Follow the expert advice in this book--the fifth in The Ultimate Consultant series--and you will learn what it takes to work effectively with clients to launch and conduct projects and bring them to a successful conclusion. Alan Weiss, internationally recognized consultant and author of the best-selling Million Dollar Consulting, shows you how to form partnerships with clients who will enthusiastically assist and support the implementation of all your consulting projects.

Group coaching is rapidly becoming the preferred coaching option for businesses and individuals. "Effective Group Coaching" is a practical, resource rich, hands-on guide for the group coaching facilitator in one of the fastest growing new disciplines. Organizations, community groups and individuals are discovering that group coaching is an exciting and sustainable model and process for learning and growth. Written for internal and external coaches, HR professionals, trainers and facilitators wanting to expand their work into this area, this book provides tested methodologies and tools and tips. Both new and seasoned coaches will find the book a practical roadmap and go-to guide when designing, implementing and marketing their own group coaching programs. Case studies highlight how group coaching programs are being delivered globally through corporate and public prgrams, virtually and in person. Also, the author's dedicated web site offers resources and articles available for downloading.

Grantwriters often have little or no training in the practical task of grantseeking. Many feel intimidated by the act of writing, and some don't enjoy writing. In Storytelling for Grantseekers, Second Edition, Cheryl Clarke presents an organic approach to grantseeking, one that views the process through the lens of the pleasures and rewards of crafting a good story. Grantseekers who approach the process as one in which they are connecting with an audience (grantmakers) and writing a narrative (complete with settings, characters, antagonists and resolutions) find greater success with funders. The writing process becomes a rewarding way to tell the organization's tale, rather than a chore, and their passion and creativity lead to winning proposals.
This book walks readers through all the main phases of the proposal, highlighting the creative elements that link components to each other and unify the entire proposal. The book contains resources on crafting an effective synopsis, overcoming grantwriter's block, packaging the story, and the best ways to approach the "short stories" (inquiry and cover letters) that support the larger proposal.
Clarke also stresses the need to see proposal-writing as part of a larger grantseeking effort, one that emphasizes preparation, working with the entire development staff, and maintaining good relations with funders. In Storytelling for Grantseekers, new and experienced grantseekers alike will discover how to write and support successful proposals with humor and passion.
New edition features:
* Overall updates as well as both refreshed and new examples
* Workshop exercises for using the storytelling approach
* New chapters onthe application of the storytelling method to other fundraising communications like appeal letters and case statements, as well as the importance of site visits
* Example of a full narrative proposal

In this gripping and colorful account of the American dream gone astray, Lewis Pinault provides the essential guidelines on how to get ahead and an enlightening perspective on the brutal infighting that can engulf even the most civilized consulting firm. This stunning exposé of some of the most prestigious and respected names in the business leads you into a world where a client's interests are skillfully subordinated to those of the consultants, where money rules the day, and where principles and morals are unwelcome baggage.

Humorous and insightful, this no-holds-barred account takes you behind the scenes of the dehumanizing indoctrination of an academic intellectual into an exploitative -- and exploited -- "global transformation contractor." Featuring new material dealing with the e-consulting industry's boom, bust, and its future, Consulting Demons offers the most complete look at an industry that exacts the highest prices for the most questionable standards of success.

Written by a team of experts in the field of workplace diversity, The Global Diversity Desk Reference offers a strategic approach for international organizations that want to succeed in the worldwide marketplace by maximizing the potential of all their employees. You'll discover how to increase effectiveness in managing diversity at three levels--the individual, interpersonal, and organizational. You'll also get the practical tools, concrete suggestions, and pragmatic methods you need to successfully manage a global workforce and create and align organizational systems, policies, and practices with the requirements of an international workforce.

This book is a "scientific" introduction to management consulting that covers elementary and more advanced concepts, such as strategy and client-relationship. It discusses the emerging role of information technologies in consulting activities and introduces the essential tools in data science, assuming no technical background. Drawing on extensive literature reviews with more than 200 peer reviewed articles, reports, books and surveys referenced, this book has at least four objectives: to be scientific, modern, complete and concise. An interactive version of some sections (industry snapshots, method toolbox) is freely accessible at econsultingdata.com.

Is this the right book for me? If you are a consultant in any field, working for any size organisation from 'one man and his dog' to a massive multinational, or thinking of moving into consultation, then this is the book for you! Coverage includes: *What makes a successful consultant *Setting a clear vision *Assessing resources *How to write reports and give presentations *Building up your customer facing skills *Dealing with difficult clients *Balancing your work with the rest of your life. Containing lots of practical advice, this book also features interviews with successful consultants who have a wealth of experience to share. Written in an accessible style, it will give you the confidence to shine in consultancy. Successful Consulting includes: Chapter 1: What do you want from this? Chapter 2: Consulting excellence at work Chapter 3: What makes a successful consultant Chapter 4: Setting a clear vision Chapter 5: Bringing power to your aim Chapter 6: Assessing your resources Chapter 7: Tools to make it happen Chapter 8: Client project management Chapter 9: Managing client expectations Chapter 10: Avoiding project pitfalls Chapter 11: Image Chapter 12: Writing a client report Chapter 13: Giving a client presentation Chapter 14: Running a client workshop/project meeting Chapter 15: Building client relationships Chapter 16: Handling client politics Chapter 17: Influencing and negotiation Chapter 18: Dealing with difficult clients Chapter 19: Dealing with internal relationships Chapter 20: Marketing your services Chapter 21: Starting and running your own business Chapter 22: Balancing your work with the rest of your life Chapter 23: Going forward Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and added features: Not got much time? One and five-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. Author insights Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. Test yourself Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. Extend your knowledge Extra online articles to give you a richer understanding of consulting. Five things to remember Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. Try this Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

Real-world tools to build your venture, grow your business, and avoid mistakes Startup, Scaleup, Screwup is an expert guide for emerging and established businesses to accelerate growth, facilitate scalability, and keep pace with the rapidly changing economic landscape. The contemporary marketplace is more dynamic than ever before--increased global competition, the impact of digital transformation, and disruptive innovation factors require businesses to implement agile management and business strategies to compete and thrive. This indispensable book provides business leaders and entrepreneurs the tools and guidance to meet growth and scalability challenges head on. Equal parts motivation and practical application, this book answers the questions every business leader asks from the startup ventures to established companies. Covering topics including funding options, employee hiring, product-market validation, remote team management, agile scaling, and the business lifecycle, this essential resource provides a solid approach to grow at the right pace and stay lean. This book will enable you to: Apply 42 effective tools to sustain and accelerate your business growth Avoid the mistakes and pitfalls associated with rapid business growth or organizational change Develop a clear growth plan to integrate into your overall business model Structure your business for rapid scaling and efficient management Startup, Scaleup, Screwup: 42 Tools to Accelerate Lean & Agile Business Growth is a must-read for entrepreneurs, founders, managers, and senior executives. Author Jurgen Appelo shares his wisdom on the creative economy, agile management, innovation marketing, and organizational change to provide a comprehensive guide to business growth. Practical methods and expert advice make this book an essential addition to any business professional's library.

As an experienced consultant, you'll find this unique book an invaluable aid in establishing the leverage needed to bring highly-qualified prospects and new business to your doorstep. Written by Alan Weiss--an internationally recognized expert in consulting and marketing--this essential resource, the second book in The Ultimate Consultant Series, will help you develop the skills you need to achieve valuable brand recognition quickly and effectively.
How to Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession will help you create a brand that will make you "Number One" in your particular areas of excellence, no matter how broad or narrow. And, perhaps worth the price alone, the book offers a glimpse into the important trends that are shaping the future of branding.
"Alan Weiss should be branded as The Consultant's Consultant! His new book, How to Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession, is another proof of the value of his insights into the marketing and strategy of the consulting profession. He's right on the mark in terms of what consultants typically don't do and certainly need to do to succeed."
--William C. Byham, chairman and CEO, Development Dimensions International, Inc. (DDI)

Though it's a potentially lucrative enterprise, the reality of independent consulting seldom matches the dream. Most solo consultants and boutique consulting firms are perpetually within six months of bankruptcy due to the sputtering unreliability of their new business engines. The problem, according to international consulting expert David A. Fields, is twofold: 1) lack of a consistent, proven plan, and 2) fundamental misunderstanding about what clients want in a consultant. Fields, who has helped hundreds of consultants and boutique firms worldwide build lucrative, sustainable practices, replaces the typical consultant's mindset of emphasizing expertise and differentiated processes with a focus on building relationships, engendering trust, and solving clients' existing problems. In The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: Six Steps to Unlimited Clients and Financial Freedom, Fields synthesizes his decades of experience into a step-by-step approach to winning more projects from more clients at higher fees. From nuts-and-bolts business advice and tactics to a deeply insightful breakdown of the human side of a very human profession, Fields delivers a comprehensive guidebook that is at once highly approachable and satisfyingly detailed.

Die Autorin behandelt in Band 1 ihres Standardwerkes zur Unternehmensberatung die folgenden Themen, die dem logischen Ablauf der Gewinnung eines Beratungsprojektes entsprechen: Strategisches Beratungsmarketing; operatives Beratungsmarketing; Kontaktphase; Akquisitionsphase; Angebotsphase; Vertragsgestaltung.

Comprehensive Coverage

Completely Up-to-date!

Turn your expertise into a highly paid speaking career!

Getting Started in SPEAKING, TRAINING, or SEMINAR CONSULTING

Superstar speakers like Tom Peters get $30,000 or more for a one-hour keynote address. Other top speakers earn $5,000 to $10,000 or more per day. The market for speakers, trainers, and seminar consultants is huge: U.S. companies spend an estimated $55 billion annually on workplace training. And you don’t have to be a Tom Peters to earn a good living as a professional speaker. There’s a demand for experts in every area from how to reduce stress, organize time, and manage people to how to write a business letter or troubleshoot a local area network. People from all walks of life successfully do it: Teachers, consultants, authors, executives, entrepreneurs, and training professionals have all built lucrative second careers as speakers.

Getting Started in Speaking, Training, or Seminar Consulting shows you, step-by-step, exactly what you need to know to become a polished and highly paid speaker (or, if you already are one, a better one). You’ll learn how to:

• Create a presentation that audiences want to hear
• Identify your market
• Establish yourself as an authority in your field
• Effectively sell yourself and win speaking engagements
• Set fees, write contracts, and handle other financial and legal aspects of the profession
• Promote yourself on the Internet
• Work with bureaus, agents, reps, and office assistants
• Boost your speaking income with information products

Imagine yourself as a successful speaker: You get to stand up and talk in front of an audience . . . you help others with your knowledge . . . you’re sought out for your expert counsel . . . and you’re paid very well for it! It can happen–with the straightforward, podium-proven advice in the book you’re holding in your hand.

Consultants are called upon more and more to help implement needed organizational changes, fill gaps in workforce capabilities, and solve significant business problems. As the demand for consultants increases, it is critical that practitioners differentiate themselves and understand how they can be most successful, for themselves and their clients. The Basic Principles of Effective Consulting details what effective consultants do and provides a step by step process of just how they do it. The Second Edition of The Basic Principles of Effective Consulting is fully updated with real-life cases. End-of-chapter summaries foster both mastery and engagement, as well as providing a quick reference throughout a consultant's career. In addition, each chapter includes a section "From the experts" written by successful consultants and users of consultants' services. These experts share ideas and tips about their own consulting experiences that relate to chapter material. The book is written for entry level and seasoned consultants, project managers, staff advisors, and anyone who wants to learn (or be reminded of) the basic principles of effective consulting. The book is well suited as an excellent textbook for college courses on consulting, organizational training, and a lifetime go-to consultant's resource.

Avoid costly litgation!

You'll want to keep this user-friendly overview of legal issues on your desk at all times! This is the only complete "how-to" guide and overview of legal issues you face as a consultant. You'll learn how to make sense of legal jargon and a variety of contracts as well as learn when to seek out the advice of legal counsel and when to walk away from losing relationships. This book isn't intended to replace competent legal advice-rather it is a time- and cost-effective means to understand legal issues before pursuing legal.

Includes a diskette with useful tools, sample forms, checklists, and links to technology-based resources.

"I beg you, do not start your own consulting business without first reading The Consultant's Legal Guide. And if you already have, read it now! I assure you that when you put into practice the sound advice of Elaine Biech and Linda Byars Swindling you will save yourself the heartache and headache of needless legal hassels...The Consultant's Legal Guide will help you every day of your business life."
--James M. Kouzes, chairman, Tom Peters Group/Learning Systems, co-author of The Leadership Challenge and Encouraging the Heart

"A great flight plan to avoid turbulence...Whether you are a consultant or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, this book should be on your desk for a reference in so many areas."
--Howard Putnam, Former CEO, Southwest Airlines and Braniff International, author of The Winds of Turbulence

"A well thought out, practical approach to dealing effectively with lawyers and other consultants. If followed, it should help all parties be better prepared and do a better job."
--Rita Reuss, attorney, former vice president, Land O' Lakes

"The Consultant's Legal Guide is better than an MBA in business relationships. Clear, concise, thoughtful and thorough. . .after reading this book, consultants will sleep better at night!"
--Pamela J. Schmidt, vic

Each year, thousands of consulting contracts are awarded by organizations to experts who help them with challenges involving people, processes, technologies, goals, resource allocation, decision making, problem solving, and more. These experts - consultants - diagnose problems, recommend solutions, facilitate interventions, and evaluate outcomes that are often related to human communication. Some consultants are academicians skilled in both doing and interpreting research for clients; others are practitioners with little use for research and theory. Driving all of the ideas showcased in Consulting That Matters: A Handbook for Scholars and Practitioners is the premise that sound theory and research are critical to consulting success, and should be the blueprints for successful organizational transformation. Thus, this book is for all types of consultants, including the very best who are at the top of their games and those who believe theory and research belong in ivory towers, not business settings. Featuring a "who's who" of preeminent communication scholars/consultants, each author shares frameworks, strategies, and examples from their own diverse experiences, all grounded in rich, substantive theory and research. The volume offers even the most skilled and experienced consultants a range of alternative approaches, paradigms, and competencies to build their credibility and make them more valuable to their clients in a dynamic, ever-evolving business climate.

In this comprehensive, step-by-step guide, author Sandy Bradley draws on her many years of experience as an organizer and auctioneer for nonprofits and arts organizations. Learn how to
- determine what kind of event is best for your organization
- find an ideal location
- hire an effective auctioneer
- develop a strategy to get your supporters to attend
- solicit donations of good and services to sell
- generate a catalog and bid sheets
- train volunteers so the event will run smoothly
- set up your event for maximum profits
- wrap up for guaranteed success at your next auction

The Consultant’s Manual If you’re serious about starting your own consulting practice, there’s something you should know … … No matter how knowledgeable you are in your field.… No matter how expert your advice or impressive your credentials.… If you don’t bring an air of consummate professionalism to every phase of your practice—from proposal-writing and fee-setting, to drawing up contracts and issuing reports—you’ll almost definitely lose out to the professional who does. But don’t worry, because with Tom Greenbaum and The Consultant’s Manual in your corner, you can make sure that never happens! Growing out of the author’s Harvard consulting course, this book offers level-headed, expert advice on virtually every practical aspect of starting, building, and marketing your consulting practice. Centered around the theme of developing and working an exhaustive business plan for your firm, it leads you step-by-step through the research, planning, and problem-solving stages. Positioning your firm, giving it a name, targeting your market, establishing a sales culture, maintaining top-flight customer service, cash flow, billing, and fee setting … it’s all in here, and much more.

In the 1980s and 1990s the world of governance witnessed a far-reaching change from the Weberian model of bureaucracy to the 'new managerialism'-a term used to describe the group of ideas imported from business and mainly brought into government by management consultants. Over the past fifteen years, the British, French, and Canadian governments have spent growing sums of money on consulting services and, as a result, policy-makers inside the state have increasingly been exposed to the business management ideas that consultants bring into the public sector. Nevertheless, there are major differences in the extent to which reformers in the three countries embraced these ideas in the process of bureaucratic reform. Accordingly, this is a book about policy change and variation. It seeks to explain why the changes produced by the new managerialism have been more radical in some countries than in others. Building the New Managerialist State shows that the reception given by states to managerialist ideas depends on the openness of policy-making institutions to outside expert knowledge and on the organization, development, and social recognition of management consultancy.

Exploring the new professional scenes in digital and freelance knowledge, this innovative book provides an account of the subjects and cultures that pertain to knowledge work in the aftermath of the creative class frenzy. Including a broad spectrum of empirical projects, The Reputation Economy documents the rise of freelancing and digital professions and argues about the central role held by reputation within this context, offering a comprehensive interpretation of the digital transformation of knowledge work. The book shows how digital technologies are not simply intermediating productive and organizational processes, allowing new ways for supply and demand to meet, but actually enable the diffusion of cultural conceptions of work and value that promise to become the new standard of the industry.

This new edition gathers more than 22 experts to outline the theory behind consulting, providing insight into change processes and management issues in the field. The business of consulting has grown faster than most other businesses, due not only to increased demand by clients, but also to the innovative capabilities of numerous consulting firms as they develop new services. Divided into six parts, the book introduces readers to the consulting industry, addressing the major practice areas, contexts, and implementations of the field. Significant updates detail the effect of the economic troubles between 2004 and 2010 and then 2010 and now; analyze the market response to consulting in recent years; and provide a more thorough understanding of how consulting is applied in the different areas of a business, such as operations, marketing, and finance. Introductions written by the editors offer further insight into the themes and learning goals of each section, helping readers to recognize the elements of a successful consultation, and utilize their new skill set. The text concludes with a look at the future of consulting with regards to ethics standards and how strong manager-client relationships contribute to financial growth. Readers will also learn how the developing field of entrepreneurship creates new economic structures and job opportunities. Practitioners, consultants, clients, faculty, and students of business and management will learn not only how to consult, but also gain the skills needed to adapt to and lead organizational change, giving them a competitive edge when they enter the field.

The real-world guide to successfully funding your nonprofit program The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management is the comprehensive handbook for successful fundraising, with a practical focus that applies across the nonprofit sector. With a focus on planning, self-assessment, continual improvement, and high-payoff strategies, this book provides more than just ideas it shows you the concrete, real-world actions that make it all happen, and gives you the tools you need to bring these concepts to life. This new fourth edition features the latest information about social media campaigning, internet fundraising, crowdfunding, and more. Timelines, checklists, and forms help you streamline management tasks to focus on effective development, and updated sample reports and budget information help you begin implementing these approaches quickly. The nonprofit world is becoming increasingly competitive in terms of funding, and fundraisers are being asked to perform miracles more than ever before. This book offers a time-tested framework for fundraising success, with step-by-step guidance through the entire process from prospect to program. * Understand and apply the major principles and best practices of fundraising * Manage information, resources, development, and volunteers * Adopt new approaches to relationship-building and prospect identification * Write grants and fundraising materials that make a rock-solid case for support There is never enough funding to go around. To survive and thrive, nonprofits must revitalize interest and generate more support. Gone are the days of door-knocking and bake sales; strategy is critical, and execution must be top-notch. The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management shows you the real-world strategies that get your programs funded.

Leadership is currently one of the most hotly discussed topics in business. This is the first book to not only identify the characteristics of successful leadership but to show how these qualities can be developed. The Reflecting Glass surveys the field of executive coaching, including its origins, the theoretical framework underpinning it, the forms it can take and the value it adds. Based on the experience of two leading practitioners and with contributions from other key players it provides a detailed methodology for working one-to-one with people at the top of organisations in order to help them become fully effective. Executive coaching has experienced exponential growth over the last five years but as yet there has been little critical appraisal of the activity. This book provides that critique. By describing and benchmarking good practice, The Reflecting Glass will be a valuable tool for those in leadership positions considering executive coaching for themselves, as well as the HR professional.

Die positive Entwicklung des Inhouse Consulting ist, vielen Prognosen externer Berater zum Trotz, nicht aufzuhalten. Dennoch ist dieses Geschaftsfeld nach wie vor sehr volatil, da es nicht zum Kerngeschafts eines Unternehmens gehort und deshalb von der Kontinuitat und Verbindlichkeit des Zielsystems der Unternehmensleitung oder einzelner ihrer Mitglieder abhangt. Die Autoren stellen in diesem Buch eine Auswahl nachhaltiger Inhouse Consulting Modelle vor, die inzwischen in ihrer Branche und bei Marktstudien als Benchmark gelten."

The definitive guide to getting out of the office and getting into consulting Getting Started in Consulting, Fourth Edition is the acclaimed real-world blueprint to professional and financial freedom. For nearly two decades, this invaluable resource has helped thousands of people quit the daily grind and become their own boss. This practical and motivational guide provides the tools and knowledge to control your future and secure your fortune. From establishing goals and sorting out the legal and financial paperwork, to advanced marketing strategies and relationship building techniques, this indispensable book offers step-by-step instructions for you to establish and grow your own consultancy business. This extensively revised and updated fourth edition includes new and expanded coverage on topics including utilizing informal media, changes in legal and financial guidelines, key distinctions of wholesale and retail businesses, and much more. Author Alan Weiss delivers expert advice on how to combine minimal overhead with optimal organization to produce maximum income. Every step in the process is clearly explained, including financing, marketing, bookkeeping, establishing your fees, and more. This guide is a comprehensive, one-stop source for everything you need to prosper in the rapidly expanding world of private consultancy. Adopt a pragmatic and profitable strategy to achieve incredible results from your consultancy business Learn to identify and address the most commons issues facing your prospects and clients Leverage technology to reduce labor, maximize profitability, and increase discretionary time Access sample budgets, case studies, references and appendices, downloadable tools and forms, and online resources The modern business landscape presents unique opportunities for those willing to take the leap from corporate offices to home offices. Getting Started in Consulting, Fourth Edition is the must-have guide for anyone seeking to cut their own path to their own consulting business.

This book seeks to explain why the changes produced by the new managerialism have been more radical in some countries than in others. Saint-Martin shows that the reception given by states to managerialist ideas depends on the openness of policy-making institutions to outside expert knowledge and on the organization, development, and social recognition of management consultancy.