Selecting the Right Strategic Consulting Firm
Most leading companies work with a small set of preferred consulting firms selected for their expertise, the quality of their service, and the trust that the individuals on the project team can achieve the expected results. While each project request is different, there are some criteria companies regularly look for in all consulting projects:
- A focus on and a commitment to real value creation for the client
- Specific domain expertise
- An effective methodology for tackling the topic at hand
- Proven experience dealing with similar problems
- A track record with the company—or with a company known to the management
- A demonstrable capability to work with the organization
- A team that engenders trust into getting the right solution
Over the years, BCG has established itself as a preferred consultant to a large number of the most successful global companies—a strong indicator that the firm possesses all of the key criteria described above.
Price and Value
Consulting projects should only be undertaken if their value is a multiple of the fees charged. Therefore, price should never be the primary driver in deciding which consulting firm to hire. Rather, the anticipated "value delivered" should be the determining factor.
Over the past four decades, BCG's growth-share matrix has become the standard approach to capital allocation in multisector, multisegment companies. "Stars," "dogs," "cash cows," and "question marks" have become firmly embedded in the language of business. View PDF 
The experience curve grew out of work BCG did in the 1960s for a major manufacturer of semiconductors. It would become a conceptual cornerstone in the understanding of both the role market share plays in establishing competitive advantage, and the importance of asset allocation in portfolio management. View PDF 
Time is the secret weapon of business. Our concept of time-based competition represented a new paradigm in strategic thinking and business practice. No successful organization has since been able to ignore the fact that speed often matters as much as direction. View PDF