once they understood the proposition?
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