The Four Stages of Consulting
Figure 3.2 depicts four generic stages involved in undertaking any kind of consulting work. Every consultant must develop business, mobilize people, build deliverables, and implement (present) solutions.
Stage One: Developing. This stage addresses two basic needs of every consultant: (1) to find and develop consulting opportunities and (2) to develop a rapport with clients so a needs analysis and proposal can be completed. Whether working alone as an independent consultant or as a member of a consulting firm, every consultant must assume some level of responsibility for finding and developing business. In a consulting firm, a junior consultant who spots a business opportunity in a client’s organization should then ...