Getting Started in Consulting ^{2nd Ed.}

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.

• Introduction to Second Edition
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Chapter 1: Establishing Goals and Expectations
  You Will Be What You Decide to Be, Nothing Less, Nothing More
• Starting at Square Zero: Financials Needs
• Personal Attributes: The Investment from Within
• Time Use: There's No Such Thing as Not Having Enough Time
• Focus: We're All Working Part-Time
• Why Collaboration Can Kill You
• Summary
• Notes
• Chapter 2: Physical Space and Environmental Needs
  Act Like You Have a Business and You'll Have One
• Alternative Work Spaces
• The Basics aound You
• Beyond the Basics
• Communicating at the Speed of Light
• Getting Some Help from Some Friends
• Notes
• Chapter 3: Sorting Out the Legal, Financial, and Administrative
  First, Let's Kill All the Lawyers
• Legal Requirements and Organizational Options
• Accounting, Financial, and Tax Matters —Exploiting Opportunities
• Finding a Banker and Obtaining Credit
• Other Professional Help
• Notes
• Chapter 4: Fundamental Marketing
  Creating a Gravity for Your Business
• Creating a Press Kit
• Stationery and Related Image Products
• Networking
• Pro Bono Work
• Listings, Ads, and Passive Sources
• Summary
• Notes
• Chapter 5: Advanced Marketing
  Creating a Brand
• Establishing a Web Site
• Publishing
• Obtaining Media Interviews
• Speaking
• Newsletters
• Notes
• Chapter 6: Initiating the Sales Process and Acquiring Business
  Building Relationships
• Finding the Right Buyer
• What to Do about Gatekeeprs
• Gaining Conceptual Agreement
• Creating a Succession of "Yeses"
• Notes
• Chapter 7: Closing the Sale
  How to Write Proposals and Cash Checks
• The Naure of Excellent Proposals
• The Nine Steps of Great Proposals
• When to Follow Up
• Six Rules for a Command Appearance
• Ten Steps to Follow If the Buyer Is Unresponsive
• Horrors, What If the Buyer Says "No!": Six Steps to Redemption
• Notes
• Chapter 8: Establishing Fees
  How to Make Them Beg to Pay You More
• The Fallacy and Lunacy of Time-Based Fees and Per Diems
• Preparing and Educating the Client
• Forty Ways to Increase Your Fees
• Summary
• Notes
• Chapter 9: Moving th the Next Level
  How to Grow Your Business Dramatically
• Finding Resources: The Pros and Cons of Staffs
• Business Planning
• Creating Passive Income
• Working Internationally
• Investing in Longer-Term Potential
• Notes
• Chapter 10: What Do You Do with Success?
  How to Continue to Grow by Paying Back
• Maximize Retirement Investing
• Mentoring
• Professional Growth
• Retainers
• Selective Project Acquisition
• Travel
• Celebrity Status
• Life Balance
• The Firm's Future
• Giving Back
• Notes
• Chapter 11: The Quick Start
  How to Hit the Consulting Ground Running at Full Speed
• First Dimensions: Creating Infrastructure
• Second Dimension: Reaching Out for Business
• Marketing Technique 1: Call Everyone You Know
• Marketing Technique 2: Target Twelve
• Marketing Technique 3: Focused Prospecting
• Quick Start, Full-Speed Mileposts and Dangers
• Summary
• Notes
• Appendixes
1. Business Plan to Attract Investment
2. Sample "To Do" Lists
3. Office Equipment Recommendations
4. Trade Associations, Professional Groups, Publicity Sources
5. Sample Biographical Sketch for a New Consultant
6. Sample position Paper
   Accepting Equity for Your Services: Or Why the Craps Tables Suddenly Look Good
• What You Need to Know
• What You Need to Do
• Note
7. Sources for Listings and Advertising
8. Sample Magazine Inquiry Letter
9. 1010 Questions for Any Sales Situation You'll Ever Face
• An Overview
• Qualifying the Prospect
• Finding the Economic Buyer
• Reutting Objections
• Establishing Objectives
• Establishing Metrics
• Assessing Value
• Determining the Budget Range
• Preventing Unforeseen Obstacles
• Increasing the Size of the Sale
• Going for the Close
• The Most Vital Question
• Glossary
  

A very good primer.

Excellent resource on what to think about if you are planning to take your first steps in the consulting world (as a sole practitioner) or you have just started.

There are some anglicisms in this, but the author is an American, and he manages to make it a compelling read anyway, so I would recommend this.