- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- List of figure and tables
- Foreword
- About the authors
- Chapter 1: What is information consulting?
- Chapter 2: Advantages: why information consulting might appeal to you
- Chapter 3: Challenges: realities to consider
- Abstract:
- Uncertainty and anxiety
- Uneven workloads
- Need for flexibility and being available
- ‘Difficult’ clients
- Proposed location
- Finances: are the necessary resources in place?
- Can you tolerate a slow ramp-up? Should you work part time or subcontract?
- The degree is only the beginning
- Are you a consulting personality?
- Qualities that may trip you up
- Chapter 3 checklist
- Chapter 4: The starting point: make a business plan
- Abstract:
- General company description
- Products and services, their features and benefits
- Economics
- Product
- Clients
- The outlook for the targeted business sector
- Competition
- Promotion
- Pricing
- Distribution channels
- Sales forecast
- Identifying costs, funding and fees
- Start-up expenses
- Credit policies
- Chapter 4 checklist
- Chapter 5: The legal environment
- Chapter 6: Building trust and marketing your services
- Chapter 7: Client relations: the key to success
- Abstract:
- The request for proposal (RFP): to bid or not to bid?
- Yes, I can help (informal inquiry)
- Preliminary discussions: what, exactly, are you selling this time?
- A preliminary memorandum
- Determining budget scope
- The formal proposal
- Contracts
- Helping the client’s decision
- Signature in hand: now the work begins
- The art of the client relationship
- Delivering the deliverables: report, presentation, discussion
- Handling invoice issues
- Wrap up … and setting up for the future
- Chapter 8: Advice from other information consultants
- Abstract:
- ‘Just one more clarification’: agreeing to deliverables vs delivering in advance
- Keeping your integrity: what to do if you’re told what to do
- Maintaining poise and neutrality while getting people to open up
- Encountering concerns outside the official project scope
- The unforeseen circumstances
- Who said that? Protecting the trust client staff place in you
- Losing objectivity or being seen as taking sides
- Do you take the money and run when what the client requests disagrees with what you believe is needed?
- Working with clients in the same industry
- Can work be ‘recycled’?
- Coping with the disappointment of burning the midnight oil … only to see the report collecting dust
- You’re good, and don’t you forget it
- Pass it on
- Chapter 9: Take a leap from being a librarian to becoming an information consultant
- Chapter 10: The clients speak: from a client’s perspective
- Chapter 11: Ahead
- Appendix: Case studies
- References
- Index
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