The Consulting Bible

Even GPS in your car allows for detours and alternative routes. You need CGPS: Consultant GPS.

You need to treat your partner as a peer, and not as a parent or child, and figure out how best to address the new challenge.

without changing the proposal, agreements, or fees.

Scope seep occurs when the consultant, without impetus or request from the client, enlarges the project unilaterally

The single most effective factor for changing organizational behavior is that of the avatar. People want to see the leader, visible, on the “horse,” leading the way. If the desired change is use of technology, the leader should be the first to demonstrate how the company has integrated it. If the change is a more interactive and nonsilo workplace, the leader should abandon the formal office.

If you’re discussing fee and not value, you’ve lost control of the discussion.

The Nine Components
My proposals are all about two and a half pages and have nine components. That’s it. There are no resumes, company histories, or obsequious love notes to the buyer.
The Gospel
A proposal is a summation (of conceptual agreement), not an exploration (of a relationship).

Take your time. Ironically, the more time you take to develop a trusting relationship with an economic buyer, the faster you will be able to provide a proposal and secure the business.
Demonstrate That You Are a Peer of the Buyer, Not Lower-Level People
Even if you were introduced or referred by subordinates, immediately stake your claim as a peer of the true buyer. Techniques:
Wear very good clothing. This isn’t “dress for success” but an expression of taste and your

The Gospel
You don’t grow in the consulting profession by getting better at what you’ve already done yesterday. You grow by anticipating tomorrow.

However, the vast majority of your annual revenues should come from existing clients and their referrals. Consequently, you can’t afford to market solely when you’re not delivering. You must be marketing at all times, meaning that a portion of your marketing effort is pas