What are the major difficulties when working as a consultant in your industry?

What are the major difficulties when working as a consultant in your industry ?

  • Planning management

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Marketing/Promotion of the activity

    Votes: 6 85.7%
  • Stay up to date with regulations/standards

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Isolation: lack of exchange with others

    Votes: 2 28.6%
  • Access to standards

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Projects follow-up (administrative)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Access to training

    Votes: 1 14.3%
  • Logistic (organization of travels...)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Invoicing, collect payment

    Votes: 2 28.6%
  • Others

    Votes: 1 14.3%

  • Total voters
    7
  • Poll closed .
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harry

Super Moderator
#12
Does anybody else see and experienced the seasonal or cyclical nature of jobs coming in? When you are busy, you tend to have more than you can handle and when you are twiddling your fingers, nothing comes in.
 

Ronen E

Problem Solver
Staff member
Moderator
#13
Does anybody else see and experienced the seasonal or cyclical nature of jobs coming in? When you are busy, you tend to have more than you can handle and when you are twiddling your fingers, nothing comes in.
Been there :)
 

Ronen E

Problem Solver
Staff member
Moderator
#14
3. Learning to say NO and not giving away work for free. Specifically when a client calls with what is a quick question, you need to make sure you are compensated for your time.
This is a big problem. Some of my clients stick with me because they know they can always call and get a quick answer on an issue that is too small to justify the whole formal engagement process and associated administrative burden. Whenever I see that it becomes a pattern, or I feel that I'm being taken advantage of, I try to move towards a retainer-type arrangement. Just saying NO (even in the most gentle way) has already cost me a client or two.

In these difficult economic times everybody are looking for freebies. Not because they don't appreciate we deserve a return, but because their budgets are so tight. In medical devices in general, and in regulatory affairs in particular, the turnaround is so long, that many don't appreciate the huge difference a sound advice in the early stages can make later on. The bigger companies usually have their in-house experts or they work with the big service providers and wouldn't bother hiring an independent specialist; so, we are often left with start-up companies employing inexperienced engineers and/or "Dr. Entrepreneur & associates" who are great clinicians but sometimes know quite little about D&D and/or regulatory clearance; that makes it even harder to convince that the service is worth the $ spent. Just go a bit over the edge and they say "hey, that's not so complicated. I can do it by myself." (which might even be true sometimes). I remember that it used to be different before the GFC.

:(
Ronen.
 

Wes Bucey

Quite Involved in Discussions
#15
This is a big problem. Some of my clients stick with me because they know they can always call and get a quick answer on an issue that is too small to justify the whole formal engagement process and associated administrative burden. Whenever I see that it becomes a pattern, or I feel that I'm being taken advantage of, I try to move towards a retainer-type arrangement. Just saying NO (even in the most gentle way) has already cost me a client or two.

In these difficult economic times everybody are looking for freebies. Not because they don't appreciate we deserve a return, but because their budgets are so tight. In medical devices in general, and in regulatory affairs in particular, the turnaround is so long, that many don't appreciate the huge difference a sound advice in the early stages can make later on. The bigger companies usually have their in-house experts or they work with the big service providers and wouldn't bother hiring an independent specialist; so, we are often left with start-up companies employing inexperienced engineers and/or "Dr. Entrepreneur & associates" who are great clinicians but sometimes know quite little about D&D and/or regulatory clearance; that makes it even harder to convince that the service is worth the $ spent. Just go a bit over the edge and they say "hey, that's not so complicated. I can do it by myself." (which might even be true sometimes). I remember that it used to be different before the GFC.

:(
Ronen.
Medical doctors are notorious in restaurants and other service establishments throughout the world as being among the WORST tippers. I think it is because they are so used to being wooed and coddled by BIG PHARMA that they expect butt kissing and kowtowing from everyone without reciprocating.

I, too, have found startups by medical doctors to suffer from poor bench strength of staff and a sense of entitlement by the [often absentee] doctor/CEO. They are stunned when FDA folk and ISO 13485 CBs don't genuflect and ask to kiss the ring.
 

somashekar

Staff member
Super Moderator
#16
Medical doctors are notorious in restaurants and other service establishments throughout the world as being among the WORST tippers. I think it is because they are so used to being wooed and coddled by BIG PHARMA that they expect butt kissing and kowtowing from everyone without reciprocating.

I, too, have found startups by medical doctors to suffer from poor bench strength of staff and a sense of entitlement by the [often absentee] doctor/CEO. They are stunned when FDA folk and ISO 13485 CBs don't genuflect and ask to kiss the ring.
What is this and how is it related to the subject and poll ...
 

Wes Bucey

Quite Involved in Discussions
#17
What is this and how is it related to the subject and poll ...
It was a response to a post by Ronen E, quoted above my comment (where he talks about difficulty with certain kinds of clients) and is germane to the thread because it adds further dimension to the difficulties faced by working consultants which are either in addition to or transcend the items listed in the poll.
 

somashekar

Staff member
Super Moderator
#18
That was about highlight to a situation about ability to say NO, which perhaps is one of the major difficulty when working as a consultant. The stated post as well as the post 2,3,4 up is rather not adding any value to the subject and poll, apart from just belittle of a noble profession and personnel opinions aired.
 
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