Selecting the Right Consultant – How Do Companies Decide?

April 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
cherry_girl

Best Practice lessons from the employment arena Companies usually put a lot more effort into hiring employees than they do into hiring consultants. Larger companies actually have a standard selection process for hiring employees – this includes gates like: -- a completed application and reference checks, -- 2 levels of management signing off on the new hire, -- the same people interview all candidates for a given position, -- standard interview reviews and feedback These are all examples … [Read more...]

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Email: Friend or Foe?

February 14, 2011 By 3 Comments

We all know that email is a business essential these days…how else could we, as consultants, work 24/7?   ;o) Email, however, is also a huge challenge to our productivity.  How many times have you gone to check email just to see if you had received one important email, only to ‘wake up’ an hour later wondering where the time had gone? Some of you, like me, may remember the days before email was ubiquitous…when people sent mail, called one another, or walked around the cubicle to … [Read more...]

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Creating a “To-Don’t” List

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment
planning my time - tough nut to crack

I first heard about making a to-do list from my father who admonished me for frittering my time away. “You don’t seem to understand the concept of priorities,” he said. “Write down on a sheet of paper everything you need to do for that day and then prioritize the items.” Being a teenager then, it was a revelation to me. But you, as a professional consultant are probably sick by now of hearing about prioritizing and making a “to-do list.” You’ve heard it so many times your … [Read more...]

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10 Common Mistakes on Twitter – Part I

February 18, 2010 By 3 Comments

By now virtually everyone knows that social networking needs to be a strategic part of marketing. Twitter is a quick and easy way to get started. You can get work leads, increase your customer base and enhance your reputation by better serving your existing customers, and connect with potential partners. But it’s not without its pitfalls. When using any social media, the cardinal rule is: Don’t antagonize! Creating hostility is most decidedly NOT the way to brand yourself or market your … [Read more...]

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Grow Your Consulting Business With Change

December 14, 2008 By 5 Comments

"If you're not moving forward, you're moving backward." I can't locate the originator of that quote; it's been attributed to a few people. Nonetheless, consider this for a moment. There are new start-ups every day—businesses that are bringing new, different and improved services and products to the market. Have you checked on your competition lately, or asked your clients how they feel about your offerings? If you don't want to lose your clients to the competition, you need to routinely … [Read more...]

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How to Win Friends and Influence Clients

November 20, 2008 By 1 Comment

As an independent consultant, I know that marketing and selling is a big part of my life and livelihood, but they haven't been naturals for me. That's why I like to watch and learn from the pros. This is a true story about a guy I know. I'll call him "Ray" because he's like a ray of sunshine in every way. We all can take a page or two from the book he endorses and lives. (At the end of this blog I'll tell you the title -- you may be surprised.) Ray is one of the best examples I know of a … [Read more...]

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