Getting Started in Consulting by Alan Weiss

I just read Getting Started in Consulting by Alan Weiss (Summing Consulting Group) and while I'm certainly no consultant, this book seems to have lots of useful information for budding independent consultants.

Some topics discussed:

• importance of low overhead
• why working from a home office and without staff is just fine
• how to finance a consulting practice
• how to write proposals
• negotiating to close a deal
• how to set fees and how to maximize fees
• marketing yourself through paid and free channels
• how to set up billing and bookkeeping

I’m still considering entering into a consulting arrangement with a medium sized private company and this book has come in handy with the negotiation process.

Click here to view the table of contents and click here to read an excerpt.

Books on Consulting

I haven't received any recommendations for Books for Artists or on Non-profit Management, but these books were championed for Consulting:

• The Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond by Elaine Biech
• The Consultant's Toolkit: High-Impact Questionnaires, Activities and How-to Guides for Diagnosing and Solving Client Problems by Mel Silberman
• The Consultant's Quick Start Guide: An Action Plan for Your First Year in Business by Elaine Biech
• Consulting For Dummies by Bob Nelson and Peter Economy
• The Contract and Fee-Setting Guide for Consultants and Professionals by Howard L. Shenson
• Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used by Peter Block
• Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself by Daniel H. Pink
• Getting Started in Consulting by Alan Weiss
• How to Build a Successful Consulting Practice by Jack Phillips
  
• The Independent Consultant's Q & A Book by Lawrence W. Tuller
• The McKinsey Mind: Understanding and Implementing the Problem-Solving Tools and Management Techniques of the World's Top Strategic Consulting Firm by Ethan M. Rasiel
• Perspectives on Strategy from The Boston Consulting Group by Carl W. Stern
• Persuasive Business Proposals: Writing to Win Customers, Clients, and Contracts by Tom Sant
• Value-Based Fees: How to Charge and GetWhat You're Worth by Alan Weiss

Thoughts?

The list is a little overwhelming and I'd like to pare it down to the essentials.