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In What Cases Customers Apply to Consulting Company?
It is widely thought, that companies
apply to outside consultants on the edge of bankruptcy only. However, rendering
recovering services to an insolvent company is not the main function of a
consulting team. So, in what cases and who applies to consulting company to get
a needed support? At first, reputable companies need consulting services during
structure transformation concerned with expanding, business legal form
amendment, fundamental changing of enterprise activity and its diversion into
more perspective and/or profitable business directions. At second, consultant
(or auditor) may be hired by a prospering enterprise that needs to win
additional market shares, create a reputable image for potential partners, to
examine the company’s activities (to audit, for instance) and than to turn the
results into public information. And finally, the enterprise may apply to
consulting company to get a support in a critical period (on the edge of
bankruptcy), in case it is not able to cope the situation by its own means due
to the lack of experience and inner resources that can’t react in a proper
manner and on time. In such cases, the consulting services may be referred to
in-crisis consulting.
The List of Requirements for Company
A professional consultant or a reputable
consulting company’s activity, rendering a broad array of services, must meet
the number of certain requirements. The major ones are enumerated as follows: A
consultant (or a consulting company) must have a proven technique of solving
issues and skills needed to formulate an accurate organizational diagnosis, to
conduct effective strategy planning, to use informational systems; consultant
must operate freely the methods of analyzing and forecasting an economical
condition of the company, diagnose its general productive efficiency, establish
contacts (communicate), and so on. A consultant (or a consulting company) must
have an opinion independent from products suppliers, standard decision in
featured industry, traditions, unwritten laws that live within the checked
company, incumbent managers strategy. The consultant opinion must be maximally
close to truth and fair. A consulting company must not be somehow related to
the customer. A consultant (or a consulting company) must provide a customer
with a support in using his own experience to improve his or her activity on a
constant basis. A consultant (or a consulting company) must work with various
customers to accumulate new experience, analyze it, understand and use in
future. A consultant (or a consulting company) must know the teaching
techniques that can be applied for customers.
How to Become a Consultant
Identify the Niche in Which You Have Knowledge
and Experience. You may have an interest in computers. However, this does not
mean you can become an independent computer consultant (though it can give you
a head-start in this field). Knowledge and experience coupled with interest is
the only way to begin.
Acquire the Certifications and
Licenses. The local or state legal guidelines may require you to get a
particular license to work as an independent consultant in certain specialties.
Choose a name. If you want to set up
a company, give it a good-sounding name, which will be easy to remember and
sticky.
Choose your legal structure. Do all
the necessary legal and tax procedures on the initial stage of operation. You
may choose between three registration options that may match your business:
general or limited partnership, corporation or sole proprietorship. The
majority of consultants prefer the last form most of all due to the complexity
of other forms registration. Besides, you must be cautious for all liabilities
involved to your business become personal liability.
Make a business plan. It is very
important in consulting business. No matter it won’t be shown to attract
investments, it plays a great role in forming a strategy in your mind for
keeping a company on track, making larger profits, marketing, gaining a
reputation among customers, setting up your business structure, generating and
controlling your funds. You can make your business plan on the basis of
different books and software related to the consulting market.
Establish an office. If you have
screened all your pockets for gaining an additional cent to start your
business, you can work from home. This will also suit the situation if you
intend to render services on part-time basis. You can occupy a spare room, a
loft, a garage or even a small corner in a hall converted into commercial
location.
Build a website. All up-to-date
companies must have their own website! Internet is a large source of potential
customers, who can land on your site via Google or any advertising system.
Start marketing yourself. Free
consulting on the initial stage of operation may encourage people recommending
you to the friends. Some time later, you may take money for your job. This
strategy perfectly matches online service rendering because there are millions
of people searching for an assistance in this or that question. Use forums and
groups in social nets.
Fee Rates
There are two payment options for
your work:
Hourly rates. In some cases per
minute charging is all right. The thing is that, you can give an extremely
useful information that will help to improve the business in some industries
within a minute. SEO consulting can be taken as an example.
Pay-per-project. In this case
consultant is paid the certain amount that was discussed in advance.
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