Practical advice from Marsha D. Lewin On success as a consultant
Over these decades of consulting, the most successful consultants I've known were self-starters whose enthusiasm, individualism, and drive did not blend with big business norms. They saw a problem, identified what needed to be done, and went on to solve it. They didn't wait for committees to pass on the idea and to run it up the corporate ladder for serial approval.
On surviving in a cyclical economy
Plan ahead for the inevitable downturn in the economy. That's clearly the way to be in the best position to be able to endure the hard times. . . . The down cycle may not be accommodating enough, however, to hit us after we've put away all the money we had planned on and will need for the future. That's why advance planning strategies must be supplemented by strategies to cope with an existing economic peril. And, once you've made it through the dangerous times, you'll want to evaluate your situation to ensure that you adjust your strategies from survival mode to those that enable you to plan ahead until the next threat.
On strategy
Strategies are fundamental mental and emotional underclothes visible only to you and yours. . . . Our strategic plan is the mooring, the underpinning that we use as our target for the tactics with which we deal in our daily lives.
On controlling expenses
I emphasize reviewing your expenses periodically because situations change, and pricing of various options changes as well. If you make decisions on a never-again basis, you might find you are paying way too much for the basic services and you are merely causing yourself to work harder to stay in the same place. -- from The Consultant's Survival Guide
When businesses, government agencies, and other organizations are faced with problems they can't solve on their own, they turn to you, the management consultant, for expertise, perspective, and rational solutions. But what happens when your business is threatened by forces you can't control? Who helps you put your problems in perspective, analyze your situation, and find a remedy? Is there a consultant's consultant? There is now!
In her thirty years as a management consultant, Marsha D. Lewin has seen it all--the booms, the busts, the endless uncertainties. She knows that some consultants ride out the tough times with relative ease, while others, equally talented, are quickly overwhelmed. In The Consultant's Survival Guide she reveals 14 strategies that will keep your consulting practice going through good times and bad, and she offers specific tactics you can use to make sure your strategies succeed. You'll learn how to:
- Cut expenses in hard times without undercutting the quality of your services
- Keep your fees up and your clients smiling
- Avoid giving away the store when writing a proposal
- Ensure that your work produces a tangible result for clients
- Use downtime to build up your business
- Expand the geographical perimeters of your client base
- Market your services without spending a dime
- Develop and maintain a reputation as a competent, conscientious, reliable consultant
Many of the strategies and tactics you'll discover in this book will help boost your profits in any business climate. Others are rules to live by that should influence every action of your professional life. All are practical steps that you can implement easily to make your practice stronger, more profitable, and more fit for survival--starting today!
