Become a Successful Independent Consultant
Become a Successful Independent Consultant
Share Your Expertise for Mutual Profit
About the Book
Do you want to become an independent consultant? You know you have expertise that potential clients need. This book helps you see how successful consultants apply their value to clients' problems.
In this book, you'll learn how to:
- Define your success to create the life you want.
- Create a resilient business model.
- Help your clients discover you through your expertise.
- Write winning proposals with value-based fees.
- Manage the client relationship.
- Create and manage your intellectual property
- Continue to learn as you work with your clients for everyone's benefit.
- Adapt and evolve your business over time.
And much more.
Whether you start now or prepare for the future, you can become a successful independent consultant.
About the Author
Table of Contents
-
- About this Early Release
- Acknowledgments
-
Part 1: Prepare for Your Success
- 1. Define Consulting
-
2. Define Your Success
- 2.1 See the Benefits of a Successful Consulting Practice
- 2.2 Define Your Why
- 2.3 Who Are Your Ideal Clients?
- 2.4 What Work Will You Choose?
- 2.5 Define Your Personal Values
- 2.6 What Does Success Look Like For You?
- 2.7 Assess Your Attitude
- 2.8 Now Try This to Define Your Success
-
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 Previous Employee Work
- 3.6 Assess Previous Consulting Work
- 3.7 Choose Which Skills To Reinforce
- 3.8 Maintain Your Self-Esteem
- 3.9 Define the Problems You Solve
- 3.10 Now Try This to Recognize Your Value
-
Part 2: Discover and Serve Your Clients for Mutual Profit
-
4. Define Your Business Model
- 4.1 Define Your Driving Force
- 4.2 Your Expertise Drives Your Business Model
- 4.3 Define Your Products and Services
- 4.4 Offer Products and Services Based on Your Desired Consulting Role
- 4.5 Are You a Contractor or Consultant?
- 4.6 Create Multiple Income Streams for Resilience
- 4.7 Build Resilience into Your Business Model
- 4.8 Assess Your Business Model Over Time
- 4.9 Now Do This for Your Business Model
-
5. Help Clients Discover You With Content Marketing
- 5.1 Frame Your Successful Content Marketing Strategy
- 5.2 Create Your Soaker Hose for Your Marketing Strategy
- 5.3 Create a Positive Content Marketing Feedback Loop
- 5.4 Define Your Content Marketing Tactics
- 5.5 Make Your Soaker Hose Effective with Consistency
- 5.6 Create Your Marketing Plan
- 5.7 Consider This Marketing Plan Template
- 5.8 Consider These Content Marketing Tips
- 5.9 Now Try This to Help Clients Discover You With Content Marketing
-
6. Attract Clients with Active Marketing
- 6.1 Network with People
- 6.2 Create a Robust Online Profile
- 6.3 Finish Preparation for Your Active Marketing Conversation
- 6.4 Create Your Active Marketing Discussion Script
- 6.5 Call—Not Email or Social Media
- 6.6 Plan for Three Months of Active Marketing
- 6.7 Now Try This to Attract Clients with Active Marketing
-
7. Build the Client Relationship
- 7.1 Create Empathy with Your Client
- 7.2 Recognize Your Buyer
- 7.3 Beware of Fake Economic Buyers
- 7.4 Learn with a Discovery Call
- 7.5 Gain Agreement Before You Write a Proposal
- 7.6 Explore Alternatives
- 7.7 Decline the Work
- 7.8 Respect the Client
- 7.9 Now Do This for Your Client Relationships
-
8. Create Successful Proposals
- 8.1 Start with This Proposal Template
- 8.2 Clarify the Value in the Proposal
- 8.3 Use Time as Your Advantage
- 8.4 Fix Common Proposal Problems
- 8.5 Decline the Work When It Doesn’t Fit
- 8.6 Create a Retainer Agreement
- 8.7 Track the Proposal Process
- 8.8 Gain Awareness of Organizational Changes
- 8.9 Only Start Work With a Purchase Order
- 8.10 Now Try This for Proposals
-
9. Set Reasonable Fees
- 9.1 Money Creates Freedom
- 9.2 What’s Your Time Worth to You?
- 9.3 Value Your Time
- 9.4 Higher Fees Mean Better Clients
- 9.5 Make Sure You’re Happy with Your Fee
- 9.6 Set Fees for Writing and Speaking
- 9.7 Negotiate With Companies for Speaking Fees
- 9.8 Tips to Set Reasonable Fees
- 9.9 Now Try This to Set Your Reasonable Fees
-
10. Maintain an Ongoing Client Relationship
- 10.1 The Client Has Conflicting Goals
- 10.2 The Client Wants to Change the Engagement
- 10.3 Please Tell Management for Me
- 10.4 You’re Working at the Wrong Level
- 10.5 You Want to Add More Work in This Engagement
- 10.6 You Decide to Fire the Client
- 10.7 You Need to Bring Challenging News
- 10.8 The Client Doesn’t Want to Change
- 10.9 The Client Does It “Wrong”
- 10.10 Ask for a Referral
- 10.11 Follow Up to Check on Progress
- 10.12 Now Do This to Maintain Your Client Relationships
-
11. Manage Your Intellectual Property
- 11.1 Read All Contracts
- 11.2 Understand Your Property Rights
- 11.3 License Your IP
- 11.4 Repurpose Your Content
- 11.5 Now Try This to Manage Your IP
-
12. Collaborate with Other Consultants
- 12.1 Refer Other Consultants
- 12.2 Write With Other Consultants
- 12.3 Speak With Other Consultants
- 12.4 Deliver Client Work with Others
- 12.5 Create a Legal Partnership for Specific Outcomes
- 12.6 Agree on a Contract
- 12.7 Collaboration Traps
- 12.8 Now Try This for Collaboration
-
4. Define Your Business Model
-
Part 3: Create Work Systems for Success
-
13. Manage Your Money
- 13.1 Start Your Business with Ease
- 13.2 Maintain Your Financial Health
- 13.3 Understand Your Cash Flow
- 13.4 Manage Your Income Streams
- 13.5 Track Revenue, Not Units
- 13.6 Write the Checks Yourself
- 13.7 Decide How You Will Pay Yourself
- 13.8 Don’t Let Your Clients Manage Your Money
- 13.9 Evaluate Requests for Your Work
- 13.10 When Should You Hire People?
- 13.11 Now Try This to Manage Your Money
-
14. Maintain Your Health
- 14.1 Enlist Your Family for Support
- 14.2 Build Your Symmathesy Support System
- 14.3 Plan Your Physical Health
- 14.4 Assess Your Emotional Health
- 14.5 Tips to Manage Your Health
- 14.6 Now Try This to Manage Your Health
-
15. Manage Your Calendar
- 15.1 Manage Your Actions
- 15.2 Manage Unplanned Work
- 15.3 Plan with Your Board and Calendar
- 15.4 Reflect Daily on Your Work
- 15.5 Reflect Weekly on Your Work
- 15.6 Schedule Longer Reflections
- 15.7 Schedule Time to Learn and Market
- 15.8 Now Try This to Manage Your Calendar
-
16. Start Your Business
- 16.1 Define Your Web Presence and Email
- 16.2 Create a Minimum Website
- 16.3 Select an Email List Provider
- 16.4 Start your Social Media Presence
- 16.5 Decide on a Business Phone Number
- 16.6 Open a Business Checking Account
- 16.7 File Appropriate Business Paperwork
- 16.8 Create Your Organized and Comfortable Place of Business
- 16.9 Assess Your Insurance Needs
- 16.10 Print Business Cards
- 16.11 Spend as Little as Possible on Infrastructure
- 16.12 Recognize Consulting Business Traps
- 16.13 Now Do This to Start Your Business
-
17. Adapt and Evolve Your Successful Practice
- 17.1 Choose to Adapt Your Practice
- 17.2 Practice Changing Your Business Model
- 17.3 The Market Decides When You Change
- 17.4 Evolve Your Practice Purposefully
- 17.5 Consulting Is Not for You—Yet
- Annotated Bibliography
- More from Johanna
-
13. Manage Your Money
- Notes
About the Publisher
This book is published on Leanpub by Practical Ink
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