The Consulting Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Create and Expand a Seven-Figure Consulting Practice
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-17 09:19:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alan Weiss
- ISBN：1119776872
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In the ten years since it was published， we've seen the following developments which dramatically impact consultants starting in the profession or veterans in the profession:
- Remote means of delivering services， from workshops to facilitation， from strategy to M&A work。
- A waning of the power and repute of huge firms because of their cost and ponderous work methods， and a reception of less expensive， quicker small firms and solo practitioners。 The mammals are scurrying amidst the dying dinosaurs。
- A globalization of economy （that will resume post-pandemic） making exported knowledge a key contributor to income （if it were considered formally as an export it would seriously shift the trade imbalance）。
- The emergence of an African middle class， the decline of ancient dictators， and the growth of a huge potential marketplace in most countries on that continent。
- The growing abandonment of "career" and reliance on large companies and the inclination to forge one's own security and focus instead on a "calling。"
- Advanced technology that effectually replaces meetings and keynote speeches delivered in person with Zoom and livestream broadcasting of high quality。
- Tele-health demonstrating that "tele-consulting" is feasible and acceptable。 Even therapy is being done this way today。
- A strong move from project work to advisory work which is as strong a shift as 30 years ago when I pioneered a shift from hourly billing to value-based fees。
- A huge change in social mores that include social consciousness， racial justice， and embrace of varying life styles。 These are especially important in future strategy。
Thus， the second edition will provide specific approaches and techniques to master these elements， including new and original intellectual property such as:
- How to use volatility and disruption as offensive weapons。
- How to market remotely。
- How to create global， not just domestic， brands。
- How to avoid hidden biases。
- How to create six-figure projects， six-figure retainers， and 7-figure incomes while reducing labor intensity。
- Why age， gender， background， and even length of education aren't important factors in forging relationships。
- The buyers of a new generation （based on my global consulting and coaching practice）。
- How to create a strong brand drawing people to you， reducing marketing costs and allowing for higher fees。
- The latest implementation techniques， for example， "teambuilding" is an odd concept when most companies have committees。
The book will have an electronic appendix， permitting ongoing updates and allowing immediate adjustments to the times。
- Remote means of delivering services， from workshops to facilitation， from strategy to M&A work。
- A waning of the power and repute of huge firms because of their cost and ponderous work methods， and a reception of less expensive， quicker small firms and solo practitioners。 The mammals are scurrying amidst the dying dinosaurs。
- A globalization of economy （that will resume post-pandemic） making exported knowledge a key contributor to income （if it were considered formally as an export it would seriously shift the trade imbalance）。
- The emergence of an African middle class， the decline of ancient dictators， and the growth of a huge potential marketplace in most countries on that continent。
- The growing abandonment of "career" and reliance on large companies and the inclination to forge one's own security and focus instead on a "calling。"
- Advanced technology that effectually replaces meetings and keynote speeches delivered in person with Zoom and livestream broadcasting of high quality。
- Tele-health demonstrating that "tele-consulting" is feasible and acceptable。 Even therapy is being done this way today。
- A strong move from project work to advisory work which is as strong a shift as 30 years ago when I pioneered a shift from hourly billing to value-based fees。
- A huge change in social mores that include social consciousness， racial justice， and embrace of varying life styles。 These are especially important in future strategy。
Thus， the second edition will provide specific approaches and techniques to master these elements， including new and original intellectual property such as:
- How to use volatility and disruption as offensive weapons。
- How to market remotely。
- How to create global， not just domestic， brands。
- How to avoid hidden biases。
- How to create six-figure projects， six-figure retainers， and 7-figure incomes while reducing labor intensity。
- Why age， gender， background， and even length of education aren't important factors in forging relationships。
- The buyers of a new generation （based on my global consulting and coaching practice）。
- How to create a strong brand drawing people to you， reducing marketing costs and allowing for higher fees。
- The latest implementation techniques， for example， "teambuilding" is an odd concept when most companies have committees。
The book will have an electronic appendix， permitting ongoing updates and allowing immediate adjustments to the times。
Reviews
Kathryn
，
Value yourself and what you can offer， do what you love， help others， and make money doing it 。。。 used as a textbook for a class， which instigated some interesting discussions。
☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣
，
Some sensible ideas。TBC。
Tricia
，
Finished half of it and decided to stop。 Insightful， but also felt repetitive and a little too in your face。
Cairo Cananea
，
Livro interessante com diversas dicas para quem deseja iniciar na carreira de consultor。Apesar de alguns conceitos não serem bem traduzidos para o português， o livro no geral é bem produtivo。O autor aborda diversos temas relacionados à vida de um consultor， desde relacionamento com potenciais clientes até contratos de terceirização。
Sjors
，
Excellent book; author has walked the talk and here takes tome to talk the walk。 The advice the author gives is realistic and comprehensive。 He also gives a lot of it， about pretty much all major aspects of the consulting process， without either repeating himself endlessly or descending into overcomplicated （and theoretical） lists of bullet points。 I really did appreciate his bit on avoiding （unbilled） scope creep; after all， you don’t ask your plumber to increase his repair scope for free eithe Excellent book; author has walked the talk and here takes tome to talk the walk。 The advice the author gives is realistic and comprehensive。 He also gives a lot of it， about pretty much all major aspects of the consulting process， without either repeating himself endlessly or descending into overcomplicated （and theoretical） lists of bullet points。 I really did appreciate his bit on avoiding （unbilled） scope creep; after all， you don’t ask your plumber to increase his repair scope for free either。 Author thumps his chest here and there， but that seems hard to avoid given the amount of $ he was apparently able to command for his work。 Overall， an excellent all-round introduction to the profession， written by a well-experienced solo-practitioner。 。。。more
Scott Edwards
，
I really enjoyed reading this book - it constantly made me think （hard！） while I read it。 The author writes clearly， has a superb sense of humour and doesn't pull his punches。 I would recommend it to anyone working as a consultant （or as a contractor that thinks they are a consultant）， and to anyone who is deeply interested in providing real value to their clients。 I really enjoyed reading this book - it constantly made me think （hard！） while I read it。 The author writes clearly， has a superb sense of humour and doesn't pull his punches。 I would recommend it to anyone working as a consultant （or as a contractor that thinks they are a consultant）， and to anyone who is deeply interested in providing real value to their clients。 。。。more
Mike Ncube
，
This is not the best consulting book for anyone looking to create a consulting firm by building a strong team of consultants。 It’s geared towards the solo consultant that’s looking to create a lifestyle business。 Sure there are many useful insights especially about pricing of services and how to write great proposals， but not very much more than that。
Davonne
，
Great for those who wish to become a consultant
Nadia Leona Yunis
，
An excellent book helping me in my consulting firm and to be a consultant of excellence！
Joshua Giles
，
Never read an author that sucked his own dick so well 😂 （am I allowed to say that in a book review？） but seriously though if you can get past his persistent compliments to himself and him selling his own consulting company then there are some GREAT suggestions for anyone trying to open their own consulting company。 Also the author claims he has written more books on consulting then anyone else （something like 50+） but I've read 3 of them: million dollar consulting， consulting bible， and million Never read an author that sucked his own dick so well 😂 （am I allowed to say that in a book review？） but seriously though if you can get past his persistent compliments to himself and him selling his own consulting company then there are some GREAT suggestions for anyone trying to open their own consulting company。 Also the author claims he has written more books on consulting then anyone else （something like 50+） but I've read 3 of them: million dollar consulting， consulting bible， and million dollar launch。 And they're the EXACT。 SAME。 BOOK。 Just rephrased。 So I'm going to assume all his other books are the exact same thing。 （This will be my same review for the other 2 books I read since they were the exact same） 。。。more
Nayyer Rahman
，
Good work on learning nuances of business consulting。
Margot Note
，
"Never outsource your marketing， because this is a relationship business， and as a buyer， I'd be offended is you had a third party or subordinate contact me instead of trying to do so yourself。 Outsource back-room work， not front stage work" （41）。 "Never narrow yourself unduly。 Maintain a broad value proposition。 Don't focus on a niche。 And ban the phrase 'specialize or die' to the same trash bin as 'jack-of-all-trades'" （52）。"None of us in consulting was trained or educated to be a marketer。 Bu "Never outsource your marketing， because this is a relationship business， and as a buyer， I'd be offended is you had a third party or subordinate contact me instead of trying to do so yourself。 Outsource back-room work， not front stage work" （41）。 "Never narrow yourself unduly。 Maintain a broad value proposition。 Don't focus on a niche。 And ban the phrase 'specialize or die' to the same trash bin as 'jack-of-all-trades'" （52）。"None of us in consulting was trained or educated to be a marketer。 But this is the marketing business。 So had better get good at it" （57）。"Buyers choose commodities based on price。 They choose business partners based on trust" （60）。 "And here is the offer that can't be refused: 'If you would make the introduction， that would be greatly appreciated。 If not， may I simply use your name？ But if you prefer， I won't mention you at all'" （84）。 "While you are with the buyer， and before you assemble the proposal， ask 'Is there anything we haven't discussed that might be an obstacle to our proceeding as we've agreed to this point？'" （129）。 。。。more
Abhi Yerra
，
While the first 9 chapters were good on getting started and how to think about consulting the last part sort of dragged a bit in terms of implementing Consulting Strategies。 That portion seems specific to the places you'd work at so I don't know if it is a good value add in any sense for this book。However， the first part really defined what to do to get started in consulting and create a brand around yourself and gaining clients。 While the first 9 chapters were good on getting started and how to think about consulting the last part sort of dragged a bit in terms of implementing Consulting Strategies。 That portion seems specific to the places you'd work at so I don't know if it is a good value add in any sense for this book。However， the first part really defined what to do to get started in consulting and create a brand around yourself and gaining clients。 。。。more
Wojtek Ogrodowczyk
，
I'm kind of on the fence about it。 There's definitely some solid advice in there， but also a lot of things that bother me， for example:* As a software consultant I don't fit his definition of consulting。 He seems to think of himself as "the only true consultant"。 This makes half of the book barely useful for me。* His views on pricing with "fixed bid" as the one and only way range from a bit silly in totally omitting a range of projects when a fixed bid would be shooting yourself in the foot， up I'm kind of on the fence about it。 There's definitely some solid advice in there， but also a lot of things that bother me， for example:* As a software consultant I don't fit his definition of consulting。 He seems to think of himself as "the only true consultant"。 This makes half of the book barely useful for me。* His views on pricing with "fixed bid" as the one and only way range from a bit silly in totally omitting a range of projects when a fixed bid would be shooting yourself in the foot， up till straight insulting towards people who （like me） charge their client differently* The author at multiple places tries to get some "social proof" writing stuff like "I stopped buying Ferraris after my third"。 It sounds phony and it's disconcerning that a） he feels he needs to do that b） this is his way of adding credibility。 Same with the big PhD on the cover。 。。。more
Evi Degheldere
，
A must read for everyone who wants to offer advice or help a company grow。 Often a struggle to get some of the chapters and most of it you have the feeling you heard or read somewhere but the title does not my。 Guidelines to ensure that you always remember creating added value is what matters。
Zack
，
Great book。。 If you're getting started as a consultant this is a must-read。 Great book。。 If you're getting started as a consultant this is a must-read。 。。。more
Leona
，
Of all the books on consulting， this is by far my favorite。 Weiss is clear and articulate about what is necessary to establish client relationships and succeed in the long term。 It is full of insights without being dry and boring。 I highly recommend for all business professionals。 This is not just for consultants。
Alex Lauerman
，
Guidance is very specific to the Author's consulting offering。 Generic advice isn't given。 If you aren't acting as an adviser to upper management， this book isn't for you。 Guidance is very specific to the Author's consulting offering。 Generic advice isn't given。 If you aren't acting as an adviser to upper management， this book isn't for you。 。。。more
Cristiano Ranalletta
，
Ritengo sia un libro importante per la pratica di "solo consultant"。 In effetti è riconosciuto come tale dalla business community。 Talvolta si struttura l'ovvio， ma questo è tipico di questo genere di libri。 Presumibilmente il mondo è cambiato abbastanza da rendere poco applicabili buona parte delle "best practices"。 In ogni caso - indipendentemente dal contesto di riferimento - si possono adottare molti dei suggerimenti offerti da Alan。Il libro è anche una continua autocelebrazione dell'autore， Ritengo sia un libro importante per la pratica di "solo consultant"。 In effetti è riconosciuto come tale dalla business community。 Talvolta si struttura l'ovvio， ma questo è tipico di questo genere di libri。 Presumibilmente il mondo è cambiato abbastanza da rendere poco applicabili buona parte delle "best practices"。 In ogni caso - indipendentemente dal contesto di riferimento - si possono adottare molti dei suggerimenti offerti da Alan。Il libro è anche una continua autocelebrazione dell'autore， peraltro Alan non lo nasconde affatto， l'approccio è da considerarsi come parte della lezione da imparare。 。。。more
May Ling
，
Notes: pg 872-3 service offerings if you're a newcomer。 Grow this to 5-6 services:1） A free or very inexpensive product offering2） Logical sequential or evolutionary steps so that people can continue to work with you？3） Differentiating products and services so that buyers realize that a great deal of value is available only from you。4） As you build the relationship can you easily maintain the momentum？5） As you develop products and services， do they fit in your evolving accelerant curve or are t Notes: pg 872-3 service offerings if you're a newcomer。 Grow this to 5-6 services:1） A free or very inexpensive product offering2） Logical sequential or evolutionary steps so that people can continue to work with you？3） Differentiating products and services so that buyers realize that a great deal of value is available only from you。4） As you build the relationship can you easily maintain the momentum？5） As you develop products and services， do they fit in your evolving accelerant curve or are they solutions seeking problems？6） Are you increasing your vault， which is the ultimate and most intimate client relationship。Venn Diagram of Consulting:1） Market Need - support2） Competency - follow-through3） Passion - marketingWithout all 3， brand means nothing。Pg。 81 Client maturity/Your Diversity1- Long term projects - Annuity2- Integrated partnership - retainer3 - Expert - On-site specialized （implement technology）4 - Remote specialized （create Business plans）P。 176 Job ComponentsSkills - Knowledge ExperienceBehavior - personalityYou need both。 It's harder to re mediate behavior。 （don't know if I agree with that）。 。。。more
Patrick Collier
，
Weiss gives a decent overview on the methodology and framework to a consultancy business， whether as an independent consultant or in a firm。 His credentials are great， and considering his success， he is a qualified source for the subject。 The book was a decent read overall， although I'm not sure I would crown the work as the true consultancy "bible"。 Weiss gives a decent overview on the methodology and framework to a consultancy business， whether as an independent consultant or in a firm。 His credentials are great， and considering his success， he is a qualified source for the subject。 The book was a decent read overall， although I'm not sure I would crown the work as the true consultancy "bible"。 。。。more
Dave Warawa
，
If you are thinking of self-employment， buy any of the many books written by Alan Weiss on this subject。 This one I can personally credit with much of my success。 I walked away from employment and became my own business as a consultant。 Before you take the plunge， do yourself a favor and read this book。
Sarah Clark-George
，
Too opinionated for me， and too limited to one person's experience。 While the author may be successful， they talk more than listen and don't seem to acknoweldge that different approaches work for different people。 Too opinionated for me， and too limited to one person's experience。 While the author may be successful， they talk more than listen and don't seem to acknoweldge that different approaches work for different people。 。。。more
Deane Barker
，
A very good book， if a little uneven。On the one hand， it provides solid， unrelenting advice for consulting。 On the other， it sometimes delves too far into what you should be doing for your clients。 It tries to be both: （1） a book about consulting， （2） a book about your clients' businesses and how to fix them。It doesn't do as well on the second one， since that topic is so broad （how many possible business models and genres could it cover）。 But on the first， it's pretty good。The advice is hard-edg A very good book， if a little uneven。On the one hand， it provides solid， unrelenting advice for consulting。 On the other， it sometimes delves too far into what you should be doing for your clients。 It tries to be both: （1） a book about consulting， （2） a book about your clients' businesses and how to fix them。It doesn't do as well on the second one， since that topic is so broad （how many possible business models and genres could it cover）。 But on the first， it's pretty good。The advice is hard-edged: Weiss has strong opinions and is not afraid to share them。 So it's not a survey of different models of consulting -- Weiss only believes in one-man shops of a particular type， so it doesn't apply to， say， a 20-person professional services firm。Still， a great read。 Entertaining and enlightening。 。。。more
Mindful Reader
，
A systematic breakdown of a successful consulting practice。 I appreciated the highlighted focus on what works and the cursory acknowledgement of what doesn't。 A systematic breakdown of a successful consulting practice。 I appreciated the highlighted focus on what works and the cursory acknowledgement of what doesn't。 。。。more
Ethan
，
I think the grandiose title matches the tone of this book well。。。it seemed a little pompous， which made it hard to learn from him， even though he did have a lot of good suggestions。
Sean
，
The book is good， but not everything you need to know。 It really served as a springboard into other places for me。 The book is well organized and well thought out。 It doesn't waste time reiterating the same points over and over。 I wish Mr。 Weiss had expanding more on the marketing and early client development which I think is the most difficult part of building a consulting practice。 At $10 is worth the price and really helps you figure out what bases you need to cover。 If you are looking for th The book is good， but not everything you need to know。 It really served as a springboard into other places for me。 The book is well organized and well thought out。 It doesn't waste time reiterating the same points over and over。 I wish Mr。 Weiss had expanding more on the marketing and early client development which I think is the most difficult part of building a consulting practice。 At $10 is worth the price and really helps you figure out what bases you need to cover。 If you are looking for the next steps afterwards， I would suggest looking at Disciplined Dreaming by Linkner for some innovation ideas and How to Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff for how to think you are received。 Don't think of the book as the end， but the beginning of more learning。 。。。more
Ramón Nogueras Pérez
，
Si tienes alguno de sus otros libros， especialmente Million Dollar Consulting， o Getting Started in Consulting， puedes pasar。 Está bien explicado y trae algunos conceptos nuevos， pero nada que no te puedas ahorrar si ya tienes los anteriores y sigues su blog。 Si es la primera vez que lees al autor， probablemente te resultará muy útil。
Shawn Manaher
，
I really appreciated how practical， informative and helpful the book was。 Applying the principles and practices he outlined would be very easy for any consultant to do！
Damon Hill
，