Does your sign up rate sucks? Are you having a hard time convincing your prospects to take advantage of your consulting services? Are you losing hundreds or even thousands of prospects to your competitors? Then, this article is for you. In here, I will share the 4 targeted secrets that you can use to easily promote your consulting services over the internet.

1. Showcase your expertise. The first thing that you need to do is to convince your prospects that you are really knowledgeable on your chosen niche and that you are capable of providing them their learning needs. Doing this can be pretty simple although time-consuming. Start by writing articles (at least 2-3 per day) and distribute them to submission sites (example: EzineArticles and goarticles). Make sure that your articles are closely relevant to your consulting services and that they speak volumes about your expertise. You can also create a blog and publish your own ezine. The more information you share through these mediums, the higher your chances of earning the trust of your target market.

2. Keep in touch. It’s possible that you will not be able to convince people to sign up the first time that you offer them your consulting services but that doesn’t mean lost sale. You can still get these people to work with you later on by building an ongoing communication with them. Encourage them to send you an email when they have a question or call them from time to time. Through this, your prospects will learn to like you and later on, trust you. This is what you need to finally convince them to swipe their credit cards.

3. Selling partners. It would work to your advantage if you can get people to help you promote your consulting services. You can tie up with other online entrepreneurs who are selling products or services that compliment yours. Let me give you an example; if you offering internet marketing consulting, you can tie up with website designers who can cross sell your services to their clients while you do the same for them.

4. Affiliates and previous customers. Hire affiliates to market your services for commissions and encourage your previous customers to recommend you to other people by launching exciting referral programs where these people can get monetary rewards, vouchers, discounts and exciting gifts each time they successfully bring business to your doorstep.

What is an IT Consultant ?

Put simply an “IT consultant is someone that focuses on advising businesses on how best to use information technology to meet their business objectives. In addition to providing advice, IT consultants often implement, deploy, and administer IT systems on businesses’ behalf.”

Notice the key here - they advise businesses on how to meet their business objectives using IT – not the other way around.

What should I look for?

First and foremost, ask for references, and check these – if the consultancy firm is nervous about giving references then be very cautious. You want to work with someone who has delivered for other clients.

Ask them about there personal credentials – this may be experience or it can be academic – although ideally they will have a good academic or professional background, backed up with good experience. Also ask them about a project or client that they have recently worked with and what effect they had on the business.

They should ask you a number of questions about your current systems, and what you want to achieve – these should be linked to business objectives, which are met through IT. Be wary of anyone who jumps straight into a solution or a product without first taking the time to understand what you want to achieve. If they fail to understand your needs and requirements properly, then it is likely that the solution provided will fall short of what you require.

By it’s very nature, IT is a complex world, but a good consultant should be able to “interpret” for you from the technical. They should explain things clearly – if they try and “blind you with science” or fail to explain clear benefits and then ask them to explain in English! Be very cautious about consultants who are really just engineers and can only speak “techno geek”

Be clear and about what you expect to achieve – be this a reduction in costs, improved reliability and efficiency, the ability to have remote workers. Make sure that the proposed solution will deliver the benefits you require.

Be wary of salesmen that say they are consultants – who will just put in the most expensive solution, or the one that makes the highest margin. Remember the definition of a consultant? Someone who “delivers business objectives, through IT”. The last thing you want is someone putting in IT for IT’s sake – you may not need the most expensive solution, or the latest new system. What you want is a solution that delivers the business objectives and brings the best Return On Investment.

Often, the consultant will provide a written solution, or a list of recommendations. Read this carefully, and ask them questions like – what are the hidden costs? What happens if there is a problem? If the project over-runs, what happens? Look for someone who will take responsibility, and gives you straight answers – rather than someone who dodges issues.

In the area of business consulting, goal-setting theory is the most useful in predicting behavior in the business environment. Most business professionals believe that people who intentionally set goals for themselves and focus their behavior to accomplish their goals tend to be more successful. A basis for motivation and directing behavior are the two functions of goals.

You may possibly know that within your past work experiences, a goal you set for yourself was usually accomplished after making a specific goal, a detailed plan to achieve that goal, and following the plan. For example, when you have needed to have employees or contractors prepare for a specific business project, you possibly made a plan for how long to prepare and determine the skills needed to complete the project successfully, when to practice the skills, which skills to practice, and a practice assessment to measure their knowledge and keep track of their progress.

Research into business consulting has found that when a goal is more specific, the individual’s effort is more deliberate and the behavior is better directed and they are business environment. Receiving feedback about performance is very important. This shows the person whether or not they should work harder or stay at the same pace. As mentioned earlier, when giving practice assessments to the employees or contract workers, the results would be your feedback to let you know if a needed to work harder in preparing for a successful project completion.

Goal setting is effective in groups as well. It can be difficult to achieve at times because the overall success of the group depends on more than just an individual member. For example, you may possibly work in a business environment that requires a lot of group work and culminates in a group project that requires team building. If some of the team members do not carry their weight, the group will not be as successful. Each member in the group needs to have clearly, defined roles.

People do not make a conscious decision of dedicating themselves to be a failure. But, people can fall into this mindset if they do not set certain goals for themselves. When people do not meet their stated goals, then the goals should be revised. Business research shows that the goal-setting theory is one of the most legitimate and practiced theories of motivation in the business setting.

If you are out to increase the effectiveness of your online exposure and attract prospective online customers, you owe it to yourself and the financial future of your business to learn everything you can about effectively using a business consultant to facilitate company growth.

Do you want to increase the effectiveness of your online marketing techniques to dramatically grow your bottom line?

If so, read about and download my new free eBook How A Business Consultant Can Increase Your Marketing Effectiveness

Understanding cash flow in your small business is important and if you are not financially savvy, a business consultant can teach you how to handle it. Cash flow is basically the transfer of money within your business. Payroll, taxes, contract labour, vendor and supplier payments, rent, utilities and much more fall within this area. Many businesses fail though due to inferior cash management skills.

Importance of Cash Flow

Given the global economic recession, the business marketplace has become quite a challenge, one that will impact your small business structure and operations for years to come. A negative flow of cash can only be sustainable for a short time, particularly for small businesses, before something happens such as foreclosure. As the owner, you must have a tight reign on your finances, particularly cash flow management. You need to hone your forecasting skills and identify key areas that can be improved to turn around that negative trend.

A business consultant is a smart investment if you notice that your finances are not headed in a positive direction. A consultant can help you identify weak areas within your business and they also can find patterns in the cash flow management that can be an indicator of future problems. They can teach you those valuable forecasting skills too.

Typical Steps

Getting to know your customer files intimately will help you with payment scheduling, invoicing and other cash flow duties. Do you notice a trend in your customer payments? Do they pay at a particular time each month? If you can identify when your customers pay you each month, you can then create a payment schedule for your suppliers. In addition, you will then know when to follow up with those customers who do not pay in time.

Using the approximate schedule of customer payments as well as that of your own suppliers, you can extrapolate that information out for several months. Also called forecasting, you will have an approximate answer for what to expect in terms of cash flow. This information will help you with scheduling staff to expanding your business operations.

Quality control is an important facet in cash flow management. Do periodic checks on your invoicing system to ensure that sales invoices are being tabulated correctly. Reinforce your payment guidelines; a consultant will tell you to not be afraid to send a delinquent account to collections or to a solicitor. After all, you are in business to make money, not enable your customer’s bad paying habits.

When you have a good handle on cash management, you can confidently plan for business expansions or save resources to tide you through the slower times of year. A business consultant can help you with forecasting and assessing your cash flow issues if you are not quite yet comfortable with handling that aspect of your small business on your own.

Thanks to the advent of the internet, you can now offer your consulting programs using email and your website. That means, you can work without leaving the comforts of your own home.

Here’s how you can make money from your online consulting programs:

1. The first thing that you need to do is to convince people to sign up to your consulting programs. Doing this is relatively easy. Start by selling yourself as someone very knowledgeable or the best in your chosen field. Then, advertise your online consulting services using Google AdWords, article marketing, video marketing, forum posting, blogging, and other internet tools that will help you capture the attention of your target market.

2. Offer free consultations. It’s very rare that people will sign up to your consulting services right away after seeing your ads or your website. As these people would want to know if you are indeed the best person to work with, I recommend that you offer them with free consultation. In here, they will be allowed to ask you questions about your pricing, your strategies, etc. It’s important to show these people that you care about them. Listen to them actively and make sure that everything you say reflects an intelligent and professional image. The success of your consultations can lead to sign ups.

3. Set up one-on-one meetings. After getting your prospects to sign up, the next thing you need to do is to meet with these people. The goal of these one-on-one meetings is to thoroughly understand their learning needs and their pressing issues. I recommend that you bring your pen and your notepad on these meetings as relying solely on your memory is a bad idea. Ask probing questions and encourage your clients to go into details to get a clear picture of their current situation.

4. Design your consulting program. Decide what mediums you are going to use. Depending on the preferences and availability of your clients, you can do live consulting programs or offer audio and video base programs that your clients can access by simply visiting a member-only site. Make sure that all the information you share and all the activities that you include in your programs are geared towards answering the burning questions of your clients and solving their pressing issues.

Make your programs highly targeted to their needs and demands to speed up the entire learning process.

THE PAINTER’S SELF-IMAGE

Image consultants can help painters understand their development as an artist. All painters begin by developing an interest in art, usually through experiencing significant self-image problems. But these problems ultimately result in the transformation of self that leads to artistic mastery. Only by understanding the process can an artist reap the final rewards.

THE PAINTER’S DEVELOPMENT

Van Gogh began life as a minister’s son. He was the firstborn in his family (an older brother died a year before he was born). He grew up with the following siblings, in the following order: Anna (2 years younger), Theo (4 years younger), Elisabeth (6 years younger), Willemina (9 years younger), and Cornelis (14 years younger). He had significant conflict with his father, who threatened to send him to a mental institution.

The key fact in Vincent’s life was his conflict with his father. This fact has been neglected by most analysts. Yet this pivotal relationship problem threw him off the track usually followed by most firstborns, who typically become clones of their parents and develop strong conservative and religious beliefs.

The crucial stage of an artist is the stage where the self is deconstructed or the self-image is upset by conflict with older siblings or parents. In Vincent’s case the disruptive factor was his father. This caused Vincent’s self-image to develop in a way that Frank Sulloway has called the path of the “honorary laterborn.” This means van Gogh did not identify with his father. Instead, he struck out on a new path. Usually firstborns who have significant parental conflict become artistic or anarchistic rebels. Van Gogh rebelled by becoming a new kind of painter, one of the fathers of modern painting.

HIS FATHER FIGURE

Many artists find a substitute parent because of the conflict they experienced. Van Gogh’s substitute parent was Michel Eugene Chevreul, a French tapestry seller who devised a color theory. Chevreul’s theory said that two adjacent colors will affect one another. Basically he told artists to put complementary colors together, that is, green and orange, blue and yellow, red and purple. Van Gogh followed this structure in his work.

The problems van Gogh encountered in life led him to suffer mentally. He cut off his ear. This self-mutilation was the result of a poor self-image. Ironically it made his appearance even worse. At this point it is relevant to note that no one helped him. What he needed was an image consultant. Such an individual could have told him to improve his appearance. This would have boosted his self-image and perhaps he would not have mutilated himself.

HOW VAN GOGH COULD HAVE BEEN HELPED BY AN IMAGE CONSULTANT

It may sound simplistic to suggest that Vincent van Gogh could have been helped by an image consultant, but that is precisely what could have happened. How could he not have been helped by such a professional? Indeed, he had such a poor self-image that he sliced off his ear. Anyone with a low self-image like this could benefit from a new wardrobe, new shoes, and a haircut. If he had received such advice, he would certainly have experienced a boost in his self-image. Perhaps he would have lived longer and painted more.

If you are an artist, you probably experienced significant conflict with a parent if you’re a firstborn. If you’re a laterborn, you probably had bullying older siblings. Your self-image was therefore diverted from the normal path, and you became an artist as a result. You probably rebel against authority, are liberal, and have a critical view of religion. Like van Gogh you turned to art as a means of expressing yourself when others would not listen. If you use an image consultant, you can avoid some of the difficulties van Gogh experienced.

Do not hesitate to use an image consultant. You’ll find it fun. An image consultant was used by millionaire artist Jeff Koons, for example. He found it a fun experience and is now making millions as a result of his work. We can help you improve your wardrobe and in the process cut a bold new figure in the world.

Copyright (c) 2010 William Cane

Thanks to the advent of the internet, you can now offer your consulting programs using email and your website. That means, you can work without leaving the comforts of your own home.

Here’s how you can make money from your online consulting programs:

1. The first thing that you need to do is to convince people to sign up to your consulting programs. Doing this is relatively easy. Start by selling yourself as someone very knowledgeable or the best in your chosen field. Then, advertise your online consulting services using Google AdWords, article marketing, video marketing, forum posting, blogging, and other internet tools that will help you capture the attention of your target market.

2. Offer free consultations. It’s very rare that people will sign up to your consulting services right away after seeing your ads or your website. As these people would want to know if you are indeed the best person to work with, I recommend that you offer them with free consultation. In here, they will be allowed to ask you questions about your pricing, your strategies, etc. It’s important to show these people that you care about them. Listen to them actively and make sure that everything you say reflects an intelligent and professional image. The success of your consultations can lead to sign ups.

3. Set up one-on-one meetings. After getting your prospects to sign up, the next thing you need to do is to meet with these people. The goal of these one-on-one meetings is to thoroughly understand their learning needs and their pressing issues. I recommend that you bring your pen and your notepad on these meetings as relying solely on your memory is a bad idea. Ask probing questions and encourage your clients to go into details to get a clear picture of their current situation.

4. Design your consulting program. Decide what mediums you are going to use. Depending on the preferences and availability of your clients, you can do live consulting programs or offer audio and video base programs that your clients can access by simply visiting a member-only site. Make sure that all the information you share and all the activities that you include in your programs are geared towards answering the burning questions of your clients and solving their pressing issues.

Make your programs highly targeted to their needs and demands to speed up the entire learning process.

The growth of the internet has seen the increase in online recruitment portals jump dramatically in recent years. TV advertising has also taken the services of these sites into our homes but for any Human Resources department no matter what sector you trade in, the use of traditional Recruitment Consultants can be far more beneficial.

If you are looking for sales staff then the role of a Recruitment Consultant really comes into its own. The sales side of business is undoubtedly one of the largest sectors in the whole recruitment industry and one look at an online recruitment site can return literally thousands of results. The question that any company needs to ask is whether they have the time to wade through all the applicants and weed out those who aren’t suitable.

Recruitment Consultants are there to take all the hard work away from you. If you require a new member for your sales team then you will be assigned a consultant with specific experience in that sector. An initial meeting with you will establish exactly what you need from an employee and what specific requirements from you have.

The consultant will then call upon their experience to assess every applicant from the many numbers that they have on their books. After that, you will be offered a short list of potential employees and then it’s over to you to conduct some interviews. Although your consultant may be happy to advise you, the final decision on who to employ is solely yours.

Online job seeker portals have a limited search facility so essentially the task is solely your responsibility from beginning to end and to do it effectively, you would need to search through every single person registered in that line of work. If that sector just happens to be sales, then it could take you some considerable time.

Some Human Resources departments point to the cost involved with Recruitment Consultants and argue that the many online employment websites are much cheaper. The reality is that while the online versions may be cheaper, you tend to get what you pay for.

An online site means that you have to do all the work and in a congested area such as sales, this can get to the point where your recruitment process just isn’t cost-effective. When you consider how much work a recruitment consultant puts in on your behalf, you can truly see their real benefits to your business.