Successful Consulting: Be Prepared

I like adventure.  I have been scuba diving in the Caribbean, sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, skiing in the Colorado Rockies, and climbing on Washington’s Mt. Rainier.   Some call me crazy while others have joined in with me.  I have learned that success in these experiences depends on preparing for what you don’t expect as well as what you do.  Sometimes, preparation makes you more comfortable or saves time.  Other times, being prepared can mean the difference between life and death.  Preparation matters.

I have found the “Be Prepared” principle true in consulting.  As a consultant you regularly encounter the things you expect and often experience things you don’t.  Success depends on preparing for anything.  Here are seven things to prepare for:

1. Be prepared in your specific consulting area. A consultant is expected to be an expert in his field.   Get prepared by constantly learning new things about your area of expertise.  Most fields have basics you need to know to get by, but that is never enough.  As an expert you should always work to know as much about your area of expertise as you can.  Read every day on the Internet. Go to conferences. Talk to other experts in your field.
2. Be prepared in the current trends in your client’s industry.  I was an information systems consultant.  My clients expected me to know about technology, but technology is only a tool to solve business problems.  I needed to be prepared to understand and discuss the business issues in the market segment we targeted.  In my case it was retail.  To help me learn about retail, I asked questions and learned from each client I encountered.  I also paid attention to what was happening in the retails stores I visited in the mall. How did they display and price tag their merchandise?  How did their clerks work with customers?  Being observant helped prepare me to recognize what was going on outside of my direct field of expertise, but in the area my clients were most interested in.
3. Be prepared in your knowledge of your client’s specific business.  Learn as much as you can about your client’s business. Read their web site.  Search the Internet to learn about what is going on in their business.  You never know when a small piece of news, the name of an executive, or information about the products and services they sell will help you to know what to say or not to say.
4. Be prepared to work hard. Come to work ready to work hard.  Be rested. Have a plan for your work, even if it is for a small amount of work.   Go to meetings with all the advance work done. Always go to work for a client like it was your own business.  Arrange your schedule to give your client top priority.  Don’t do other client work or your consulting company work at your client’s location.  When you show up at your client make sure you are prepared to work hard and then do it.
5. Be prepared to develop relationships. Clients trust, depend on and ultimate buy from people they have a relationship with.  Be helpful and interested in your clients.  Hang out after work. You never know what the future holds.  People get promoted, fired, and move to other companies. Take time to build a business-like personal relationship with the people you work with at your client sites.
6. Be prepared to be in charge. Sometimes clients need someone to take charge.  When no one will pick up the ball, you can secure your place by doing so.  Prepare yourself with the knowledge and skills to take charge.  Learn to listen, communicate, plan, organize and write things down.  In my experience, the one that writes things down is often the one that is in charge.
7. Be prepared to sell the next business. You never know when the right moment will come to sell the next piece of business.  Stay on the lookout for the next piece of work.  Listen to what is going on and what is important to your clients. Always be prepared to offer a proposal on solving a problem or meeting a need for your client.   The easiest client to get is the one you already have.

I learned about being prepared in my days as a Boy Scout. Yes, the old scout motto is “Be Prepared”.  It was true then, it is true in my adventures, and it is true in consulting.

Are you prepared?

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2. Successful Consulting: Be Professional
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