How can you take your skills and expertise and package and present it to become a successful consultant? There are proven time-tested principles, strategies, tactics and best-practices the most successful consultants use to start, run and grow their consulting business. Consulting Success teaches you what they are. In this book you'll learn: - How to position yourself as a leading expert and authority in your marketplace - Effective marketing and branding materials that get the attention of your ideal clients - Strategies to increase your fees and earn more with every project - The proposal template that has generated millions of dollars in consulting engagements - How to develop a pipeline of business and attract ideal clients - Productivity secrets for consultants including how to get more done in one week than most people do in a month - And much, much more

This sequel has been thoroughly updated to cover current government procurement rules affecting consultants along with a broad range of marketing, financial, professional and ethical issues. Features the latest in computer and office equipment with tips on purchasing the right product. A complete ``Reference File'' contains suggested books, periodicals, consultants' organizations, public speaking contacts and much more.

Whether you’re a beginner just starting up a consulting practice, or a veteran looking for ways to invigorate your existing business, An Insider’s Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice is an invaluable resource. Featuring real stories from consultants in diverse industries, the book offers simple yet powerful ways to: Identify a market and narrow your focus • Make a smooth transition from employee to independent consultant • Sell effectively even if you’ve never sold before • Establish visibility through speaking, writing, and networking • Build credibility by leveraging the credibility of others • Set prices based on value • Develop a marketing strategy and divide your time between marketing and delivering your services • Keep plenty of work in your pipeline • Adapt and thrive in any market condition • And much more Complete with the results of an original survey of 200 successful independent consultants, this handy guide provides the kind of real-life advice you need to build a thriving business.

Presents a clear road map for starting and maintaining a successful consulting business. Whether you are already a consultant or thinking about becoming one, this guide has everything you need. This book shows you how to: - Create a business plan - Set your rate - Select the legal form of your business - Set up retirement funding - Choose appropriate insurance - Market on the Internet - Understand basic record keeping Also included is a recommended resource list and sample worksheets to help you start and maintain your consulting business. If you are an experienced professional at a crossroads in your career, this book can point you in the right direction.

This deeply insightful guide to understanding what clients really want is “an indispensable resource for consultants” (Keith Ferrazzi, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Never Eat Alone). Independent consulting is a potentially lucrative enterprise—but the reality seldom matches the dream. Most solo consultants and boutique consulting firms are perpetually within six months of bankruptcy due to the sputtering unreliability of their new business engines. The problem, according to international consulting expert David A. Fields, is twofold: 1) lack of a consistent, proven plan, and 2) fundamental misunderstanding about what clients want in a consultant. Fields, who has helped hundreds of consultants and boutique firms worldwide build profitable, sustainable practices, replaces the typical consultant’s mindset of emphasizing expertise and differentiated processes with a focus on building relationships, engendering trust, and solving clients’ existing problems. In The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients, Fields synthesizes his decades of experience into a step-by-step approach to winning more projects from more clients at higher fees. From nuts-and-bolts business advice and tactics to a deeply insightful breakdown of the human side of a very human profession, Fields, named one of Advertising Age magazine’s “Marketing Top 100,” delivers a comprehensive guidebook that is at once highly approachable and satisfyingly detailed. “If I could have just one book on client strategy, this book would be it.” —Marshall Goldsmith, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Triggers

Is Independent Consulting Your Next Role? You've been successful inside organizations, and now it's time to extend that success to potential clients. But you don't want to be a smarmy marketer. Instead, you'd like your clients to ask for you by name. Look no further. This practical guide to building your "consulting engine" and creating systems for your business has everything you need to become a successful independent consultant. You'll learn how to: - Assess your value so you can choose which problems to solve for your ideal clients. - Attract clients with continual content marketing. - Create relationships with people across the client organization and with other consultants - Set reasonable fees. - Create and manage your intellectual property. - Learn from the engagement to reassess your value. And much more. As you consult, you can assess and change your business model for the flexibility you need for your business. Buy this book to start now. Become a successful independent consultant on your terms.

This is a practical and essential guide for anyone contemplating establishing their own business. Johnson captures all the key elements which allow a successful transition and is very clear about what can send you off track. Grounded in common-sense and humour.' Norman Walker, former global head of Human Resources for Novartis, now an independent senior executive coach and consultant on leadership. I wish this book had been available when I began my independent career. There's only one word for it PRICELESS!!!' Shay McConnon, psychologist, trainer, coach and mentor. Chances are that if you'

“I wish this book had been available when I began my independent career. There’s only one word for it – PRICELESS!!!” -Shay McConnon, psychologist, trainer, coach, magician and mentor “Grounded in common-sense and humour and very clear about what can send you off track. - Norman Walker, former global head of Human Resources for Novartis, now an independent senior executive coach and consultant on leadership "AMUST read, for anyone thinking about life outside the organisation” - Goran Hultin former Deputy Director General at the ILO (International Labour Office), now a successful independent consultant HOW TO WORK FOR YOURSELF AND MAKE IT WORK Are you thinking of starting up on your own and working for yourself? Do you need to know the nuts and bolts of setting up; marketing yourself and prospecting for new business; keeping things running on a day-to-day basis? Have you already made the leap and want to get more work, new clients, higher fees? This practical, no-nonsense book pulls no punches and gives you all the guidance you need to set yourself up and get work in the first place, plus all the know-how you need to survive, prosper and expand once you’re up and running. See the book’s website at www.pearson-books.com/startinguponyourownfor up-to-the minute financial and tax information for small businesses and the self-employed. This book was previously known as Smarter Consulting. IF YOU NEVER WANT TO WORK FOR SOMEBODY ELSE AGAIN, YOU NEED STARTING UP ON YOUR OWN! Chances are that if you're looking at this book you are at least thinking about taking the big step of going it alone. Or you're already in business as an independent and you want to get better at it. Well, you've come to the right place. Starting Up On Your Own covers everything you need to get ready to work for yourself and, once you've taken the plunge, how to develop your business and stay the course. If you’re not already in business, the first step is to decide if this is the right path for you. To help you with this critical decision, this book takes you through the reality of what's involved and has a unique self-assessment quiz to help you check out your suitability for the independent working lifestyle. You’re probably an expert in your chosen field. That’s great: you’ll be selling your expertise. But when you're working for yourself you have to be good at a whole lot of other things too. Starting Up On Your Own covers everything you need to do to make money and survive as an independent. * Where do I start? * How should I market myself? * How can I get repeat business from my clients? * How do I win new clients? * What should I charge and what do I need to do to make sure I get paid on time? * When can I put up my fees? (And when shouldn’t I?) * Can I work from home? * How much will I need to invest? * Should I hire someone else to work for me? * How shall I organise my time? The answers to all these questions and more are right here. What are you waiting for? Mike Johnsonbegan life as an independent, freelance consultant in 1982, before founding a corporate communications firm in Brussels and London, following a career in journalism and corporate communication for multinational corporations. In 1999 he started again as an independent consultant and freelance. This book is about what he has learned on his freelance journey. His focus today centres around the world of work, talent management and corporate communication for both private and public o

Independent Consulting: The Definitive Guide is neither a manual on consulting exclusively nor a textbook on consulting exclusively. Instead, it is a combination of both. If you are interested in consulting as an accountant, the book does not provide you with the necessary accounting skills. It assumes that you are already appropriately qualified as an accountant. However, it does provide the consulting skills that will help to make you a successful independent consultant in accounting.

Maximize Your Return on Expertise Research shows a high proportion of consultants fail to deliver results on time, on budget, and on target. Rare is the project that exceeds your expectations. But help is here. The Executive's Guide to Consultants explains how to ensure that every project delivers measurable benefits every time. This book will help you find experts, invest wisely, accelerate change, and achieve your most important goals by tapping into the genius of others. The Executive's Guide to Consultants contains breakthrough ideas covered by no other book, including: Sophisticated new contract structures that maximize your ROI Essential methods for reducing project risk Cutting-edge techniques for making change stick after the consultant leaves You will also learn to: Spot "chameleons" and other low-quality consultants who peddle tired ideas and deliver disappointing outcomes Get better results faster, while lowering fees Find the ideal consultant, coach, agency, or advisor for your precise situation Enforce accountability with outside experts and your own internal team Imagine if you could collect the wisdom of dozens of the country's top CEOs, combine it with the experience of a hall-of-fame consultant, and add a bucketful of unconventional thinking. You'd have The Executive's Guide to Consultants. Easy to read and packed with examples, checklists, templates, and guidelines, this book is the ultimate toolkit for maximizing your ROI from outside experts. Get extraordinary results from every consultant you hire "An extraordinary book. Clear, comprehensive, and eminently readable, it is THE book on how you can extract true business value from outside experts." -- Scott Cotherman, Chairman, TBWA\WorldHealth, subsidiary of Omnicom Group, Inc. "This is the Master Class for those who are smart, innovative, ahead of the pack, and who intend to stay that way. If you're not yet in that league, you should read this book twice." -- Alan Weiss, author, Million Dollar Consulting and The Consulting Bible "A terrific guidebook, with much of the advice equally applicable in managing your organization's internal talent. It's an easy, engaging read with a wealth of insights and detailed action steps--I highly recommend it." -- Brian Walker, President and CEO, Herman Miller, Inc. "A powerful antidote to the strained relationship between consultants and clients." -- Garry Ridge, CEO, WD-40 Company "This book shows you how to make your consultants' work stick. No more major investments in experts or programs that evaporate after only a few months or years." -- De Lyle Bloomquist, President, Tata Global Chemicals "Fields's messages are delivered in the way that all executives would like our outside resources to do it: capably, with straight talk and incredible insight." -- Ralph Scozzafava, Chairman and CEO, Furniture Brands