An independent consultant can be best defined as one
who chooses not to be an employee; one who is willing to
depend upon his or her own talents, abilities, and expertise for continued
existence; one who is a risk taker -- knowing that there is no weekly,
semi-monthly, or monthly pay checks; one who may seem to be a little crazy and
weird to his peers, but who is willing to try to make a difference in the
world.
Dealing with Working Alone
Being a independent consultant means willing to
accept extended periods of working alone while balancing that need with time to
have fun with others. It also means dealing
with the challenge of finding those times and making those times meaningful.
Steps for Organizing Your Day
In that you work for yourself, you have
to organize your own day. I suggest that you break
your day into one hour segments or thirty minute segments depending on the task
and how much time may be needed to complete that particular task.
Using the Telephone Properly
Some consulting work might require more time to be spent on the
phone. Therefore, you may allow an hour for phone calls and follow-up to phone
calls, while you may allow just thirty minutes for reviewing reports, and an
hour for billing.
Discovering and Keeping Work
And, of course, until you become well established, you have to
consistently obtain work which includes prospecting, asking for referrals,
dealing with no answers, and marketing. Getting paid for your work includes
billing, following up on billings, and negotiating rates.
Over time you want to develop the reputation as one who puts the
client first; one is willing to take the extra step; one whose sincerely
committed to the idea of adding value to what you do; and one is willing to
make a commitment to becoming an expert in your chosen field.
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