Tools of the Consulting Trade

Time

This is your primary investment. It takes much organization and self-discipline whether you are a fresh-out-the-gate consultant or a seasoned veteran. As an employee your time was your own once you clocked off the job. As a consultant, your time is your money, so it may require you work long and unusual hours to land a contract or to handle the work you have!

A Good Reputation

If you are the type of person that is never really concerned about what others think about you – may have problems with this one. What others think and say about is of the utmost concern to a thriving consultant! Your reputation and your expertise are what adds extra digits to your fees. You can only settle for the best of testimonials about you and your work…

“He’s great!”

“She’s sharp!”

“He’s a Wiz!”

“WORTH EVERY DIME!”

“We could have never done it without her!”

“I don’t know anyone better!”

“The creme de le creme.”

In this ball game you cannot afford to fall short in many areas. If you have a temper, forget about blowing your stack with your contractors and thinking they will just let it pass. If you are a procrastinator you will not have long to think about getting something done before you have been replaced. If you have difficulty making decisions… decisions will be made for you and about you… ones you will not like. If all this makes you nervous, you may want to reconsider consulting as a career/business path. However, if your blood is still pulsating with the excitement — you are just gutsy enough to make it work.

Media Presence

The media also plays a role in marketing for a consultant. There is simply no better advertising than having your name mentioned from time to time in a publication or on a talk show. Consultant’s opinions are readily sought after by reporters and correspondents as an expert source. The media is very interested in presenting points of views from multiple perspectives. Don’t be shy about sending press releases out regarding your services or even contacting a media source directly should you be very knowledgeable of a topic they are addressing.

A ‘Handy Dandy’ Planner

There is a barrage of information for the consultant to maintain; contacts, plans, meetings, notes, emails, dates, dollars, and data. Go with what works for you. I still have not grown past the paper pocket planner. Outside of my computer and my cell, no electronics for me. The main thing is that you remain organized and timely.

A Gimmick

Consulting is a highly competitive field and you need every edge you can get! There are a lot of close calls. It may not be your qualifications that land you work—it may simply be you stood out and were remembered! Ya gotta have a gimmick. Whenever I went ‘fishing’ for contract, my gimmick for years was… red… and I mean RED. Not a little bit of red… you could see me for miles; Red shoes, red earrings, red lipstick, red purse, Red eye makeup, red ribbons, red hat, red coat, red cape, red gloves, red hair… RED! Clients would later tell me they never stood a chance of forgetting me. Plus the color just exudes positive energy. There was no yawning during my presentations. I wouldn’t advice my gimmick for everyone (the red lipstick may be a bit much for some fellas, even in today’s liberal age). I know of one extremely gifted Quality Control consultant who took a Western approach. He developed a John Wayne-ish “Ah, shucks, Ma’am” kind of image, complete with accent and bolo tie. He wore (tasteful) western clothing. His analogies and anecdotes were all of western flavor and he always had a copy of a Zane Gray novel at hand. Believe me, working in Baltimore, he really stood out. When he landed his largest contract for the Department of Defense in DC. I bet it was like watching “Shane Goes to Washington!” Be creative but not totally tasteless or wild!

An Inflated Ego – with a Humble Heart

You will not be able to avoid it – you will have a definite need to be able to talk (and write) about your GREATNESS (or more specifically, the greatness of your expertise)… at least until you have proven yourself enough that others will do it for you! I know from direct experience that many times I was contracted because I had the ability to convince others that I, and only I, could get the job done! My clients were assured by my confidence in meeting the tasks. Modesty has little place in a consultant’s bag of tools. I have actually found the use of distasteful traits such as arrogance and conceit to be surprisingly effective in obtaining work in the competitive consulting world. It’s always amazing to me that when you know you are good at something that others just seem to get caught up in your enthusiasm for your own abilities. Not unlike the winning race car driver that has to have trust and belief in their vehicle as well as their driving abilities, the consultant must believe in their ‘vehicle’… their own self-image! Do know, however, that presenting yourself as the super-ego I’m talking about does not mean you have to deflate others. Nobody likes a jerk. Talking down to others or slam dunking others reputations and work, won’t get you far. Consulting places you in a small world where what goes around can easily come back around and you want it to be in a good way. Undoubtedly you will be asked to evaluate and assess others work. Learn to state you opinions without put downs. If you have been brought into a company to correct the work of others, just remember it was their mistakes that became your contract. In consulting, another person’s poison can be your piece of pie!

The Patience of a Saint

I can’t stress enough how important this trait will be needed by you in your early stages as a consultant. You may send out proposals to companies that you never hear from for months or even years! Do not give up. That’s why you will need to keep as many lines in the water as you possibly can. There is a great deal of timing and waiting in the consulting game. Landing a contract depends upon others making a decision … in their own time. Do not push! What may seem like a snap job for you, may appear as a difficult task for others and time could be needed to sort out the process. .

Some CA$H
A definite tangible a consultant cannot work around… money (or at least the appearance of having a few extra dead presidents). You can expect it will be you who will be picking up a few tabs while networking. Even those Martinis that are ordered to seal a new contract should come out your resources to show your client your social skills (unless they twist your arm to put it their expense account). Another cash expense you cannot skimp on are your marketing and promotion goods. Shiny attention grabbing brochures, postage, business cards, proposal packaging, and loads of correspondence will need doing and you can only do so much with desktop. Next is that all important communication system; office phone, cell phone, answering service… your prospects and your clients have to know you are available for them. In terms of an office, don’t go overboard on this expense. The majority of your work as a consultant will require you to work from your client’s office or from your own abode, humble or otherwise. Also you can expect most of your negotiations will take place at a select location. An air of professionalism is essential for you to instill confidence in your clients. Cruising up to a prospective client and asking them to join you for lunch in a garbage-filled jalopy may not get the point across that you can help their company succeed! There is truth to the adage “you need money to make money”. Stay within a budget. Rent a vehicle for a special occasion. Take a prospect or client to dinner at a restaurant where you know the owner and can run a tab. There are plenty of ways to look like money with out having it… that is until you have arrived at the financial level where you can drive your old jalopy because your other car is a Lincoln!

Integrity

Much of what a consultant needs is intangible yet is seen by many—strength of character. The ability to stand for what is right is a sure way to move in positive directions in the world of consulting. Consultants are not known for being “yes-people”. Disagreeing with status quo may have been required of you as an employee to gain that monthly paycheck but for the consultant your opinion is what you are paid for—whether it is popular or not. Integrity is crucial for a consultant, you therefore should be slow to offer those opinions unless you know beyond the shadow of doubt that you are in the right.