Maplerivertree is a boutique consulting firm based in Seattle, WA, and Vancouver, BC.
We serve clients in the US, Canada, and China.
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How can we help your business?
Thank you for your interest in Maplerivertree consulting services. Please take a few moments to complete this form. Documents can be uploaded if needed to clarify your request. This mailbox only accepts qualified proposal requests for client services. All other inquiries should be directed to our Contact Us page.
Resumes and job inquiries should be sent through our Career site.
FAQs
What’s Maplerivertree’s billing structure?
Although charging by the hour (or by the day) is a common pricing model, Maplerivertree does not do so. We believe it creates an ethical conflict with our clients - we receive larger payment the longer we are involved, but our clients are better served if we can quickly meet the objectives and leave. Thus, Maplerivertree’s billing structure is value-based, and never by a time unit, head count, or boxes of materials. Our fee represents our contribution to our clients’ project with a dramatic return on investment for you and equitable compensation for Maplerivertree.
What’s a retainer option?
Consulting retainers with Maplerivertree provide clients the right to access us as a sounding board, trusted advisor, and objective source at any time within the parameters of the retainer. It is not project-based, but an alternative for our clients to continue to be in touch and situationally use our help; it is also a common option for clients to extend our involvement in a project with an advisory capacity longer term. In a typical Maplerivertree retainer agreement, we work with clients on three main variables: one, the specified number of people who will have access (in general limited to one to four); two, the scope of the access, for example, the time zones, hours, communication methods (email, phone, Zoom), and/or by appointments only. We will also work to ensure immediate access or rapid response when requested; three, the duration of a retainer in effect (commonly 3-6 months). Consulting retainers are different from law firms’ (deposits from clients from which attorneys deducts their ongoing hourly fees).
What’s in a proposal from Maplerivertree?
After conceptual agreements are made with clients in person, our proposal will be sent by electronic means within predefined time windows. We tailor our proposals depending on the particular customer’s need, but they typically consist 9 elements as follow: one, a situation appraisal which defines the circumstance that brings the clients and us to this point. It is focused on outlining the clients’ needs instead of their businesses; two, objectives in bullet-point form, which outline the outcomes described and mutually agreed in prior discussions, and they will principally describe the improved future state of the company, instead of lists of tasks or inputs; three, metrics of the aforementioned objectives, which can be tracked via monthly or weekly reports, anecdotal evidence, or observations; four, values and return on investment created to be generated for your company by hitting the aforementioned objectives; five, methodology and options; six, a statement of approximate times required for completion; seven, joint accountabilities, which catalogues the actions and resources the clients’ firms, Maplerivertree, or/and jointly will commit; eight, terms and conditions, which enumerate the fees for each of the service options, payment and expense reimbursement terms; nine, the proposal is concluded by a contract section, where prospective clients can choose the service options, relevant term options, and provide signatures.
What are the standard expense reimbursements and payment terms?
Expenses are billed monthly after they accrued and will be due on presentation of our invoice. We bill for reasonable travel, lodging, and dining expenses. We do not bill for courier, postage, copies, phones, or administrative work. Standard payment terms require a fifty percent deposit on the acceptance of the proposal and fifty percent in a future day. A professional discount will be offered, typically ten to fifteen percent if our clients choose to pay the fees in their entirety upon acceptance. Fees and terms are noncancellable by default, in the case of project delay or reschedule by mutual agreement, the payment dates and amounts must still be met. Maplerivertree guarantees the quality of our work in terms of meeting our agreements, conducting programs, delivering outcomes.