Confab Conference for Consultants by Consultants » Discussions

Consultants – Tips on Getting the Most from Confab

Jennifer Beever — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:35:02 +0000

Attending conferences is a time and money-intensive effort. You take time out of your consulting practice, often travel a far distance, and so you want to get a return on your investment (ROI). A few years ago before Confab, by chance I pulled out a book I had bought and flipped it open to preview the contents. Wouldn’t you know I flipped to a chapter called “Be a Conference Commando?”

Now, for those of you who know me, that’s a little strong language for me. Commando? I don’t think so. But “be in command” at the next conference I go to? Yup, that sounds good. The book is Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. (I’m also reading another Ferrazzi book – Who’s Got Your Back?) Here are a few tips from the ‘Be a Conference Commando” chapter in Never Eat Alone:

Help or be the organizer
Speak
Organize a dinner, mini-conference, event or tour within the conference
“Draft off a big kahuna” – hang with the most influential people at the conference
Be an information hub and provide introductions, restaurant and entertainment suggestions, etc.
“Master the deep bump” (in networking situations listen, establish a personal connection, and then move on.) I kid you not – read the book!
Target individual attendees in advance
Use breaks to network and connect
Follow up
It’s the people, not the speakers
Don’t be a wallflower, ankle hugger (Ferrazzi describes this person as a co-dependent who sees the first person they meet at the conference as their BFF – best friend forever), celebrity hound, a smarmy eye darter or a business card dispenser.

Will you be a conference commando at Confab? Who do you think is a big kahuna at Confab? Do you have other tips to add for how to get the most out of a conference? Please comment below.

Jennifer Beever, CMO for Hire, New Incite

Confab Marketing Chair

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Are Consultants The Last to Adopt Social Media?

Jennifer Beever — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:00:30 +0000

LinkedIn? “Okay, if I have to….”

Facebook? “Maybe, to connect with my kids and grandkids….”

Twitter? “Are you kidding me?”

I’ve been speaking on Social Media Marketing for the last two years. At first whenever I said the word “Twitter,” people in the audience laughed. A majority sat there with their arms crossed, as if to say, “No way, no how!” But in the last few months I’ve noticed a shift. The arms are not crossed (well, there is always that one guy – and yes, it is always a guy!).

But now consultants, business owners and service professionals are starting to realize the value of social media. They’ve seen that social media presence drives search engine results, and that by blogging, tweeting and updating their status on sites like LinkedIn, they stay in front of their colleagues and clients in a credible way. The question consultants are asking this year is not so much “Why social media?,” it’s “How do I do it?” and “How much time does it take?”

If consultants have questions about social media, Confab includes some presentations that have answers. In the last general session of the conference, I’m presenting Social Media Marketing Machine. In this presentation I’m going to show you how to set up your own social media marketing machine, tell you exactly what social media tools to use to streamline the process, and tell you how much time your social media marketing machine will take.

How can you get ready to create your Social Media Marketing Machine before Confab? Create a Twitter profile and start following some of your consulting colleagues. Listen to what they have to say. Follow Confab – our Twitter name is @confabusa. Follow IMC at @IMCUSA.

What do you think? Are consultants the last to adopt social media? Please comment below.

I look forward to seeing you at Confab!

Photo from Flickr, Some rights reserved by Stefan Baudy

Consultants – Tips on Getting the Most from Confab Attending conferences is a time and money-intensive effort. You take...

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Mergers and Acquisitions in Consulting

Confab Comm — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:57:37 +0000

The sign of the times is most prominently found in the M&A market for consulting firms; for example PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to acquire Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc. for $378 million. To continue growing the larger firms are actively seeking and acquiring smaller firms in cash heavy deals that are turning very lucrative for the acquired company owners.

Confab 2010, lucky for you, will contain a session right down this ally: From Zero to Forty Million in Consulting Fees

Starting a consulting practice can be challenging on its own. By establishing some growth and management principles from the get go firms can increase their value, and buy-ability, for long run success. With the stagnating economy and long range cloudiness maybe your consulting practice can be the answer for a large firm in a few years too.

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Are You Back to Work Yet

Confab Comm — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:50:50 +0000

The Labor Day weekend typically marks the end of summer vacations and the beginning of the fall work schedule. Generally most schools are back in session and most companies are ramping back up with meetings and projects. This year, though, it seems that things are lagging an extra week. Here it is Friday and there seems to be a lull in the general marketplace.

As a consultant weeks like this can be a blessing in disguise. On a personal note I took the opportunity the slower paced week presented and refocused on some lagging projects while making an operational plan for the next 3 months. The time was also used to reconnect with some potential clients who were on the fence pre-summer to at least get their minds back on business.

So the question is, “are you back to work yet”? If not it is time to get refocused because next week should be a busy one. Happy post Labor Day Friday…

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The Management Consultant

Confab Comm — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:23:08 +0000

In a follow up to the August 31 blog post covering negative feelings towards management consultants at Boeing, here, we came across this “The Atlantic” article titled About My Job: The Management Consultant. The author addresses the major complaint against management consultants by delving down to the heart of the matter.

The complaint against management consultants is that they do nothing that a company can not do themselves already. The author argues that companies too often are busy with the day to day and ignore the big picture or taking of risks. It is up to the management consultant, as an outsider, to step in and make the big bold suggestions. For this they make the big bucks.

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Opinion on Management Consultants at Boeing

Confab Comm — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:54:03 +0000

Boeing is currently under the gun with continued delays and reschedules on their much anticipated new jetliner. With the heat on the leadership team they have turned to an outside management consulting firm to offer serious recommendations for change. In this op-ed piece from The Seattle Times author Jon Talton discusses his opinion on the impact of management consultants on the workforce and why he believes the move foretells negative outcomes for folks working within the company.

From a 30,000 foot view this story should stand as an example of things to come as the economy continues along a flat growth pattern. More management consultants will be called in to other struggling firms with the resultant heat of public opinion directed at the consultants. Follow the Boeing saga closely and pay attention to places where you, as a consultant, can better manage the inevitable firestorms that will arise from your work.

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Tips for New Consultants – Budgeting for Your Taxes

Confab Comm — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:07:03 +0000

One of the biggest, and most unpleasant, surprises to face the newly self-employed is the higher level of taxation that often comes with that self-employed status. When you are working for someone else, your employer shoulders a great deal of the tax burden that accrues from keeping you on the payroll. But when you leave the nine to five world and strike out on your own, that tax burden falls completely on your shoulders, and if you do not budget your money carefully you could end up short of cash when tax time rolls around. While there are many specific tips for starting a consulting business, all too few of those tips center on the unpopular subject of taxes.

That is why it is so critical for new consultants, and all self-employed individuals for that matter, to budget carefully for the taxes they expect to owe. Putting aside one third of every dollar you make as a consultant may sound excessive, but in fact it is just good business practice. Every time you receive a payment from a client, immediately put aside one third of that payment in a special savings account you will use to pay your taxes. Try to find a quality money market account so you can at least earn some interest for setting that money aside.

As a new consultant you might also be required to make quarterly income tax payments, instead of paying your taxes once a year like you did when you were working for someone else. The best way to determine if you will have to file these quarterly tax returns is to check with your certified public accountant. He or she can analyze your own situation and determine if you meet the criteria for quarterly filing. Financial professionals are often the best source of specific tips for starting a consulting business and running that business effectively, so do not overlook the expert advice your CPA can provide.

You can also run the numbers yourself during the year by purchasing a tax preparation software package designed for small business use. This will make it easier to prepare your taxes and determine how much you are likely to owe the IRS at the end of the tax filing season.

As a small business owner, you do have the ability to make the tax bite a little less painful. There are a number of excellent retirement plans designed specifically for self-employed individuals like consultants, and the contribution limits on those plans are quite generous. While in the beginning you will probably need every penny your business brings in, once the business gets going and the money starts rolling in, you can minimize your taxes and maximize your tax savings by putting money in a qualified retirement plan for your consulting business. Among the most important specific tips for starting a consulting business are the tips that help you spend less on taxes and more on growing your business and securing your financial future.

It goes without saying that few among us enjoy paying taxes, and it is certainly true that the tax burden often falls disproportionately on the self-employed. But it is also true that with the right tax planning and preparation, you can reduce the tax bite and help your new consulting business thrive.

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Starting a Consulting Business

Confab Comm — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:44:07 +0000

The process consultants go through to start a consulting business vary by trade, personality, and goals but in the end we all follow the same general path to success. Confab 2010 is focused on helping consultants grow and improve their business. To this end we have just posted a brief primer for would be consultants discussing “How to Start a Consulting Business“. Check it out and let us know what we are missing or if we are right on the money.

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The Paperless Office for Consultants

Confab Comm — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:53:26 +0000

Here it is 2010 and there are still articles coming out discussing the upcoming wave of the “paperless office”. A Canadian story from this week cites a graduate student’s research project that found many consumers and businesses still prefer paper receipts, invoices, and archiving over digital copies (link). In March, CNN ran a story on the similar topic with a history of the evolution of the paperless office (link).

As Management Consultants we are in a unique position to effect change in this realm. Depending upon your niche and project guidelines the use of less paper in your projects or identifying ways your clients can improve business processes with less paper can create positive change. There are a number of well documented business cases where companies went paper-less (less being the operative term – not free) and reduced storage costs, processing costs, and communication bottle necks.

Consultants within their own practices can also free themselves from internal operational inefficiencies by developing paper-free work processes. By digitizing all printed materials consultants enable a work from anywhere practice that allows them to access, store, and process any and all related business documents via a laptop and cell data card. Be the agents of change by enabling a paperless work environment.

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Did You Get Those Flowers?

Confab Comm — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:26:19 +0000

June 26 came and went and we are guessing that no one sent you flowers or took you out for that nice business luncheon. Why should they have you ask? Because June 26 was International Consultant Day. Designated a few years back by the top IMC managing board the day was intended to remind people that consultants play an integral and important role in modern society.

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