Infolific » IT Consulting

Sample Cold Calling Phone Script

Stuart Ridder — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:01:54 +0000

Phone Script: Outline for Effective Outbound Communications Leaving the voicemail. Name: Hello, I am _______________. I am calling from: [COMPANY] a local, [LOCATION] Company founded in [YEAR]. We are dedicated to helping companies be more effective on the Web by driving greater results and efficiencies from their current Internet, intranet [...]

Independent Consulting Guide: Breaking Away

Special Contributor — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:10:36 +0000

The hardest part about eating sushi for the first time is actually convincing yourself to do it. You know that lots of other people are doing it and find the experience to be tremendously rewarding, but you're afraid that if you try it yourself, you're going to wind up in [...]

Independent Consulting Guide: Marketing Yourself

Special Contributor — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 11:10:39 +0000

Based on the overwhelming positive feedback that I got from Part 1 of my Going Independent series (sans the usual few naysayers that hate me in general more than the topics about which I write), I gather that there is definitely a lot of interest in the topic. In Part [...]

Independent Consulting Guide: Do You Have What It Takes?

Special Contributor — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:35:52 +0000

Yesterday, I received yet another email from a developer asking me how I went about establishing my own independent consulting practice. To be honest, there isn't a lot of magic to it, but there are definitely some things that I have learned along the way that I would have liked [...]

The Proposal Process: Lessons Learned

Special Contributor — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:44:52 +0000

Recently, I had the displeasure of bidding on a contract for a client who I am now convinced missed the "Reality Train" years ago. The experience has taught me a few lessons, good and bad, that I thought would be useful to pass along; Especially for those who are new [...]

Beware The Mischievous Recruiter

Special Contributor — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:10:37 +0000

As the number of technology job openings continues to increase, particularly in the web development spectrum, so has the number of recruiters and head-hunters, ready and waiting to place you at the "perfect" job. It stands to reason that they would try to act in your best interests. Or does [...]

Consulting Jiu-Jitsu

Special Contributor — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 13:00:32 +0000

I've been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a few years now. What I love about it is that it's so focused on effectiveness. A smallish person like me should, with proper techniques, still be able to fight and win over someone larger and stronger (but having less technique). Since our sparring [...]

Fixed Bid Follies

Special Contributor — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:34:22 +0000

A couple of months ago, my family was in the mood for a change. We had some extra money lying around after paying for our trip to Ireland (highly recommended, btw), so we decided to invest in some home improvements. As a general policy, I hire out any and all [...]

Moving Beyond Recruiters Tip #1

Stuart Ridder — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 04:34:26 +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% [...]

Go to Lunch

Stuart Ridder — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:43:28 +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 [...]

Fixed Fee vs. Hourly Billing

Stuart Ridder — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:46:28 +0000

External consultants have to decide how they're going to bill their clients. There are only two options: fixed fee or hourly. The big consulting firms along with other professions such as lawyers and accountants generally take the hourly approach. This provides them the flexibility they need to step in and [...]

W2 Umbrella Companies

Stuart Ridder — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:50:35 +0000

In between working through a recruiter and going out entirely on your own with an incorporated entity, there's a middle ground that umbrella companies can fill. An umbrella company, also known as a pass through service, allows you to be a W2-employee as far as the IRS is concerned, but [...]

Switching from Employee to IT Consultant

Stuart Ridder — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:30:26 +0000

Employees often wonder about going out on their own. Part of this desire comes from the grass is greener on the other side of the fence syndrome, but part of it also comes from a true desire to be independent. Not to long ago I read about a business analyst [...]

Consulting Process Model

Stuart Ridder — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 18:05:46 +0000

There's certainly no end to the number of models you can use to approach consulting engagements. At the heart of all of them is a shared core that has been shown to be successful time and time again. As a starting point, I'm going to describe a model put forth [...]

Presentation Tips for Consultants

Stuart Ridder — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 04:05:25 +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 [...]

Consulting Relationship Stages

Stuart Ridder — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:23:54 +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 [...]

Deductions for IT Consultants

Stuart Ridder — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 11:34:34 +0000

One of the advantages of being an independent IT consultant is that you can deduct expenses. This doesn't make purchases free, it just means you don't have to pay income tax on the amount of income equivalent to the expenses. In effect, this means that everything that you buy that [...]

Never Say You're a Consultant

Stuart Ridder — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:06:22 +0000

Most people don't care what your employment status is. As long as you're doing your work and helping others do theirs, they don't care if your an old-timer, new employee, consultant, or intern. So unless asked, don't make your status known. Instead, behave like an employee and you're more likely [...]

IT Consultant Humor

Stuart Ridder — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 04:05:04 +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 [...]

Consulting Clients Don't Always Pay

Stuart Ridder — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 11:21:24 +0000

Here's a story about an IT consultant that got himself in a jam and his client wouldn't pay... I'm certain this is going to be one of those "the devil is in the details of the contract," but I need some advice. My client hired me to do some analysis [...]