Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.
AIA

Mindshop - open for business!

by
21st Feb 2008
Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.

Nigel Harris finds out about Mindshop from founder Chris Mason.

When I gave an overview of the various practice development networks in the UK last year I commented :

“A new name I came across recently is Mindshop, founded in 1995 by leading Australian management consultant Chris Mason as a consulting group specialising in strategic business planning, export market development and continuous improvement. Although it has a UK contact address, its main focus appears to be USA and Australia.”

Chris Mason visited the UK recently and kindly offered to spend some time with me to introduce the organization in more detail.

Chris’ background was as a successful independent consultant in areas such as strategic planning and change management working with large companies such as Nissan, Robert Bosch, Amcor and Pilkington. He was regularly approached by other independent business advisers looking to work together as a virtual network on specific opportunities, receive training from Chris and gain access to consulting resources they didn’t have time to research and develop themselves. As a result Mindshop was born in 1995.

Mindshop is well represented in Australia and the USA, but it also has a growing number of UK members. The company launched in the UK in 1996 when it acquired its first UK member, a senior accountant with a leading firm. Its subsequent growth has been with the “early adopters” of the consulting, value-added services model, working with firms of all sizes but is perhaps one of the few organizations working with mid-tier and large firms. Top figures at Vantis and Horwath Clark Whitehill are among its UK members.

It is worth noting that, unlike other networks, it is individuals who are the members of Mindshop, albeit that they each represent a firm or company. Mindshop members, or "facilitators" as they are called, are resources for training and consulting with both clients and members of their own organization. Indeed, new members are encouraged to use the many (well over 100) consulting tools to develop their own business first so that they can use their own practical experience when working with clients. New members are "accredited" as Mindshop facilitators once they have completed the core online training courses, and are then eligible to receive business referrals from Mindshop and launch their own "senior management network".

Although we may be aware of Mindshop from the professional consulting side, the company’s vision is to build a global network made up of 80 per cent business leaders, to whom it provides consulting services via its members' "senior management networks", and 20 per cent business advisers. Prospective members are subjected to an in depth due diligence before being allowed to join, so most tend to stay for the long term.

While Mindshop has an impressive collection of consulting tools, Chris pointed out that checklists and software tools don’t work. You need to train key people who can deliver consulting services, and who can then train and mentor their own staff to do likewise. Chris sees clients becoming more sophisticated while accountants feel guilty for not servicing their clients or staying relevant to them. Most accountants find themselves stuck in “compliance lock” – too busy doing compliance stuff to do the work they know their clients want, failing to move with their clients needs.

What sets Mindshop apart from many of the other networks that talk up the added value/consulting route is the emphasis on regular face-to-face training of Mindshop members, 24/7 coaching support and the extensive use of WebEx video conferencing to make training available worldwide both live and from recordings. Technology plays a leading role in the organization, and Chis takes pride in being an early adopter of the latest IT tools and techniques if they will improve his systems and processes.

Mindshop coaches, including Chris Mason himself, take a very hands-on approach to supporting members through difficult client situations. Chris recently coached a senior US accountant preparing for a tricky client meeting. Returning to Australia before the meeting Chris made his mobile phone number available to her and promised to pick up the call day or night – “I’ll be sleeping with the phone under my pillow, he said. If you get stuck, call a coffee break and phone me. I’ll tell you what to do next.” As it turned out, the meeting was a success without needing to make that call, but having someone there to back up the accountant gave a massive boost to her confidence.

As a visitor to these shores, I asked Chris how he preceived the UK accounting profession. Without hesitation he replied that he finds UK accountants to be brighter, have a higher IQ, than their counterparts elsewhere in the English-speaking world - "but they're less street-wise." Their biggest blockage when it comes to selling consulting services? "Lack of confidence." From what I learned, Mindshop looks like a good training ground for bright UK accountants looking to build their confidence and their fee income outside of compliance work.

Tags:

Replies (0)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

There are currently no replies, be the first to post a reply.