Consulting For Dummies (eBook)

Bob Nelson (San Diego, CA) is founder and president of Nelson Motivation, Inc., a management training and consulting firm based in San Diego, California. As a practicing manager and a best-selling author, he is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of employee recognition, rewards, motivation, morale, retention, productivity, and management. He is author of the bestselling book 1001 Ways to Reward Employees (Workman) -- which has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide -- and coauthor of the best-selling book Managing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, with Peter Economy (Wiley), as well as 18 other books on management and motivation. Bob has been featured extensively in the media, including television appearances on CNN, CNBC, PBS, and MSNBC; radio appearances on NPR, USA Radio Network and the Business News Network; and print appearances in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and many more. He writes a weekly column for American City Business Journals and a monthly column for Corporate Meetings & Incentives, among others. Dr. Nelson received his PhD in management from The Peter F. Drucker Graduate Management Center of Claremont Graduate University in suburban Los Angeles, and received his MBA in organizational behavior from The University of California at Berkeley. For more information on products and services offered by Nelson Motivation, Inc. -- including speaking or consulting services -- call 800-575-5521. Visit Bob at his Web site: www.nelsonmotivation.com. Peter Economy (La Jolla, CA) is a freelance business writer and publishing consultant who is associate editor of the Apex award-winning magazine Leader to Leader, and coauthor of the best-selling book Managing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, with Bob Nelson (Wiley), Giving Back with Bert Berkley (Wiley), The SAIC Solution with J. Robert Beyster (Wiley), as well as the author or coauthor of more than 30 other books on a wide variety of business and other topics. Visit Peter at his Web site: www.petereconomy.com and be sure to check out his Free Book Project at: www.booksforfree.org.

Introduction 1

Part I: So You Want to Be a Consultant 7

Chapter 1: Introducing the Wonderful World of Consulting 9

Chapter 2: Determining Whether Consulting Is Right for You 21

Chapter 3: Taking the Plunge into Consulting (Or at Least Getting Your Feet Wet) 35

Part II: Getting Your Consulting Business Off the Ground 49

Chapter 4: Setting Up Your Consulting Firm 51

Chapter 5: Getting a Grip on Legalities, Finances, and Ethics 71

Chapter 6: Setting Your Fees 89

Part III: The Short Course in Consulting 107

Chapter 7: Defining the Problem and Writing a Winning Proposal 109

Chapter 8: Collecting the Client Data You Need 127

Chapter 9: Problem-Solving and Developing Recommendations 137

Chapter 10: Tell It Like It Is: Presenting Your Recommendations 147

Chapter 11: Implementation: Making Your Prescriptions Stick 159

Part IV: Selling Your Consulting Services 167

Chapter 12: The ABCs of Selling 169

Chapter 13: Getting the Word Out: Promoting Your Business 185

Chapter 14: Building Business and Referrals through Current Clients 199

Chapter 15: Building Business with New Clients 211

Part V: Taking Care of Business 229

Chapter 16: Contracting for Business: It's a Deal! 231

Chapter 17: Keeping Track of Your Time and Money 249

Chapter 18: Communicating Your Way to Success 263

Chapter 19: Troubleshooting Common Consulting Issues 277

Part VI: Taking Your Consulting Business to the Next Level 289

Chapter 20: Building on Your Success 291

Chapter 21: Advanced Pricing Strategies 301

Chapter 22: Enhancing Your Image and Reputation 311

Part VII: The Part of Tens 321

Chapter 23: Ten Ways to Improve Your Cash Flow 323

Chapter 24: Ten Effective Marketing Strategies for New Business 329

Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Build Business with a Client 335

Index 341