Consulting F.A.Q.

The following is a compilation of answers to the most common questions asked about John Von Achen’s consulting practice and projects: A lot, including the fact that John brings a lot more to the table than the typical run-of-the-mill business consultant. John Von Achen is a truly a master in his areas of professional competency, both in terms of wisdom and practical real-world experience. And, he has the proven track record and profitable results from his projects to prove it. To learn more about what makes John’s consulting work so valuable and unique, click here. To begin with, John makes no attempt to hide the fact that he really does not like most consultants and the consulting industry in general because, in his opinion, most - - - NOT ALL - - - but most consultants are average performers at best and typically do not provide much in terms of tangible results for their clients, rather focusing on activity. [This opinion is based on John’s experience as a business owner himself, all too often being unhappy with the results he has received from consultants he has hired. In addition, John sees most consulting companies, especially the big ones, being more concerned with “clocking hours” and “milking” their customers rather than solving problems for their clients and delivering results, regardless of what their dopey advertising slogans may claim to the contrary.]

At the same time, John strongly believes all organizations and the people inside of them can benefit greatly from the wisdom, opinion and counsel from a proven expert from the outside. [Again, this opinion is based on John’s experience as a business owner himself.]

These beliefs have formed John’s philosophy concerning consulting, which can be summarize as, “NO BS . . . Only Results!” His approach for all of his consulting projects is to identify problems and tasks to be done, set ambitions and measurable goals and get to work as fast as possible to achieve results.

And in the end, one of John’s goals is to work himself out of a job (finish projects as fast as possible), rather than try to create more work for the sake of activity, something too many consulting companies do as standard practice. John has led over 200 various consulting projects over a span of almost two decades. To learn more about the specific types of projects John is usually involved with, click here. That depends on the industry in question and what you are interested in John helping with. There are many industries in which John’s experience is substantial, almost unmatched. And, there are other industries where John’s experience is limited. To learn more about John’s specific industry experience, click here. Since everything John does is unique and customized for his clients, pricing varies depending on the project specifics and overall scope of work. For more detailed information about John’s pricing policy, click here. John considers himself a global citizen because his roots are from German royalty, he is an American citizen, is married to a beautiful Russian lady and is regularly asked to work on projects and speak at events all over the world. To learn more about the various services John and his team of consultants specialize in and the types of projects they usually work on, click here. Of course this depends on the particular goals of a project and how much responsibility John agrees to shoulder. Still, all of John’s projects end with positive and profitable results for the client.

That being said, the projects John works on often result in increases in revenue of 30% to 300% and an increase in profitability of between 10% to 30%. However, not all projects John is involved with are financially calculable, specifically projects related to personal and executive coaching or projects related to reorganizing a corporate structure or culture.

Still, in the end, John always produces positive and profitable results for his clients! As all projects are confidential, John is not at liberty to share details about many of his projects publically. However, to learn more about the details of John’s projects he is able to openly discuss or to talk with previous customers John has worked for, click here. John’s common response to this question is, “on an airplane”, as he travels quite a lot. Currently, he is based in Moscow, Russia. John does not send out generic proposals because nothing he does is ever generic, it is always customized to fit the needs of a particular client. However, to learn more about John, his proven track record of achievement and his services, feel free to browse this site as it contains an abundance of detailed information. And, if you have any questions this site cannot answer for you, feel free to contact John’s office directly. To connect with John’s office, click here. Yes. For almost 20 years, John has owned several of his own companies. Additionally, he has also served as C.E.O. for two international organizations and as an executive board member for several organizations. Not really. John does have a few rules everyone has to follow on any project he works on. Other than that, John feels part of his job is always to make his clients job easier, so he tries to be as easy to get along with as possible.

Additionally, John always begins all projects with a “project plan” that is always clear, straightforward and tied to specific deliverables and KPI’s, so that there are no surprises for either side and all expectations are met. That’s easy, click here.