How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant [Paperback]

Written in an easy-to-read style, this work is suitable for anyone who operates as a consultant. How to Succeed as an Independant Consultant contains strategies and techniques for increased success by focusing on key topics such as: self-promotion, communication, building credibility and building and maintaining relationships.

Based on the author's experience working with leading organizations and as an independent consultant himself, this work conveys ideas and techniques proven to be effective in developing and building business. Written in an easy-to-read style, it is suitable for anyone who operates as a consultant. It contains strategies and techniques for increased success by focusing on key topics such as: self-promotion, communication, building credibility, building and maintaining relationships and how to work with clients.

Timothy R V Foster has had many years' experience working for the industry leaders Procter & Gamble, Merrill Lynch and Burson-Marsteller. He's been both a client and an independent consultant. His expertise lies in advertising, marketing, sales, public relations, communications and training. A prolific author, he has written twenty-four books (many published by Kogan Page) and countless magazine articles.

Chapter 1 How to create your own success plan

Simplicity; Audiences for your success plan; Format; Sample plan; Borrow from the experts

Chapter 2 How to build your own credibility

Identify your unique selling proposition (USP); Be a specialist; Understand yourself: what do you do?; The elevator speech; Talk the talk

Chapter 3 How to come across as a success

Look the part; Speak the part; Act the part; Be enthusiastic; Be optimistic; Use positive language; Is what you are doing helping or hindering your success?; Improve telephone techniques; Recognize the importance of training

Chapter 4 How to distinguish yourself

How are you positioned in your prospects' minds?; What should be your slogo?; How to write a slogo

Chapter 5 How to know your customer

How to find them; Who do you want your customers to be?; Whom don't you want as customers?; Who is your dream customer?; What do your prospects think or know about your area of interest?; Focus groups

Chapter 6 How to promote what you do

Have your own Web site; Dos and don'ts of Web site wizardry; Be found on search engines; Get linked; Rise above the noise; Do a mailing - but make it relevant; Ask for a reply; Run an advertisement - but get it right; Create a newsletter; Place an article about what you do; Get reviews of what you do; Develop a brochure; Do a press release; Create a press kit; Do a Filofax insert; Create a calendar or desktop item; Get listed in trade directories; Join a relevant club; Join a relevant trade association; Be someone in the community; Be famous for something else; Write a book

Chapter 7 How to keep in touch

Lend your prospect something that must be returned; Call before or after hours to bypass the secretary/PA; Get your prospect's personal direct number and use it, but don't abuse it; Get to know the secretary/PA very well; Leave a compelling message to ensure a call back; Develop a reason to call back; Never assume; Remember, it's a numbers game; If you just can't get through, lighten up; Ask questions; Get out of the office; Be an extremely good joke teller; Don't con your way on to the phone

Chapter 8 How to demonstrate commitment

The 10 commandments of commitment; Commitment commentary

Chapter 9 How to build your credibility even more

Give him some intelligence; Fax her a clipping or a note; Develop a project needing input from the prospect; Feed the results of the project back to them and others; Seek and use testimonials; Don't be afraid to ask for referrals or introductions; Identify a person you know the prospect wants to meet and invite them both to lunch; Develop a research programme; Invite your prospects over and make a presentation; Get interviewed on the radio or TV; Take advantage of the interview to KIT; Go for an award; Become an awards judge; Give an award; Become a teacher; Be part of the solution, not part of the problem; Solve problems intelligently; Offer to help them do their job

Chapter 10 How to grow the relationship

The art of schmoozing; Identify a personal interest; How to address personal interests; Invite your prospect to a special event; Make your prospect special; Invite your prospect to speak at a function; Invite your prospect to write an article; Ask for his help with your pet charity; Send her a birthday card; Give them a lead; Invest in the company; Phone with an idea; Ask for a press kit; Ask to be on their mailing list; Get to know their Web site; Become a customer; Get sponsored for charity; Combine one client's activity with another client's; Attend their industry trade shows and exhibitions; Call to congratulate; Call to commiserate; Get well soon; Send her a book; Give them something you've done; Treat them to something special that you do; Give your best client's offspring a summer job; Write a thank-you note for a piece of business

Chapter 11 How to handle different relationships

The Ladder of Goodwill

Chapter 12 How to work with your clients in the development stage

Involve your client in the work; Involve the right client in the work; Involve your client in the work - why; Involve your client in the work - how to; Talk up the benefits, not the features; Talk up the ultimate benefit - how to; Understand your objectives and look at them frequently; Know the difference between objectives and strategy; Let your strategy dictate your tactics; 'We're not ready to make a decision on this...'

Chapter 13 How to work with your clients in the ongoing stage

Update her on your work; Ask for feedback and evaluation; Involve their colleagues; Talk to others in the client's organization; Update your client on what's going on;

Update your client - even when the news is bad; Analyse your business; Understand the 80/20 rule; Rank your customers by sales; Look at the trends; Look at your selling time in relation to revenues; Clarify your selling cycle

Chapter 14 How to work with your clients when you have problems

Phone your clients to give them a critique; Be a good loser; Why did you lose?; If you screw up, own up; You have a great relationship, and then your colleague harms it; You've worked out a great programme together, and their inside experts kill it; Your client says, 'Call me back in six months': now what?; Keep an ego file

Chapter 15 How to make money

Pricing your services; Payment rates; Discounts; Getting paid; Train your clients; Bill in chunks, with an upfront payment; Bill right away; Be careful!; Monitor your payments; Why not bill the accounts department, not the client?; Follow up on unpaid bills; Know the excuses; BACS payments; Get it in writing; If you have a billing problem, deal with it; Bank your cheques immediately!

Chapter 16 Conclusion

The 16 critical success factors for independent consultants

Introduction
This book is based on my 40-plus years of experience working for companies and as an independent consultant in the areas of advertising, marketing, sales, public relations and training, in the UK, Canada and the United States.
It is designed to convey some of the ideas and techniques that I’ve found to be effective in developing and building business for myself and my clients. The book does not cover business structure, finance, taxes, human-resource issues or legal matters.
What is a consultant? One type I’ve heard about is based on the following interchange:
Client: What time is it?
Consultant: May I borrow your watch a moment? Now what time would you like it to be?
I hope you can do better than that! (I understand in Florida now there are leisure consultants – people who give advice on how to spend your spare time now you’ve retired to the sunshine state!)
You might be a management consultant, an architect, a writer, a trainer, an engineer, a product-placement expert, a designer, a stylist, a musician, a ‘dress-for- success’ specialist, a financial adviser, a computer-systems analyst or something else – if your livelihood is based on your ability to seek, obtain and serve clients, you’ll find strategies and techniques to help you be more successful in this book.
How to get the most out of this book
It’s organized into 15 chapters:

1. How to create your own success plan.
2. How to build your own credibility.
3. How to come across as a success.

4. How to distinguish yourself.
5. How to know your customer.
6. How to promote what you do.
7. How to keep in touch.
8. How to demonstrate commitment.
9. How to build your credibility even more.
10. How to grow the relationship.
11. How to handle different relationships.
12. How to work with your clients in the development stage.
13. How to work with your clients in the ongoing stage.
14. How to work with your clients when you have problems.
15. How to make money.

The ideas outlined here are real, based on real experiences. All the anecdotes really happened. The mechanisms described here are not intended to be rigid rules. They are meant to be idea prompters; allow yourself to apply variations as you see fit. Start by reading the book through, from front to back. That shouldn’t take you more than a couple of hours. Have a pencil or highlighter to hand. When you come across a technique that seems to be useful, circle it. Dog-ear the page. Then go back and see if you can adapt those ideas to your way of doing business. Use them as a launching pad. Some of the ideas may appear familiar to you. Fine. They are there for completeness, so you don’t miss anything. But I guarantee that some of the concepts will be new to you, and I hope you find these helpful in bringing you the success you so richly deserve.