We do things a little differently at
ALTFELD INC.


  • As professional management consultants, we do not purport to know your business better than you do. As a matter of fact, our stated purpose is to provide you with the means to discern your own realities, achieve actual disclosure, and discover genuine solutions. Altfeld, Inc. does this with thought provoking and challenging questions, combined with imagination, ingenuity, and teamwork. We firmly believe that none of us is as smart as all of us working together.

  • A client and consultant relationship is a trade-off and you should not be billed every time we talk or correspond. For example, we don't expect you to charge us for the knowledge you impart to us about your business and industry. In turn, you should not be charged for our learning about what it is that you do and how you do it. If we are to have frank and open dialogue, it is imperative that we do so without the worry or distraction of a meter running.

  • We won't walk in, flash our credentials, tell you about your business, and promise you the moon. Nor will we present you with a laundry list of everything you are doing wrong, ask for a check, and walk out the door..."thank you very much." What we do is help you work on your business while you work in your business. We accomplish that by remaining honest, unbiased, and completely objective.


Once we do begin working together, we really do work together. For one, we're great listeners. For another, we are not arms length consultants. We roll up our sleeves, jump in with both feet planted firmly on the ground, and take a hands-on, active role.


Transferring the Risk


As professionals, it is up to us to perform the work you hired us to do. Should you try something we feel strongly about, and it fails or does not live up to predetermined expectations as a result of something we did or did not do, don't pay us. Should Altfeld, Inc. ever cost you money or directly cause you to lose money, don't pay us.

The primary service Altfeld Inc. performs is to work with the owner to make the business less dependent upon him or her for its survival. We do this for five reasons:

  • You can turn your business into an annuity for you, your trust or your heirs

  • Your business automatically becomes more valuable to any potential buyer

  • Your business can survive any major health event that you may encounter

  • Your business can survive your taking a lengthy vacation

  • Your business can move forward because your people have the tools, knowledge, expertise and motivation to make it happen


Interim Management


What is it?

Executive Interim Management is a short-term (6 months – 3 years) option whenever there is:

  • No time to replace a key player
  • The person being groomed for a suddenly vacant position is not ready to fill it
  • The vacant position is important but not permanent
  • You want to buy yourself time before filling the position
  • You want time to reassess and re-evaluate the position

Why Use it?

Some of the leading reasons for relying on Interim Management are:

Crisis Management.

A key player in your organization leaves. That person’s successor is not ready for prime time and there is no one else within the organization that can fill it. Your hire an Interim Manager to:

  • Guard against a competitor
  • Hold the company or department together long enough for you to find the right successor
  • Build a strong second tier management team

Change & Transition

Impermanence is a fact of life and business is in a constant state of flux. As a result, change and transition are things every business has to live with. As a matter of fact, the best recommendation is that if it ain’t broke, break it. -- Seize control of your own destiny and take charge of shaping your own future.

Change and the re-engineering that goes with it can involve staff upheaval and the revision of working practices - often with the unfortunate effect of creating a great deal of uncertainty amongst personnel.

An Interim Manager, brings with him or her, a great deal of experience as well as a fresh approach and outlook. Interim Managers have no ties, are not there to win any popularity contests, but are there to do whatever is best for the company.

The approach Altfeld takes is based on years of hands-on experience of tried and tested solutions. If there is one thing we’ve learned over the course of the past 35+ years, it’s that there is never just one solution. Which is why, unlike most consultants, Altfeld Inc. will do whatever it takes to get the job done efficiently and as effectively as possible, and will not force a square peg into a round hole.

Jim Altfeld and Altfeld Inc. has extensive experience in change management and has stepped in as an Interim Manager to deal with change management for a number of companies.

Situations That Call For Interim Management

Who Left!?!

Another company lures away one of the major players on your management team, leaving a huge hole. Now you have a critical position to fill and without delay. The solution: An Interim Manager.

M&A’s

“You’ve been acquired” are three words that can send shivers down the spines of executive management, middle management and lower level employees, alike. There are cultural changes, restructuring and resource allocation issues and plethora of critical decisions to be made.

As a result, you can count on clashes, misunderstandings and key people leaving. Someone with the knowledge, experience and expertise needs to fill the holes and fill them now. Internally, there is no one that fits the bill. Externally, an Interim Manager could be the temporary solution.

Benefits of Using an Interim Manager:

  • Now!

    The position gets filled quickly without the worry of a 60 day review, probationary period or paying for perq’s.

  • Knowledge, Experience, and Expertise.

    An Interim manager hits the ground running. Interim Managers walk into the job prepared to deal with whatever it is s/he is about to face.

  • No Baggage.

    The Interim Manager arrives with a fresh perspective and no political or personal ties to anyone in the company. The Interim Manager has a job to do and it gets done.

  • Accountable.

    The Interim Manager rolls up his sleeves, jumps in with both feet and immerses himself into the job. They have objectives and measures for which they are held accountable.

  • Empowered.

    An Interim Manager, in most instances, has the authority to impact change or transition within a company. Becausethey have no ties to anyone in the company prior to their arrival, the decisions they make will be based upon what is best for the company and the department.

  • Committed.

    The Interim Manager is not seeking a full time position. They will throw themselves into the position for however long it lasts, knowing they will either be replaced or the position itself will be eliminated.

To discuss your interim management requirements with Altfeld Inc. call 1.800.397-0010 or email jaltfeld@altfeldinc.com


China

Doing business in China is like riding into Dodge in the 1800’s before there ever was a Matt Dillon. China is a corrupt, almost wanton place to do business. It is a place where it is difficult to determine where business and government split. Because the truth is, business in China is political. It is seldom if ever, what does the company want? It is mostly what does the government want?

Your challenge in trying to do business in China is to find the actual right person or persons who can truly either make the decision, lead and introduce you to the right person, and/or open doors for you that will create genuine opportunities. Sounds simple, but it ain’t. Almost everyone you meet will tell you they’re the right person and you’d better put something in their pocket if you want to make anything happen. In most cases, you do and they don’t.

If you’re dealing with a Chinese manufacturer, do your due diligence. Find out what their QC practices are, what are their manufacturing processes, who are their major customers and are you dealing with the owner or a middleman? Do in China what you would normally do here. Set criteria for what you want before you even begin looking.

If you're hell bent for leather to do business with or in China and would like to speak with a reliable contact who will be genuinely out to help you, I suggest you contact ww.apucc.org and speak with Stacy Sun.

Furthermore, should you wish to reach the local Asian community here in Southern California, contact jaltfeld@altfeldinc.com and I can introduce you to some very good people who can help you to accomplish your goals.


Management

Altfeld teaches a Thirteen Part Group or Individualized Course for Managers & Supervisors at your site.

Napoleon Hill's Sixteen Laws of Success is available free in the Library.


Sales

Altfeld teaches an Eleven Part Group or Individualized Course on Managing Sales and Territory Management.


Two & Three Day Strategic Planning Sessions

Altfeld, Inc. offers two and three day strategic planning sessions. The 3 day session includes all of the following while the 2 day covers selected major sections:

Strategic Thinking

  • a meeting of the minds
  • creating the future

Your Company's Future

  • technologies & tools versus
  • your competition

Leadership

Employee Ownership

Focus & Direction

  • Speed
  • Agility
  • Responsiveness
  • Adaptability

Innovation

Communications/Knowledge

  • Control
  • Empowerment & Authority
  • Centralized/Decentralized
  • Accountability
  • Reporting
  • Budgets

Teams & Training

Culture & Values

Anatomy of a Business

  • Systems & Processes
  • Hierarchy
  • Owners & Org charts
  • Rules, mission, and financials
  • Business segments
  • The process
  • Types of work
  • Horizontal Interdependence
  • Creating Urgency
  • Total Preventative Maintenance

The Managers, Measurement & Your Value Producing Cycle

The Customer

Your Company's:

  • Core Competencies
  • Business
  • Purpose

Creating Your Company's:

  • Vision
  • Mission
  • Credo
  • Objectives
  • Strategies
  • Tactics

In addition to the strategic planning events and the creation of an overall corporate strategy, Altfeld, Inc. is available to assist owners and CEOs with the implementation and buy-in of the plan. This is accomplished through an interdependent and horizontal alignment of the objectives. (See article in library on Strategic Alignment of Objectives).