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Welcome. Lupine Partners was founded by me (David Wolfe) in February, 1993. After years of toil, and tough times – I managed to save $1,000. I took this money and bought a PC (for you older folks out there – it was a ‘clone’ machine I had built…with a ‘486’ processor). I was able to land my first client providing software implementation services on a well-known property management package. Our website is a FREE resource to you and should be used to get answers to difficult questions you may have about consulting, software, requirements gathering, and implementation. We have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge through the years, and have a long history of sharing our collective expertise. We feel certain you will find value here…and that it will help you and your organization make the best decisions with regard to information technology. Decisions that should help make you a more profitable organization. Navigate through the site and pick the resources that best fit your unique situation. You will find a combination of short videos, special reports, and daily/weekly tips (you will need to subscribe via the resources section in the upper right hand corner). This project went very well. I was able to obtain a testimonial from this first client…which got me a second client (and a second testimonial)…and a third. And so on. After five years I looked up, and I had a thriving solo practice with a client list of about 30 companies. I had a practice, but I did not have a business. I took some time and slowly went about making the change from a one-man-show to being a real company…by clearly defining the services we provided, but more importantly I went through a process of discernment to make sure that the services my company was providing was congruent with the requirements, needs and desires of our client base. I determined that we were actually in the security and protection business…and in the construction business as well. If my firm was just in the consulting business, then that would mean that we would be peddling our services regardless of what our clients and prospects need. I discerned that my clients do not really care at all about our consulting services. Our Clients Want: A qualified guarantee of success. In my business, you can’t guarantee that a software project won’t fail. There are too many variables – such as the software product not working as advertised or the client not investing the necessary human or financial resources…the list could go on and on. Our clients understand this – or at least they do once we educate them on all of the success/failure variables. But we are willing to guarantee success subject to certain actions by our client being congruent with a successful project. Clients enjoy and respect this mature attitude towards project management…and they should be wary of any consultant who gives an absolute guarantee. (Security) To be led…to feel invisible hands below them to help cushion any falls. I have always thought of it as being a parent, and that our clients are our children. We are tough, understanding, and keep our eye on the ball. Because that’s what people need, want, and expect from a professional involved in a process that is always difficult. (Protection)
Honest and timely communication of problems and issues. Problems on a software project are like rain in the Pacific Northwest in the winter – steady and constant. Our customers want all issues on the table so they can be resolved. And they count on this from me and my team. (Protection) Our experience. They want to know that we’ve already been through everything that they are now going through. Grey hair and all that goes with it. (Security) Us to not learn everything while on their account. Or said another way, they want us to ethically represent what we can and can’t do. But at the same time understand that all professionals are always learning, and that there are some things that we (still!) do learn while a client is paying us. Just as they are benefiting from something we learned on a previous job. (Protection) To focus on their desired outcomes, not our services. This means that we are in the business of keeping everybody’s collective eye focused on the ball. What we are not in the business of is highlighting our tactics and processes (read: consulting services) to get our clients to where they want to go. (Construction) Their existing business to continue while their software project is in process. The analogy that I always use is the construction of a highway. The workers always build the temporary route before they actually begin to build the new road (new software). Those of us in the construction business understand this, and build the core of our plan around this fact. (Construction) My firm to be successful…or said another way, they want to be associated with the best. There is security in knowing that my company has a long and stable client base, and an equally rich and strong prospect pipeline. We have roots deep in the ground and will be around to fulfill our obligations. It’s the same notion of multi-family residents not wanting to live in a complex that is only 30% occupied. It lacks community, vibrancy, and hope. Same emotion and same concept. (Security) My firm to have lots of clients, but to feel like they are my only client. It is a core human emotion – people want to be around other people who are successful. Sounds odd, but our successes are our client’s security. (Security) To know that other companies have used our services in the past, and that the companies were satisfied and received fair value from us. Even if they aren’t the same services as the ones our prospects might consider buying. The problem with being in the service business is that your customers are buying, to an extent, on a leap of faith. The customer doesn’t generally know if you have received fair value until the end. Having a rich stable of satisfied customers is a risk mitigator. It’s also our biggest asset as a company. (Security) Once I made this mental leap, I was ready to grow the company. And grow it I did – in terms of revenue, clients, successful software needs assessments, software evaluations, software implementations, and employees. Our client growth came from organizations that were willing to ‘take a chance with us’. They saw something about us and our approach. They were intrigued and interested in our personal touch, and our ‘just get it done’ mentality. Over the years, a few key accounts have sustained, and ultimately leap-frogged us up to our current status as one of the pre-eminent small consulting firms in the United States. These organizations, and the year that our partnership with them began is as follows: ROC Communities (Denver, CO) – 1993 Occasionally, I am asked – “With all of your successes, why isn’t Lupine a larger consulting firm?” It’s a good question. Here’s my answer: We don’t need to be. We have consistently created and brokered solutions with our small, highly cohesive and functional consulting team. Ask CalPERS, who awarded us the contract to perform their software needs assessment – and ultimately to lead the process to find a technology solution for their 32 BILLION dollar real estate fund. Lupine was chosen over many firms in the country – some of them having an international presence with hundreds of offices. Needless to say, I did ask them – and here’s why we were hired: In essence, what the project team was saying to us was that we had the sensibilities of a small firm, with the professional methodologies of a large one. Committed to Your Prosperity and Achievement,
David Wolfe, CPA |
When a software selection project falls out of the sky and onto your plate, you need a strong heart, a sharp brain, and the courage to tackle the task. This is the book that provides all three, and more. It is a clear and methodical map through the unclear and needlessly chaotic process of software selection. Click Here |
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