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1996-02-09
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Here's the Table of Contents of Janet Ruhl's new consulting book, THE
COMPUTER CONSULTANT'S WORKBOOK.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
1 ARE YOU READY FOR CONSULTING? 5
What Do Consultants Do? Why Clients Use Consultants.
Consulting Myths and Realities. Do You Have the Credentials
It Takes to Succeed? Where Will You Find Your Clients? Do
You Have a Consulting Personality? When Consulting May Be a
Mistake.
2 TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS 47
Facts About Sole Proprietorship. Facts About Partnership.
Facts About Incorporation. Facts About Consulting as an
Employee. Common Questions About the Impact of Section 1706.
Give Your Business a Name. Business Licenses. Setting Up
an Accounting System. Keeping Out of Trouble With the IRS.
Business Property Taxes. Sales Taxes. Deductible Business
Expenses. Accounting for Software Purchases. The Home Office
Deduction. How Much Tax Will You Really Pay? Office and
Business Equipment Questions. Insuring Your Business. Types
of Business Insurance. How to Establish Credit With Vendors.
3 HOW TO SET YOUR RATE 81
Fixed Bids. Hourly Rates. Retainers. What are Today's
Consultants Charging? Set Your Own Rate. Billing Extras.
Payment Schedules. Taking Credit Cards. Cut Rates and
Discounts. When and How to Raise Your Rate.
4 HOW TO FIND CLIENTS 115
Develop a Marketing Plan. Marketing Principles for
Consultants. Sharpen Your Marketing Message. The Power of
Word of Mouth. Which Marketing Technique is for You? How to
Network Without Being a Jerk. Newspaper Advertising. How to
Cultivate Your Existing Contacts. Giving Talks. Classes and
Seminars. How to Run an Inexpensive Public Relations
Campaign. Promote Yourself to "Expert" Writing Articles.
Newsletters. What are Effective Marketing Materials? Cold
Calling. What do You Send When the Prospect Says, "Send Me
Some Literature?"
5 BROKERED COMPUTER CONSULTING 163
What is Brokered Consulting? Can You Work Through a Broker?
What Can Go Wrong? How to Ensure A Consulting Firm is
Reputable. How to Get the Most Out of Being A W-2 Contractor.
What to Expect When Dealing with Brokers. Contract Consulting
Questions. Broker Contract Clauses and What They Mean. The
Broker's Eye View.
6 HOW TO WIN CONTRACTS 185
How to Improve Your Listening Skills. Becoming Aware of
Incompatible Techie Communication Protocols. How to Follow-Up
After First Contact. The First Meeting With a Prospect.
Determining the Problem to be Solved. Selling Yourself at the
Interview. Starting the Clock. Identifying and Responding to
the Prospect's Reservations. Do You Really Need This Client?
Do You Need a Formal Proposal? When the Client Insists on a
Specification. After the First Meeting. Closing the Sale.
7 NEGOTIATE YOUR INDEPENDENT CONSULTING CONTRACT 221
Who Supplies the Contract? Don't Be Afraid to Negotiate.
Principles of Negotiation. What Does a Contract Define?
Contract Clauses and What They Mean.
8 BE A SUCCESS ON THE JOB 237
How to Satisfy Your Client. Helping the Client Prepare.
Developing the Consulting Mentality. Ethical Considerations.
Real Consultants Ask Lots of Questions. How to Handle
Mistakes. Should You Charge for Fixing Your Own Mistakes?
The Perils of Long-Term Contracts. Don't Mix Business with
Pleasure. How to Make Sure You Get Paid. The Mechanics of
Billing Your Clients. Common Payment Problems and What to Do
About Them. Maintaining the Client Relationship After the Job
is Over.
APPENDIX A: BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS BASICS 265
APPENDIX B: ICCA STANDARD FORM CONTRACT 269
INDEX 272
WORKSHEETS
What's My Niche? 10
Evaluate Your Credentials 22
Who Is Your Client? 30
Do You Have a Consultant's Personality? 35
Are You an Employee or an Independent Contractor? 54
How Good is your Business Name? 58
Tax Checklist 65
Taking Care of Business Checklist 80
Fixed Bid or Hourly? 88
Determine the Going Rate 96
Double Check Your Rate Against the Rule of Thumb 97
Calculate Your Expenses 99
Determine Your Net Income 101
Sharpen Your Marketing Message 117
Jump-Start Your Marketing Efforts 152
Can You Work Through a Broker? 167
Check Your Brokered Consulting Contract 183
Rate Your Listening Skills 190
What You Have to Find Out at the First Meeting 196
Clarify Vague Symptoms 199
Contract Checklist 236
Should You Charge for Correcting the Error? 248
Are You Getting Sucked In? 250
FACT SHEETS
Why Clients Use Consultants 7
Facts About Sole Proprietorship 48
Facts About Partnership 49
Facts About Incorporation 49
Section 1706 Of The Tax Reform Act Of 1986 53
How To Maintain Your Independence 57
How To Protect Yourself When Making Fixed Bids 85
How To Schedule Payments 105
How To Improve Your Word Of Mouth 129
How To Network Without Being A Jerk 130
How To Get An Article Written About Your Business 135
How To Format A Press Release 136
How To Improve Your Visibility With Public Speaking 141
How To Get An Article Published In The Trade Press 145
Newsletter Tips 147
What Literature to Send to Prospects 162
The Consultant From Hell, Broker Version 182
The Client From Hell 205
Principles Of Negotiation 224
What Does A Contract Define? 225
Code Ownership Options 227
How To Provide Fair Guarantees 230
Safeguards Against Nonpayment 232
Handling Bugs 233
How To Satisfy Your Client 238
Guidelines For Ethical Behavior 244
Legitimate Questions You Can And Must Ask 245
How To Handle Nonpayment 261
EXAMPLES
A Letter Announcing a Rate Increase 111
Keep-in-Touch Letter 133
Press Release 138
Why You do Better with an Hourly Rate 174
A Sample Resume for Brokered Consulting 177
"Nice to Meet You" Letter 195
Sample Proposal 211
A Portion of a Specification 214
First Meeting Follow-Up Letter 217
Letter of Agreement 219
First Day Checklist 240
Sample Invoice 256
TABLES
Niches and Lifestyle 16
Money Needed to Begin Consulting 42
Real Consulting Rates 92
Credit Card Processing Fees 107
Marketing Strategies by Niche 122
Marketing Techniques and the Personalities that Go With
Them 126
Hourly Rate Consulting vs. Regular Salaried
Employee Consulting 170
Proposal vs. Specification 208
Employee vs. Consultant Attitudes 241
About the Author: Janet Ruhl is the author of two previous computer
career books, THE PROGRAMMER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE (Prentice Hall) and
THE COMPUTER CONSULTANT'S GUIDE (John Wiley). She has been a staff
member of CompuServe's Computer CONSULTants Forum since 1990 and currently
is a sysop there. She invites you to visit her home page at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JanetRuhl. You'll find consulting
tips, tax information for computer consultants, and a list of real consulting
rates excerpted from the WORKBOOK.
If you already have the GUIDE, you'll want to know that the workbook is
designed as a companion volume to the GUIDE, rather than a
replacement. It provides many examples, exercises, and topics
that could not be included in the GUIDE. In addition, it is designed so that
you can quickly retrieve the information you need when you need it.
To order the book directly from TECHNION Books and receive a 10% Compuserve
Users discount off of the retail price of $39.95, send a check for $38.50 ($36
for the book, $2.50 for shipping and handling), made out to "Janet Ruhl" to:
TECHNION Books
Ruhl Computer Services
P.O. Box 171
Leverett, MA 01054
If you want the book mailed Priority Mail, please add $4.00 for shipping
and handling instead of $2.50.
Massachusetts residents must also include 5% sales tax ($1.80).
Canadian buyers, please add $3.50 for shipping and handling.
NEW===> You can also order the WORKBOOK using a credit card by calling
BookCrafters Orderline at 1-800-879-4214. As of January 15, 1996, if you
mention that you found out about the WORKBOOK here on Compuserve or on
the Internet, you'll get the 10% discount from the 800 line too. Please
note that the Orderline only sells the WORKBOOK, and does not carry Ruhl's
other books. <=== NEW
The WORKBOOK is also available at selected technical bookstores and online
bookstores, including CompuBooks Online here on Compuserve (GO CBK).
CompuBooks stocks ALL of Ruhl's computer career books.