How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant, 4th Edition

Introduction.
Increasing need for consultants. Do consultants have an identity crisis? How consultants specialize. How definition relates to consulting (marketing) success. The more important view: That of the client.

Chapter 1: What Does (Should) a Consultant Do?
Computers and data processing. The aerospace industries. The consultant organization. The consultant company. Hybrids. The consultant as a self-employed independent. Suitable fields and services.

Chapter 2: Seizing Opportunity.
Your consulting specialty versus your marketing needs. What does it take to be a consultant? The skill of a consultant. The avenues of specialization. Consulting assignments evolve.

Chapter 3: Consulting as a Second Career.
What is a “second career”? Almost any skill/knowledge/experience can be the basis. Marketing—getting clients. What kinds of clients to pursue. Marketing your services. Plowing new fields. Consultants as temporaries. Finding assignments. Companies for seniors.

Chapter 4: Why Do So Many Consultants Fail? How to Succeed.
The roots of failure. The common mistakes of neophyte consultants. The basic tradeoffs. How specialized should you be? Specialize and diversify. Marketing. The ten laws of survival. The consultant’s image.

Chapter 5: A Few Keys to Success.
The art of listening. Deciding what business you are in. The key to the definition. The two basic sales situations. The independent consultant: Specialist or generalist? Do’s and don’ts, especially for the first year.

Chapter 6: Founding the Consulting Practice.
If you had it to do over. General considerations such as licensing. The matter of a business name. What type of business organization should you use? Do you need a lawyer? Do you need an accountant? Do you need a business plan? Some general observations about business plans. Generalized outline.

Chapter 7: Finances, Taxes, and Related Problems.
Using what your accountant tells you. The information you need. Some common mistakes. Some basic rules. Basic cost centers and cost definitions. Insurance. Taxes: Avoidance is legal.

Chapter 8: Marketing and Sales: Finding Leads and Closing Them.
Success in marketing is always a tonic. What is marketing? Discovering what clients wish to buy. “I know it when I see it.” Creating needs—FUDs. Face-to-face closing. Qualifying prospects.

Chapter 9: Releases, Brochures, and Other Materials.
Marketing and messages. Releases and newsworthiness. Brochures as marketing tools. Other sales materials. A word on e-mails.

Chapter 10: The New Marketing.
Recession or “adjustment.” The good news. What’s wrong with the “old” marketing? Is mass marketing dead? Why consulting is not sold via mass marketing. The marketing database. Networking for clients. Miscellaneous marketing considerations. Brokers, job shops, subcontracts, and the IRS. Technical services firms.

Chapter 11: Marketing to the Public Sector: Federal, State, and Local Government.
A brief glimpse of government markets. What governments buy. How governments buy. The procurement system. Market research. Subcontracting and other special marketing approaches. Forms.

Chapter 12: Proposal Writing: A Vital Art.
The evolution of modern proposal practice. What proposals call for. Why proposals are requested. The elements of the RFP. The response. Kinds of information an RFP asks for. What is a proposal? Proposal scenarios. Who must you