Taking a summer break. But have a bunch of ideas in the queue, so stay tuned. Fun times with grandkids at a water park for several days over July 4. Now off to teach a class – staying involved with the consulting firm at a slower (but still lucrative) pace. Have a great summer yourselves! […]
Some times yes … sometimes no… sometimes maybe… Here is a quick overview: –If you are a business consultant, you probably don’t need a license other than possible tax licenses. There are no licensing boards for business consultants. –If you are a professional consultant, however, you may need a license before offering your services to the […]
Here is a link to a recent fee study by Consulting Success. While this blog focuses on general business consulting, technical consultants should find this of use as well. FYI, typical fees at Kimmel Gerke Associates were project based. Typical projects were in the $5,000 – $20,000 range and up. Typical annual compensations exceeded our […]
Time for a mini-rant, against advice often promoted by those wanting to sell you something. For years, it was very popular in marketing circles to identify your USP (Unique Sales Proposition.) Large management consulting firms and their MBAs loved the term. Later, that morphed into the UBP (Unique Buying Proposition) as the marketers realized the focus […]
Time for another success story. This one is about Ken Wyatt, who started his engineering consulting business upon early retirement, and who consults in the same area as me. Do I consider him a competitor? No more so than a doctor considers another doctor a competitor. He is a friend and valued engineering colleague, and […]
Two years ago this week my good friend and business partner of 40 years passed away from cancer. Time has softened the pain, but the sense of loss is still there. While I generally recommend against partners, our partnership worked very well. We often mused about why it worked, when we had seen so many others fail. […]
As a consultant, you’re offering your expertise as a more efficient way to do things. Follow your own advice, and hire the expertise you need. Years ago a new consultant (and fellow engineer) was grousing about how much trouble he was having with a fax program on his computer. My response was “Why spend time on […]
Got this from a newsletter to HOA (Home Owners Association) board members. Struck me as such a good idea I decided to share it here. It is called the Eisenhower principle. In a 1954 speech, US President Eisenhower said: I have two kinds of problems: urgent and important. The urgent are (often) not important, and the […]
Got this pearl of wisdom over dinner with a client. A fellow engineer who had become a director for a defense contractor, we were discussing how engineers were attracted to solving problems. He paused, and said: “It is is not enough to merely solve problems. We must anticipate them as well. Something I always emphasized […]
Time to begin a new series… on marketing… the last in the triad of “getting business.” The other two elements are generating leads and making sales. Like the legs of a stool, all three are equally important. Don’t overcomplicate things. Getting business is much like going fishing. There are three simple steps: Marketing – Decide what […]
Here is a reply I left at one of my favorite blogs/web sites — Pamela Slim — a champion of starting and building small businesses (not just consulting.) In her post, Pamela discusses how to react after a “stumble,” including her own examples. She asked for comments, so I shared mine: One of the best […]
Probably the NUMBER ONE QUESTION if you are standing on the edge of the cliff, about ready to make your own JumpToConsulting. So, what if it doesn’t work? The brother of Go-Daddy founder Bob Parsons once told him, “Well, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.” Parsons is now a billionaire. Incidentally, web registration […]
When dealing with individuals or small companies, an Engagement Letter may make more sense than submitting a formal quotation. It also makes it easy for the client to buy – no purchase order is needed – just sign the letter. For this reason, Engagement Letters are widely used by attorneys and accountants. Such was the approach I […]
Time for a financial rant – based on a recent news article. One of the first things to do upon making your JumpToConsulting is to set up a retirement account. Trust me — years later you will be glad you did. I am! According to a recent on-line article by CNBC, about half of US […]
As we begin a new year, it is time to reflect. Here are some thoughts on choices. We all make choices in life. Among other things, I chose consulting — it did not happen by chance. I’ve long been inspired by this popular quote: Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took […]
Referrals are the life blood of professional services. Think about it — what do you do if you need a lawyer, doctor, accountant, or other professional? You get a referral! So make this the last step of your sales process (along with your lead generation process.) What better time to request a referral than when […]
Don’t neglect this step! Making a second sale (or third or…) is always easier than making the first sale. You are now someone your client knows, likes, and trusts. So how do you do this? Pretty easy. Here are some suggestions: – Phone calls – A week or two after the consultation, call to check. […]
A “side hustle” is a great way to try out consulting, without having to leave your day job. That is exactly what how my late business partner and I started our engineering consulting firm almost 40 years ago. Read about our side hustle here. As such, it is a pleasure to share a brand new […]
One more year gone, and once again time again to reflect. Got this idea from Chris Gullibeau of The Art of Nonconformity. Great idea! So as always, I’ll review three categories: JumpToConsulting (www.jumptoconsulting.com) EMI-GURU aka Kimmel Gerke Associates, Ltd. (www.emiguru.com) Personal (www.linkedin.com/in/darylgerke) But first, a quick overview… The JumpToConsulting project is now SIX years old. […]
In traditional sales, step # 4 is the final step. Once you get the purchase order or signed contract, your job as a salesperson is complete. Of course, you follow up with customers to make sure they are happy, but its time to move on to the next sale. (We’ll address that for consultants in […]
