The Practice of Professional Consulting

Conclusion

Stage one of the consulting process has three important ingredients. First, the consultant must do homework and prepare in anticipation of meeting the prospective client. Second, the consultant must be mindful of the behavior needed to make a very good first impression in the first meeting, and third, the consultant must have a strategy for conducting the meeting in order to do a good needs analysis.

This chapter has discussed the first two ingredients—preparation and the first meeting. Preparation requires researching the client organization to gain an understanding of its history, strategy, products and services, markets, management, organization structure, financial structure, growth prospects, and if possible, its business model. ...