Baiada spun off the consulting business from the software business in 1997. But he continued to run the software business until 1999, the same year that Bluestone Software went public. Besides printing new stationery and business cards, there are not many noticeable changes at Sengen, based in Mount Laurel. What is changing, however, is the business landscape for Internet consulting firms. As Internet strategies evolve and become less ethereal, many potential clients understand what the Web and digital technologies can do for them.
Most companies already have at least some sort of a Web site.
Mel Baiada's Sengen provides some clients with a return on results clause in his contracts. In the past, Baiada said, Internet consulting firms emphasized flash over function. That's really important, but it's not what's going to reduce the friction in the transaction. It's not what going to make companies more efficient. The key is integration, he said.