|
Published:
May 5, 2008

Consulting For Dummies

Overview

A clear, concise resource for entering this lucrative career field

Consulting For Dummies, 2nd Edition includes a reorganization and narrower focus of the topic, with new or updated information that delves into the specifics of running your own consulting business. There is greater emphasis on the business of consulting, along with financial and legal issues involved in setting up a consulting business, deepening coverage of consulting proposals, and entirely new chapters on higher-level consulting issues that more-established consultants are demanding.
Read More

About The Author

Bob Nelson (San Diego, CA) is founder and president of Nelson Motivation, Inc., a management training and consulting firm based in San Diego, California. As a practicing manager and a best-selling author, he is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of employee recognition, rewards, motivation, morale, retention, productivity, and management. He is author of the bestselling book 1001 Ways to Reward Employees (Workman) — which has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide — and coauthor of the best-selling book Managing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, with Peter Economy (Wiley), as well as 18 other books on management and motivation.
Bob has been featured extensively in the media, including television appearances on CNN, CNBC, PBS, and MSNBC; radio appearances on NPR, USA Radio Network and the Business News Network; and print appearances in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and many more. He writes a weekly column for American City Business Journals and a monthly column for Corporate Meetings & Incentives, among others.
Dr. Nelson received his PhD in management from The Peter F. Drucker Graduate Management Center of Claremont Graduate University in suburban Los Angeles, and received his MBA in organizational behavior from The University of California at Berkeley. For more information on products and services offered by Nelson Motivation, Inc. — including speaking or consulting services — call 800-575-5521. Visit Bob at his Web site: www.nelsonmotivation.com.

Peter Economy (La Jolla, CA) is a freelance business writer and publishing consultant who is associate editor of the Apex award-winning magazine Leader to Leader, and coauthor of the best-selling book Managing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, with Bob Nelson (Wiley), Giving Back with Bert Berkley (Wiley), The SAIC Solution with J. Robert Beyster (Wiley), as well as the author or coauthor of more than 30 other books on a wide variety of business and other topics. Visit Peter at his Web site: www.petereconomy.com and be sure to check out his Free Book Project at: www.booksforfree.org.

Sample Chapters

consulting for dummies

CHEAT SHEET

If you’ve decided to become a consultant, stay ahead of the competition using tested techniques. A professional website and a commitment to your clients will increase your chances of referrals and add to your consulting client base.10 secrets to consulting successMany different ways exist to become a more efficient consultant, however, some are better than others.

HAVE THIS BOOK?

Articles from
the book

How you bill your clients for your consulting work depends on your consulting contract or, in the absence of a written contract, any other agreements you may have made regarding billing and payment. If your contract is set up to pay you as you achieve specific milestones — say, completing one-quarter of the project or submitting a draft report of recommendations — then you invoice your clients upon completion of each milestone.
While you’re throwing money and time at marketing your consulting business don’t forget your current clients. They’re your best source for new consulting business because they know you and your quality of work first hand. Take care of current clients first with these proven techniques: Be on time and within budget.
If you’ve decided to become a consultant, stay ahead of the competition using tested techniques. A professional website and a commitment to your clients will increase your chances of referrals and add to your consulting client base.10 secrets to consulting successMany different ways exist to become a more efficient consultant, however, some are better than others.
A consultant's primary responsibility is to help clients find the best solutions to their needs. This means asking questions and then listening — really listening — to the answers. The simple fact is that you can't possibly understand what your potential clients need unless you give them the opportunity to tell you.
Ethics are important for anyone in business. They're particularly important to consultants because of the high level of trust that organizations grant them and because of the access that many consultants have to the confidential and proprietary inner workings of the firms that employ them. No single code of ethics is appropriate for everyone, but some very basic ethical beliefs can and should form the basis for your personal code of ethics.
Consultants face ethical dilemmas every day of the week, and as a consultant, you may be tempted to stray to the wrong side of that ethical line. But remember that you have a choice: You can do business the ethical way or the unethical way. It's that simple. If you choose to do business the ethical way, not only will you sleep better at night, but your reputation will be enhanced and your clients will be glad that they have one less thing to worry about.
When putting together a first-class Web site for your consulting business, your goal is to create a professional image, make the site easy to navigate and enhance client contact. Try these Web site building tips: Consider hiring a pro. Your Web site may be the first impression a potential client has of your business, and first impressions are important.
As a consultant, the relationships you build with your clients are key to your success and they should be built on the strongest foundation of respect and honesty. Maintain the highest code of ethics and always do the right thing, including: Account for your time accurately and honestly. Don’t make promises that you can’t keep.
In consulting, problem-solving is really where the rubber meets the road. While problem-solving, you review the data that you sliced, diced, and otherwise processed to develop a set of solutions, one or more of which will ultimately become the recommended course of action that you present to your clients. Because of this, you want to open the net as wide as possible at the beginning of the problem-solving process — hauling in as many possibilities as you can.
Many different ways exist to become a more efficient consultant, however, some are better than others. Incorporating the following methods into the way you do business will keep you way ahead of the consulting competition: Listen to your clients. To determine the best solutions for your clients, you must listen to them and understand what it is they want.
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6630d85d73068bc09c7c436c/69195ee32d5c606051d9f433_4.%20All%20For%20You.mp3

Frequently Asked Questions

No items found.