President's Message

Adding Value for Consultants

At Annex, we have two key stakeholder groups: our clients who pay the bills, and our consultants who complete project work with our customers.  A successful project consists of both components, and we have never forgotten that.  In other words, consultants are just as important to us as clients and vice versa.

We continue to regularly ask ourselves how can we add more value to our consultants?  How can we differentiate Annex from other firms in your mind?  What can we do to further build loyalty with the Annex Alliance, our consortium of nearly 9000 independent IT and business consultants in BC?

This article outlines some of the value added services we are providing to consultants.  At the end, we ask you for your suggestions to help us get even better.

Group Discounts

We believe Annex can add tremendous value for consultants with our group discount programs.  We have a number of discounts in place that take advantage of the size of the Annex Alliance.  We recommend you check them out.  You could save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.  Examples include:

Rogers Smart Phones

Annex has an exclusive deal with Rogers to provide group discounts on voice and data plans for smart phones and broadband devices.  Highlights include:

• The plan is open to all consultants and their spouses.
• New activation credits available for anyone switching from Rogers pay-as-you-go or another carrier.
• The plan is treated as a “company” plan, meaning everyone on the plan can call each other without affecting their monthly minutes.  This is great if your spouse and friends are on the Annex plan.
• Bonus minutes and features.
• Free evenings begin at 6pm, not later like other carriers.
• Fees are 20% lower than what is offered to Rogers’ largest corporate clients.
• Available to consultants across Canada.
• We have had *many* people migrate to this plan with great results.

For more information, please click here.

Business Insurance

Annex has partnered with Hub International and Lombard Canada to offer discounted prices on commercial general liability (CGL) and professional liability insurance for your business.   Highlights include:

• Fantastic pricing on CGL and E&O insurance.
• Ability to select varying levels of coverage.
• Entire application process is online.
• Your Certificate of Insurance is emailed to you immediately after completing the online application process.
• Available to consultants across Canada.

For more information, please click here.

Health Trusts

Health trusts allow you to process family medical and dental expenses through your company.  The program can be used to supplement an existing benefits plan by providing coverage for what your main plan does not include (for example, I used the Annex health trust to help fund the cost of my braces, which are now thankfully off!).  You can also use the trust as your one and only health insurance program.  Highlights include:

• Ability to write-off many expenses that regular insurance plans do not cover.
• No premiums.
• Discounted initiation fee for members of the Annex Alliance consortium of consultants.
• Available to consultants across Canada.

For more information, please click here.

Critical Illness and Disability Insurance

Annex has partnered with RBC Insurance to offer the lowest prices in Canada on critical illness and disability insurance for consultants.  Highlights include:

• Ability to write-off premiums through your company.
• Customized products available for your personal situation.
• Available to consultants across Canada.

For more information, please click here.

Real Estate Affinity Program (REAP)

Annex works with a group of mortgage brokers and real estate agents to provide discounted services to any consultant buying a home, selling a home, or renewing a mortgage.  Highlights include:

• Mortgage broker fees are typically transparent to the customer because they are paid by the financial institution.  The REAP program pays out a portion of the mortgage broker’s fees to you.
• The higher the mortgage, the larger the reimbursement to the Annex consultant.

For more information, please click here.

ProjectWorld*BusinessAnalystWorld

Annex once again has a group discount code available for our consultants.  If you plan to attend the ProjectWorld*BusinessAnalystWorld annual conference in Vancouver on October 11-14, 2011, please use the “ANEX” group discount code.

For information on addition products and services discounts, please visit http://www.annexgroup.com/annex-alliance/products-and-services.asp.

Consultant Seminars

Annex offers seminars to consultants at least once per quarter.  Topics vary widely, such industry content, financial strategies, and even areas related to lifestyle rather than to IT.  Recent seminars have included the following:

• Tax Advantages of Incorporating
• Rogers Smart Phone Group Discounts
• RBC Critical Illness and Disability Insurance Group Discounts
• Running Medical and Dental Expenses Through Your Company Using Health Trusts
• Risk Management
• Quality Assurance

Our next seminar will be held on November 23, 2011 and is entitled “Getting the Fees You Deserve”.  Consultants will be introduced to a straightforward approach to prepare for those client facing conversations in which your fees are set.  You will leave the seminar and immediately be able to secure fees commensurate with the value you deliver.  For more information and to register, please click here.

Exciting Projects

At Annex, we work hard to identify as many opportunities as we can for IT and business professionals.  We understand that you want as many options as possible.  With that in mind, we consistently generate more opportunities in BC than anyone else in the industry.  This gives you more choices when you are looking for your next contract assignment or permanent employment position.

Annex is a Tier 1 prequalified vendor for the largest organizations in BC.  If a client has a formal vendor list, we are likely on it.  Although achieving prequalified status with so many organizations takes a tremendous investment of time, effort and cost, it helps us to generate even more opportunities for members of the Alliance, so we feel it is worth the investment.

Annex is also working on a number of new practice areas that we will introduce to the market in the coming months.  These initiatives will further generate more exciting projects for IT and business professionals in the Annex Alliance.

Fair Fees

We believe in being fair when it comes to our fee structure.  Whether it is for contract work, pass-through services, contract-to-hire, or permanent search, our goal is to maintain reasonable fees that are fair to both the client and to the consultant.  This strategy means the client pays less, and the consultant earns more of the bill rate to the customer.  This approach helps us to get repeat business from both clients and consultants.

Referral Program

If you are familiar with Annex, then you have likely heard about our award-winning Referral Program.  It has been featured in PROFIT magazine, BCBusiness magazine, in a book on Canadian entrepreneurs, and has resulted in Annex being selected as one of BC’s 20 Leading Innovators for 2011.

The Annex Referral Program helps consultants (as well as clients and anyone else for that matter) generate a passive income.  Simply refer great people to us and you will receive compensation if we work with them.  Refer a project to us, and you earn twice as much.  Based on the average project duration in 2011, if you refer a one-person project to Annex, on average you will earn $5,000.  If it is a two-person project, you will earn double.  We expect to pay out more than $150,000 in referral fees in 2011.  In fact, we are closing in on $1-million of referral fees paid out over the lifetime of the company!  We now offer the ability to donate your referral fees to charity.

The Annex Alliance is growing by 100 to 200 people per month on average, so please help us help others by referring projects to Annex that are not a fit for you.

We are very excited about our Referral Program and hope you see it as a value added service from Annex to consultants.  For more information, please click here.

Giving Back

We work hard to have a viable business, but it is not always just about revenues and profit.  Giving back to the community in which we live is a core value of Annex.  OK, as a consultant, you may not consider this to be a value add, but wouldn’t you rather work with an organization that is committed to helping others? 

Please “Like” our new Facebook page.  Annex will donate $1 for every Like we receive until December 25 to Nourish Charitable Foundation Society. NCFS provides hampers of healthy, non-perishable food items to single mothers who are leaving the Tri-Cities Transition House, a temporary safe haven for women and children escaping domestic abuse.  Please visit and Like our Facebook page to help families in need.  Visit our Facebook page by clicking here.

Keep watching our Facebook page for regular prize give-aways and contests.  We have recently donated football tickets, hockey tickets and books to consultants in the Annex Alliance.

For more information about how we give back to our industry and community, please click here.

Feedback

We are looking for suggestions.  Send your ideas for products and services discounts, future seminar topics, and other ways Annex can add value to consultants to info@annexgroup.com.

Conclusion

This article is longer than what I normally write, so I appreciate your patience.  It is important to me that consultants know they are also our clients.  We will continue to work on your behalf to add value.  Thanks for your support and we look forward to working with you.

Follow Stacey

Stacey Cerniuk is founder, President and CEO of Annex.  He is a certified PMP and member of the Program Advisory Group for PM-Volunteers.org.  Previous President’s Messages are available in past Annex newsletters: http://www.annexgroup.com/about/newsletter.asp