Infolific » IT Consulting

Customer Motivations

Stuart Ridder — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:17:06 +0000

Yesterday, I wrote about customer influencer roles and described the various roles that people involved with your project may play. Today, I'm offering up a discussion about the personal motivations that each of these roles might have. Understanding a persons' underlying motivations can help direct your efforts when constructing a [...]

Moving Beyond Recruiters Tip #1

Stuart Ridder — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:14:39 +0000

Enlisting the help of a recruiter to find contracts for you can be quite helpful. However, if you want to get an instant raise, find your own contracts. You can then bill the company at the same rate that a recruiter would bill, but you get to keep the 25% [...]

Working for Free on a 1099

Stuart Ridder — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:31:12 +0000

A reader of a now-defunct message board once wrote... I'm a first time contractor and have been at it for two years now, working for a friend's services company. There are four partners with the other four of us 1099 contractors. Within the last year they have been asking me [...]

Job Boards Can Be Useful

Stuart Ridder — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:55:03 +0000

Many people think that applying to job postings on sites like Monster and HotJobs is a waste of time. I think this idea comes from having applied to many jobs and never getting an interview for any of them. Back when I used to use job boards, I had similar [...]

How Do I List My Consulting Work On A Resume?

Stuart Ridder — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:25:22 +0000

I've been working as a IT consultant for the last ten years, helping both large and small businesses to streamline their help desk operations. I've made the decision to re-enter the workforce because of increased competition and I am unsure how to list my consulting services on my resume. Some [...]

Go to Lunch

Stuart Ridder — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:00:20 +0000

If you're lucky, your co-workers, be they consultants or employees, will ask you to go to lunch on your first day as a consultant. Under no circumstances should you refuse. If you brought lunch, toss it. If you're not interested in the cuisine, suck it up. One of your primary [...]

Presentation Tips for Consultants

Stuart Ridder — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:53:14 +0000

Giving a good presentation isn't easy despite appearances. They require preparations beyond just pulling together a bunch of slides. Here are some ideas to help you succeed with your next presentation. Reasons Presenters Fail There are many things that can happen that will decrease the likelihood of success of a [...]

Don't Accept Royalties

Stuart Ridder — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:08:14 +0000

It is very, very rare for a piece of software to go on to be a huge revenue generator for a company. As such, it's a bad idea to get in to an arrangement where your services will be paid via future profits from the project. The numbers may sound [...]

How to Give Bad News

Stuart Ridder — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:45:25 +0000

During the course of consulting project, you will likely have to give bad news to your client. This is never an easy task, but it's one that should be executed with care. These are some suggestions for how to be the bearer of bad news. Bring it to the client [...]

Everything You Need to Know About Consultants

Stuart Ridder — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:34:04 +0000

A shepherd was herding his flock in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the shepherd, "If I [...]

3 Skills a Consultant Must Have

Stuart Ridder — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:52:33 +0000

Whether you're a consultant in the traditional sense of the word or are simply in the role where your opinion is sought after, there are three skills, according to Peter Block of Flawless Consulting fame, that you need to have to be successful. Technical Skills It is important that you [...]

Answering Interview Questions

Stuart Ridder — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 22:08:00 +0000

There's no question that interviews can be nerve-wracking experiences. However, a lot of this nervousness can come from being unprepared for the interview questions that will be thrown your way. That's why preparing for an interview can really have a positive effect on the outcome. Types of Interview Questions Different [...]

Report Writing for Consultants

Stuart Ridder — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:46:19 +0000

A good report is not a mass of data. Rather, it is a clear and concise presentation of insightful information. The quality of a report is a direct reflection of the quality of thinking that goes in to it. The following is a high-level overview of what goes in to [...]

WordPress

Stuart Ridder — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:38:42 +0000

Some very dedicated and smart software developers have created WordPress, a blog publishing tool. This software is at least as good and in many cases better than the commercial solutions out there. Written using PHP and architected to allow for customizations as needed, there really is no limit to what [...]

Customer Influencer Roles

Stuart Ridder — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:26:56 +0000

To market your consulting approach and proposal effectively it's useful to identify the roles people may be playing, recognize their typical needs, and be prepared to demonstrate that your proposed solutions have something for everyone. Here are some common characterizations of the influencing roles you may encounter with clients. The [...]

How Consultants Get Their Business

Stuart Ridder — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:29:46 +0000

Typically, a consultant gets business by establishing relationships with people who have recognized a need, perceive the value in addressing their need, and are therefore willing to pay a consultant for help. The difficult part is in finding these people. In an ideal world, your consulting business would grow through [...]

Setting Your Consulting Rate

Stuart Ridder — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:24:30 +0000

Figuring out the rate to charge clients can be tricky. Obviously you want to be paid as much as possible and your clients want to pay as little as possible. In the middle is some rate that you'll both deem as fair. But what's fair? I suggest you start with [...]

Finding Work

Stuart Ridder — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:56:00 +0000

As a consultant, you need to spend a good percentage of your time looking for work. Even if you have a gig, you still need to be prepared at any time to get another one since contracts can sometimes end without much notice. The standard recommendation is to build a [...]

Consulting Relationship Stages

Stuart Ridder — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:31:38 +0000

It's important to recognize that trust and rapport in a consulting relationship, like any other type of relations, takes time to develop. Consider that most relationships develop in the following way. Best Behavior Both parties try to show only their good sides and good intentions as they try to form [...]

IT Consultant Humor

Stuart Ridder — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:09:43 +0000

A hot-air balloonist had drifted off course. He saw a man on the ground and yelled, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" "Yes," the guy said. "You're in a balloon." "You must be an IT consultant," the balloonist said. "How did you know?" "What you told me [...]