Advise, Influence, and Serve Clients for Mutual Profit
Advise, Influence, and Serve Clients for Mutual Profit
Become a Successful Consultant
About the Book
You want to become a consultant. But, not one of those consultants on the verge of failure---you want to succeed. Learn how to create a successful consulting business, regardless of what success means to you. You'll support and serve your clients, and create a life that fulfills you.
About the Author
Table of Contents
-
- About this Early Release
- Acknowledgments
-
Part 1: Organize Yourself for Success
-
1. Define Your Success
- 1.1 Define Your Why
- 1.2 Who Are Your Ideal Clients?
- 1.3 What Work Will You Choose?
- 1.4 Define Your Personal Values
- 1.5 What Does Success Look Like For You?
- 1.6 Assess Your Attitude
- 1.7 Now Try This to Define Your Success
-
2. Manage Your Calendar
- 2.1 Manage Your Actions
- 2.2 Work in Short Timeboxes
- 2.3 Manage Unplanned Work
- 2.4 Plan with Your Board and Calendar
- 2.5 Reflect Daily on Your Work
- 2.6 Reflect Weekly on Your Work
- 2.7 Schedule Time to Learn and Market
- 2.8 Now Try This to Manage Your Calendar
-
3. Define Your Unique Value
- 3.1 Understand Your Skills
- 3.2 Non-Technical Skills
- 3.3 Inventory Your Skills
- 3.4 Articulate Your Value
- 3.5 Assess Each of Your Jobs
- 3.6 Choose Which Skills To Reinforce
- 3.7 Maintain Your Self-Esteem
- 3.8 Define the Problems You Solve
- 3.9 Now Try This to Recognize Your Value
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4. Start Your Business
- 4.1 Define Your Web Presence and Email
- 4.2 Create a Minimum Website
- 4.3 Select an Email List Provider
- 4.4 Start your Social Media Presence
- 4.5 Decide on a Business Phone Number
- 4.6 Open a Business Checking Account
- 4.7 File Appropriate Business Paperwork
- 4.8 Create Your Organized and Comfortable Place of Business
- 4.9 Assess Your Insurance Needs
- 4.10 Use a Printer with Scanner Capabilities
- 4.11 Print Business Cards
- 4.12 Spend as Little as Possible on Infrastructure
- 4.13 Now Do This to Start Your Business
-
1. Define Your Success
-
Part 2
-
5. Define Your Business Model
- 5.1 Define Your Consulting Strategy
- 5.2 Define Your Driving Force
- 5.3 Your Expertise Drives Your Business Model
- 5.4 Define Your Products and Services
- 5.5 Offer Products and Services Based on Your Desired Consulting Role
- 5.6 Are You a Contractor or Consultant?
- 5.7 Create Multiple Income Streams for Resilience
- 5.8 Build Resilience into Your Business Model
- 5.9 Assess Your Business Model Over Time
- 5.10 Now Do This for Your Business Model
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6. Create Your Marketing Funnel
- 6.1 Build Relationships Across Your Network
- 6.2 Learn How to Use Content Marketing
- 6.3 Recognize the Buyer
- 6.4 Build Your Marketing Muscle
- 6.5 Build Awareness for Your Expertise
- 6.6 Decide Your Mix of Marketing Activities
- 6.7 Ways to Use Active Marketing
- 6.8 Social Media Rarely Attracts Clients
- 6.9 Handle Social Media Harassment
- 6.10 Spend a Day Each Week on Content Marketing
- 6.11 Now Try This to Build Your Marketing Funnel via Expertise
-
7. Attract Clients with Expertise
- 7.1 Show Your Expertise in Your Newsletter
- 7.2 Write Blogs to Attract New People to Your Funnel
- 7.3 Showcase Expertise in Other Writing
- 7.4 Showcase Your Expertise as a Speaker
- 7.5 Interplay of Speaking, Writing, Consulting
- 7.6 Public Speaking and Writing Makes You an Expert
- 7.7 Write a Bio to Attract Clients
- 7.8 Draft Your First Bio
- 7.9 Now Try This to Attract Clients with Your Expertise
-
8. Create the Client Relationship
- 8.1 Create Empathy with Your Client
- 8.2 Learn with a Discovery Call
- 8.3 Explore Possibilities in the Discovery Call
- 8.4 Advise the Client
- 8.5 Gain Agreement Before You Write a Proposal
- 8.6 Influence the Client
- 8.7 Decline to Work With the Client
- 8.8 Respect the Client
- 8.9 Now Do This for Your Client Relationships
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9. Create Successful Proposals
- 9.1 Start with This Proposal Template
- 9.2 Use Time as Your Advantage
- 9.3 Fix Common Proposal Problems
- 9.4 Decline the Work When It Doesn’t Fit
- 9.5 Create a Retainer Agreement
- 9.6 Track the Proposal Process
- 9.7 Gain Awareness of Organizational Changes
- 9.8 Wait for a PO to Start
- 9.9 Now Try This for Proposals
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10. Set Reasonable Fees
- 10.1 Money Buys You Freedom
- 10.2 What’s Your Time Worth to You?
- 10.3 Value Your Time
- 10.4 Value-Based Fees
- 10.5 Higher Fees Mean Better Clients
- 10.6 Make Sure You’re Happy with Your Fee
- 10.7 Set Fees for Writing and Speaking
- 10.8 Now Try This to Set Your Reasonable Fees
-
5. Define Your Business Model
-
Part 3
-
11. Manage Your Money
- 11.1 Understand Cash Flow
- 11.2 Manage Your Income Streams
- 11.3 Track Revenue, Not Units
- 11.4 Write the Checks Yourself
- 11.5 Decide How You Will Pay Yourself
- 11.6 Don’t Let Your Clients Manage Your Money
- 11.7 Evaluate Requests for Your Work
- 11.8 How I Think About Hiring People
- 11.9 Now Try This to Manage Your Money
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12. Manage Your Intellectual Property
- 12.1 Read All Contracts
- 12.2 Understand Your Property Rights
- 12.3 License Your IP
- 12.4 Repurpose Your Content
- 12.5 Now Try This to Manage Your IP
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13. Collaborate with Other Consultants
- 13.1 Refer Other Consultants
- 13.2 Write With Other Consultants
- 13.3 Speak With Other Consultants
- 13.4 Deliver Client Work with Others
- 13.5 Create a Partnership for Specific Outcomes
- 13.6 Agree on a Contract
- 13.7 Collaboration Traps
- 13.8 Now Try This for Collaboration
-
14. Maintain Your Health
- 14.1 Start Your Business with Money Health
- 14.2 Enlist Your Family for Support
- 14.3 Build Your Symmathesy Support System
- 14.4 Plan Your Physical Health
- 14.5 Assess Your Emotional Health
- 14.6 Now Try This to Manage Your Health
-
15. Adapt and Evolve Your Successful Practice
- 15.1 Trap: Marketing is Separate from Consulting
- 15.2 Trap: You Need to Take Credit for Your Clients’ Successes
- 15.3 Trap: Anyone Can Consult
- 15.4 Trap: You’ll Replace Your Salary Fast
- 15.5 Trap: You Need More Money
- 15.6 Trap: You Work for Money, Not Satisfaction
- 15.7 Trap: You no Longer Respect Your Client’s Problems
- 15.8 Evolve Your Practice Purposefully
- 15.9 Consulting Is Not for You—Yet
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16. Worksheets You Might Find Helpful
- 16.1 Active Marketing Discussion Points
- Annotated Bibliography
- More from Johanna
-
11. Manage Your Money
- Notes
About the Publisher
This book is published on Leanpub by Practical Ink
Johanna Rothman's books on leanpub. Practical, frank, and often humorous tips you can put to work right now.
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