2. WHAT IS CONSULTING
Just providing services or advices to other
businesses
Not as an employee
But as an independent person or as an
independent company
All industries can have consultants
IT, Management, Engineering
3. WHY CONSULTANTS ANYWAY?
The need for personnel
The need for fresh ideas
Government regulations
The need for maximum efficiency
The need to diagnose problems and find
solutions
The need to train employees
The need for a complete turnaround
5. HOW CONSULTANTS ARE ANALYZED
Can he add something to the output
Can he save time and money for the
company?
Does he have the skills, can he do the job
With the budget, can he accomplish the goal
6. WHAT MAKES AN OUTSTANDING CONSULTANT
Beside manner
The ability to diagnose problems
The ability to find solutions
Technical expertise and knowledge
Communication skills
Marketing and selling ability
Management skills
7. HOW TO GET CLIENTS
Direct mail
Cold calls
Direct response space advertising
Directory listings
Yellow pages listings
Former employers
Online marketing
Networking with other professionals in the same
or different field
8. HOW TO GET CLIENTS
Indirect methods of marketing
Speaking before groups
Sending out newsletters
Joining and being active in professional
organizations
Joining and being active in social organizations
Writing articles
Writing a book
Writing letters to the editor
Teaching a course
9. INDIRECT METHODS OF MARKETING
Giving seminars
Distributing publicity releases
Exchanging information leads and referrals
with noncompeting consultants
10. MARKETING SEQUENCE
Marketing to the government
Locate potential clients
Screen
Visit and make presentations
Maintain contact and gather intelligence
Prepare the proposal
Negotiate the contract
11. MAKE THE INITIAL INTERVIEW SUCCESSFUL
Looking and acting like a professional
Essential questions
What problem needs solving
Exactly what the client wants you to do
How will you know if the objectives have been
met?
Are there any particular sensitive issues that you
should watch out for?
Main point of contact
Any backup contacts
12. MAKE THE INITIAL INTERVIEW SUCCESSFUL
What authority does each player have?
Taking notes
Holding off on giving advice
Interpreting body language
Making use of listening techniques
Identifying emotions from facial expressions
13. WHAT TO DO WHEN THE INTERVIEW IS OVER
If positive and offered the position
Negotiate
Rate
Time
Duration
Vacation
Health
Leave business card
Pay thanks
Decide on request for proposal
14. PRICING YOUR SERVICES
Low price strategy
High price strategy
Meet the competition price strategy
18. METHODS OF BILLING
Daily or hourly
Working on retainer
Performance billing
Fixed price billing
Consider the details
Overestimate a bit
Control costs closely
Specify the requirements in detail
Put the changes in writing
19. DISCLOSING THE FEE
The client may like one particular method of
billing over others
So determine your price in all possible ways
Government wants full disclosure
20. CONSULTING CONTRACTS
Why a contract is necessary
To understand the terms clearly
It will help you get paid
You can develop your own contract
Using the standard client contract
Incurring a contractual agreement
Formal contract
The letter contract
Order agreements
Purchase orders
Verbal contracts
21. TYPES OF CONTRACTS
Fixed contracts
Cost contracts
Performance contracts
Incentive contracts
Elements of a contract
Who: the consultant and client
What: services?
Where? Addresses of both parties. Where the services
will be provided
When? When services to be performed and when paid
How much: how much pay
22. ELEMENTS OF A CONTRACT
Elements of a contract
Competitive restrictions
Patent rights
Insurance coverage
Confidentiality
23. PLANNING AND SCHEDULING THE PROJECT
PERT Model
Agile methodology
Waterfall methodology
24. NEGOTIATING WITH YOUR CLIENT
Six steps by government
Evaluate and rank
Identify offers within competitive range
Eliminate unacceptable offers
Written and oral discussions
Notification of a cut off date
Award the project
25. FOR SUCCESS
Preparation: the key to all contract
negotiations
Being wary of telephone negotiations
The negotiation plan
26. NEGOTIATION GAMESMANSHIP
Making the other party unreasonable
Placing the other party on the defensive
Blaming a third party
The good guy and bad guy technique
Straw issues
The walkout
The recess
The time squeeze
27. HINTS FOR NEGOTIATION
Use humor in tensed situations
Do not insult anyone
Do not try to make anyone bad
Be reasonable
Try to find the best for both parties
Talk and listen
Never assume that the other party is 100%
accurate
28. HINTS FOR NEGOTIATION
Explain all the advantages that you are
offering
If you are not prepared for a topic, defer it
Accept a good offer
You probably is in a very good situation and
the client may be in a very bad situation. So
work on getting what you deserve in the
market
30. SOLVING CLIENT PROBLEM
Step by step
Central problem
Relevant factors
Alternative courses of action
Discussion and analysis of alternatives
Conclusions
recommendations
31. PSYCHOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES FOR PROBLEM SOLVING
Psychological techniques for problem
solving.
Why absent mind decides better sometimes
No pressure
Distractions
False knowledge
Use your subconscious to solve problems
32. IMPORTANCE OF ETIHCS IN CONSULTING
Business ethics: not clear cut
Typical ethical problems in consulting
Client already knows the solution
Client wants you to omit information from your
reports
Client wants the proprietary information that you
learned in another place as employed
Client wants you to lie to his boss
Client wants you to bill for more or less hours
