| The
Bluffer's Guide to Consultancy |
| By
Nigel Viney |
| |
| Extracts
from the book | |
| |
| Dirty
work |
| The
essence of consultancy is simply stated, and you should never fail to bear it
in mind. You are there to do the dirty work. It is therefore essential you never
make the elementary mistake of supposing for a single moment that any of your
careful recommendations will necessarily be put into effect. To believe that is
to misunderstand the true nature of the consultancy business. |
| |
| Expertease |
| Being
a consultant means being an expert in a field which you have yourself invented,
namely that of telling people who have been doing a job for years, that you know
how to do that job better. A bluffer is somebody who pretends to do all this,
which comes to very much the same thing in the end. |
| |
| Invoicing |
| Take
pains to split your invoices as much as possible. Invoices should be presented
monthly, and it is always a good plan to invoice expenses separately from fees.
This has the benefit of seeming to reduce the overall total. |
| |
| Sound
advice |
| Recommendations
can be sweetened and made more acceptable if the new structures which are suggested
provide a lot of people with appointments which have better-sounding names. |
| |
| Fully
booked |
| Always
be hard to get. A blank diary must be made to seem full. Bogus meetings must be
cancelled or postponed. You must always appear to have had to tear yourself away
from urgent and important matters to attend to your client's needs. |
| |
| Reviews |
|
| |
| A
timely effort laying bare the techniques that will allow you to cut yourself a
piece of the management action ... Brilliant. |
| The
Guardian |
| |
| The
book is a combination of droll English humor and real suggestions for consultants.
The problem is, it's not always easy to know where one stops and the other begins.
Clearly, we know we're being winked at and nudged when the author suggests we
purchase a "blow up chauffeur" to place in our rented car. On the other hand,
there are some very good tips as well. Hey, the book is cheap and it's a fun read.
Just don't make it your only reference if you plan on becoming a consultant. |
| A
reader from Palm Harbor, USA |
| |
| Table
of Contents | |
| |
|
The Image
Consultancy
Publicity
Self-Promotion
Appearance
Transport
A Personal Chauffeur
Stationery
The Office
Equipment Rules
of the Game
Making a Date
Fixing a Time
Playing Hard to Get
The First Meeting
Entertaining
Fees
Payment
Invoicing
Friends Tactics
Objectives
Research
Secrecy and Codewords
Jargon
Making
Use of Networks
Meetings
Table-turning
Dealing with People
Going Overseas
The Importance of Anecdotes Specialist
Consultants Recommendations
The Report
Appearance
Contents
Embellishments
Essentials |
| |
Fortune
Telling
