Primrose Consulting: Rate Structure
As ‘knowledge specialist’, we enjoy the consulting role, however, we do not prefer the usual consultant/business relationship. Our preference is for a business relationship that supports long term learning and change–we enjoy being part of the team and the continuity which that brings. For us the knowledge that can developed and the leverage of that knowledge comes from working with a group over time. We prefer to work as trusted members of the team, albeit some fraction of full time, in order to implement comprehensive programs that create fundamental change. In other words–we like to operate as an asset rather than as an expense that should be cut as soon as possible.
The cost of an employee obviously includes much that is beyond salary–taxes, social security, unemployment, health insurance, options, bonus plans, matching retirement, office space and equipment, computer and telephone, etc. Reasonable consulting fees must cover all of this for the consultants as well as the time that is devoted to research, study, preparation, and followup. So consulting fees may seem high relative to employee salary but actually they can be quite cost effective when compared to total employee compensation packages.
In order to facilitate a win-win balance in the business relationship, we have a sliding scale of consulting rates that accommodates one-off events such as offsites, workshops and interventions, but is obviously slanted toward supporting the kind of relationship described above.
