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Contents Listing

Preface.
Introduction.
Increasing need for consultants. Do consultants have an identity crisis? How consultants specialize. How definition relates to consulting (marketing) success. The more important view: That of the client.
Chapter 1: What Does (Should) a Consultant Do?
Computers and data processing. The aerospace industries. The consultant organization. The consultant company. Hybrids. The consultant as a self-employed independent. Suitable fields and services.
Chapter 2: Seizing Opportunity.
Your consulting specialty versus your marketing needs. What does it take to be a consultant? The skill of a consultant. The avenues of specialization. Consulting assignments evolve.
Chapter 3: Consulting as a Second Career.
Chapter 4: Why Do So Many Consultants Fail? How to Succeed.
The roots of failure. The common mistakes of neophyte consultants. The basic tradeoffs. How specialized should you be? Specialize and diversify. Marketing. The ten laws of survival. The consultant’s image.
Chapter 5: A Few Keys to Success.
The art of listening. Deciding what business you are in. The key to the definition. The two basic sales situations. The independent consultant: Specialist or generalist? Do’s and don’ts, especially for the first year.
Chapter 6: Founding the Consulting Practice.
Chapter 7: Finances, Taxes, and Related Problems.
Using what your accountant tells you. The information you need. Some common mistakes. Some basic rules. Basic cost centers and cost definitions. Insurance. Taxes: Avoidance is legal.
Chapter 8: Marketing and Sales: Finding Leads and Closing Them.
Success in marketing is always a tonic. What is marketing? Discovering what clients wish to buy. “I know it when I see it.” Creating needs—FUDs. Face-to-face closing. Qualifying prospects.
Chapter 9: Releases, Brochures, and Other Materials.
Marketing and messages. Releases and newsworthiness. Brochures as marketing tools. Other sales materials. A word on e-mails.
Chapter 10: The New Marketing.
Chapter 11: Marketing to the Public Sector: Federal, State, and Local Government.
A brief glimpse of government markets. What governments buy. How governments buy. The procurement system. Market research. Subcontracting and other special marketing approaches. Forms.
Chapter 12: Proposal Writing: A Vital Art.
Chapter 13: The Initial Meeting with the New Client or Prospect.
Chapter 14: Negotiations, Fees, and Contracts.
Chapter 15: Consulting Processes and Procedures.
The art of listening. The art of listening part 2. Value of solution. Listening as a hired consultant. A basic approach to all analysis: Function.
Chapter 16: Final Reports, Presentations, and Other Products.
Written reports: Products of the consulting project. Verbal reports and presentations. Other products. Finding a measuring stick.
Chapter 17: Fees and Collections.
Cash flow is a problem for everyone. Warning flags. Credit card convenience—and inconvenience. Collections. Collecting from government clients.
Chapter 18: Skills You Need: Making Presentations.
Consulting: Business or profession? Public speaking. The notion of born speakers. Planning the presentation. A few presentation principles.
Chapter 19: Skills You Need: Writing.
Writing skills for the consultant. Research and data gathering. The draft.
Chapter 20: Additional Profit Centers: Writing for Publication and Self-Publishing.
Consulting means different things to different consultants. What are profit centers? Why other profit centers? The common denominator. Writing for profit. Publishing your own book. Marketing books. Other marketing means. Other publishing ventures.
Chapter 21: Additional Profit Centers: Seminars and Public Speaking.
Speaking for profit. The public speaking industry. The seminar business. Marketing the seminar.
Chapter 22: Consulting and New Technologies.
Chapter 23: Business Ethics in Consulting.
A standard of conduct. Conflicts of interest. Fees and related ethical considerations. Ethics and fees. A recommended code.
Chapter 24: The Reference File.
Index.