We believe in working behind the scenes

Working behind the scenes, below the radar, offering innovative solutions that make you look good in the eyes of your stakeholders. The consulting relationship should be all about you – not us. Our profile or acknowledgment is really irrelevant. Our job, as we see it, is to put our heads down and do great work. Nothing else really matters.

We actually say “no” to opportunities

We believe we are the best at what we do, but we don’t believe we do everything equally well. The truth is, the list is small given the world of consulting and projects. In our mind, a firm or profession that does not say “no” as often as they say “yes” lacks integrity. Our goal is to do great work. When we can’t, we are delighted to refer you to someone else who can. This is how we maintain our reputation and earn the trust of our clients.

Doubting minds become our most loyal clients

We love clients who have heard it all before and remain dissatisfied with the same old cookies and cookie-cutter solutions. They relish how we approach problems because it is how they approach problems. Smart people value smart ideas and compelling advocacy. If we can’t convince you about the quality of our thinking, how will we ever satisfy you with the quality of our solutions? If your experience suggests competence is a very high standard, we are excited at the prospect of working with you.

Great work leads to more work

Surprisingly to many, we don’t market ourselves, we don’t have a “sales” arm, and we don’t typically respond to RFP’s or engage in beauty contests or consultant bake-offs. Without repeat clients and referrals, we would have been out of business a long time ago. More than 89% of our revenues are derived from repeat clients. The remainder of our engagements come from referrals and endorsements. Great work is our lifeblood. We are secretly proud of the fact that some of our strongest endorsements come from other consulting firms. Given the jealousy competing firms often harbor, we must be doing something right to earn their respect. That something is work of the highest quality.

Responsiveness means everything to us

At CRA, we have worked hard to build a responsive culture. We turn things around quickly. We are there for our clients when they need us. We don’t miss deadlines. We get back to clients and each other with speed. We do what it takes to get the job done, even if that means sacrificing personal choices and pleasures. At this point in our evolution as a firm, we can’t help it. It’s who we are. We are told over and over that we are the most responsive firm our clients have ever worked with. We consider that the highest compliment because of our commitment not to let anyone down, ever.