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How To Start Your Own Consulting Business
Written by: Lee ListerArticle Overview: In these recessionary times consultancy can be an ideal way forward for the newly unemployed professional. Like everything else at the moment, it can be challenging to make a success of a consulting business, so you need to set your consultancy up properly. Here are some suggested steps.
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Free Download - What Type of Business Should I Start? By Lee Lister |
How To Start Your Own Consulting Business
In these recessionary times consultancy can be an ideal way forward for the newly unemployed professional. Like everything else at the moment, it can be challenging to make a success of a consulting business, so you need to set your consultancy up properly. Here are some suggested steps.
Research: First of all you need to decide what kind of consulting you want to offer and to whom. Try and find a niche that people will really need. Mine is international bid management and you will find my name all over the internet with respect to this niche. Once you have decided what you want to offer, you need to make sure that you know everything there is about the subject, even if that means buying books and getting more training. Just remember not to pass other people’s work off as your own. You should also brush up on your word processing and PowerPoint skills – these are key skills for a busy consultant.
Preparation: Start writing articles on the subject to get your name out. Prepare a press release announcing this great service you are now offering – remember it needs to have a story attached. Prepare all your business templates – for example if you are providing business consulting you will need a Cost Benefit Analysis, Feasibility Study and SWOT analysis at least. You should prepare one or two presentations to introduce your company and some training materials to offer your clients. Lastly you should prepare yourself, get at least two good business suits, a good business bag and lap top as well as quality stationary. You need to look expensive and successful if you wish to charge for your services. You might also consider packaging your services to make them less formidable to potential customers as some companies are scared of employing consultants on an open ended basis.
Launch: You now need to launch your consultancy. You can do this with one of more of the following:
• Answer ITT’s (Invitation to Tender) in your chosen areas.
• Network like crazy.
• Advertise and market like crazy.
• Contact past and potential clients and ask for the opportunity to make a presentation.
• Contact companies that may need your particular skills and offer them an introductory service.
• Provide free seminars on a subject with the object of signing on customers for paid consultancy.
Proposal: Once you have a potential customer prepare a consultancy proposal that will outline:
• What you consider their business problem is.
• What your company can do to solve the problem.
• The amount of work this will involve.
• The cost of this work.
• What advantages there are working with your company.
• Your terms and references.
Ensure that you do not make your proposal so detailed that your customer will not need your services!
If if is possible give your presentation by using PowerPoint, in front of your clients – this builds client interaction and allows you to demonstrate your consultancy skill.
Consultancy: Once interest has been shown in hiring your consultancy, make your replies prompt, informative and polite. Remember you will need to fall in with your client’s time scales. Never make promises you can’t keep and always be professional and unflappable. Remember that consultants are measured and paid on deliverables so try and give your client something tangible early on with something substantial at the end of the consultancy. Obviously you also need to solve the business problem you were hired to solve!
Start your consulting business as a side hustle
IS A CAREER IN MANAGEMENT CONSULTING RIGHT FOR YOU
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Article Tags: areas network, bid management, business suits, business templates, buying books, consulting business, cost benefit analysis, feasibility study, good business, international bid, invitation, itt, key skills, lap top, niche, powerpoint skills, press release, recessionary times, training materials, word processing
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About the Author: Lee Lister RSS for Lee's articles - Visit Lee's website  From an early age she began an unparalleled journey through business consulting that continues to span across the UK, USA, Europe and Asia. She has consulted for a considerable number of companies all over the world. Specialising in business change management, start up consultancy and trouble shooting. Lee's experience in marketing and internet marketing is also keenly sought after. She is a prolific published writer of books, ebooks and articles and can easily be found on major search engine and Amazon. Her books include: FastTrack Bid Management, Proposal Writing For Smaller Businesses, How Much Does It Cost To Start A Business, Entrepreneur's Apprentice and a series of Start My New Business books that do as they say in the title! Her major web sites are: Click here to visit Lee's website   What Kind Of Business Should I Start How To Start Your Own Consulting Business How Do You Pick the Perfect Domain Name If Your Advertising is Not Working Heres Some Ideas Writing A Tender In A Recession |
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Exclusive: Interview with Results
- Hi Forum Members,
I'm helping start up a Business Coaching and Consulting company here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (a Subsidiary of RSC Business in Los Angeles).
As a Research and Development Intern I am required to practice my listening and interview skills by surveying Small and Medium Businesses on thier Business.
This Survey is designed by RSC Business to also assist the Business being interviewed more insight into their own business.
I am looking to interview about 30 businesses across North America over the span of 3 months.
At the end of these interviews I will be publishing a report of the results and they will be made available for free to the Interviewees. The Report data will include responses from a minimum of 100 interviews.
I would like to extend this opportunity to members of the Forum.
If you would like to have this short 20-30 minute interview conducted on your Business and you reside in North America please send me an email or PM.
Please contact me at andy[at]jvprosperity[dot]com to arrange our interview and to get free access to the results when they are published.
The Little Man Introduction
- Good Morning,
This is John Hoover from Little Man Consulting. Our company has been floating along as a after thought for a few years. This year we decided to make a go of it. So far we are doing great.
We are Virtual Administrators, Web Developers, Database Designers, and Software instructors. Basically, if you have someone in your office to do it, we can do it virtually. Our company was created to "Provide Big Business Resources to the Small Business".
Wish me luck, I plan on revolutionizing the small business world with this!
Re: How can I promote my site?
- To promote website online you need to hire professional SEO expert because you have to perform the below activities for your website promotion:-
Start On page optimization which includes the following task:-
1. Meta tag optimization
2. Header Tag Optimization
3. Alt tag Optimization
4. Content Optimization
5. Anchor Text Optimization
6. URL Optimization
7. Navigation Optimization
After On page optimization, Start off Page Optimization which includes the following task:-
1. Link building
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3. Classified Ads submission
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My entry
- 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read
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2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto.
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Re: Ideas For Business
- Hello Lucy,
you may consider this list for Ideas for Business: (Top 23 list)
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23 Vision Service Plan
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