Is Independent Consulting Right For You?

1. IS INDEPENDENT CONSULTING
RIGHT FOR YOU?
Getting Started Track
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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YOUR HOSTS TODAY
STEVEN ARHANCET GENE ZAINO
Director of Consultant Services President & CEO
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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WEBINAR CONTROLS
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©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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ABOUT MBO PARTNERS
MBO PARTNERS MAKES IT EASY FOR INDEPENDENT
CONSULTANTS AND THEIR CLIENTS TO WORK TOGETHER
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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THE MBO WEBINAR SERIES
➤ THREE FOCUSED TRACKS
• Getting Started
• Advanced Topics
• Enterprise Solutions
➤ ALWAYS 30 MINUTES
➤ USEFUL TIPS
➤ REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE PRESENTED
➤ INTERACTIVE
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

6. THE TOP 5 CHARACTERISTICS
OF SUCCESSFUL
INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS
Do you have what it takes?
Getting Started
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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➤ CHARACTERISTIC #1: AN INDEPENDENT STATE OF MIND
Excited to have an independent career as your own boss where
you want the risks, rewards and responsibilities of being in
business.
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF MIND
➤ CONFIDENT
• Mastery of your skill, experience and knowledge
• You can explain the results of your work easily
➤ RESILIENT
• You just make it happen, no matter what!
➤ OPPORTUNISTIC
• You see opportunity to make more income for you, while delivering more
value to your clients
• Problem-Solver (obsessing about being great in your area of expertise)
➤ CONTROL ORIENTED
• You enjoy being in control of what you do, whether it is the service you are
delivering or the time you spend delivering it
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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➤ CHARACTERISTIC #2 : PREFER WORKING IN A RESULTS
BASED ENVIRONMENT
The type of work that you are accustomed to can be easily
packaged into projects, deliverables or clear statements of work
with tangible results that can be valued.
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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RESULTS BASED WORK STYLE
➤ YOU KNOW HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROJECT ECONOMY
• Clients want to minimize risk and pay for results
• This can remove the stigma of hourly rates
• If you know your stuff, you can realize much higher income while delivering
good ROI to clients
➤ YOUR OCCUPATION IS CONDUCIVE TO INDEPENDENT WORK
• Configuring skills into projects
• Packaging work into $50,000 to $100,000 bundles is ideal
• If you are where the work is, that is best, If not, use technology to remove
geography as a factor
• Freelancers vs Consultants vs Contractors vs Brokers vs Small Firms
• Examples include Technology, Project Management, Management
Consulting, Procurement Consulting, Social Network Consulting, Content
Development, Creative Design, Trainers, etc.
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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➤ CHARACTERISTIC #3 : FOCUSED ON WHAT’S IMPORTANT
Stay true to your what you are good at, don’t veer off track, and get
rid of as many distractions as possible
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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FOCUSED
➤ BECOME AN EXPERT
• Stick to those projects that are aligned with your core expertise
• Build more knowledge, references and depth
• Build more value by going deep
➤ BE OPPORTUNISTIC BUT NOT SHORT SIGHTED
• Don’t take on projects because they are presented to you, but you are not
the best person for the task
• Refer the right person
➤ DON’T GET DISTRACTED WITH NON CORE ISSUES
• Focus your time on either delivering or enhancing your core expertise
• Utilize strong systems and infrastructure for business
administration, benefits, and other non-core distractions
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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➤ CHARACTERISTIC #4 : INTEGRITY
Reputation is the most valuable asset of any professional
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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INTEGRITY IS PARAMOUNT
➤ TRUSTWORTHY AND RELIABLE
• Don’t over-sell or over-commit
• If you don’t know that is OK, but you can then find out the answer
• If you do what is best for your client, they will eventually recognize you did
➤ COMMUNICATE CLEARLY
• Don’t sugar coat the bad news, just be straight forward
• Write it down, present it and ask if they understand it
• If you feel tension, have a discussion
➤ CHERISH YOUR REFERENCES
• Solicit client feedback throughout the project
• Always ask for a reference
• Send notes of appreciation each time you use a reference
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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➤ CHARACTERISTIC #5: MAINTAINS A STRONG NETWORK
Have a strong network of trusted relationships as well as a
reputation aligned with core competency
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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CONNECTED AND POSITIONED
➤ ESTABLISH YOURSELF AS AN EXPERT
• Participate on panels or webinars
• Contribute content to blogs and articles
• Your stock goes up when people search you and find credentials
➤ STAY CONNECTED
• Keep your profiles current (LinkedIn, Website, etc)
• Join local and professional groups and attend them
• Make this a process with a dedicated effort at least once per month
➤ POSITIONED
• The independent consulting life-stage
• You're in a position to take calculated risk
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.

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THANK YOU
www.mbopartners.com
Follow us on Twitter: @mbopartners
1-800-220-0469
Steve Arhancet: sarhancet@mbopartners.com
Gene Zaino: gene@mbopartners.com
CONTACT US TO SIGN UP FOR FUTURE WEBINARS.
©2011 MBO Partners Inc.