The second edition of Peter Block's Flawless Consulting gracefully updates
what many consider the best resource of its kind. New chapters on implementation,
"whole-system" strategies, and ethics are included, but in
general it simply fine-tunes Block's proven advice to match the transformations
that business and society have undergone since initial publication two
decades ago.
"The
days of long studies and expert-driven answers are passing," the
author proclaims in his new preface. "The task of the consultant
is increasingly to build the capacity of clients to make their own assessments
and answer their own questions." He then subtly modifies his established
recommendations accordingly for every step, from the initial client
meeting and problem diagnosis through data collection and the execution
of solutions. In the section on "Conducting a Group Feedback Meeting,"
for example, he advises: "Treat the group as a collection of individuals....
Ask each person what he or she wants from the meeting. This will surface
differences and force the group to take responsibility for some of the
difficulties that may arise."
Million Dollar Consulting: The Professional's Guide To Growing A Practice
by Alan Weiss
Completely updated for today's consultants, this classic how-to handbook
gives you the strategies and guidance needed to grow a firm that can
bring in $1 million-a-year. Step by step, Million Dollar Consulting
explains the ins and outs of:
*Raising capital
*Reeling in new clients
*Setting fees
*Accelerating growth
*Relationship selling
*Value pricing
*Self-promotion
*And much more!
Consultants will find critical new material on how to overcome objections
and vital information on internet- and e-based marketing and sales.
There's also a new chapter on how to work in smaller markets with family
owned businesses, non-profits and other "non-traditional"
clients. Packed with the most up-to date information available, Million
Dollar Consulting will boost performance and profits for you and the
companies you consult.
Organizational Consulting: How to Be an Effective Internal Change Agent
by Alan Weiss
As
a consultant, your job is to provide expertise in the form of knowledge,
experience, processes, models, technologies, or other assets. Both external
and internal consultants perform these same duties. However, there is
one major difference between external and internal consultants–the
question of credibility.
When companies hire outside consultants, people within the organization
tend to listen. They assume external consultants must be credible because
they charge high fees or because they’ve consulted with other
companies. Meanwhile, internal consultants–human resources personnel
or other internal change agents–must overcome the unfair perception
that they are biased.
Consulting is a relationship business. In order to perform to the best
of your abilities, you must develop trusting relationships with internal
partners and clients, especially those figures who make final decisions
based on your advice. But developing that trust is no easy trick. If
you’re an internal consultant, you know that before you can even
begin to do your job you must overcome any perception that you may lack
credibility.
However, there are also advantages to being an internal consultant,
such as your familiarity with the organization’s structure, culture,
and unique needs and problems. Organizational Consulting shows you how
to use the advantages of being inside the organization to better perform
your duties while also improving your credibility. A consultant with
twenty-five years of experience working with Fortune 1000 companies,
Alan Weiss offers pragmatic solutions and methodologies for changing
your organization for the better while you advance your career and solidify
your position as an integral asset to your company.
The role of the internal consultant is to anticipate, improve, and innovate–and
you have to do it all from a delicate position. Organizational Consulting
shows you how, by giving you the tools you need to:
-- Build trusting relationships with management
-- Establish the proper environment for success
-- Utilize state-of-the-art interventions
-- Develop the skills and attitude you need
-- Achieve conceptual agreement
-- Formulate workable proposals
-- Leverage your success for the future
-- Defuse tensions and work within ethical guidelines
Consulting
on the Inside: An Internal Consultant's Guide
by Beverly Scott
Many
who work in organizations routinely operate as internal consultants
to their organizations. This book is designed to be a hands-on, practical
guide for these professionals. For those just assuming the role of internal
consultant, this book will serve as a roadmap to success as an internal
consultant. For the experienced internal consultant, this book will
be a valuable toolkit and reference guide to improve existing skills.
In addition to the book's comprehensive eight-step consulting process
guide, the author has included 50 "real life" stories from
current and former internal consultants who offer valuable tips and
solutions to the reader. This book will help internal consultants:
* Understand their role within an organization
* Develop strategies to work effectively with management, human resources
and other employees
* Move past personal and organizational roadblocks to success and deal
with difficult clients
* "Market" internal consulting services to the organization
High Value Consulting:
Managing and Maximizing External and Internal Consultants for Massive
Added Value
by Tom Lambert
A
behind-the-scenes look at how consulting works in the real world, High
Value Consulting cuts through the jargon to put the power to get things
done back in the hands of executives, managers and organization development
professionals--where it belongs.
Thinking Like an Entrepreneur:
How to Make Intelligent Business Decisions That Will Lead to Success
in Building & Growing Your Own Company
by Peter I. Hupalo
Thinking
Like An Entrepreneur is your guide to learning how to make fundamentally
sound business decisions. What separates a good business that can grow
and grow from a bad business that is constantly struggling for survival
is thoroughly broken down and analyzed. The difference between amazing
success and failure is often due to very predictable and simple factors.
This book will help you understand these factors. It will help you choose
a desirable business to enter and avoid entering an endeavor that likely
will lead to constant struggle with marginal results.
Certain entrepreneurial endeavors are much more likely to result in
explosive company growth. Computer consulting, informational-based companies,
and high-end service organizations are among the fastest growers. Success
of these businesses and the rapid growth of wealth is not a fluke. Rather,
it is related to the strength of the underlying business model which
these businesses follow: Large revenue per sale, high margin, non-capital
intense, proprietary intellectual products or market strength based
upon reputation.
Thinking Like An Entrepreneur focuses on the key factors and avoids
the insignificant that often overwhelms new entrepreneurs. You will
learn how to reason entrepreneurially and to make decisions that stack
the odds of success in your favor. To become immensely successful, you
must know what is important.
You will be encouraged to think about how your business creates value
for your customers. You will learn to evaluate whether the idea you
contemplate is actually viable. You will learn to effectively predict
profit margins and how quickly your business can grow before it is cash
flow limited. You will learn what the power of compounding really means
and how it applies to growing a business and building wealth. You will
learn how to accommodate contingencies and make predictions through
the use of calculated expectation values.
Through these techniques you will learn to rationally analyze what is
likely to happen to your endeavor. You will be aware of the potential
upswing and the potential downswing as well as the likely result of
your endeavor.
Whether you contemplate starting a business or are in the process of
growing a business already, this book is for you. This book helps you
make the transition from employee to company founder and successful
entrepreneur.
If you have ever wondered why some businesses struggle for years and
years, while other businesses are started and built up to hundred million
dollar companies in only three or four years, this book shows you. Ultimately,
this book provides you the tools to take real control of your financial
destiny and to pursue your dreams. It teaches you to how to think like
an entrepreneur.
