Image Consulting has been identified as one of the top home-based professions for the new millennium. This is the first book that outlines in detail how to design an image consulting business, the training you will need and how to market and promote your services. Also included is a section on resources, sample documents, media lists and consulting tools and training. This is a MUST HAVE if you want to start a successful image business.

Finally, the real story about corporate America with its increased reliance on consultants. Since the 1990s, consulting solutions have become the de facto standard for solving business problems and providing cover for corporate decision makers. This is not the typical CEO whitewash, or business management primer. Steve Romaine offers a view never before shared with management or stockholders as he takes a hired gun's journey beginning at the outside looking in, and ending at the pinnacle of a corporation's power.

As both a manager and a consultant who has played a critical role in some of the largest corporations, Romaine provides real-world insights that will increase the effectiveness of corporate leaders in hiring and managing outside experts, and will show them ways to maintain the loyalty of their employees while providing incentives for better consultant collaboration with employees. Most important, he highlights a growing problem and helps managers avoid it in the future: "Manage them, or they will manage you."

Romaine provides many insights into the complex manager-consultant relationship based on his experience of working for IBM, his later role as a self-employed consultant, and finally his responsibilities as senior vice president for NationsBank, as it positioned itself for the takeover of Bank of America, becoming one of the largest and most powerful financial institutions in the United States. This book is a must for anyone involved with the consulting business.

'No freelance stone is left unturned with this book. I wish this book had existed when I started freelancing 20 years ago' - Paul Jarvis, author of Company of One Award-winning entrepreneur and freelancer, Alison Grade, guides you through absolutely everything that you need to know to start your successful self-employed life. Starting from day one, she will help you develop your personal brand, pick up the financial essentials, grow your client base, manage your work-life balance, negotiate deals and value your time as you become more established. This is your complete guide to turning your talent into a fulfilling and sustainable career. 'If you have talent and passion this is a very practical guide to turning that into a career, from someone who's not just done it but taught many others how to do it too' - Mike Southon, co-author of The Beermat Entrepreneur and Entrepreneur in Residence, Cass Business School

Since SAP R/3 exploded on the North American scene in 1993, the SAP consulting market has been phenomenal. As the market moves into a mature phase, SAP consultants need new strategies and tactics to further their careers. In this eagerly-awaited handbook, the authors - an SAP practice director and an SAP recruiter - combine forces to offer in-depth advice on everything from how to get a start in SAP consulting to balancing multiple job offers. This book is a must for anyone involved in the field of SAP consulting.

A collection of papers exploring the development of knowledge and value in management consulting. The papers are divided into three sections on: the management consulting industry; trends and techniques in management consulting; and reflections on management consulting.

A study of trends in management consulting at the beginning of the new millennium. The contributions are divided into three sections addressing: the consulting industry; trends and techniques in management consulting; and reflections on management consulting.

Presents a clear road map for starting and maintaining a successful consulting business. Whether you are already a consultant or thinking about becoming one, this guide has everything you need. This book shows you how to: - Create a business plan - Set your rate - Select the legal form of your business - Set up retirement funding - Choose appropriate insurance - Market on the Internet - Understand basic record keeping Also included is a recommended resource list and sample worksheets to help you start and maintain your consulting business. If you are an experienced professional at a crossroads in your career, this book can point you in the right direction.

This guide describes and evaluates consulting from a client's perspective, placing stress on principles and practices that make the difference between effective and wasteful consulting projects. It should be useful for managers and entrepreneurs, as well as for consultants who wish to better understand their client's needs. Milan Kubr is the author of "Management Consulting: A Guide to the Profession".

"The consulting industry is one of the fastest growing business sectors worldwide with new opportunities emerging continually in hundreds of different fields. Whatever your area of expertise--engineering or employee relations, computers or customer service--there's likely to be a demand for your consulting abilities." --Gregory Kishel and Patricia Kishel from the Preface
Who needs consultants? The answer is simple: everyone does Consultants are no longer viewed as a luxury. They've become a necessity in today's constantly evolving business environment. And, for millions of career changers, recent graduates, retirees, and former government employees, consulting is an excellent way to turn knowledge and experience into a profitable business.
Now, two highly successful consultants provide you with a proven plan for entering and growing in this lucrative field. You'll get practical advice on what it takes to succeed as a consultant, where the real opportunities are, and the types of situations you are most likely to encounter. You'll learn all of the aspects of becoming an independent consultant, including how to choose a specific field and set up business, how to determine fees and market your services, how to get referrals and maintain good client relations, how to write winning proposals, what kinds of insurance you should have, how to win government contracts, how to enter foreign markets, and much, much more.
Packed with step-by-step guidelines, forms, and checklists, this valuable guide is must reading for both working consultants and anyone interested in starting a consulting business.
Written for anyone with ideas, information, or skills to sell, this valuable guide shows you how to make the most of your talents, putting them to work for yourself and your clients. Drawing on their own experiences as management consultants, Gregory Kishel and Patricia Kishel offer down-to-earth advice on what it takes to succeed as a consultant, where the opportunities are, and the types of situations you are likely to encounter. Step by step, you will learn all of the aspects of becoming an independent consultant, including:
* How to choose a specific field and set up a business
* How to determine fees and market your services
* How to get referrals and maintain good client relations
* What kinds of insurance you should have
* How to win government contracts, enter foreign markets, and much more

Whatever your area of specialization, this indispensable book will give you the information you need to build and maintain a profitable consulting business.

There is no magic formula for growing a successful consulting firm, but the few most important factors you must know are critical regardless of the type of consulting firm you are trying to grow. With leadership, diligence, discipline, and sustained effort, these principles can help you achieve your most visionary business aspirations. If you entered consulting to make a quick dollar, or to supplement your income, this book won't offer you much. If, instead, you are hoping to create a sustainable enterprise that accumulates value you can capitalize on, then this is the book for you. You're the Boss: Growing and Selling a Successful Consulting Firm is written in a warmly conversational manner, making it accessible to novice consultants as well as seasoned professionals. It is an ideal resource for business consulting entrepreneurs who want to: Strategically steer their own rewarding business venture Grow their business and employ others in rewarding careers Profit from the sale of a highly successful independent business This book focuses on the creation of a capital asset and independent wealth, not just the mechanics of consulting. Bringing together the experiences and lessons learned from a dozen highly successful consulting entrepreneurs, the book provides stories that highlight the lessons in action in the USA, UK, Australia, Asia, and South Africa. The book is segmented into nine distinct lessons charting the journey of a successful consulting firm-from inception to sale. In addition, it presents the author's proprietary growth model that he has applied successfully during his professional consulting experience, and which he credits for much of the commercial success he has experienced.

Get the business funding you need to secure your success The issue of funding is one of the biggest pain points for small- and medium-sized businesses and one that comes up on a daily basis. Whether you're unsure about how to go about getting a loan, unfamiliar with the different options available to you or confused as to which would be the right solution for your particular business, Business Funding For Dummies provides plain-English, down-to-earth guidance on everything you need to successfully fund your business venture. Friendly, authoritative, and with a dash of humor thrown in for fun, this hands-on guide takes the fear out of funding and walks you step-by-step through the process of ensuring your business is financially viable. From crowd funding and angels to grants and friends, families, and fools, it covers every form of funding available and helps you hone in on and secure the ones that are right for your unique needs. * Includes mini case studies, quotes, and plenty of examples * Offers excerpts from interviews with financiers and entrepreneurs * Topics covered include all forms of funding * Covers angels in the UK and abroad If you're the owner or director of a small-to-medium-sized business looking to start an SME, but have been barking up the wrong tree, Business Funding For Dummies is the fast and easy way to get the funds you need.

While finding and keeping a core group of clients remains the bread and butter of any consultant's business, doing so is far from simple in a field that's becoming increasingly crowded and competitive. Today, as the result of drastic shifts in the landscape—information technology, virtual organizations, telecommuting—targeting and attracting clients is a greater challenge than ever. To help you meet that challenge head on, Marketing Your Consulting and Professional Services, the bible for consultants and professionals worldwide, has been thoroughly revised and expanded. This brand new Third Edition gives you the tools and the know-how to survive and thrive in today's tough market.

Beginning with a comprehensive overview, this updated resource keeps you abreast of current trends and issues. In addition, you'll find complete coverage of Dick Connor's innovative—and highly effective—Client-Centered Marketing^TM (CCM) approach, a practical "deliverables-driven" system for penetrating specific markets. This easy-to-follow, six-part process helps you achieve a myriad of essential marketing objectives: from expanding services for current clients and capitalizing on the potential within your business to generating profitable growth and managing your image with clients and targets.

With a wealth of new information that focuses on finding and qualifying new clients—what every consultant worries about most—this new edition of Marketing Your Consulting and Professional Services, Third Edition provides essential information on:

• Analyzing your current business or practice—evaluating clients, assessing existing prospects, preparing a strategic profile
• Becoming "client smart"—determining how the niche industry is organized, identifying requirements for success, determining its needs
• Building market awareness—maintaining positive name recognition, establishing your firm's intended image
• Prospecting—acquiring new, high-potential clients, preparing a winning proposal, selling the value-adding solution
• Ensuring client satisfaction—handling service and relationship breakdowns with a practical recovery action sequence

Complete with helpful worksheets and checklists, as well as precise definitions of terminology and an annotated bibliography, Marketing Your Consulting and Professional Services, Third Edition is a must for today's fiercely competitive, highly demanding marketplace.

Praise for the previous edition of Marketing Your Consulting and Professional Services

"Loaded with examples, useful forms, and informative exhibits, Marketing Your Consulting and Professional Services is an extraordinary how-to manual that provides vital step-by-step instruction and advice on how to maximize profitability and success. . . . Marketing is a how-to you shouldn't do without." — Managers Magazine

"This is definitely a 'MUST READ' book for entrepreneurs and business professionals of all types. The attention to detail provides practical insights on the critical keys to marketing success." — Dr. Peter Johnson, Corporate Marketing Strategist

"As today's business environment becomes increasingly competitive, consulting professionals look for fresh approaches and innovative ideas to 'cut through the clutter' and increase their share of business. Marketing Your Consulting and Professional Services provides highly useful information for every professional consultant. It's an essential purchase." — Jonathan D. Blum, Managing Director — Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations, Singapore

"Marketing Your Consulting and Professional Services is excellent. It contains down-to-earth, indispensable tips for marketing consulting services. Vital reading for both beginners and seasoned consultants—worldwide. I wish I had had this daily guide during my rough start." — Dr. Oskar Pack, Management Consultant and Sales Trainer — Euskirchen, Germany

"Based on studies of the use of management consulting, financial consulting, legal services, and IT services, this book sheds light on how needs in organizations for management advice services are constructed and why certain service suppliers are given trust to deliver. "

In The Philosophic Consultant, acclaimed business consultant, philosopher, and author Peter Koestenbaum links deep insights of philosophy with practical business issues. Throughout this one-of-a-kind resource, Koestenbaum shows consultants and human resource practitioners how they can foster philosophical leadership within their organizations to positively affect the business environment. The book promises tangible results— credibility, trust, and thoughtful attention— and demonstrates how to apply philosophy, share knowledge with others, and use this newfound thoughtfulness to achieve bottom-line results.