It is fantastic how our point-of-view changes based on our vantage point. When I worked in corporate, I thought consultants had it easy, no clock to punch and can send an invoice for all work done. I was usually looking at the perceived benefit the individual was gaining versus what they brought to the table, a wealth of experience and an outsider’s view at the fraction of the cost of another employee.
Now the shoe is on the other foot, of course, my point-of-view has changed. Of course, you would expect that and you would also expect me to blow PRMR Inc’s horn about the great services we provide, our responsiveness to clients and that fact that we engage in training on a weekly basis to keep up on top of the latest communications technologies, all things that would make us an excellent fit for a dynamic organization. Because of this expectation I have turned to an academic source for endorsement of the benefits of outsourcing.
According to Gail McGovern and John Quelch in Harvard Business Review (HBR) (2005), “Companies have long outsourced creative, right-brain marketing activities, such as advertising and promotion campaigns. But a fundamental change is under way: Increasingly, firms are farming out marketing operations and analytics as well.” Outsourcing not only saves money and improves quality, but it also can provide increasingly critical left-brain marketing expertise.
