Consulting: Expanding The Definition
In my book “Anyone Can Consult!”, it has been brought to my attention that I use the masculine pronoun “He” in my writing. That’s because it was traditionally a male dominated industry, but that has changed now!
As women have broken the glass ceiling in almost every industry and enterprise over the last 30 years, so has the consulting business become more accessible to the fairer sex. I wouldn’t dare proffer the case that ANYONE can consult and leave out half of the population!
Until about a decade ago, the title “consultant” was more or less limited to retired diplomats and top corporate officers, recruited more because of their “contacts” rather than their practical knowledge. In other words, until recently, the consultant’s position was more honorary than actual. But that has also changed dramatically.
The number of consultants for almost any problem in life has increased tenfold or more during the past ten years and the field of consultants is continuing to grow. In fact, independent consulting is one of the fastest growing businesses in the country today!
Let me give you a simple and easy to understand definition of a consultant:
A consultant is an expert at recognizing problems and shaping solutions to those problems. The need for problem solvers among large and small businesses worldwide has never been greater. The ever-changing moods of the buyer plus the myriad of crisis situations that business people face almost daily, have created a “seller’s market” for the alert consultant.
So, in expanding our definition of what a consultant is and what he does we come to the inevitable question:
What area of work have you been involved in over the years? Remember, you don’t have to have a quarter of a century of work behind you in order to consult. Consultants come in all sizes and with all manner of backgrounds.
My mission has been to convince my readers that it’s true; anyone (YOU) can consult, using what you already know to help others and make a substantial extra income!
You can consult on any subject that you have top-notch experience in. Maybe you know how to sew with great precision; you have tons of tips and tricks that other seamstresses can take advantage of. You may start to consult clients on a part-time basis. You could offer a booklet of those sewing tips and tricks to clients.
In other words, if you’re an expert in any field, you can ‘farm out’ your expertise and gather increasing amounts of revenue in the process.
Reaching for a consultant when problems arise is as natural as looking for the sun to come up every morning. When you’re not feeling well, you call for the services of a doctor. If your car isn’t running right, you take it to a mechanic. And so it is with a businessman when he encounters a problem– whether it is in the field of accounting, legal, sales or customer relations.
Your field of expertise is valuable to some person or company right now!
Let’s stretch the commonly assumed boundaries of what a ‘business consultant’ is and realize that experts are needed for almost everything a person tries to accomplish in life:
Car Repair
Homemaking
Studies
Travel
Employment
Hobbies
Another side of this need for consultants is in the case of the over-enthusiastic entrepreneur who rushes headlong into a business where he has little or no experience. Many such dreamers invest their life savings in questionable projects without even considering the idea of bringing in a competent business consultant to analyze and evaluate their plans.
Even experienced people are prone to over-rate their own ideas. The image of the end result, and dedicated enthusiasm toward the attainment of one’s goal are prime requisites for success; however, un-merited enthusiasm and dedication can also be very dangerous; if it is not based on solid research, it may cause people to chase headlong after non-existent rainbows.
And that’s where you can fit in as a business consultant.
Please accept that it is not necessary for you to have owned or operated a successful business to become a successful business consultant. Nor is it imperative that you have been in management or have a titled position. You will, however, need the ability to sell yourself, and an up-to-date understanding of the area in which you intend to assist others.
Finally, I’d like to paint a picture of what the consultants’ life can be like. Though each consultancy is unique, just as each human being is different, there are some things that you can look forward to experiencing.
Another title for a consultant is: an ‘Independent Professional’.
Let that title troll around your lips for a moment, say it out loud. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
That all-important independence is delicious. You are truly your own boss. While others may have to punch a time clock, adhere to many frivolous company policies and find themselves in a rut of sameness, the independent professional never does!
You don’t have to play ‘office politics’ because you’re independent.
You never have to go against your own inner truth to placate some ‘boss’.
In fact, you will be PAID to ‘speak your mind’. You can shock, surprise, and discover whole new areas of development for your clients. You never get bored because you’re always finding yourself in a fresh environment with new faces, new personalities and new projects.
The independent professional finds deep satisfaction in the work he or she does because each idea, projection, and solution comes from within them and has his or her unique style and content stamped to it.
Finally, as we expand our definition of consulting, it is important to know that it can be taken as far, or as little, as you decide to go with it. You may find yourself on the international stage traveling extensively, or you may work right in your own backyard a mere stone’s throw from your client base. You will set the perimeters of your lifestyle; no one else will control your destiny.
Telecommuting Idea: Online Tutor
There are a lot of kids from 1st grade to college that could use some help with their schoolwork. Parents are often not able to give them the help and attention they need to get them back on track on a particular subject. A tutor is the perfect solution.
While there are many people who will tutor locally, in the student’s home, or their own house, the idea of an online tutor is still fairly new. If you have been tutoring kids in your neighborhood, taking your tutoring job online to attract more clients may be a great idea.
If you haven’t worked as a tutor, but this sounds like an interesting idea, take a look at your skills. Are there particular subjects in school that you excelled at?
You will need a website to promote your service, as well as a way to communicate with your young clients and their parents. Let’s take a look at a couple of different ways you could tutor your students online.
Email
Your students can simply email you questions they have. You answer the email and send them exercises and practice tests this way. Even if you are not using email as your main means of communication, keep it in mind when you want to get something to your students while they are not online, or to send them exercises and other files.
Chat Program
Using a chat program will give you more one-on-one interaction with your student. You are able to respond to their questions immediately and will also get feedback from your students. You can check right away if your student understands the problem you are explaining. The students can also ask follow up questions immediately.
Instant Messenger
Instant Messenger works very similar to a regular chat program. There are quite a few instant messengers available for free download. You get the benefit of the chat software without having to install it. Most kids will already be familiar with using Instant Messenger, making it easy to get started.
Message Board
The message board is another great tool to stay in contact with your students. Just like email students will be able to ask you questions any time of the day and you can respond during your regular working hours. If you have a group of students on a similar subject, they may benefit from being able to read and discuss their questions among themselves in addition to getting help from you.
Video Conferencing
Video Conferencing is as close as you can get to being in the same room with your students. You will be able to see your students, observe how they are doing and are also able to read their body language, which can help you determine if your student understands what you are talking about or not. Video Conferencing services have become very affordable over the past year, making this a viable option for you as an online tutor.
You could even offer a subscription-based service that would give students and their parents access to a database of tutorials, articles, FAQ’s and other resources compiled by you to help the kids with their school work. If becoming an online tutor sounds like something you are interested in doing, give it a try. Get the word out and start accepting a few students.
The Concept of Paid Emails
Getting paid to read emails is one of the oldest concepts of making money online. Getting started with it is very easy, as the person who would like to enter into this earning opportunity requires having an email address alone with an Internet access. The concept is very simple. Many online advertisers send their advertisements through email to their members who would like to get paid for reading such emails as commissions. The member should click open the link and visit the website of the advertiser to earn money. If serious money has to be made, it is done through thousands of referrals introduced by the person under him. While doing so it is very important to choose only those companies that are legitimate in payment.
Making the paid email system work:
There are millions of products sold every day, every hour, as the products that are for sale should be known to everybody. Otherwise, it is not possible to sell them. This has made the concept of getting paid for reading emails emerge. When the members receive such promotional emails, they click the link to make them as if they have read them and get paid. This attitude has made many systems fail in the course of time. The advertiser wants people to have a look at his site not just to show they have been there but also to promote and earn revenue through their products and services. If revenue is not being generated from this kind of advertising the whole concept is lost and the system will ultimately fail. The following strategy will benefit both the advertiser and the person who is reading the emails to get paid.
The main aim of the person, who is going through the emails, is that he wants to earn money out of it. While doing so, if the person happens to come across some advertisement which may be lucrative to him and which is very affordable to buy he can buy it, as it may be a good deal to him. It needs to be bought in any case by the person either now or afterwards. If this continues the advertiser will also choose this option of placing their ads in the sites for paying to read, since they have tasted success through this concept. It becomes a win-win situation for both. Everyone buys products. It needn’t be from the same place. While reading promotional emails, in case of an opportunity of getting the product at a bargain price is found, it is wise to grab the opportunity. The person in turn can educate their referral members who are down the line with a customized email stating for whom they are working for and how they can too maximize the same way. It is not expected that everyone will take the advice and work accordingly, but if at least a minimum number of people take the advice, the system will survive for a longer term due to the results it produce.
The Role and Uses of Real Estate Virtual Assistant
Among the various kinds of virtual assistant profession, real estate virtual assistants are those who provide services to the real estate agents by taking the load off them. They are very similar to the virtual assistants except for the fact that they are specialized in real estate business providing specific and specialized services to their clients.
The real estate virtual assistant’s job includes the following:
The real estate virtual assistants maintain and update their client’s websites with the present information on homes, contact information; some may even create flyers, advertisement, logo, scheduling appointments with prospective buyers etc. A certified real estate virtual assistant can simplify the process for the realtors. They can handle queries more professionally, handle phone calls and do the general secretarial and administrative jobs, answering emails etc.
Advantages of using a real estate virtual assistant:
The realtor can achieve higher sales and increase the revenue generation when getting the assistance of virtual assistants. The business is well structured with their help and growth of the business is sure. The realtor gets more time for listing and selling homes than taking care of routine activities as they have the professional help got from virtual assistants. The realtor gets more leisure time with less amount of stress. Long-term clients can be taken care with their help by sending updates etc.
Real estate virtual assistants are capable of handling lead generation activities, follow-ups, client database management, coordinating online transactions, planning marketing activities and so on. They can assure the realtor for meeting overall objectives with greater satisfaction.
Virtual real estate assistants will be able to promote the important aspects of business called the “customer service.” Even though many real estate agents intend to send holiday cards, birthday cards, thank you cards and follow-up emails and cards to their customers and open house attendees, time does not permit them to do so. All these can be done with the help of virtual assistants, as a happy customer is a customer for ever. Apart from these services, a virtual real estate assistant can send closing gifts, creating and sending mailers, creating CD tours of real estate listings, planning events for the customers etc.
Hence the services offered by the real estate virtual assistants are crucial for running the business. It is very important to check the references before hiring a virtual real estate assistant. Hiring a virtual real estate assistant who is self-motivated and efficient is a priceless possession for a real estate agent or a realtor.