Book Description

In today's fast-paced networked economy, professionals must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. But technical mastery of one's discipline is not enough, assert world-renowned professional advisors David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. The key to professional success, they argue, is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients. To demonstrate the paramount importance of trust, the authors use anecdotes, experiences, and examples -- successes and mistakes, their own and others' -- to great effect. The result is an immensely readable book that will be welcomed by the inexperienced advisor and the most seasoned expert alike. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Don't waiste your money
I found this book too broad, although it gives some examples, and tries to use some formulas to figure out how much your client trust you, nothing scientificly proven. As a matter of fact this book is useless if you studied or read a lot about organizational behavior and HR management. This book talks about the relationship between consultant and his customer, how important it is to listen, talk and respect your customer, but a lot of it is common sense. Also talks about team work. However if someone is not familiar with Org Behavior and HR, it is a good book for a start.

More than an Advisor
An experienced colleague recommended this book to me at a conference. The title simply does not do this book justice but I bought it anyway. If you ever wondered how some consultants and professionals do such a good job obtaining and keeping clients, then READ THIS BOOK.

I have recommended this book to all my clients and they agree. More importantly, very few so-called "advisors" do what this book explains clearly. Tremendous resource for any professional but many very powerful techniques to help you close contracts without sounding like a used car salesman. The case studies and examples hit home and force you to stop and think about your own style.

For Your Arsenal
Whether you are in sales, are an attorney, or providing any kind service or intangible, this is a great book. If you think you've read all the client oriented, consulting oriented "sales and success" books - but haven't read this ... then you are never going to be at the top of your field. This book is about bringing real authenticity to the relationships with your clients. Client executives can smell a sneak or a fraud a mile away. Today, business is more competitive than ever, making losing a client relationship a crime. Knowing how to keep a client, build a relationship and continue nuturing it, is an art. Maister points to great examples and gets you to thinking ... "if only I'd done that ..." or "next time I'll ...". This is a thinking persons book, one to be reviewed over again through the course of your career, but only if you want to be among the "trusted few" with seasoned, senior executives. Other great books along this line I recommend are: any of Maisters books, Patrick McKenna's material (see their web pages too), and Clients for Life by Andrew Sobel.

Maister is the Master
My introduction to David Maister came from the former managing director of Burson-Marteller's Tokyo office, who recommended True Professionalism. That book became one of the "required readings" for my training company's staff. Since True Professionalism, I've read Managing the Professional Service Firm and found it heavy, over-detail-oriented and difficult to apply. Now comes The Trusted Advisor (with other authors) and I can say without a doubt this best book on trust development I've read--putting real meat in those abstract concepts like "credibility." His chapter where he introduces the equation where Trust = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy, all divided by Self-orientation, would be worth the price of the book. No, there probably is nothing new under the sun, but Maister in this book (and in Practice What You Preach, another gem) provides the keys to create better results for clients, and shows us how to turn those keys to start the engine. If there were 10 stars to give, I'd rate this a 10.

An easy to understand look at difficult topic.
Here is a good book, that clearly and accurately describes how to master a difficult skill. As an IT consultant I found this book to be immediately helpful in furthering my consulting skills.

This book takes the reader through the entire process of moving from "Subject Matter Expert" to Trusted Advisor. It accurately describes the benefits of this role for any professional rendering services. This might help one to justify training in this area to one's superiors.

I was continually impressed with the how the book dealt with the topic of honesty. Clearly we all strive to be trustworthy, however when that alone is the goal one might be prone to dishonesty to create an illusion for the client to trust. I felt this book gave real guidance on how to proceed, without having to walk a fine line.

I find this book to be of most value to an experienced professional/consultant, looking to hone an skill. It is of less value (but certainly some value) to new-comer to these types of skills. A better book for a new-comer would be "Managing the Professional Services Firm" by David Maister. That said, this book is worth much more than ~[price], buy it. ... Read more

Book Description

Not just another book on the theory of strategic planning, here are dozens of recipes for creative group activities to facilitate strategic planning in any organization. Designed for use by consultants, facilitators, and management team leaders, step-by-step instructions guide you through exercises for gaining employee and management participation, gathering feedback from management about the current state of the organization, creating an organized mission, vison and values statement, and planning so that the vision becomes reality. Ready-to-use reproducible materials and handouts are also included. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A fascinating way to plan,you have made it interesting
I really like this book. Although this is a long book, it is well worth the effort. There arelgreat ideas, that you can use in a variety of ways. My organization does a lot of planning, little of it is well done or interesting to our employees. This book gave us ways to involve our people and make it more meaningful. Most importantly, they take the mystique and complexity out of planning and show you how to get real results.

Highly useful tools
This book is an excellent resource for those involved in planning. In addition to the background and conceptual information provided in the book, the authors have included a variety of activities that can be employed to address specific objectives. There are numerous exercises with "easy to understand" instructions on how to facilitate the activities. I've used several of them recently and received excellent feedback about the process. More importantly, the outcomes were great!

Invaluable tools for Organizational Planning
I have had the opportunity to use the designs in this book over the past year. The designs or "strategic activities" are creative and guarnateed to advance the planning process for a wide range of organizations. The instructions have just the right amount of detail to adaquately prepare the facilitator. There is tremendous felxibility with each acitivity to accomodate longer or shorter amounts of time. The designs are
crip, imaginative, thoughtful, rooted in practice. Its a book I refer to again and again. Its been an invaluable tool to my work.

Intelligent and Interesting
impressive, interesting and different ideas .I like the down to earth , inclusive quality of this book. Thing are explained well and frameworks are provided, so that you can conduct these activities with confidence.I highly recommend it.

Planning First - Learning Always
If you have ever been involved in a strategic planning effort that fell short of expectations then this book is for you. In plain language the authors lay out a planning framework with supporting involvement practices to gain organizational buy-in. They provide explanations and case study examples to show the connections between "what needs to be done and how to do it." A chapter titled "The Toolbox" covers the rational and procedures for involvement mechanisms that include "Nominal Group Process to generate ideas, Affinity Diagrams & Mindmaping to organize complex issues and Collapsing Consensus & Las Vegas Voting to help in problem solving & decision-making." There are valuable discussions on organizing the planning effort and post-planning followup / accountability. This volume supports any organizational effort to set goals, improve quality or enhance effectiveness in resource management through collaborative processes. ... Read more

Book Description

This landmark resource presents a wide variety of perspectives and
proven best practices from fifty of today's top executive coaches:

Nancy J. Adler
John Alexander
David Allen
Shirley Anderson
Julie Anixter
Marian Baker
Joel Barker
Kim Barnes
Christopher A. Bartlett
Ken Blanchard
Jim Bolt
William Bridges
W. Warner Burke
Niko Canner
Jay Conger
Bill Davidson
David Dotlich
Leigh Fountain
Robert M. Fulmer
Joel Garfinkle
Fariborz Ghadar
David Giber
Marshall Goldsmith
Vijay Govindarajan
Michael Hammer
Phil Harkins
Sally Helgesen
Paul Hersey
Frances Hesselbein
Beverly Kaye
Jim Kouzes
Richard J. Leider
Bobbie Little
Jim Moore
Howard Morgan
Barbara Moses
Bruce Pfau
Gifford Pinchot
Barry Posner
C.K. Prahalad
Gary Ranker
Judy Rosenblum
Stratford Sherman
Ken Siegel
Richard Strozzi-Heckler
R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr.
Noel M. Tichy
Brian Tracy
Dave Ulrich
Albert A. Vicere ... Read more

Book Description

Value-Based Fees shows consultants how to easily and adroitly educate clients about value determining worth and consequent investment. Unlike the contingency fees of attorneys, Weiss explains, his technique is about establishing a win-win dynamic with clients, while accommodating buyers' egos that "you get what you pay for."

Filled with stories of successful consultants, sample proposals, letters of agreement, and other practical tools, Value-Based Fees' pragmatic advice includes:

• Step-by-step guidance on how to establish value-based fees
• How to create the "good deal" dynamic in client relationships
• Sixty ways to raise fees and increase profits immediately
• How to prevent and rebut fee objections
• How to use retainers wisely
• How to develop fee progression strategies
• How to make money while you sleep, eat, and play!

Value-Based Fees clearly explains how to charge for your value--and get--what you're worth, providing the kind of nontheoretical, pragmatic advice that will help to improve any consultant's practice immediately. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Pricing Paradigm Buster
Alan Weiss has done it again. So many consultants are charging hourly rates for their services that they never benefit from the value they create for their clients. Alan's book describes numerous ways for consultants to change their fee structures and earn higher fees based on value-added work instead of hourly (clerical-type, my term) work. Plus, the book shares several different ways to develop multiple streams of income from consulting and related activities. I recommend this book to everyone. Even as an experienced consultant, I learned some things that will benefit my practice from Alan's book.

The Holy Grail of Consulting
I enjoy Mr. Weiss' books and presentations, which I find engaging and entertaining. With this book he has given me reasons to confirm my belief that charging a client based on my time and materials used in a project is a problem for both myself AND my client. First I am not true to the client when I bill time just for showing up but not providing any value. Then, how do you compare the value of one who charges $150 for one hour versus the consultant who charges $150 for 2 hours (at $75/hour)? Is one better than the other? Why put the client in a position to make that decision. Basing charges on value (either real or perceived) to the client removes hourly rates from the equation.

Yes, all this is based on having true relationships with your clients and Mr. Weiss goes through many different iterations of working with your clients on finding value, education them on value and providing value. There are lots of quick stories and references to his own consulting engagements, many of which are the same ones used as examples in many of his other books, which he not so subtley sells in this one. But then again it is one of the "Ultimate Consultant" series of books he has recently published.

Enjoyable and educational reading which has brought about many heated conversations with my peer group about rates and charging clients. It should provoke you also.

Far Beyond Million Dollar Consulting
While Alan Weiss's eternal best-seller "Million Dollar Consulting" remains the most valuable book overviewing consulting practices, this book takes the reader into the actual mechanics and philosophy of value based fees. The transition will be worth six figures annually, because it's been worth it to me. The single negative review claiming this book repeats "Million Dollar" is far off base as far as I'm concerned (or the reviewer didn't read this book). For example, Value Based Fees deals with converting hourly clients, setting up retainers, combatting the competition's lower fees and a wealth of detail that the more primary book doesn't touch. Get this book today, because you're leaving money on the table every day it's unread.

If you only read one book......
This book is a MUST read not only for those consultants who have to submit proposals but should be required reading for all professions who charge by the hour - YES doctors, opticians, dentists, accountants and lawyers as well!!

This book gives a sound theoretical basis for charging value based fees instead of hourly fees (everyone in the world ONLY has 24 hours in a day so this approach makes absolute sense).

BUT the Coup de Grace is the fourth chapter "If you only read one chapter....." which sets out exactly how to structure value based fee proposals and gives a live example.

I have long been charging value based rather than time based fees but this chapter raised my fees to a new level.

A Better Model
Not only does every consultant and hourly contractor need to read this book--but, so does every business executive and purchaser of consulting services. Alan Weiss presents a clear business case for the evolution of compensation in the consulting industry. He walks the reader through an elegant model and gives the logic and the examples to support what is a radical divergence from the "hourly or daily fee" mentality that pervades the market. This is a must read for any consultant who wants to be paid what they are worth and for any company that wants to get what they pay for when using consulting services! ... Read more

Book Description

Written and field-tested by practicing consultants, The Consultant’s Tool Kit will save consultants both time and money-as it makes their work with clients much more effective. Each tool or activity is designed to solve a common consulting problem. Reproducible worksheets, exercises, and questionnaires are easily downloaded from the web and customized by consultants to fit the exact needs of each client—and help them effectively implement the solutions.

This collection of field-tested tools, customizable questionnaires, and techniques for working with clients provides crucial problem-solving help in areas such as:
• Managing and leading change
• Organizational initiatives
• Assessing team and organizational functioning
• Improving relationships between departments and business units
• Creative problem-solving techniques

Mel Silberman, Ph.D., (Princeton, NJ) is a best-selling author and editor. A professor of adult and organization development at Temple University, he is the author of Active Training. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Was I reading the same book?
Unlike the other reviewers, I found this "book" to be a complete waste of money. It is a collection of materials from 'has-beens' and 'never-was' - what amounts to a big mess with no real focus.
What would have been more interesting is a single author (or a pair) rather than this hodge podge collection that reads like it was edited by grad students during a lunch break.

Look for other consulting books, there are many, and walk on by this one.

Fantastic value
This is a great book. It has contributions from 45 different authors. The contributions are too many to list but include such areas as 360 surveys, coaching, managing change, teambuilding and many more. You are also able to download many of these which allows for easy duplication. For the price it is a tremendous value. I am glad that I purchased it.

Excellent, excellent, excellent!
I cannot put into words the value of this book for either the modern business consultant, general manager, or HR professional. The book is complete with absolutely wonderful tools to put to good use in your respective organizations.

Tools, Assessments, and Ideas You Can Really Use!
The Consultant's Toolkit contains survey tools, assessments, training activities, and step-by-step procedures for organizational development projects that are practical, easy to follow, and easy to customize. Even though the book is designed for organizational development consultants, in-house training and development personnel will benefit from this book just as much as independent consultants. There are even surveys, forms, and other tools in this book that can be downloaded so users can edit and print the tools to fit their own specific company or client needs. Anyone who is responsible for building management coaching skills, leading change, implementing 360 degree or employee surveys, building teams, and enhancing an organization's culture will find ideas they can use immediately.

The Consultant's Tool Kit
I purchased this book at a conference and have been surprisingly pleased! Typically this type of book can be filled with "already know" information, but this was not! Instead I found useful tools and information. I have been in the training field for 12 years and am now a training manager for a mid-sized company in the bay area. Especially helpful are Chapter 15 (How to make use of Four Organizational Assessment Tools) by Cathleen S. Hutchison and How to Develop and Chapter 26 (How to Implement an Evaluation Strategy) by Susan Barksdale and Teri Lund. Both of these are examples of the quality and strength of the publication. ... Read more

Book Description

The acclaimed Million Dollar Consulting gives consultants the tools and advice they need to grow a firm that rakes in at least $1 million per year. Alan Weiss, "the consultant's consultant," shows step-by-step how to raise capital, reel in new clients, set fees, accelerate growth, and more. This updated and expanded edition will appeal to both Weiss's many current fans and a whole new generation of readers looking for the best advice available for anyone who wants to build a million-dollar consulting/speaking career.

Reviews (45)

Excellent. Relationship selling and value pricing.
I guess the book can be summarised as having one underlying strategy of becoming a million dollar consultant, with many tactics in order to get there. Relationship selling is one tactic that is explained in depth because it is so different to the way most people sell. Value pricing is the other main tactic in obtaining this status. This books touches on so many aspects of consulting it is difficult to summarise everything. If you want to know how to start a new consulting business, how to set up an office, what equipment you should buy, how to market yourself, which groups you should join, how to work with and recruit sub-contractors, how to allocated project revenue between sub-contractors, planning, down to some ethical decisions, the book covers them all. If you want to become a well known speaker, writer or well know industry expert, this book discusses the tactics to get there. The one thing this book does not do, is tell you it is easy. To achieve these goals, takes dedication and persistence even during the tough times. What do you do when you are down to your last few dollars? Sell the furniture? No, there are even tactics to deal with this situation. I would recommend this book to all consultants and sales people. The consultants will get the most out of the book, and the sales people will learn a lot about relationship selling that is sadly lacking in most of the sales people I know.

A business bible for consulting or any growing concern
Alan Weiss' book addresses all the 'need to know' issues in the start-up and growth phases of a consulting practice. He provides models to help the reader understand and assess the value of consulting skills. Practical topics are articulated with honest integrity and helps the consultant-to-be with business and marketing strategies, models and tactics to leverage -- or even to avoid. This is a "must" for your business library! Thanks, Alan, for an excellent resource guide!

Excellent
I picked this book up by a referral from my uncle and I thought it would pretty good. In fact, it was sheer excellence all across the board. Alan Weiss does an outstanding job of showing how to actually build a living, breathing, growing business that exceeds upwards of $1,000,000 in sales a year.

I've learned quite a few techniques from this book, like learning to charge more for my services instead of trying to compete with the bottom 15% of the market where there is no growth.

All in all, great book and I recommend it to anybody looking to start or grow your consulting practice!

A SUPERB BOOK THAT INSTRUCTS AND INSPIRES
If you are a consultant or want to become one, this book is the how-to-consult manual that you must have. Clearly written with occasional touches of tasteful humor, Million Dollar Consulting offers a dynamic step-by-step plan for people who want to reach the pinnacle of consulting, without compromising their integrity, their family, their health or their well-rounded life.

Several of my professional speaker colleagues have told me that they are reading this guidebook for the third time. I can see why. Each reading sheds fresh light on Weiss's detailed suggestions.

If you are serious about consulting, I recommend that you start reading this book right away. Keep pen and paper handy, to write down the action steps you are going to take to implement Weiss's recommendations.

The subtitle captures the book's essence: "The Professional's Guide to Growing a Practice." Read Million Dollar Consulting, reshape your business, and grow your consulting practice to an extent you had not even considered previously.

Some uncommon common sense advice!!
A lot of other reviewers have said it before, but this book is great! I've read a number of other books by Alan Weiss, and find his advice to be definitely on the mark. I've heard that the definition for something being unique as 'when you see it, you think...."but that's so simple, why didn't I think of it!"' This book and it's advice fits that definition to a tee. Mr. Weiss writes in a very easy-to-read style that engages and encourages the reader to keep reading more. His advice IS common sense, but only seems so after you've read it. I would, (and have, repeatedly!) recommend this book highly to anyone either actively involved in consulting work or peripherally related to it in some way. ... Read more

Book Description

The latest edition to the Ed Schein's well-loved set of process consultation books, this new volume builds on the content of the two that precede it and explores the critical area of the helping relationship.Process Consultation Revisited focuses on the interaction between consultant and client, explaining how to achieve the healthy helping relationship so essential to effective consultation.Whether the advisor is an OD consultant, therapist, social worker, manager, parent or friend, the dynamics between advisor and advisee can be difficult to understand and manage.Drawing on over 40 years of experience as a consultant, Schein creates a general theory and methodology of helping that will enable a diverse group of readers to navigate the helping process successfully. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A "Must Read" for Managers & Consultants!
This is the best book on "helping" I have ever read. I use it constantly in my work as an organizational change consultant.

I highly recommend Edgar Schein's work to every manager and consultant I meet. Schein's work is amazingly insightful.

Buy this one today!

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change" ... Read more

Book Description

Don't venture into the consulting field without this essential Fieldbook & Companion!

Following on the heels of the best-selling Flawless Consulting, Second Edition comes The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook and Companion. Whether you work as a consultant or you work with consultants, this relentlessly practical guide will be your best friend as you discover how consulting influences your business- and real life-decisions and those of others.

The Flawless Consulting Fieldbook and Companion is packed with:

• Sample scenarios
• Case studies
• Client-consultant dialogues
• Hands-on tools
• Action plans
• Implementation checklists

"Wow! A companion a business owner can't be without! The insights of 30 consultants the caliber of Peter Block is priceless."
--Sue Mosby, principal, CDFM2 Architecture Inc.

"This book is a companion piece for both the desktop and bedside of those who do consulting full time or in their role as leader. I plan to keep this book close to me to both guide and inspire my work."
--Phil Harkins, president, Linkage, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

making sense of consulting
Peter Block's classic book's fieldbook and companion has an unusual structure and there lies it's USP. It looks at dilemmas and challenges that consultants face and also the tools that can be used.

If you want to know the innards of consulting, without getting caught up in brands, to delve into both the art and science, then read this book....it's a must for facilitators, trainers, process consultants of all hues and colors.

Bedtime stories Consultants read their Children
I have the 2nd edition of Block's "Flawless" and find it an essential reference, true to its reputation. Disappointingly in this Companion many of the authors seem to treat the readers as a captive audience - at the level of first year college students. For example - a diatribe on Romeo and Juliet as an illustration of human diversity, or three pages of "my worse experiences" one of which transpired to be freezing on stage and losing the point. These type of chapters annoyed me and distracted me from some of the worthy contributions. So much so that I returned the book to the bookshop and asked for my money back - the first time I have done so in 30 years of buying management books. In my opinion this book is a dud riding on the coat tails of the previous 'flawless' success.

Roadmap to consulting in the 21st century
This book deserves to be among the TOP 10 of business books of 2001. If you work as a consultant and want to learn your customers how to fish (in stead of giving them fish), BUY this book! If you have consultants walking around in your organisation, make sure they apply these principles!

After reading this, you'll understand why re-engineering processes fail, why the balanced scorecard isn't "the" solution", why teaching people skills sometimes has no impact, why implementing SAP is so hard and why people in companies are very sceptic if you suggest any of these "popular" solutions. In fact, all these solutions share the same underlying principle: some knowledge and procedures need to be added to the company to "fix" problems. This notion is wrong! Overcoming resistance to change has to do with giving people a chance to participate.

When studying projects of famous consultants and big 5 consulting comapnies, I have often wondered: "Why did the implementation of this project fail?" My first personal lesson was that PEOPLE matter more than methodology and tools. (I have been writing about this for years...).

Next to this first learning, I knew that it's not the consultants that have to bring the solution, it's the persons IN the organisation. And I have been looking for years for solutions to this paradox (being a consultant, that is). SO: methodology IS important: if you use a methodology which will mine the knowledge of the company as a WHOLE, you are the enabler of the change. As a consultant, you do not have to bring the CONTENT, the knowledge of WHAT needs to be changed, but you have to GUIDE the change process, and bring knowledge to the organisation so that they can change themselves. This book is one of the few that will really help you understand which processes are needed for this (many of the 30+ people that helped to write this book have a proven track record in this area).

If you don't know how to put systemic thinking into practice (or you think it's just about designing a solution with the system in mind), and/or if you haven't heard about whole-scale change, apreciative inquiry or the engagement paradigm, this is a good place to start: you will literally discover a new way of consulting, one that lives up to the title of this book and might even really enable "flawless" implementation processes.

And if putting this book into practice isn't flawless: go to the last chapter: Peter Block added a "trouble-shooting guide" that helps you get trough 12 common roadblocks.

Make consulting flawless, learn how to make people share THEIR solution.

Patrick E.C. Merlevede, co-author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"

Some real keys strong client relationships
This book is a wonderful resource for consultants, business systems analysts and business development managers who are in the service and solutions business. This audience is encompassing in that consultants will find a wealth of advice and knowledge on how to successfully execute and deliver within the context of the entire engagement cycle. The value this book brings to business systems analysts who work internally for a company is the approach that ensures a close working relationship with their customers. Business development managers will gain some deep insights about how to properly initiate an engagement after the business is won and ensure that what was promised during the sales cycle is actually delivered during the execution of the project or delivery of services.

The book starts with one of the most important topics to each audience member: contracting. I gained a lot from this section because, while I am a consultant, my services are "sold" by business development managers and I am not very close to the contract process. What I learned here will help me to help those who keep me busy to continue doing so. I have a newfound appreciation for what is involved in getting me placed on projects and assignments.

I thought the highlight of this book was the implementation strategy. If you are a consultant you know that this is probably the most critical step in the whole process because it sets the tone for how the rest of the project will go. The adage about first impressions could not hold more truth than in this aspect of consulting (internal or external), because this is where the rubber meets the road so to speak. The approach proposed by the author is not only sound, but refined and will ensure success if followed.

Another section I particularly liked is the discussion of ethics. This is an issue that looms in the background and is thoroughly interwoven into our existence as consultants. The problem is that we are faced with ethical decisions almost every day, and are sometimes tempted to cross into grey areas and use rationalization. The solution is to take to heart the author's guidelines and advice and always be conscious of the fact that successful consulting requires a strict, unwavering commitment to a strong code of ethics. Personally, this section was a wake-up call that filled me with resolve to place professional ethics above all else.

Overall this book provides clear guidelines for delivering customer value and crafting a close, mutually beneficial relationship with clients. The emphasis on close communications and client interactions within the framework of a strong implementation approach and ethical dealings makes this book a "must read" by the audience I cited above. I strongly recommend it and give it 5 stars. ... Read more

Book Description

Proven guerrilla marketing tactics specifically designed for consultants

Jay Conrad Levinson’s Guerrilla Marketing revolutionized the way marketers do business by defying the conventional wisdom that effective marketing means spending big bucks. He devised highly successful marketing strategies that rely on creativity, imagination, and energy–instead of money–to get the job done. Now, Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants applies the power of guerrilla marketing to the hypercompetitive business of consulting.

"Wow! If you’re the sort of person who tells someone how to build a watch when they ask you what time it is, this is the book for you. No baloney, essential, useful hands-on advice for anyone who’s serious about being a consultant."
–Seth Godin, author of Free Prize Inside

"Great consultants don’t just talk about marketing, they do it–every day. That’s why they win. Follow the marketing advice in this book, and you’ll outsell, outperform, and outlast your competitors."
–Jeffrey Fox, marketing consultant and author of How to Become a Marketing Superstar

"Mike McLaughlin and Jay Levinson are two of the smartest, street-savvy marketers around. Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants distills their collective wisdom into a practical field guide, chock-full of practical tips and tactics."
–Harry Mills, author of The Rainmaker’s Toolkit and Artful Persuasion ... Read more

Reviews (21)

My favorite "get your head screwed on straight" biz book
I'm having to order another copy of Secrets of Consulting because I lent the last one to a friend, and it's never come back home. There's a reason for that. This is the kind of book that people borrow, but never want to part with again.

A lot of consulting books are filled with fluff, common sense advice that you already know, or only ONE good thought in 250 pages. In 17 years of consulting, however, I've never found a better guide to solving the REAL business problems that you'll encounter. (And it's useful for more than just consultants, too.) Weinberg gets his message across in simple, memorable anecdotes that I can recite perfectly, fifteen years after I first read the book: The Orange Juice Rule, Rudy's Rutabaga Rule.

Here's one fer-instance. A client says that he wants something special done in a project you've already budgeted and possibly already started. Do you tell her "no way!" and lose the business? Do you do the extra work, grumbling about it (and maybe losing money on the deal)? Or do you apply the Orange Juice Rule? (You don't think I'll give away the answer, do ya?) I can't tell you how often I've applied the Orange Juice Rule and saved my business relationship as well as my own budget.

Besides, this book is just plain fun to read. It's light enough to be entertaining, but his advice will help you run your business better... for several years.

"Aha!" for experienced consultants! Great intro for newbies!
Weinberg manages to translate the knowledge that most experienced consultants already have into memorable edicts to prevent us from harming ourselves and our customers. If you have been a consultant for a while, like I have been for the past 10 years, you'll probably breeze through the chapters thinking "Wow, I know all this but I don't think I ever thought about it in this structured way!". If you are new to consulting, do yourself a favor - READ THIS BOOK. Read it, then read it again making notes, then read it again just to make sure! Do it until you have engraved the rules in your brain! I wish I have read this book when I started working as a consultant...

One of the most important books for any consultant
This is a little book with some big messages. As the subtitle says, it's a book not only for those who give, or sell, their advice, but it's also for those who are taking or buying it. It's a book both for those who help to manage change, and for those undergoing change themselves. Many people should read it.

That said, the main focus of the book is on those who produce the advice and ideas. If you are a consultant as I am, this may be one of the most important books in your collection. I have read it cover to cover twice, and parts of it many other times.

The book is written with a light, humorous touch, illustrated both with many funny stories and some very apt cartoons and quotations. From each discussion he abstracts multiple "laws" and reminders, which on their own should prompt you to remember the key points he discusses.

Weinberg doesn't pull any of his punches. Consulting is hard, and the secrets are guides to improving your success and survival rate, not any set of "magic wands". He addresses ways in which you can fail just as much as ways to succeed.

In successive chapters, the book deals with the nature of consulting and the problems it can address, and how to develop your own mind so that your can see the problems and come up with possible solutions to them.

Throughout, Weinberg teaches us to focus on the "people" problems: cultural, political and psychological, which tend to be at the heart of any issue, assuming that, as he says, "it's always a people problem". If you can solve the people problems, the practical problems should be easy by comparison.

In later chapters, the book focuses specifically on how to make consultancy more effective: how to improve the impact of what you do, how to help make change happen, and the importance of things like setting the right price and marketing yourself.

This is an easy book to read, with lots of good advice very humorously presented. I can thoroughly recommend it to all consultants, would-be consultants, clients and would-be clients.

An incredibly informative and entertaining consulting book
What exactly is consulting? And how does one consult successfully? This informative book attempts to answer these questions in a humorous, easy-to-read style. Throughout this book, Weinberg introduces and explains dozens of consulting laws, rules, and principles - and right from the start, with his laws of consulting laid out, you will be captivated by Weinberg's philosophy:

The First Law of Consulting: In spite of what your client may tell you, there's always a problem.
The Second Law of Consulting: No matter how it looks at first, it's always a people problem.
The Third Law of Consulting: Never forget they're paying you by the hour, not by the solution.
The Fourth Law of Consulting: If they didn't hire you, don't solve they're problem.

Some of my many favorite laws, rules, and principles:

The Bolden Rule: If you can't fix it, feature it.
The Lone Ranger Fantasy: When the clients don't show their appreciation, pretend that they're stunned by your performance - but never forget that it's your fantasy, not theirs.
Marvin's Second Great Secret: Repeatedly curing a system that can cure itself will eventually create a system that can't.

Have you seen the new poster that reads "Consulting: If you're not a part of the solution, there's good money to be made in prolonging the problem."? Weinberg would not agree with this statement - his Sixth Law of Pricing says that if they don't like your work, don't take their money. An alternative to these types of posters? Blow up the cartoon illustrations in this book and hang them in your office.

Great Book
I really liked this book. I found it to be very insightful. Gerry Weinberg adds stories and metaphors that have stuck with me for a long time. While it is very good for the internal or external consultant, I find that I recommend it to many people just for way it helps people to relate to each other when giving advice. ... Read more

Book Description

Expert advice on how to strike a fair deal and command a fair price… The Contract and Fee-Setting Guide for Consultants & Professionals No matter how knowledgeable you are in your field….No matter how great your track record….No matter how expert your advice or impressive your credentials … you jeopardize your client base if you do not instill every phase of your practice with a consummate professionalism. And for sharp clients, the first clear signs of such a savvy professionalism are the ability to set fees at a fair market price and offer neat, straightforward contracts with clearly delineated terms. This book teaches you, in a few days, what it traditionally took people half a lifetime to learn through trial and error. In writing it, the author drew on his more than twenty years as a business consultant, lecturer, and author to offer you tips on how to ask for and get the fees you deserve and to establish contract terms that are in the best interests of you and your clients. Throughout he shares his insider’s expertise on:

• Determining market value for your services
• Establishing per diem or per-project rates and calculating overhead
• Advantages and disadvantages of various systems of fee-setting and billing
• Six major goals of every contract
• Negotiating the contract and avoiding legal pitfalls

Reviews (7)

Highly Recommended.
This book is definately worth purchasing -- particularly for those new to independent consulting. Although the copyright date is 1990 (Howard died in the early/mid 1990s and the book hasn't been updated since), most of the material is timeless. It is often difficult for independent consultants to get sample copies of proposals, interim reports, and final reports. This is particularly the case for those new to consulting without an established peer network. This book solves that delimma and illustrates the marketing role of the proposal and subsequent interim and final reports. Are you serious about building your consulting business? Prove it to yourself: buy a copy of this book today.

A keeper....
This book came just in time. My consulting practice took off suddenly and I literally dashed to amazon to search for a book with information I could apply right away. It was an invaluable aid. And after a couple of years, it is still a useful reference, always close at hand.

Dated Material
The items covered in the book are basic and need to be discussed. However, the sample items and some tables used show data from 1988. This info is not useful.

What a GREAT resource!
I first picked up this book at the library when starting my consulting agency. I found it so valuable as a second and third read and as a resource, that I ended up paying almost $20.00 in late fees. I should have just bought the book, as should you. I highly recommend it.

There are MANY of these types of books out there, but this is definitely in the 'Gotta have it' section. I bought it and continually use it as a resource.

The greatest part is that it covers some VERY difficult material well. I found fee setting and the interim and final reports extremely difficult to do before I bought this book.

It is important to note that this book is not just for independent consultants, but for anyone selling consulting services and other professional services.

If you are not sure whether you want it, get it at the library and take a look. Just remember to take it back!

Great for startups or exisiting businesses!
As an experienced consultant I've found this book to be extremely useful when I stumbled across it. I've recently started my own consulting practice and have found this book to contain some really useful information and steps on setting up your fees along with developing contracts. It reads very easily and walks you through the process step-by-step. Wish I had found this book while I worked for a larger consulting company, it would have helped out a number of times when trying to walk through the process, or as an education for anyone developing proposales, fees, and contracts. Highly recommend it for anyone in the consulting field (either solos or working for one of the big boys). ... Read more

Book Description

Declare your independence with the new, completely updated Second Edition of Getting Started in Consulting

Consulting is big business these days. And with more companies outsourcing more functions and a growing population of professionals pursuing the dream of self-employment, it’s a field that will only continue to grow. This book provides all the information you need to start your own consulting practice.

This revised edition of Getting Started in Consulting offers focused, practical guidance on starting a consulting business, and shows how low overhead and a high degree of organization can add up to a six-figure income. Revised for 2004, this edition includes a new chapter on getting started even quicker, and presents the latest advice on networking and getting the most out of technology. Packed with helpful charts and tables, this expert guide also covers:

• How to finance a consulting practice
• Marketing consulting services to corporate clients
• Writing proposals that sell
• Legal requirements for consulting practices
• Setting fees, billing, bookkeeping, and more

Whether you’re a retired professional seeking a second career or a corporate consultant ready to get out on your own; whether you want to build a part-time or full-time consultancy, Getting Started in Consulting, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for making your dream of professional independence come true. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

GET STARTED STRATEGICALLY
Don't go in the water without this consulting life preserver if you're just starting out, OR you're not making enough money. This book pulled the entire strategy of developing a top flight practice completely together for me with the why's, what's, and how's. Once you've read this book, move onto the other books by Mr. Weiss. He gives invaluable advice and walks his talk. Each and every time I have contacted him via email, I have been floored that he not only responds to my messages in a thoughtful way, but he does so before I expect it -- and I'm not a client, mentoree, etc. So stop schlepping your services, GET THIS BOOK, follow his advice, and read all the others you can find. NOt only does Getting Started... tell you what to do, it tells you WHY you need to do it and then how to use it. The reason I found this so enlightening is because I came from an industry in which MANAGEMENT SKILLS are avoided like the plague and effective, strategic marketing skills are theories, at best. In fact, if you're working for someone, you'd be wise to get this book and start thinking like you're on your own. After all, it's a guarantee that you will be one day in this marketplace.

The best startup guide there is
I have been preparing to walk away from a six-figure job and launch a consulting practice for almost a year, and during that time I read every book I could find on that profession. Not that I believe that reading a book is all one needs to do to qualify; rather, it would be foolish not to perform as much research as possible before taking the plunge.

Alan Weiss' books offer the most practical, best-written and truly valuable advice I've found. And this one is the most wide ranging for kicking off a new full-time practice.

And I suspect that like most works that run counter to conventional wisdom, the majority of readers will not perform the necessary "background" marketing activities, will not make their proposals the logical culmination of a collaborative sales process, and will not base their fees on demonstrated value rather than billable time. All the better for those of us who do.

I followed Alan Weiss' guidelines and donated a nine-hour training program to a major non-profit group -- which will not only help some people who desperately need it, but also put me in front of a formidable board of directors for some potentially significant engagements.

Win-win, anybody?

The first step for anyone entering consulting
I was amazed at how I was not able to put this book down. The advise, examples and invaluable information gave me the edge needed to start out in the consulting profession. Purchasing this book was the best investment I have made in my new career. I look forward to reading ALL works by Mr. Weiss.

For experienced Consultants, too
If you've already read Getting Started in Consulting, chances are you've re-read it several times and checked out some of Alan Weiss' other books. If you haven't read any of Weiss' books - and are a Consultant or are thinking about becoming a Consultant - this is a good place to start. Although this book covers some common ground with Weiss' popular "Million Dollar Consulting", there's enough unique information in each to warrant reading both.

The book starts out auspiciously in "Chapter 1 Establishing Goals and Expectations: You Will Be What You Decide to Be, Nothing Less, Nothing More". To support this thesis, Weiss points out that despite experts' warnings about much hard work and travel a consultant must endure for a maximum of a $300K income, he runs a 7-figure practice from his house with no staff or office. "The problem is that if you educate yourself incorrectly at the onset, you're vulnerable to successfully meeting the exact wrong set of expectations." - Written like a true consultant.

The first order of business is to manage your financial situation - be prepared for a slow first year.

He presents the Ten Traits - "ideal consultant behaviors and attributes as they apply to a solo practitioner, based on my observations of success and failure over 27 years.... If you have a reasonable chance of performing well in these 10 areas, you've got an excellent shot at making it as a consultant. Eight out of 10 might do it. Less than that and you may be setting yourself up..."

Other important areas covered in the book are:
Why collaboration is often a bad idea.
Your office space, office equipment, and software
Legal, Financial and Administrative
The essential components of marketing and selling

In finding the right buyer, don't get stuck with the gatekeeper. A number of very useful techniques are presented to identify and get past the gatekeeper, among them the simple test "If you and I reach agreement today, can we shake hands and begin tomorrow?"

Closing the Sale actually begins much earlier than you would think. By the time the proposal is presented, the sale should have already been made. The relationship building process provides the foundation for the "conceptual agreement on outcomes"; the proposal is just a formality to acknowledge that agreement.

Weiss explains why your proposal should be simple with no "legalese" and short (2-3 pages).

The key to a high-dollar practice is using a win-win pricing model where the client participates in establishing the value to the organization of what the consultant will provide.

Although the section "Forty Ways to Increase Your Fees" is very enticing, it's generally 40 tips to support the results-based approach, although a number of the suggestions could be used to increase the contract amount by expanding the scope/results..

In the latter part of the book keys top maintaining a successful practice are presented along with ways to achieve passive income which can in some cases lead to more active income business.

If you've read through this review to this point - why aren't you reading the book?

A Must Read for New Consultants
This book offers a complete "how to" guide for starting and growing a consulting business. The book includes advice on setting up the legal structure for your business, marketing your services, writing proposals, setting fees and a wide range of other helpful topics.

A good professional development book is one that prompts you to change the way you do business, and this one certainly qualifies for me. I started my consulting practice late last year and after reading the book I made some significant changes in the way I run my business. Most notably, I have adopted much of the advice offered in the book about marketing my services and about writing proposals. My only regret is that I did not know about this book earlier.

One word of advice: chapter 2 deals with office and equipment needs, and is somewhat dated. You may want to seek more up-to-date advice before spending your money on some of the office machinery suggested. For example, in choosing your office equipment, an all-in-one printer, fax, copier and scanner, is a great money and space saving alternative. ... Read more

Book Description

The interest in Business Continuity has gained significant momentum in the last few years, especially with the Y2K non-event, the increasing corporate dependence on computer systems and the growing levels of devastation associated with recent disasters. This book takes an organization interested in continuity planning through the processes needed to develop an effective plan.

"Jim Barnes has succeeded in providing us a much-needed tool, with which we can confidently face many of the day-to-day challenges of business contingency planning ... With this book, he has taken an important step in removing much of the guesswork and frustration from the business continuity implementation project." From the Foreword by Philip Jan Rothstein, FBCI, President of Rothstein Associates Inc., Publisher of The Rothstein Catalog on Disaster Recovery, 2001 ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Business Continuity Planning by James C. Barnes
Recently I had the opportunity to attend a training class by James Barnes and was provided a copy of Mr. Barnes's book as a reference and support tool. Since my attendance in his class, I've had an opportunity to read the book. I was very pleased to see that the tools provided in the book and in the class are a virtual roadmap with weighpoints along the way to help determine direction. I've been a Safety Engineer for over 30 years and have worked with critical path processes and procedures that were far less accurate and meaningful. While disaster planning has always been an integral part of Risk Management, the continuity aspect of the planning process was not well integrated. What we used to call disaster planning considered rebuilding a facility, it's interdependencies with other facilities, and business interruption. This book provides a outline and method for recovering each facility as an entity, from the facility's management critical necessity and contiunuity business point of view.
I highly recommend this book to "Top Management" and engineers who want to prepare their companies for any disaster.
Remember, it's not enough to have a disaster plan that gets you up and running. You need to have a plan that maintains the continuity for production, communications, and customer service, or business failure is imminent.
If your're fortunate enough to attend a seminar by this author, don't pass it up. If you can't attend a seminar, the book is worth every penny to business survival.

Boiler Plate Consultant Material
Business continuity planning needs to be tailored to the organization and its needs. This book does not present a methodology which can be tailored as such. It, instead, provides boiler plate questionnaires and checklists which limit the user and the organization to the author's interpretation of what an organization needs. Basic stuff and not particularly useful.

Everything You Would Ever Want to Know About BCP
Highly recommended for people in the BCP field and those contemplating entry into the field.

This thin book provides the framework for a comprehensive business continuity plan. The author has taken the no-nonsense approach of using lists rather than blabbing a lot of text. As I read these lists, I said to myself "of course ... that's the way it should be done".

One little nitpicking: some of the lists are obvious. E.g., the author did not need to list five pages (!!!) of expendable supplies. A few ellipses on some of the longer, more obvious tables would have done the trick.

I used this book as a (secret) foundation for BCP work completed last spring. Now, with the phone ringing off the hook, it is more invaluable.

Real-life experience
I have personally used this book as the model for evaluating business continuity in a billion dollar annual revenue company. The book offers excellent models for conducting the necessary business impact analysis (BIA) and analyzing the results. The book provides guidance for the entire process from consultant engagement to management strategic direction setting.

During the BIA process for my company, I worked with the book's author during a consultant engagement. I found the author to "practice what he preaches". The book's guidance comes from real-life experiences and results in practical and quality results. My company received a most rewarding product from the impact analysis, which provided the appropriate guidance to develop a comprehensive business continuity program.

The book is highly recommended if a company wants to be prepared to survive an extraordinary disaster event. ... Read more

Book Description

How to Start and Run a Successful Consulting Business

Written for anyone with ideas, information, or skills to sell, this invaluable 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 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 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
• 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. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Motivational text with step by step guidelines
I just bought it and I couldn't put the book down! In fact, I plan on reading it again and again just to get the concepts ingrained in my mind.

I am preparing to launch my own consulting business after several years of "dabbling" in workshop facilitation and the design of presentations for various one time clients. This book describes in clear words the practical things I need to do to move my business from a part time endeavor to a full time and SUCCESSFUL business of my own!

I looked at and skimmed dozens of books on this topic over the last two weeks, and this one is the best, hands down. If you are looking for a easy to use, yet comprehensive (Check out the table of contents to see for yourself just how comprehensive this book is!) and practical guide to starting your own consulting business, the Kishel's book is a must have! ... Read more

Book Description

Your complete blueprint for starting out in the consulting world!

Consulting can be a most rewarding career--but being good at consulting is not always enough to keep your business profitable. The Consultant's Quick Start Guide offers a practical approach to setting up a consulting business. Throughout the guide, Elaine Biech--author of the best-selling The Business of Consulting--shares both her own secrets as well as those of numerous other successful consultants. With a focus on the business side of consulting, Biech takes you through a painless, fill-in-the-blanks, step-by-step process for setting up your consulting firm.

The book includes information on how to:

Amazon.com

The second