The Consultant's Handbook: A Practical Guide to Delivering High-value and Differentiated Services in a Competitive Marketplace

The Consultant's Handbook: A Practical Guide to Delivering High-value and Differentiated Services in a Competitive Marketplace

by Samir Parikh
Released July 2015
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119106203

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Book description

Delivers the essential practical skills needed to consult and make sharp, well prepared interactions in a wide range of business situations

This comprehensive handbook covers the fundamental skills and attitudes required by successful consultants from novice to practitioner level, irrespective of their specialist area. It untangles the key variables present in any consulting service and introduces practical ways to improve their effectiveness based upon the author's experience of helping consulting organisations to develop and excel in the marketplace. The book explores consulting 'from the ground up' steering away from theory and focusing instead on practical application, providing a solid platform upon which to build further domain-specific competence.

The Consultant's Handbook provides:

  • An understanding of the key variables that can be addressed in order to improve one's own consulting performance

  • A set of simple practices that can be implemented with immediate benefit to the reader

  • Practical insight into day-to-day real life consulting interactions

  • Confidence to implement the new ideas and approaches

    •

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright
    3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    4. INTRODUCTION
    5. PART I: CONSULTING FUNDAMENTALS
      1. CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IS CONSULTING?
        1. CONSULTING: THE BASIC PROPOSITION
        2. WHO IS QUALIFIED TO BE A CONSULTANT?
        3. REPRESENTING A CONSULTING ORGANIZATION
        4. ETHICS IN CONSULTING
        5. CONSULTING VERSUS SELLING
        6. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      2. CHAPTER TWO: PREPARING TO CONSULT
        1. BASIC PREPARATION
        2. DETAILED PREPARATION
        3. ENGAGEMENT-SPECIFIC PREPARATION
        4. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      3. CHAPTER THREE: ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY
        1. POSITIONING: THE PERSONAL INTRODUCTION
        2. POSITIONING: THE CORPORATE INTRODUCTION
        3. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      4. CHAPTER FOUR: MANAGING CLIENT MEETINGS
        1. SETTING THE MEETING OBJECTIVES
        2. COMPOSING THE CONSULTING PARTICIPANT TEAM
        3. AGREEING ON THE TEAM PLAN
        4. STRUCTURING THE INTERACTION
        5. CHAPTER SUMMARY
    6. PART II: CASE STUDIES
      1. CASE STUDY ONE: EXPLORING A NEW CONSULTING OPPORTUNITY
        1. CASE SCENARIO
        2. MEETING PREPARATION
        3. EXPLORING AN OPPORTUNITY: THE SET-UP PHASE
        4. EXPLORING AN OPPORTUNITY: THE MEETING BODY
        5. EXPLORING AN OPPORTUNITY: THE CLIENT DIALOGUE
        6. EXPLORING AN OPPORTUNITY: THE CLOSURE PHASE
        7. THE MEETING OUTCOME
        8. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      2. CASE STUDY TWO: PRESENTING A SOLUTION APPROACH
        1. CASE SCENARIO
        2. MEETING PREPARATION
        3. PRESENTING A SOLUTION APPROACH: THE SET-UP PHASE
        4. PRESENTING A SOLUTION APPROACH: THE MEETING BODY
        5. PRESENTING A SOLUTION APPROACH: THE CLIENT DIALOGUE
        6. THE MEETING OUTCOME
        7. THE ROLE OF AN ADVISER: CHALLENGING YOUR CLIENT
        8. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      3. CASE STUDY THREE: SCOPING A STUDY
        1. CASE SCENARIO
        2. MEETING PREPARATION
        3. SCOPING A STUDY: THE SET-UP PHASE
        4. SCOPING A STUDY: THE CLIENT DIALOGUE
        5. THE MEETING OUTCOME
        6. CHAPTER SUMMARY
    7. PART III: ADDITIONAL TOPICS
      1. CHAPTER FIVE: PROPOSING A CONSULTING SERVICE
        1. SELECTING THE CONTENT
        2. PRACTICES TO AVOID
        3. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      2. CHAPTER SIX: DELIVERING A CONSULTING SERVICE
        1. THE 50:50 RULE
        2. DELIVERING THE RESULT
        3. OPTIMIZING THE CLIENT EXPERIENCE
        4. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      3. CHAPTER SEVEN: CLIENT INTERACTIONS AND RELATED OBSTACLES
        1. THE IMPORTANCE OF ADAPTABILITY
        2. DEALING WITH CLIENT-RELATED OBSTACLES
        3. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      4. CHAPTER EIGHT: THE SKILL OF ADVISING
        1. THE DEDUCTIVE METHOD
        2. THE INDUCTIVE METHOD
        3. COMPARING THE METHODS
        4. COMBINING THE METHODS
        5. DOCUMENTING THE ARGUMENT
        6. PRESENTING AN ARGUMENT
        7. CHAPTER SUMMARY
      5. INDEX
    8. NOTES
    9. End User License Agreement

    Product information

    • Title: The Consultant's Handbook: A Practical Guide to Delivering High-value and Differentiated Services in a Competitive Marketplace
    • Author(s): Samir Parikh
    • Release date: July 2015
    • Publisher(s): Wiley
    • ISBN: 9781119106203