Showing posts with label business consulting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business consulting. Show all posts

Monday, August 3, 2009

What Exactly is Business Coaching?

Based on relevant studies and research, there are still thousands of people from the business world who still get confused about a Denver Business Coach. Are you one of them? Then, let me explain to you what corporate coaching is really all about.

A Denver Business Consultant is involved in the process of conducting one-on-one or group meetings with employees within a certain organization to conduct training and development sessions in order to achieve performance improvement. In simple terms, its main focus is to help employees become more efficient and more productive in the work place.

Based on several researches, Denver Business Consulting, when done correctly can improve a business' ROI by up to 400%. You see, when you equip your workforce with knowledge and you take time to really improve their skills, they are most likely to perform better and bring more business to your doorsteps.

Corporate coaching is often confused with life coaching. Although these two aim to help individuals realize their full potential to succeed in life, they are very different in the sense that a Denver Business Coach focuses more on the professional level. Life coaching on the other hand, is all about improving someone else's relationship with other people, helping him manage his time wisely, and sometimes, help him find his purpose in life.

Denver Business Consultant services can be delivered through either a designated business coach or through a third party (freelance corporate consultants or consulting firms) who is very knowledgeable about the goals and the mission of the company and who have what it takes to deliver measurable and specific results through pre-determined benchmarks.

(Source: Sean R. Mize, ezinearticles.com)

Friday, July 10, 2009

Business Consulting - 10 Qualities of a Successful Consultant

What Sets Successful Consultants Apart? Are you part of a Management Team that is considering engaging a Business Consultant? Are you a Consultant who is considering a Consulting Job? This Article Covers 10 Qualities of a Successful Consultant.

1. Know the Client. It is not enough to know about the client's business or industry, or to offer up boilerplate solutions. Consultants must understand the history, mission and goals as relates to their tasking and, any relevant information about competitors and stakeholders. In essence, they are being paid to be an extension of the organization's team by helping to carry out key objectives through successful execution. In order to do that, it is critical that consultants understand the client's business.

2. They Listen. Consultants need to be expert listeners in order to accurately assess, advise and apply their expertise and acquired discovery for the benefit of the client. It's important to note that there is a substantial difference between hearing and listening. Listening gives us the ability to formulate the right questions and deduce accurate information from which to base our solutions.

3. Proper Connections. The sooner a consultant connects with the right people in the organization, the better. Too often, consultants misread the inner workings of an organization or miss important elements that may be key to their decision-making by catering exclusively to the top level. Successful consultants will pro-actively engage and connect with all of the key people who in any way, relate to their objectives.

4. Customization. When it comes to processes, people, communications, strategies and solutions--one size does not fit all. Great consultants put their experience and intuition into practice while analyzing, discovering and rendering solutions, and looking to best practices as a companion guide, but not as an exacting science.

5. Discernment. Critically, they must see the whole picture--that includes processes and people. Once they have identified all relevant components and dynamics, they will be able to start outlining how things fit together and begin to work toward formulating successful solutions. They also have a knack for not only seeing what is there, but what's not there--discernment can be pivotal.

6. They Deliver. Perfectly crafted proposals, shining referrals and resumes do not guarantee success. When a business pays for expert analysis, skill and advice from outside of their internal pool of expertise, consultants need to deliver-and deliver to the client's satisfaction.

7. Best Alignment. Not all consultants are cross--functional. Oftentimes, at the point a consultant is hired, the organization is desperate for help in building, making an important correction or securing a very specific skill set. They cannot afford to lose time or money. A consultant can hold multiple degrees or have decades of experience under their belt and still not be a good fit. Both the organization and the consultant need to be sure that they are the best alignment for one another.

8. Communication Excellence. Apart from possessing excellent verbal skills, the consultant should also have excellent listening skills and the ability to articulate. They need to be able to articulate pain points, goals and solutions. They should also keep all stakeholders informed, be prompt and clear with reports, and issue relevant feedback throughout the process.

9. On Their Game. Detail-oriented preparation, process and delivery are all important. They are also prompt, professional, organized, responsive and reliable. Staying on top of the latest trends and intelligence and being able to apply anything of relevance will also set them apart.

10. Create Value. Successful consultants create value by demonstrating business acumen and have the ability to lead and manage both processes and people. They are pro-active in understanding what the client needs, act as trusted advisors who bring the best solutions to the table in an effective and profitable manner, and they produce on their deliverables.

By author April McCallum -- who is passionate about Communications, Strategic Process, Innovation, and People. Her experience spans from International Global 500 and privately held companies, to Non-Profit and solo professional sectors, in the global high-tech, healthcare and media industries. Contact Info: http://www.linkedin.com/in/AprilOtisMcCallum

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Small Business Marketing Strategies to Level the Playing Field

Small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to market online may find their business competing against much larger companies with deeper pockets. However, don't let the size of the competition intimidate you. To market your business successfully, regardless of size, start incorporating some of the following marketing tips as part of your online marketing strategy to help grow your business fast.

Identify Your Niche Bigger isn't always better. It's impossible to be everything to everyone. If you can determine which group of prospective customers you're getting the best results from then narrow your niche to cater to that specific group and give them what they're asking for.

Position Yourself as an Expert Assuming you know everything there is to know about your product and/or service, position yourself as an expert. Those who are known as experts can command more money and often get more media attention, which translates into free advertising. Truth be told, the title of specialist and/or expert status is more credible than the generalist or even professional.

Build Relationships Building relationships with your customers is an important piece of any successful marketing strategy and will have you rise above your competitors. Taking the time to get to know your customers needs, wants and desires will prove helpful in creating any future products and/or services and leaves the customer feeling important and special. Imagine how you would feel if a business you frequented used your feedback to better serve you. There is no better way to market your business than word of mouth referrals and it's always easier to get business from existing customers who are happy with your product/service then to try and recruit new ones.

Follow Up Set up a system to keep track of all your customers and prospective customers who show an interest in your product/service. Collect names and contact information and be creative in keeping in touch with them on a regular basis. Send emails or cards on their birthday and holidays. Invite them to sign up for a free newsletter and include quality content, special sales, discount coupons and other valuable goodies.

Create a Marketing Plan Customize your marketing strategies to fit your target audience and make it an integral piece of your marketing plan and business. Plan your marketing activities to take place daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly and then stick the schedule.

And now I would like to invite you visit http://HighProfitsMarketing.com to discover more about marketing strategies for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

From Andrea Chin an online marketing consultant passionate about helping small businesses and entrepreneurs market themselves more effectively to boost their business and produce more profits.

The Need for a Business Consultant

Business consultants are very useful in setting up and running businesses as they can provide useful advises and related help on Management consultancy, Business consultancy, online business management, performance management, workforce management etc. Management consultants help speed up matters when the going gets tough.

The present business environment is not very encouraging. This makes it all the more important to optimize your resources by planning well and executing the ideas derived immediately. Denver business consultants face intellectual challenges on a daily basis as they have to cater to different businesses working in different environments and resource levels, but nevertheless have to create good results all the while.

Sufficient professional expertise is required for a business management consultant to become successful. Some start by working under proven and experienced seniors, but later set up own shop after gaining enough knowledge. They need to accumulate skills for solving unseen problems, should have excellent communication skills, management capabilities etc. The ability to schedule and delegate work, computer proficiency and competence to work in extreme pressure situations make a consultant stand out in the field.

The business consultants do not even need a degree in business administration. Practical knowledge acquired by self-education (reading business journals and other related literature) and working for experienced consultants can mould any interested person into a good business consultant. Some greenhorn consultants deliberately work for non-profit organizations, internship or associate himself with a consulting firm on a part time basis to gain valuable experience.

There are many consultants who specialize in specific areas, like organizational management, work management, job management etc. A typical assignment involves making the proposal, conducting brainstorming sessions for the clients, gathering of data, analyzing the data and final presentation before the clients. The work is not as simple as it seems, because the prestige of the consultant is also at stake here. If a company flops even after implementing the blue print prepared by the Denver business consultant, the reputation of the consultant would suffer.

Business consultants can help you irrespective of whether your company is old or new. An experienced consultant can easily give new ideas for your unsuccessful old business venture. They are in great need all over and corporations, multi-nationals, non-profit organizations, government institutions etc employ their services.

I told you earlier that business management consultants are in great need these days. So there have been efforts from many quarters to create a directory of all such consultants in UK with their names, addresses, web site details, contact numbers etc. This kind of an endeavor is helpful for both the consultant professionals as well as those looking to acquire their services. If you are a consultant professional, you can provide all your details to such online directories and people would come in search of you. On the other hand, if you are the proprietor of a firm and want to employ a business consultant, there is no better place to look than such a directory.

If you are looking for more information then feel free to visit Business Management Consultants and Business Consultants.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Importance of Business Consulting

Business consulting provides advice and experience as a valuable resource for every country and every industry. There are several different areas in which this position applies, such as organizational development, technology, e-business, operations, communications, human resources, marketing, strategic planning, small business and other organizations that find the advice of professionals necessary for their growth. When this professional advice is needed, executives turn to analysts for their expertise to help them find ways to manage obstacles and create solutions to increase productivity and efficiency.

This consulting is provided with the receipt of a lot of respect in their area of expertise and is heavily relied upon for its skills and talents in every country and in every industry. Their independence is admired because it creates a flexibility when working with clients to meet their needs at a time that is convenient to the client.

It is also known as management consulting as well, and provides problem solving as well as plans and goals to help companies achieve success. In the United States, this position generates in the area of $100 billion each year. Even if the economy is slow and suffering, these specialists are needed to increase profitability for a company.

As an example of the extensive work that is involved in the process to assist clients with their needs, business consulting requires a needs analysis for clients to help them determine their goals and what areas the company needs to focus on for improvement. Once a plan has been laid out, the specifics of the project, the team that will be needed to implement the process, a timeline for results and the budget required to obtain those results will be outlined.

Business consulting is then implemented through the identification of solutions by presenting recommendations through a presentation and then implementation of the recommendations are covered. Once the process has been put in place, clients are encouraged to provide their feed back in a post-project review. This is only a very simplified version of what occurs during a consultation and the actual process includes much more.

Business consulting also includes the qualitative and quantitative ability to research and gather information when completing projects. The techniques used in the implementation of tools to complete projects are interviews, observation, focus groups and case studies, as well as surveys that allow an analyst to determine what the best route to follow will be in helping clients to achieve their goals.
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