Happy Holidays, and all the best in 2017! Thank you for your interest in my work at both JumpToConsulting and EMIGURU. Life as a consultant has been great for me, and I wish you happiness and joy in your lives too. Merry Christmas! From our house to yours… Uncle Daryl, Mary, and Sami the ShihTzu […]
The next step is to ask for the order! This is also known in the sales world as closing. This is where many consultants fall down, due to fear of rejection. You are not alone – even full time sales people don’t like rejection. But they face it and deal with it – one reason […]
Now that you have qualified the prospective client, you are ready to provide a preliminary diagnosis and prescription. The goal is not to actually solve the problem, but to create the desire to have you help. You want to reinforce your credibility, while suggesting a course of action. Here are three theoretical examples: A doctor […]
There are two simple goals in this sales step: Can YOU help? Can THEY buy? It is just as important to disqualify as it is to qualify. Your time is valuable, and you don’t want to waste it chasing low probability leads. We already touched briefly on the first goal in Sales Step #1. Now […]
Time for a rant. This post was precipitated by a hate inspired event in my hometown – no doubt a direct result of the recent election. Last week, fellow AZ blogger Pam Slim was a victim. READ HERE. It sickens me. Then I asked myself why? Some say the election was economic backlash, but I […]
Time to revisit Uncle Daryl’s “Seven Steps of Selling” and to expand upon them. Yes, I know — you want to be a consultant — a revered oracle — not a peddler. Sharing all your wisdom, and being paid handsomely for it. All you need to do is hang out your shingle, right? Wrong, of […]
This post was inspired by “A Letter to Young Women, in the Age of Trump”. Very well said, but sadly, too many comments by trolls reflected the bullying Trump mentality. One piece of advice she offered: Think about starting your own thing. This is what’s exciting; we have the ability to start our own businesses […]
Bigger than you think. According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company, between 20-30% of the working population in the US and Europe are free lancers (doing gigs.) That translates to over 160 million people. Not too shabby, I’d say. Rather than wade through the 148 page study, check out this latest post at […]
Sooner or later you will be asked to cut your fees. The reason may be legitimate (budget constraints) or your client may just be testing you (particularly if you are new.) Either way, do NOT cut your fees. Rather, cut the scope… If the budget is truly limited, this may salvage the project and allow […]
Been a bit remiss in my posts the last few months, for which I apologize. My sister-in-law has Alzheimer’s, and my wife (her only sibling) is her principal care giver. She recently reached the point where we realized she needed a move to full time memory care. As she is in Minnesota, we didn’t want […]
Recently did a half hour interview on writing magazine articles, on of my favorite (and successful) marketing methods. The interviewer was Michael Katz, the founder/owner of Blue Penguin Development, a one man firm that teaches solo professionals how to better market their practices. Earlier this year, Michael formed the Blue Penguin Content Club. For $9.95/month, […]
As the “featured guest” of the Blue Penguin next Tuesday (August 23, 2016). I’ll be sharing insights on writing articles to build your credibility/visibility as a consultant. Join the Blue Penguin Content Club, and you can catch the session too. Click here. Way back in 2013 I wrote about the Blue Penguin and the Likeable […]
If you are attending the IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) in Ottawa next week, you are invited to join me for this live presentation on Friday morning. My talk is part of a career workshop (EMC Consultant’s Toolkit) where four of us share advice on consulting with our engineering colleagues. Mine is the […]
The industry magazine “InCompliance” just published my article “So You Want To Be A Consultant’? The article addresses the four key questions I’m often asked about consulting: How Do You Get Clients? How Do You Decide What To Charge? How Do You Decide What To Consult About? How Do I Get Started? The article coincides […]
Even at a young age, it was becoming apparent that I was not destined to be a good corporate rat. I just didn’t realize it at the time… As a junior in Electrical Engineering, it was time to interview for a summer job. Rather important, for if successful, you would likely receive a full time […]
This question arrived today from a friend and engineering consulting colleague. Once in a while a company will request a “General Liability” insurance certificate. Hi Daryl, I’ve run into this requirement (client insurance) a handful of times. Most companies don’t ask for it, but some are asking to be named on my insurance policy. Do […]
So is Uncle Daryl retired, semi-retired, or what? Yea, I’ve been confused too, but I finally figured it out. I’m retired three weeks out of every four. One of the beauties of running your own consulting firm is no mandatory retirement date. And when you do retire, you don’t need to come to a complete […]
This post was inspired by “Fear and Loathing in Sales” at Trusted Advisor. The author addresses the irrational fear that professionals often have about selling. I once shared that fear. But realizing that if I wanted to be in business for myself, I needed to overcome that fear – or at least get some experience. […]
This post was inspired by a 2011 post by Pam Slim (Avatars, Ecosystems, and Watering Holes), where she discusses creating you own healthy business ecosystem. But what happens when an ecosystem collapses? Most people panic, but a few recognize the opportunities — often excellent for starting a consulting practice. Scientists tell us every major extinction […]
It gives me great pleasure to introduce our latest success story, Dr. Susan Kimmel – the daughter of my late business partner Bill Kimmel. Susan received her PhD in Business from the University of Michigan. After trying teaching, Susan decided academia was not for her, so she pursued a career in market research. This eventually […]
