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Added for You - Consulting: A Different World
Businesses can benefit from a web presence. Even the smallest business can use a "business card" website. Planning your webpage for profits - both now and in the future is the trick.First you should look at your budget. What percent of revenues or what dollar amount per year have you budgeted for advertising and/or marketing? Considering a website can be much less expensive than many other forms of advertising, and that a website can produce a higher profit margin than many other forms of advertising you almost certainly have to have a webpage.For most small, local and regional businesses, the only form of advertising that might take a higher priority in your budget would be a telephone listing in the Yellow Pages directory. White Page listings may be free in your area with a business account.Are your customers younger, urban, professional, technical, or students? All of these tend to be highly net-literate and net-focused. Yes to any of these questions means a website is essential.Can your products/services be s
Notes...
Called Road Kill because that is usually what they end up being. They lose employees because they focus as much on the negative as the positive, often giving the negative more weight in the mind of the employee. This ends up costing them employees who feel under appreciated and in turn makes them look like a manager no one wants to work for.
Type: Sacrificial Lamb
- Friendly with a consultant on a one-on-one basis
- Not so friendly or different attitude when among colleagues
- Blame everything they can on the consultant and will not take responsibility for anything
- WILL take credit for work you do
Best Handled...
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- Document Your work
- Document Any issues that are brought up regarding your work
These types of managers can be hard to handle. Warn the office (if you work through a consulting company) if you suspect you have a manager like this and document ALL issues, no matter how small. Don't confront the manager one-on-one, but be prepared to defend your
Attracting and retaining a high performing team is one of the biggest challenges many business owners face. There are a variety of reasons for this and one of the key factors is that the owner doesn't realise that there's much more involved in the process than just placing an ad and asking a few questions.Business Coach, David Guest from Action International wrote this valuable article which will help you in your quest for hiring the right people."These days too many business owners are throwing their advertising dollar down the toilet using out-dated recruitment methods and using boring old ads. And, then they wonder why they're getting the wrong response!1. Do you have a clearly defined job description for the role?One of the biggest mistakes business owners can make when looking for new staff, whether it's for the expansion of the business or because someone needs to be replaced, is that they don't actually have a clear and concise outline of what they want the employee to do and exactly how they expect it to be do
CONSULTING: MYTH AND REALITY
Myth
Consultants are outsiders.
Reality
Consultants are only outsiders if they make themselves so. You don't have to be an outsider, go out to lunch with your co-workers...talk to them, and befriend them. Just know where to draw the line.
Myth
Consultants don't have to answer to anyone and can do whatever they want.
Reality
Consultants have, not only the client to answer to, but also the company they represent.
Myth
Consultants can come and go as they please.
Reality
Consultant can come and go as they please, until the client gets sick of it and boots them out the door.
Consultants are expected to work their hours, like everyone else, granted you have more freedom...just don't abuse it.
Myth
Consultants make lots of money for doing nothing.
Reality
More is expected of consultants. Consultants are usually asked to come in and get a job done, fast and efficiently, using the clients standards even though they may not be made readily apparent to the consultant.
Consultants have a shorter learning curve. Ask questions, because the client will take time to train an employee but that same regard will not be extended to a consultant.
Myth
Consultants only do what they are assigned to do and no more.
Reality
As a consultant, you are given assignments to complete by the client.
Consultants do what they are assigned to do. If you find yourself short on assignments from you client ask for more, it will make you more valuable in the clients eyes.
Myth
Consultants should know everything there is to know about their specialty.
Reality
Who are we Stephen Hawking?
Consultants know what they know, just as anyone does. Anyone who thinks that they don't need the aid of a manual or a technical document of some type is only cheating himself or herself and setting themselves up for failure.
In short...READ A BOOK...IT WON'T KILL YOU.
THE CONSULTANT COMMANDMENTS
- JUST DO IT (Nobody likes a "why"ny consultant)
- The client's way is the client's way...don't show a negative attitude about why things are done a certain way (see commandment 1 and 5)
- The client's time is valuable to them, don't waste it.
- Show up! Don't leave your client hanging by not letting him/her know if you are going to be coming to work until the last minute...it is not courteous and will lessen you value to them in the future.
- Don't detest...suggest. If you think that the clients system is not where it could be...don't complain about it, recommend another way and discuss it with them...never know...you may build the contract that way.
- Don't make promises you can't keep. A wise person once said "It is far better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt" ---truer words were never spoken. It is far better to put off making a decision until you have had a chance to investigate it than to make a suggestion that is not feasible or even possible. It will make you look foolish.
- Document everything. As a service to your client and as a service to yourself. What was asked for (in detail)? Who asked for it? For what purpose?
- Ask questions. If you are not sure about something, ask questions until you are sure of what is being asked of you. Clients can be unscrupulous whether intentionally or not consultants are easy scapegoats. Cover yourself. (See commandment 7)
- Keep the office informed as to what is going on at your client site. The office can't help you out of a bad spot if they don't know about it. Make the company aware as soon as possible.
- Always try to do your best work for the client. It is better to leave a client in a better position than when you came in than a worse position after you leave.
Managerial Styles
Each manager will have their own way of dealing with consultants. Here are a few traits that I have run into.
Managerial Type
Type: Middle of the Road/Road Kill
- Always have to balance a positive with a negative
- Usually new to management
- Don't know what to expect from consultants (usually assuming too much)
- Don't give clear instructions because of a lack of experience in doing so
Best handled by...
- Don't argue, just document everything they give you and be able to show that what they gave you is what you gave them (documentation).
- Don't take their criticism too harshly.
Notes...
Called Road Kill because that is usually what they end up being. They lose employees because they focus as much on the negative as the positive, often giving the negative more weight in the mind of the employee. This ends up costing them employees who feel under appreciated and in turn makes them look like a manager no one wants to work for.
Type: Sacrificial Lamb
- Friendly with a consultant on a one-on-one basis
- Not so friendly or different attitude when among colleagues
- Blame everything they can on the consultant and will not take responsibility for anything
- WILL take credit for work you do
Best Handled...
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- Document Your work
- Document Any issues that are brought up regarding your work
These types of managers can be hard to handle. Warn the office (if you work through a consulting company) if you suspect you have a manager like this and document ALL issues, no matter how small. Don't confront the manager one-on-one, but be prepared to defend yours
Best Strategy using Internet Job Search EnginesThere are hundreds of Internet job search engines, from super job banks monster.com, careerbuilder.com, hotjobs.com to regional job banks, to job banks with occupational focuses, such as Dice.com. Job seekers can hardly exhaust all the job search resources, so we have meta job search engines which will simultaneously search several job board for the same job search criteria. One of the major mistakes common job seekers make is to search only the super job search engines. Admittedly more job openings are posted on the super job search engines, but in the mean time, the employers who use the supper sites will also receive much more applications for the posted position. A large portion of job bank traffic is generated by job seekers, not employers, therefore the higher a job site's traffic is, the more competitive the positions are. Additionally, many employers, especially those smaller companies, are posting only to second tire job banks for various reasons, some to reduce the influx o
Reality
More is expected of consultants. Consultants are usually asked to come in and get a job done, fast and efficiently, using the clients standards even though they may not be made readily apparent to the consultant.
Consultants have a shorter learning curve. Ask questions, because the client will take time to train an employee but that same regard will not be extended to a consultant.
Myth
Consultants only do what they are assigned to do and no more.
Reality
As a consultant, you are given assignments to complete by the client.
Consultants do what they are assigned to do. If you find yourself short on assignments from you client ask for more, it will make you more valuable in the clients eyes.
Myth
Consultants should know everything there is to know about their specialty.
Reality
Who are we Stephen Hawking?
Consultants know what they know, just as anyone does. Anyone who thinks that they don't need the aid of a manual or a technical document of some type is only cheating himself or herself and setting themselves up for failure.
In short...READ A BOOK...IT WON'T KILL YOU.
THE CONSULTANT COMMANDMENTS
- JUST DO IT (Nobody likes a "why"ny consultant)
- The client's way is the client's way...don't show a negative attitude about why things are done a certain way (see commandment 1 and 5)
- The client's time is valuable to them, don't waste it.
- Show up! Don't leave your client hanging by not letting him/her know if you are going to be coming to work until the last minute...it is not courteous and will lessen you value to them in the future.
- Don't detest...suggest. If you think that the clients system is not where it could be...don't complain about it, recommend another way and discuss it with them...never know...you may build the contract that way.
- Don't make promises you can't keep. A wise person once said "It is far better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt" ---truer words were never spoken. It is far better to put off making a decision until you have had a chance to investigate it than to make a suggestion that is not feasible or even possible. It will make you look foolish.
- Document everything. As a service to your client and as a service to yourself. What was asked for (in detail)? Who asked for it? For what purpose?
- Ask questions. If you are not sure about something, ask questions until you are sure of what is being asked of you. Clients can be unscrupulous whether intentionally or not consultants are easy scapegoats. Cover yourself. (See commandment 7)
- Keep the office informed as to what is going on at your client site. The office can't help you out of a bad spot if they don't know about it. Make the company aware as soon as possible.
- Always try to do your best work for the client. It is better to leave a client in a better position than when you came in than a worse position after you leave.
Managerial Styles
Each manager will have their own way of dealing with consultants. Here are a few traits that I have run into.
Managerial Type
Type: Middle of the Road/Road Kill
- Always have to balance a positive with a negative
- Usually new to management
- Don't know what to expect from consultants (usually assuming too much)
- Don't give clear instructions because of a lack of experience in doing so
Best handled by...
- Don't argue, just document everything they give you and be able to show that what they gave you is what you gave them (documentation).
- Don't take their criticism too harshly.
Notes...
Called Road Kill because that is usually what they end up being. They lose employees because they focus as much on the negative as the positive, often giving the negative more weight in the mind of the employee. This ends up costing them employees who feel under appreciated and in turn makes them look like a manager no one wants to work for.
Type: Sacrificial Lamb
- Friendly with a consultant on a one-on-one basis
- Not so friendly or different attitude when among colleagues
- Blame everything they can on the consultant and will not take responsibility for anything
- WILL take credit for work you do
Best Handled...
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- Document Your work
- Document Any issues that are brought up regarding your work
These types of managers can be hard to handle. Warn the office (if you work through a consulting company) if you suspect you have a manager like this and document ALL issues, no matter how small. Don't confront the manager one-on-one, but be prepared to defend your
Travel nursing is an up-and-coming profession that appeals to many nursing professionals for several reasons. Excellent pay and benefits, the chance to travel at the expense of someone else and variety are among the positive points of travel nursing. Sound great? It's not all the "bowl of cherries" that some believe.The idea of getting paid to travel appeals to many people. The problem is that we want to have time to take in the sights, relax and enjoy our travels. Travel nursing is similar in some ways to driving a truck. You may get to see some incredible sunsets and view awesome scenery, but you're seldom going to have the opportunity to stop and smell the roses, visit those tourists destinations and take photos (unless you snap them from the window of a moving vehicle). In many cases, those panoramic views will be nothing more than spots from an airplane window.So what's all the fuss about travel nursing? There are some positive points. You DO get to travel. While it's not like a vacation, how many people do you know who have se
- JUST DO IT (Nobody likes a "why"ny consultant)
- The client's way is the client's way...don't show a negative attitude about why things are done a certain way (see commandment 1 and 5)
- The client's time is valuable to them, don't waste it.
- Show up! Don't leave your client hanging by not letting him/her know if you are going to be coming to work until the last minute...it is not courteous and will lessen you value to them in the future.
- Don't detest...suggest. If you think that the clients system is not where it could be...don't complain about it, recommend another way and discuss it with them...never know...you may build the contract that way.
- Don't make promises you can't keep. A wise person once said "It is far better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt" ---truer words were never spoken. It is far better to put off making a decision until you have had a chance to investigate it than to make a suggestion that is not feasible or even possible. It will make you look foolish.
- Document everything. As a service to your client and as a service to yourself. What was asked for (in detail)? Who asked for it? For what purpose?
- Ask questions. If you are not sure about something, ask questions until you are sure of what is being asked of you. Clients can be unscrupulous whether intentionally or not consultants are easy scapegoats. Cover yourself. (See commandment 7)
- Keep the office informed as to what is going on at your client site. The office can't help you out of a bad spot if they don't know about it. Make the company aware as soon as possible.
- Always try to do your best work for the client. It is better to leave a client in a better position than when you came in than a worse position after you leave.
Managerial Styles
Each manager will have their own way of dealing with consultants. Here are a few traits that I have run into.
Managerial Type
Type: Middle of the Road/Road Kill
- Always have to balance a positive with a negative
- Usually new to management
- Don't know what to expect from consultants (usually assuming too much)
- Don't give clear instructions because of a lack of experience in doing so
Best handled by...
- Don't argue, just document everything they give you and be able to show that what they gave you is what you gave them (documentation).
- Don't take their criticism too harshly.
Notes...
Called Road Kill because that is usually what they end up being. They lose employees because they focus as much on the negative as the positive, often giving the negative more weight in the mind of the employee. This ends up costing them employees who feel under appreciated and in turn makes them look like a manager no one wants to work for.
Type: Sacrificial Lamb
- Friendly with a consultant on a one-on-one basis
- Not so friendly or different attitude when among colleagues
- Blame everything they can on the consultant and will not take responsibility for anything
- WILL take credit for work you do
Best Handled...
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- Document Your work
- Document Any issues that are brought up regarding your work
These types of managers can be hard to handle. Warn the office (if you work through a consulting company) if you suspect you have a manager like this and document ALL issues, no matter how small. Don't confront the manager one-on-one, but be prepared to defend your
As much as we’d like everyone to be our clone: same work ethic, owner mentality, intelligence level, capable of seeing the big picture and multi-tasking, that’s just not reality. Let’s face it – you and I are the only truly superior business people and everyone else is striving to be us. But seriously, everyone brings their own special talents to the table.If all our associates were great sales people, who would handle finance, marketing, technology or human resources? As considerate leaders we have to look to the innate value of each associate or else our turn over rate will be greater than a fast food restaurant.In the Bible, Jesus describes the church as a human body – lots of different parts all working together for greater success.As an associate – there’s nothing worse than going to work everyday, dreading the experience. Certainly you’ve had jobs where you just didn’t feel successful and the hours would drag, right?Think back to that experience. Could it have been a miserable situation because your job involv
Managerial Styles
Each manager will have their own way of dealing with consultants. Here are a few traits that I have run into.
Managerial Type
Type: Middle of the Road/Road Kill
- Always have to balance a positive with a negative
- Usually new to management
- Don't know what to expect from consultants (usually assuming too much)
- Don't give clear instructions because of a lack of experience in doing so
Best handled by...
- Don't argue, just document everything they give you and be able to show that what they gave you is what you gave them (documentation).
- Don't take their criticism too harshly.
Notes...
Called Road Kill because that is usually what they end up being. They lose employees because they focus as much on the negative as the positive, often giving the negative more weight in the mind of the employee. This ends up costing them employees who feel under appreciated and in turn makes them look like a manager no one wants to work for.
Type: Sacrificial Lamb
- Friendly with a consultant on a one-on-one basis
- Not so friendly or different attitude when among colleagues
- Blame everything they can on the consultant and will not take responsibility for anything
- WILL take credit for work you do
Best Handled...
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- Document Your work
- Document Any issues that are brought up regarding your work
These types of managers can be hard to handle. Warn the office (if you work through a consulting company) if you suspect you have a manager like this and document ALL issues, no matter how small. Don't confront the manager one-on-one, but be prepared to defend your
Lately, advertising specialties have come to be used as a strong advertising medium. Among them, custom printed advertising specialties have come to be the main stay for a lot of advertising needs. Any promotional item can be customized with a company's logo, tag line and message.It is a good idea to opt for custom printed advertising specialties because of a variety of reasons. The brand recall of such an idea is unique and long lasting. For instance, if you give a pen with a custom printed logo and message as a gift to a customer; it will create a lasting impression. Every time the pen is used, a customer is reminded of your product/brand, and the brand recall is increased. Secondly, an advertising specialty, which is based on the type of product or brand that you are trying to project, will not only increase brand recall, but also strengthen the brand idea in the consumers mind. For example, if the product to be advertised is a health drink, giving a coffee mug with your message and logo means that whenever a customer uses the mug, ther
Notes...
Called Road Kill because that is usually what they end up being. They lose employees because they focus as much on the negative as the positive, often giving the negative more weight in the mind of the employee. This ends up costing them employees who feel under appreciated and in turn makes them look like a manager no one wants to work for.
Type: Sacrificial Lamb
- Friendly with a consultant on a one-on-one basis
- Not so friendly or different attitude when among colleagues
- Blame everything they can on the consultant and will not take responsibility for anything
- WILL take credit for work you do
Best Handled...
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- DOCUMENT!
- Document Your work
- Document Any issues that are brought up regarding your work
These types of managers can be hard to handle. Warn the office (if you work through a consulting company) if you suspect you have a manager like this and document ALL issues, no matter how small. Don't confront the manager one-on-one, but be prepared to defend yourself with your documentation.
Notes...
They treat you like the lamb. You are expendable.
Type: Barney
They love you
You love them
Learn as much as you can.
Have as much impact as you can.
Be Careful...they may want to steal you away.
Best Handled...
- Dont get too comfortable even if they do love you. You are a consultant and temporary by nature. Do your best at ALL times.
Notes...
Enjoy the assignment...these can be rare.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
The company won't expect anything but your best effort. The client won't expect anything but your best effort. So put forth your best effort regardless of the situation. There is nothing wrong with running into snags now and then...it happens. Investigate, find a solution and move forward, you will be better for having made the effort. Call the company (if you are working through a consulting company) and see if there is another consultant they can refer you to who might have the answer.
I cannot stress enough how important documentation is to our profession. Being consultants we are hired to come in and solve a problem, not create new problems. Prepare easy to understand documentation and update it when necessary. It is not only professional, but will also make your job easier as well as the job of the person coming in after you. I have worked for several clients who were lost when their employees left because they did not leave appropriate doucmentation. I once had a client who had a former employee offer to come back and write up documentation of their job for $10,000!
I volunteered to do the work free of charge. I felt the former employee was totally unprofessional. This person basically wanted money to do a job they should have done in the first place. I was not only able to save the company the $10,000, I did such a good job with the documentation that the full time employee that came in after me didn't require any face-to-face training with me and complemented me on the work. That felt good.
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