Here is my reply to a post at Consulting Success regarding fees. Good info on this site — but with an emphasis on business/management consulting rather than on technical consulting. As consulting engineers, we’ve used “project fees” for years. When quoting, we provide a budget and a general estimate for time. We use an internal […]
Learned this lesson early in my consulting career. Fortunately, somebody else made the mistake, and I was able to benefit from their goof-up. We’ve always had a policy of full and open disclosure for our clients. Retain us, and we will share everything we know about our specialty, with the exception, of course, of proprietary […]
Ninety percent of Americans have virtually no savings… so says the latest issue of Money magazine. If you are in the ninety percent, consulting may offer a way out. The problem with most jobs is that the income is fixed. Unless you are in sales (commissions) or an executive (bonuses), you have little opportunity for […]
Well, another year gone by, and time to reflect. Got this idea from Chris Gullibeau of The Art of Nonconformity. He does this each year, and each year challenges others to do the same. Great idea! So once again, 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 […]
Just ran across this web site, and wanted to share. LOTS of wisdom here! Been a bit busy here this month, but expect to soon get back in the groove. In the meantime, hope you enjoy the link. © 2014, https:. All rights reserved.
The lead generation worked… the phone rings… now what? Let the sales process begin… This is where the rubber meets the road — or where the consultant finally meets the client. Many people see sales as mysterious at best, and manipulative at worst. Neither are true for selling consulting services. Consulting is a helping profession… […]
From the mailbag: Just last week an engineering colleague (and reader of this blog) announced he was making his own JumpToConsulting. Way to go, Glen! His announcement e-mail also had several specific questions. After addressing them, I decided to share my comments here. (1) Quotations & Proposals We use a two page format. The first […]
So says a recent article in Computerworld — Your next job, next year, may be self employment. According to Emergent Research (a firm focused on small businesses trends) approximately one million IT (Information Technology) workers today are self-employed. This represents about 18% of the IT workforce. Not only that, the independent IT workforce is growing […]
Had coffee today with Marty Zwilling, of StartupProfessionals.com. It was a great time meeting with a fellow “boomer-geek-blogger-entrepreneur” from Arizona. As the name suggests, Marty specializes in helping new entrepreneurs get started. This includes advice on business plans, funding, angel investors, patents, incorporations, and more. He also writes a daily blog, and has written two […]
At LinkedIn (Succeed), Dave Wacker posed this question: Any thoughts on starting a small consulting company? Here is my reply: Hi Dave, Started my consulting engineering firm 30+ years ago. Part time for nine years, then went full time in 1987 – the day the market crashed. (The first day in business was the worst […]
Still time for New Year’s Resolutions. In case your resolutions include consulting, here are 10 reasons NOT to go there. Not being negative – just being honest. 1. You dislike risk – Starting any business involves risk. To be blunt, some people simply do not like risk. Nothing wrong with that, but if risk makes […]
Q. What happens when you stop marketing? A. Nothing… happens… –Advice from an old marketer many years ago. © 2014, https:. All rights reserved.
There is a reason I saved advertising for last — because (IMHO) it is just not that effective for consulting practices — particularly when starting out. Yet advertising is the first thing many newbies want to try. After all, Proctor & Gamble uses it to sell soap, and General Motors uses it to sell cars. […]
Well, another year gone by, and time to reflect. Got this idea from Chris Gullibeau of The Art of Nonconformity. He does this each year, and each year challenges others to do the same. Great idea! So once again, 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 […]
Generally not in favor of gimmicks here – thing like coffee cups, key chains, T-shirts, etc. Frankly, I’m not sure they are appropriate for most consulting practices. But the RIGHT gimmick can be an effective marketing tool, as long as it is practical and useful. Planning calendars are a good example — and they keep […]
“No Man is an Island…” beings a poem by John Donne. Written almost 400 years ago, it is still true today. True in life, and true in your own consulting practice. In this post, we’ll look at leveraging your business by collaborating with others. We’ll examine several facets of collaboration — marketing (lead generation), production […]
That question was recently posted at Consulting Success, a useful blog for aspiring and practicing consultants. While Michael Zipursky recommends offering a guarantee, I don’t fully agree. YES for products. but NO for professional services. Here is my partial reply: As consulting engineers, we do not guarantee our results. Lawyers do not guarantee you will […]
Do you treat all clients the same? That question was posed recently on Succeed, a small business forum on LinkedIn. Always ready to share my opinions, here is the answer I posted there. Like so many have said already, we strive to treat all our clients with respect. But in reality, some clients are better […]
Here is a reply I posted over at RainToday.com on an article by Michael W. McLaughlin titled “Should You Really Take On That Client?” In my 30+ years as a consulting engineer, I’ve had to “fire” a couple of clients. Like you, I apply the “life is too short” rule to put up with deadbeats […]
This question was posted recently on LinkedIn. Can’t help myself … I just had to jump in… marketing a consulting practice is a favorite topic! I am a CPA who would like to would like to own my own CPA firm, but clients have been hard to come by. Any ideas on a proven marketing […]
