Vendors and suppliers are part of your business team. Take care of them, and they will take care of you. Too often businesses go for the lowest cost, delay payments, and generally abuse their vendors. And then they complain when they get in a pickle, and nobody wants to help them out. I’ve seen it, […]
When considering WHAT to consult about, you should also consider WHO you will serve. There are three general niches to consider: B2B – Business to business B2C – Business to consumer B2G – Business to government Each niche calls for different business approaches. When starting out, it is best to focus on one of the three. You […]
Here is a blunt but polite way to handle this common objection to moving ahead with a consulting project, from my friends at the Rain Group. It is called “Get a Reality Check.” “Most of the time I when hear, ‘Let me think about it,’ what people really mean is ‘No thanks.’ Can you tell […]
Here is a reply to a post by Cubert at Abandoned Cubicle regarding layoffs… which somehow seems appropriate for Labor Day… Best damn thing that happened to me – twice. The first time got me thinking about starting my own business — the second time (a dozen years are) cinched it. Thirty+ years of running my […]
Here is a link to a recent consulting fee study from Consulting Success. Over 33,000 consultants were polled, including Yours Truly. Not sure how many responses, but with that size database the results are statistically significant. Here are some a key findings: 44% of the consultants with less than 4 years experience earn over six […]
In a recent discussion with a young consultant, he expressed concerns about handling his ever growing list of clients. (He is obviously doing a good job…) Having been at this game a bit longer, I suggested the ABC method for prioritizing clients. We used if for years, and it goes like this: All new clients start […]
Making mistakes are part of starting and growing any business (including consulting firms.) In fact, if you’re not making some mistakes, you’re probably not trying hard enough — nor are you learning. Here are five mistakes I’ve made: (1) Not sticking to the knitting – Back in the late 1990s, we got caught up in the […]
Is sales a dirty word to you? Does it strike fear to pick up the phone and talk to a stranger? And do you need to sell in the first place? After all, as a consultant, the world should simply recognize your expertise, right? The answer to the last question — WRONG! And if you are […]
Curious about consulting? How to get started? My FREE one hour introductory webinar on consulting is now available on line. Click here. Learn some basics on how to start, build, and maintain a small part-time for full-time consulting practice. I briefly address four key questions I’m regularly asked: How do you get leads? How […]
Time for a mini-rant… While walking the dog (Sami the Shih Tzu) a few nights ago, I was struck with an epiphany of sorts. It involved a neighbor and his vehicles. Parked in his driveway were a new Cadillac Escalade and a new Audi, along with a pretty nice Harley motorcycle. Nothing wrong with that, except he […]
When trying to decide on what to consult… don’t go with the cool stuff that everybody else wants to do (and thus won’t pay for)… rather, go with the hard stuff that others don’t want to do (and will gladly pay for.) We learned that lesson thirty years ago transitioning from part-time to full-time consulting. […]
If you are a consulting firm, consider adding training to your services… if you are a training firm, consider adding consulting. There is a strong synergy between the two. I recently enrolled in a course on how to develop on-line training classes. Two goals: JumpToConsulting – Develop a multi-module course for newbies (or choose just […]
Curious about consulting? How to get started? Join me for this FREE one-hour webinar. Thursday, February 8, 2018 at 2PM EST Register Here Sponsored by the IEEE* Consultants Network *Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers – my professional society. Learn some basics on how to start, build, and maintain a small part-time for full-time consulting […]
Time for a mini-rant… While I try to stay politically neutral, this seems particularly appropriate these days… Don’t mix business with bigotry! Last year I read about a pizza place that was under fire for saying they would not serve at a gay wedding. Then they whined that the press was out to crucify them. Really? […]
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 […]
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 […]
