Getting Started in Consulting 3e
Published on 29. November 2011
Software
Other digital
320 pages
978-1-118-25815-6 (ISBN)
Description
Getting Started in Consulting, Third Edition provides practical solutions and proven strategies for launching a consulting business. Readers will learn how low overhead and a high degree of organization can translate into a six-figure income within a year of startup, while working from a home office. Author Alan Weiss also offers key information on how to finance a consulting practice, how to write proposals, how to set up billing and bookkeeping, and more. This newly revised and expanded edition includes a "budget sampler": how to best invest $5,000, $10,000, or $20,000 on startup; a brief Q&A section after each chapter of questions from the first two editions on each topic; a new chapter on leveraging technology; updated references and examples; updated appendices; and free downloadable tools and forms to help readers get started. For Alan Weiss's biography, please see below.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
666 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-118-25815-6 (9781118258156)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Alan weiss is a consultant, speaker, and bestselling author. His firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has consulted with such clients as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, and Mercedes-Benz, among many others. His thirty other books include the bestseller Million Dollar Consulting. For more information, contact him at his blog, www.contrarianconsulting.com, or Web site, www.summitconsulting.com.
Content
Introduction to the third edition. About the author. Other works by Alan Weiss. Acknowledgments. Chapter 1. Establishing Goals and Expectations (Including Your Own). You will be what you decide to be, nothing less, nothing more. * Starting at square zero: financial needs. * Personal attributes: the investment from within. * Focus: we're all working part-time. * Why collaboration can kill you. * Summary. * Questions and Answers. Chapter 2. Physical Space and Environmental Needs. Act like you have a business and you'll have one. * Alternative work spaces. * The basics around you. * Beyond the basics. * Communicating at the speed of light. * Getting some help from some friends. * Questions and Answers. Chapter 3. Sorting Out the Legal, Financial, and Administrative. First, let's kill all the lawyers. * Legal requirements and organizational options. * Accounting, financial, and tax matters-exploiting opportunities. * Finding a banker and obtaining credit. * Other professional help. * Questions and Answers. Chapter 4. Marketing 101. Creating a marketing gravity for your business. * Creating a press kit. * Stationery and related image products. * Networking. * Pro bono work. * Listings, ads, and passive sources. * Summary. * Questions and Answers. Chapter 5. Advanced Marketing. * Creating a brand. * Establishing a web site. * Publishing. * Obtaining media interviews. * Speaking. * Newsletters. * Questions and Answers. Interlude: Leveraging Technology. How to get started at the speed of light. * The importance of being earnest. * The budget sampler. * Best practices in leverage. Chapter 6. Initiating the Sales Process and Acquiring Business. Building relationships. * Finding the right buyer. * What to do about gatekeepers. * Gaining conceptual agreement. * Creating a succession of "yeses". * Questions and Answers. Chapter 7. Closing the Sale. How to write proposals and cash checks. * The nature of excellent proposals. * The nine steps of great proposals. * When to follow up. * Eight rules for a command appearance. * Ten steps to follow if the buyer is non-responsive. * Horrors, what if the buyer says "NO": six steps to redemption. * Questions and Answers. Chapter 8. Establishing Fees. If you bill by the hour you cheat your client and yourself. * The fallacy and lunacy of time-based fees and per diems. * Preparing and educating the client. * Fifty-one ways to increase your fees. * Summary. * Questions and Answers. Chapter 9. Moving to the Next Level. You may be ready for dramatic growth before you know it. * Finding resources: the pros and cons of staffs. * Business planning. * Creating passive income. * Working internationally. * Investing in longer term potential. * Summary. * Questions and Answers. Chapter 10. Giving Yourself Permission to Succeed. How to continue to grow by paying back. * Maximize retirement investing. * Mentoring. * Professional growth. * Retainers. * Selective project acquisition. * Travel. * Celebrity status. * The firm's future. * Giving back. * Questions and Answers. Chapter 11. The Quick Start. How to hit the consulting ground running at full speed. * First dimension: creating infrastructure. * Second dimension: reaching out for business. * Summary. * Questions and Answers. Appendices. A. Business Plan to Attract Investment. B. Sample "To Do" Lists. C. Office Equipment Recommendations. D. Trade Associations, Professional Groups, Publicity Sources. E. Sample Biographical Sketch for a New Consultant. F. Sample Position Paper. H. Sample Magazine Inquiry Letter. I. Glossary.