ConsultantJournal.com - Become a Consultant

New and improved consulting products & a special offer

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:09:43 +0000

A few weeks ago, I announced that I’d added four new products to the consulting start-up course and library: Become a Consultant. Well, due to strong demand, I’ve decided to bundle some of these products with my most popular books too.

Now, when you order Consulting Fees, you’ll also receive my special audiocast on The Three Things You *MUST* Do Before You Can Move to Solution-based Fees. You can play it back in any standard MP3 player, iPod or even your smartphone.

And when you order Discover Your Inner Consultant, you’ll receive a special package designed to help you manage your online reputation:

Tips for Getting Started with Managing Your Online Reputation – a key part of jumpstarting your expert status (audio)
Six Secrets for Managing Your Online Reputation(audio)
Managing Your Online Reputation – a detailed report, along with a list of resources you can start using now

Special Offer: 20% off till October 20th!

Order by October 20th, 2011, and you’ll receive 20% off your entire order. That’s right – even if you order the consulting course.

So, avoid disappointment – buy before end of day on October 20th to get 20% off. Just put code october11 in the discount box when you place your order.

Enjoy!

Consultant business plan template

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:01:32 +0000

Consultant business plan template – Are you searching for a consultant business plan template because you’re interested in becoming a consultant?

If so, then you’ve come to the right place. Not only does Consultant Journal have excellent consultant business plan template resources, but we also have over 900 valuable articles that explain every aspect of becoming a consultant, from consultant finance to marketing your consultancy.

If you are working on a consultant business plan template you are taking the right approach to your business. Writing a consultant business plan is key because the act of putting your business plan together motivates you to plan for a successful business and to iron out a lot of kinks in advance.

Have you found a consultant business plan template that works for you? If not, check out these resources for compiling your consultant business plan:

How to start a consulting company – Outlines the main steps to starting a consulting business, including writing a business plan

Government funded small business loans – If your consultant business plan template includes a lot of financial detail, this article will help you navigate government-funded loans

Consulting business plan template – Outlines the main sections that you should have in your consultant business plan

Sample consulting business plan – Outlines elements of a strong consultant business plan, including an executive summary, business overview, confidentiality and outline of risk, financial plan, industry overview, marketing strategy and other important elements of a consultant business plan

Are you looking for a comprehensive consultant business plan template? In order to help fast-track the completion of your consultant business plan and to make sure that you use accurate numbers, check out our guides, workbooks and courses in the Consultant Journal store, including the invaluable guide on consulting fees: Consulting Fees: A Guide for Independent Consultants.

Related posts:

3 big ways your smart phone can help you make more money

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:14:52 +0000

As you know, I love my smart phone. Not only do I love these 7 reasons to use portable media in your business, but I’ve also discovered the 3 big ways your smart phone can help you make more money.

3 big ways your smart phone can help you make more money:

1. Never miss out on another opportunity with a smart phone:

How many times have you been away from the office and come back to a missed opportunity unread in your email inbox? A last-minute request for a media interview that would have garnered national media attention? A spur of the moment invitation for drinks with a coveted client-to-be? Today, most invitations and requests come in via email or other online channels.

Turning missed opportunities into opportunities that you can act upon can mean the difference between staying at the status quo versus making more money. With a smart phone always at your fingertips, you’ll never miss another big opportunity due to being away from your email.

2. Creating more working hours in the day with a smart phone:

If you’re exercising one of the biggest perks of being a consultant–flexibility–it might mean you’re out during the day running children to swimming lessons, traveling to a seminar or picking up supplies for your business.

With a smart phone, you can turn otherwise frustrating times–waiting in the airport, waiting in the car to pick up a child from school, or other lost working times—into working hours. Answer client emails, communicate with sub-contractors, check status reports and perform other important tasks–all from your smart phone.

And more working hours means more money.

3. Nip disasters in the bud with a smart phone:

If disaster is piling up in your inbox, for example, if your website’s online shopping cart has been hacked or if a client is having an emergency, you can receive notifications in your pocket from your smart phone no matter where you are. Nip problems in the bud by checking your email frequently throughout the day. Catch problems from your smart phone before they become disasters and you’ll make more money.

As a new consultant, it can be difficult to determine where to spend and where to scrimp and save. For example, should you rent office space or work from home? Should you create your own business cards or have them professionally made? Land line or cell phone line? Smart phone or not? All of these business decisions are important, and balance is key when it comes to saving and spending in the right areas of your business.

In today’s business world, smart phones can be invaluable tools that will help you stay on top of your business, offer increased flexibility and increase your earning potential. These 3 big ways your smart phone can help you make more money are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making money with your smartl phone.

How does your smart phone help you make more money?

Related posts:

Consultancy – Start your own

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:09:34 +0000

Consultancy – Have you always wanted to start your own consultancy? Not sure where to start? The good news is that starting a consultancy can be as easy as choosing a specialization, building your expertise, setting your rates, and finding your first client. In fact, depending on the type of consultant you are to become, there are very few rules governing most consulting industries so the time it takes to go from zero to having your own consultancy is shorter than you think.

1. Choosing a specialization for your consultancy:

In general, the more specific your consultancy is the easier it will be to make a name for yourself and identify potential clients. If you are unsure of what type of consultancy you should start, consider working through a guide or workbook that is designed to help you hone in on the perfect consultancy for you.

2. Setting consultancy rates:

Setting rates is both an art and a science. Learn more about setting the right rates in this comprehensive article on setting fees or for the fast-track, inside scoop get Consulting Fees: A Guide for Independent Consultants.

3. Expertise and your consultancy:

In order to start a consultancy you’ll need to be considered an expert in your industry. But don’t worry, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to have a graduate degree or even decades of experience. In fact, in order to start your consultancy you really just need more expertise than your clients have. Find out more about building your expertise here.

4. Finding clients for your consultancy:

Marketing and networking are key to building up your consultancy. But don’t worry, you don’t have to be a master socializer to succeed in marketing your consultancy. In fact, even if you’re introverted you can still succeed in networking on behalf of your consultancy.

Are you interested in starting your own consultancy but don’t know where to start? Check out the Consultant Journal store for a variety of resources, books and courses that will help you kick-start your journey to starting your own consultancy.

Four new products added to the consulting start-up course

admin — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:04:27 +0000

I just finished uploading new content to my consulting start-up course, Become a Consultant: How to Make the Leap.

You’ll now also find:

Tips for Getting Started with Managing Your Online Reputation – a key part of jumpstarting your expert status (audio)

Six Secrets for Managing Your Online Reputation(audio)

Managing Your Online Reputation – a detailed report, along with a list of resources you can start using now

The Three Things You *MUST* Do Before You Can Move to Solution-based Fees (audio)

I plan to add more content in the near future – just a reminder that, once you sign up for the course, you have ongoing access to all the materials, including updates and upgrades.

What information would you like to see in the Become a Consultant: How to Make the Leap consulting course?

4 things you never knew about consulting fees

admin — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:16:25 +0000

I’ve done a lot of work on consulting fees, including writing Consulting Fees: A Guide for Independent Consultants and helping numerous new consultants set their consulting fees. When discussing consulting fees with clients and new consultants, I’ve noticed common misconceptions about consulting fees.

I’ve compiled these common misconceptions into this article to help set the record straight when it comes to consulting fees.

4 things you never knew about consulting fees:

1. Consulting fees are not necessarily correlated with the amount of time it takes to accomplish a project.

The time it takes to perform a service is sometimes irrelevant to the cost of the fees. Remember, the focus of your services should be about the value the client is receiving in exchange for your services. For a concrete example of how this works, check out the story in Section 3 of this article.

2. What other consultants are charging for "similar work" can be irrelevant.

Don’t set your consulting fees based on others’ rates, and don’t cave if a client balks at your rate and suggests that another consultant offers a much lower rate for "similar services." Keep your focus on value and the services that you offer. You can get a website designed and developed for $200 or for $20,000(+) depending on the consultant or firm. As you can imagine, services and results will differ. The key is to match the clients needs with a service that will fulfill those needs at the appropriate level.

3. Consultants charge far more than regular employees in the same industry.

Did you know that consultants’ fees are much higher than the wages of salaried workers doing similar work? Find out why.

4.Your consulting fees can vary and that’s okay.

One of the beatiful things about being a consultant is that you can use your own judgment when it comes to setting your fees.

Getting a bad feeling about the pickiness of a potential client? Set your rate higher than normal.
Or want to help a non-profit with your services and get personal satisfaction in return? Offer a discounted rate because you want the work (but be sure to display the full price and the discounted rate in your quote).

Allowing yourself some flexibility with your pricing structure is one of the many reasons not to post your rates on your website or in your marketing material (unless you’re offering a package of services for a set price).

How many of these four items did you already know about setting consulting rates? What secrets do you have to share about consulting fees?

7 terrible secrets revealed by your email address (and how to fix them)

admin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 04:22:03 +0000

When it comes to your personal and business brand, your email address may be undoing all your hard work. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of email addresses – and I’ve had a chance to make observations through the eyes of hiring manager, consultant, client, volunteer and colleague.

Your email address brands you, even when you’re not working

If you want to be professional, you have to think about how your email address represents you. Even if you’re merely using your email address for personal reasons, it’s likely that many members of your business network see your personal address. That’s because everyone you contact becomes a member of your network:

Store owner who runs the mailing list for specials
Yoga instructor who sends you a mailer on upcoming classes
Meetup group you joined and never managed to attend
Parent class rep at your kids’ school – and everyone on the shared contact sheet
Dating site people you saw once
Parent you met at the park and decided to join for coffee, since you both work in the same industry
Friend you met at fitness class, who knows about how to set up that thing on the computer
Guy you met at the charity event, who mentioned he could send you a discount code for an event at the art gallery

Most of those people may not profile as “business” or “professional” contacts, per se, but they’re part of your network and thus your professional life. In fact, even if you’re on mat leave, still in college, backpacking, vacationing, parenting, socializing or otherwise wearing your “non-career” hat, the contact you make may influence your future career and business. It’s all marketing and networking.

7 terrible secrets revealed by common email address mistakes

These common email address mistakes can mar your reputation:

Too flirty. You’ve got some flirty, cutesy or otherwise goofy email address, leftover from college, your Internet dating days or a drunken moment at Gmail - hotsexythang@domainname.com and coolseattleguy@madeupdomain.com.
Shared with your life partner, meaning you have no separate identity, control issues, a domineering partner, computer skills too weak to manage your own account or some other “issue” people dream up – robandjulie@mytownslocalISP.com.
Too generic. You put a date in your address to set you apart – jane2007@gmail.com.
Make you look less than brilliant. Unless you’re flickr, a modified spelling looks like you either created your address in desperation or that you can’t spell – consltnt@gmail.com or propaytner@hotmail.com.
Nonsensical. youcanseetheanswer@gmail.com or rotememoryrobots@yahoo.com.
Unbranded. If you have a business or a professional career, it’s a mistake to use a generic email account, such as Hotmail or Yahoo – newyorkfloriststore@yahoo.com or rsmith.consultant@hotmail.com.
Spam filter nightmare. Many email filters are set up to look for numbers, underscores, and superlative adjectives. Even if you can handle the branding issues, your email may end up in the junk mail bin – angela_coopersmith1980@gmail.com.

5 remedies for common email address mistakes

Relax – there are several solutions for typical email address mistakes:

Get your own email account, if you’re sharing one. Your ISP and gmail offer a variety of options.
Change the name of your existing email account. Your ISP may help you. Or you can easily set up a new Gmail account.
Set up additional profiles if you use Microsoft Outlook.
Forward all your email to the account you check most, if you don’t know how to set up more than one profile on Outlook or your smartphone.
Purchase a domain name and set up an email address to match. You can do this even if you do not run your own business. Consider jane@realestatemagic.com or dsmith@atlantabanker.com, for example.

It gets even worse

I wrote this article on common email address mistakes because of a random discovery on LinkedIn. For years, I’ve recoiled in mock horror upon seeing women sharing their husband’s email addresses. But then I saw something that shocked me even more. For whatever reason, it seemed even worse than the usual email address mistakes. I saw a husband and wife sharing a single LinkedIn account. It made no sense to me. Why would you share a career profile on a virtual resume site? It boggles my mind. But more on LinkedIn (and Twitter) later.

What deadly email address mistakes have you spotted? What tips do you have?

Note: all email address given are fictitious and were generated for the purposes of this article. No connection to a real living or dead person or existing or closed business is made or implied. Any connection is purely coincidental.

Welcome, Entrepreneur Magazine readers

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:34:33 +0000

Consultant Journal is featured in Entrepreneur as part of a story on launching a consulting firm. Being featured in Entrepreneur feels like I’ve come full circle* in my business.

You see, when I was still in college, I dreamed about starting a business. I’d go to the library, read business mags, and scribble business plans on the backs of my notebooks. Later, when I moved East to work for the federal government, I’d go to the library at night, read more business books, and leaf through tattered copies of Entrepreneur. I think I read through the entire backlist during my time there. By the end of that summer, I’d landed my first contract, despite still being a university student.

So actually ending up in Entrepreneur is, well — this is trite, but it’s true – the stuff dreams are made of. It just goes to show that you can take steps to increase your expert status over time.

How about you? What business dreams do you have? What do you want from your life?

*Okay, not entirely full circle. I’d still like to be on the front page for the $1B IPO. I admit it. But then where would my work-life balance be?

Consulting business plan template – free outline

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:42:36 +0000

Many people write to ask where they can find a consulting business plan template. Well, here’s a free outline of a consulting business plan template. It’s just an outline, though – I’m working on a full template and guide.

Executive Summary
Business Overview
Products & Services
Sales & Marketing Plan
Operating Plan
Management and Organization
Action Plan
Financial Plan
Investment Opportunity
Appendices
1. Personal Financial Statements
2. Financial Statements

Having run a business and marketing consulting firm for the past 14 years, I’ve written countless business plans. Every last one of them counts, though. While I’m not someone who would ever tell you that you must follow your business plan to the letter – it’s a roadmap, not a jail term – I do believe that having a good sense of direction for your business is important. For most people, the process involved in developing a business plan is actually more important than the output. All the work and thought involved in figuring out where you’re headed is what will really drive your business.

With that in mind, if you are looking for a consulting business plan template, you want one that is easy to customize around your own business. Otherwise, if you follow a pre-written, off-the-shelf plan, how will you stand out from the competition? Your business plan, while following a prescribed template, should help create a business that is unique, sustainable and achievable.

In the meantime, it’s still okay to start exploring the kind of business you want to start, the marketing you want to do and the fees you want to set. You can start on your business while working on your business plan, if you want.

Consulting Fees: A Guide for Independent Consultants

But it’s just your time!

admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:38:57 +0000

"Could you spare 20 minutes to talk to me on the phone?"

"I’d be happy to work with you to develop a proposal that will meet your needs."

"But it’s just 20 minutes. In 20 minutes, you could give me such important strategy that would otherwise take me months to develop. You could really help me."

"Yes, I think you could benefit from my consulting services. I’m not available as a volunteer. But I’m happy to put together a proposal for my services."

"But it’s just your time! It’s not like I’m asking you to donate money."

"Yes. It’s just my time. Exactly. It’s the most precious thing I have."

Do people ever try to twist your arm to get free consulting services? Do you ever struggle with figuring out how to set and get your consulting rate? What do you do when people try to get you to work for free?