Consulting Basics

Joel Gendelman

Description

Ah, the life of a consultant. Sleeping late, working in your pajamas until noon, never having to do anything you don't like. It's exactly what everyone dreams about, right?

Wrong! If you've ever wondered what it's really like to be a learning and development consultant and what it takes to become a successful one, then you need this book. If you decide to go for it-or if you've already taken the plunge—Consulting Basics can help you every step of the way. You'll learn about:

The four things you must have before becoming a consultant:

Realities of daily work life on your own

How to sell yourself, find clients, and develop proposals

The client's point of view and how it impacts you

Setting up your practice effectively and professionally.

Along the way, you'll find charts, checklists, anecdotes, examples, and questionnaires to help you gain perspective, navigate your choices, and move forward. An appendix provides sample written agreements so that you'll have essential documents as soon as the need arises.

Consulting Basics is comprehensive, yet it's a quick and pleasant read.

Sujets

• Efficacité professionnelle
• Efficacité
• Business
• Economics
• Training
• Employabilité, métiers et formations

Informations

• Publié par: Association for Talent Development
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781607285892
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2010 the American Society for Training & Development All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please go to www.copyright.com , or contact Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 (telephone: [phone], fax: [phone]).
ASTD Press is an internationally renowned source of insightful and practical information on workplace learning and performance topics, including training basics, evaluation and return on investment, instructional systems development, elearning, leadership, and career development. Visit us at www.astd.org/astdpress .
Ordering information for print edition: Books published by ASTD Press can be purchased by visiting ASTD’s website at store.astd.org or by calling 800.628.2783 or 703.683.8100. Library of Congress Control Number: 2009925587 Print edition ISBN: 978-1-56286-696-9 PDF e-book edition ISBN: 978-1-60728-589-2 2010-1
ASTD Press Editorial Staff: Director of Content: Dean Smith Manager, ASTD Press: Jacqueline Edlund-Braun Senior Associate Editor: Tora Estep Senior Associate Editor: Justin Brusino Editorial Assistant: Victoria DeVaux Editorial, Design, and Production: Abella Publishing Services, LLC Cover Design: Steve Fife
Contents
About the Training Basics Series v Preface vii 1. Is Consulting the Life for You? 1 2. There Is Never a Good Time to Go Out on Your Own 13 3. Consultants Are Treated Differently 21 4. Landing That First Client: The First 90 Days 29 5. Setting Up Your Practice 35 6. Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Benefits and Challenges of Working at Home 53 7. Selling Doesn’t Have to Be a Dirty Word 65 8. Develop an Effective Sales and Marketing Plan 85 9. Develop Proposals That Sell 111 10. Put It in Writing: Develop Fair Agreements 121 11. Nobody Likes a Hog: Give a Little Back 129 Author Note 141 Appendix A: Additional Resources 145 Appendix B: Sample Project List 149 Appendix C: Sample Agreements 151 References 158 About the Author 159 Index 160
About the Training Basics Series

A STD's Training Basics series recognizes and, in some ways, celebrates the fast-paced, ever-changing reality of organizations today. Jobs, roles, and expectations change quickly. One day you might be a network administrator or a process line manager, and the next day you might be asked to train 50 employees in basic computer skills or to instruct line workers in quality processes.
Where do you turn for help? The ASTD Training Basics series is designed to be your one-stop solution. The series takes a minimalist approach to your learning curve dilemma and presents only the information you need to be successful. Each book in the series guides you through key aspects of training: giving presentations, making the transition to the role of trainer, designing and delivering training, and evaluating training. The books in the series also include some advanced skills such as performance and basic business proficiencies.
The ASTD Training Basics series is the perfect tool for training and performance professionals looking for easy-to-understand materials that will prepare non-trainers to take on a training role. In addition, this series is the perfect reference tool for any trainer's bookshelf and a quick way to hone your existing skills.
Preface

There’s only one thing more painful than learning from experience, and this is not learning from experience.
—Archibald MacLeish


M y journey started the same way it starts for many other consultants. I was a practitioner, a manager, a director, and finally a vice president. One Friday afternoon, my boss came in and told me that I was laid off. I figured that I had worked for other people long enough and since I knew what I was doing, I could make it on my own.
That was many years ago. Since then, I’ve probably made every mistake in the book. Therefore, I decided to write a book—this one. I’ve written Consulting Basics to pass on some of the knowledge I’ve gained to people like you, who are venturing into the life of a consultant. As with most people starting out, you probably have little time for theory. I hope you’ll find this book comprehensive, frank, and to the point. In addition, since we all need a little bit of humor, especially when we embark on a new journey, I have written this book to be lighthearted, conversational, and enjoyable to read.
Who Should Read This Book?
Consulting Basics is for learning and development consultants of all shapes and sizes. These include Human performance technologists Learning and development professionals Instructional designers Trainers Multimedia authors Course developers Talent management and other human resources professionals.
How You Should Read This Book
The main purpose of this book is to help you take the first steps toward becoming an independent consultant. In this regard, it is a comprehensive and concise overview of both the mindset and the practical steps needed to begin this journey. I have chosen a first-person approach to help you overcome the irrational fear that sometimes accompanies the thought of leaving a regular paycheck and solid company benefits to embark on this exciting road. I want you to know you are not alone. The advice offered here is based on my own successful transition from inside learning professional to independent consultant. While the book is targeted toward learning and development professionals from the everyday trainer to talent management and other human resource experts, the advice is applicable to almost any profession.
My purpose here is to be your guide as you think through your basic motivation for choosing the life of a consultant. To help you plan an escape from an established job. To give you pointers as you set up an office and land your first client. I will help get you off to a good start in marketing your services and billing clients, and even provide some advice on the pitfalls and triumphs of working at home.
In this sense, this is a complete, basic guide. For more specific advice, you need only Google the word “consultant” to become instantly overwhelmed with the number of entries. With this book in hand, you should be able to successfully navigate these selections.
To help you with some of these choices, you will find Appendix A arranged by topic area such as general consulting, sales and marketing, developing proposals, and so on. I have identified key resources under these topic areas that will help you take the next, more advanced steps toward your dream of becoming a consultant.
Chapter-by-Chapter Highlights
Nearly everyone at one time or another entertains the idea of starting a business. In today’s challenging world, where change and job instability seem to be daily blue-plate specials, learning and development professionals increasingly grapple with whether they should add the word entrepreneur to their resumes. However, before you take the plunge, or if you have already done so, you should have a plan. Consulting Basics is a great place to start.
The following is a breakdown of each chapter in this book.
Chapter 1—“Is Consulting the Life for You?” addresses what you should know and what you need before going out on your own and highlights the most enjoyable parts of running your own show. This chapter also identifies the skills and traits that make a successful consultant.
Chapter 2—“There Is Never a Good Time to Go Out on Your Own” addresses the reality of there never being a perfect time to start your practice, though some times are definitely better than others. This chapter will also help you plan your escape and provides some hints to ease your transition from the corporate world into the “wild and wooly” world of consulting.
Chapter 3—“Consultants Are Treated Differently” prepares you for the realistic challenges you may face during the transition from employee to outside resource.
Chapter 4—“Land That First Client: The First 90 Days” helps you hit the ground running by providing you with ideas for finding work quickly.
Chapter 5—“Setting Up Your Practice” helps you turn your home office or spare bedroom into a quiet work environment. It will also provide you with simple steps to help take care of the essential business aspects of your practice and manage your cash flow.
Chapter 6—“Bigger Isn’t Always Better: The Benefits and Challenges of Working at Home” makes you comfortable with being a small business and communicating the value of the personal service that a small consulting firm provides. This chapter also discusses the challenges and pitfalls of working at home, and how to rise above them.
Chapter 7—“Selling Doesn’t Have to Be a Dirty Word” helps change your thinking about promoting your practice and provide you with a plan for growing your client base. It will also provide you with guidelines, hints, and ideas for transforming your clients into repeat customers and your most productive sales force.
Chapter 8—“Develop an Effective Sales and Marketing Plan” offers gorilla suggestions for getting noticed using your brain instead of your wallet, and offers you tools to grow a steady stream of clients.
Chapter 9—“Develop Proposals That Sell” helps you avoid the pitfalls of wasting valuable hours developing useless proposals, so you can spend that time constructing “short and crisp” selling documents that bring home the bacon.
Chapter 10—“Put It in Writing: Develop Fair Agreements” provides you with samples of agreements that are simple yet comprehensive for clients and outside resources. It will also offer you hints on how to avoid the delays associated wit