Alan Weiss

Build a thriving consultancy with the updated edition of this classic bestsellerHaving inspired generations of consultants and entrepreneurs around the world, the "Rock Star of Consulting" Alan Weiss returns with a revised and completely updated edition of his authoritative guide to consulting success.Weiss provides his time-tested model on creating a flourishing consulting business, while incorporating and focusing on the many dynamic changes in solo and boutique consulting, coaching, and entrepreneurship. In addition to guidance on raising capital, attracting clients, and creating a marketing plan, he also gives brand new step-by-step advice on:- Harnessing today's global opportunities - Developing brands across markets- Creating and licensing intellectual property- Avoiding the pitfalls of social media- Landing unsolicited referrals through counterintuitive methods- Managing and organizing your time wisely- Succeeding in the face of continuing turbulenceFind out why this book has been the classic go-to for consultants for nearly twenty-five years, and learn how to grow your business into a $1 million-per-year firm today!

A new revision of the successful guidebook for novice consultantsGetting Started in Consulting, Second Edition provides practical solutions and proven strategies for launching a consulting business. Readers will learn how low overhead and a high degree of organization can translate into a six-figure income working from a home office. The book also offers key information on how to finance a consulting practice, how to write proposals, how to set up billing and bookkeeping, and more. A new chapter also explains how to get started quickly for those who can't wait to generate cash flow or those who have a cash reserve they are immediately willing to commit.Alan Weiss (East Greenwich, RI) has consulted with hundreds of organizations around the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett-Packard, Merck, and the Times Mirror Group. He lectures widely and is the author of 12 books.

Value-Based Fees shows consultants how to easily and adroitly educate clients about value determining worth and consequent investment. Unlike the contingency fees of attorneys, Weiss explains, his technique is about establishing a win-win dynamic with clients, while accommodating buyers' egos that "you get what you pay for." Filled with stories of successful consultants, sample proposals, letters of agreement, and other practical tools, Value-Based Fees ' pragmatic advice includes: Value-Based Fees clearly explains how to charge for your value--and get--what you're worth, providing the kind of nontheoretical, pragmatic advice that will help to improve any consultant's practice immediately.

Everything you need to know about building a successful, world-class consulting practice Whether you are a veteran consultant or new to the industry, an entrepreneur or the principal of a small firm, The Consulting Bible tells you absolutely everything you need to know to create and expand a seven-figure independent or boutique consulting practice. Expert author Alan Weiss, who coaches consultants globally and has written more books on solo consulting than anyone in history, shares his expertise comprehensively.Learn and appreciate the origins and evolution of the consulting profession Launch your practice or firm and propel it to top performance Implement your consulting strategies in public and private organizations, large or small, global or domestic Select from the widest variety of consulting methodologies Achieve lasting success in your professional career and personal goals The author is recognized as one of the most highly regarded independent consultants in America by the New York Post and a worldwide expert in executive education by Success MagazineWhether you're just starting out or looking for the latest trends in modern practice, The Consulting Bible gives you an unparalleled toolset to build a thriving consultancy.

Bestselling author of Million Dollar Consulting shares the secrets of writing winning proposals Intended for consultants, speakers, and other professional services providers, Million Dollar Consulting® Proposals ends forever the time-consuming and often frustrating process of writing a consulting proposal. It begins with the basics―defining these proposals and why they are necessary―and coaches you through the entire proposal process. In this book, you'll learn how to establish outcome-based business objectives and maximize your success and commensurate fees. From bestselling author Alan Weiss, Million Dollar Consulting Proposals delivers step-by-step guidance on the essential element in creating a million dollar consultancy. Alan Weiss's expert guidance can lead your consulting business to unprecedented success, and it all starts with a million dollar proposal.

“[Weiss is] one of the most highly respected independent consultants in the country.”—New York PostIf you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, you’ve come to the right place. In Million Dollar Launch, bestselling author and superstar consultant Alan Weiss shows you how to get your business up and running—fast! Step by step, Weiss reveals how to create a revenue-producing practice quickly and successfully—while funds last and while support systems remain passionate. This is an indispensable guide to those critical first 90 days.Alan Weiss is the bestselling author of Million Dollar Consulting. He belongs to the Professional Speaker Hall of Fame and is the recipient of the National Speakers Association Council of Peers Award for Excellence, representing the top 1 percent of professional speakers in the world.

Bestselling business author Alan Weiss provides the inside advice you need to build or expand your coaching business--from developing a common language and shared protocol to providing effective and supportive feedback at every level. Million Dollar Coaching is packed with tips, checklists, resources, and scores of helpful examples, making this the most valuable one-stop tool available for entering the world of professional coaching. Million Dollar Coaching helps you:

When it comes to how to succeed as an entrepreneur, we are besotted with advice. According to bestselling author Alan Weiss, success is a combination of opportunism, very disciplined work, luck, timing, and ignoring most advice. In other words, it means striking out on your own, original path to success. In Million Dollar Maverick, he explains that entrepreneurs don't take advice, they create value and then monetize it. They do what they love and are great at and find a way to sell it to people. They do not--contrary to "conventional wisdom"--chase money. They attract money. And most of all they think differently, act decisively--and, if talent and timing are with them, succeed quickly. Drawing on over thirty years of experience as a consultant, speaker, and global expert, Weiss shares his story and "Million Dollar Tips," not found in any of his other books, to help entrepreneurs gain influence, build confidence, and develop the critical thinking skills they need to discover the inside track to rapid success

The practical toolbox for readers of Million Dollar ConsultingThis useful guide provides specific checklists, guidelines, templates, and actual examples for every step of the consulting process. It covers marketing, sales, meetings, implementation, follow-up, invoicing, practice management, insurance, equipment, subcontracting, and scores of other elements. Thousands of people have bought Weiss's Million Dollar Consulting and started their own consultancy. Now, this handy resource goes hand-in-hand to provide all the tools new consultants need to enact all the recommendations and ideas in Million Dollar Consulting.Alan Weiss, PhD (East Greenwich, RI), has consulted for hundreds of organizations around the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett-Packard, Merck, Chase, American Press Institute, and the Times-Mirror Group. He is the author of 12 books, including Getting Started in Consulting (0-471-47969-1) and Organizational Consulting (0-471-26378-8).

Lifestorming is the indispensably practical handbook for becoming the person you want to be. Redesign your life, friends, behaviors, and beliefs to move closer to your goals every single day, guided by expert insight and deep introspection. Written by a veteran author team behind almost 100 books on human behavior, this guide helps you learn why you do things the way you do them, and how to do them better. The Lifestorming Test allows you to assess your current state in concrete terms, and assess your ability to change and adapt — from there, it's about identifying people, actions, habits, and beliefs that either support your personal and professional growth or hold you back. You'll learn the six building blocks of character, challenge your belief system, develop a leadership mindset, and overcome the fear and guilt of success. You'll map out an action plan, and learn how to continually move forward at work, at home, and in everyday life.

If you think you have what it takes to speak professionally, or you've already been doing so with insufficient reward, now is the time to make your move. Bestselling business author and Professional Speaking Hall of Fame member Alan Weiss offers the inside advice you need to turn your talent into a high-paying career―from honing your delivery skills to building a business. In Million Dollar Speaking , you’ll learn the critical skills of

A guide to making money through professional speaking. The book offers tips and techniques for reaching the ranks of the highest paid speakers and checklists, resources and actual examples are also provided.

Follow the expert advice in this book--the fifth in The Ultimate Consultant series--and you will learn what it takes to work effectively with clients to launch and conduct projects and bring them to a successful conclusion. Alan Weiss, internationally recognized consultant and author of the best-selling Million Dollar Consulting, shows you how to form partnerships with clients who will enthusiastically assist and support the implementation of all your consulting projects.

Build a million-dollar business out of untapped referrals! Alan Weiss has taught thousands of people how to put their expertise to work through consulting, speaking, and coaching. Now, in Million Dollar Referrals , he takes it to the next level, giving you the tools to leverage relationships with current clients―and grow your business exponentially. Million Dollar Referrals reveals Alan Weiss’s powerful system for cultivating relationships and generating more business than you ever thought possible. Learn how

As an experienced consultant, you'll find this unique book an invaluable aid in establishing the leverage needed to bring highly-qualified prospects and new business to your doorstep. Written by Alan Weiss--an internationally recognized expert in consulting and marketing--this essential resource, the second book in The Ultimate Consultant Series, will help you develop the skills you need to achieve valuable brand recognition quickly and effectively. How to Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession will help you create a brand that will make you "Number One" in your particular areas of excellence, no matter how broad or narrow. And, perhaps worth the price alone, the book offers a glimpse into the important trends that are shaping the future of branding. "Alan Weiss should be branded as The Consultant's Consultant! His new book, How to Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession , is another proof of the value of his insights into the marketing and strategy of the consulting profession. He's right on the mark in terms of what consultants typically don't do and certainly need to do to succeed."-- William C. Byham , chairman and CEO, Development Dimensions International, Inc. (DDI)

A concise yet expansive guide to the marketing strategies that lead to success in the competitive modern landscape. Masterful Marketing draws upon extensive case studies and research to provide practical guidance that will prove invaluable for any marketer, regardless of their seniority or sector. It focuses particularly on a value-based approach, providing insights that will allow the reader to recognise and effectively target the customers, platforms and approaches that will have the greatest returns.In today's marketing world, your personal brand, the relationships you build and the expertise you share has the capacity to move you from best kept secret to highly sought expert. This is mainly contingent upon the value-based marketing you create. With this book, readers will gain the combined experience and wisdom of its co-authors Alan Weiss and Lisa Larter. Alan brings his decades of experience as a consultant and entrepreneur to provide practical, motivational guidance, while Lisa brings her expertise as a digital marketer and strategist to provide fascinating research-based insights into marketing strategy.Social and technological developments have transformed both the nature and impact of marketing. Previously, large sums of money could almost guarantee that a new campaign would be noticed, or that new branding would become iconic. Yet, with the onset of social media and the downturn in traditional media avenues, the primary platforms for marketing have become democratised. While access to such platforms may be easy and often cheap, they are competitive battlegrounds in which a marketer must vie for the customer's attention with any number of distractions or competitors. Only through the value-based approaches outlined in Masterful Marketing will your marketing efforts stand out in this crowd and draw in customers.

The Ultimate Consultant--the first book in a series written for experienced practitioners--is filled with helpful interviews and vignettes from an array of successful consultants from around the world, and offers the templates, examples, information, and tools you need to transform your business.This essential, hands-on resource includes:* Forty tips that can increase your fees--tomorrow* Ten tested techniques for springboarding to potential clients* Information on how you can make money while you sleep with newsletters, audio and video, commercial and self-publishing* Ten-criteria to test peer-level collaborators* The simplest, most effective time management tool ever* 50 techniques to enhance life balanceWith this indispensable resource as your guide you can learn how to become an ultimate consultant and take your business to new heights!

Here's the guide you've been looking for -- written by a successful consultant who has himself written hundreds of winning proposals. In this easy-to-read, easy-to-follow book, consultant Alan Weiss takes you step-by-step through the proposal process from definitions, objectives and essential preparation techniques...through the actual structuring and writing process...and on to the all-important client follow-up. How to Write A Proposal That's Accepted Every Time shows you how to acquire the information that creates winning proposals in collaboration with the buyer. "That's the key to proposal acceptance," says Weiss, "Collaboration with and agreement by the client prior to anything being committed to paper." In this practical guide you'll learn how to -- Avoid gatekeepers and deal only with the economic buyer (the person who can cause a check to be signed); Establish boundaries and avoid "scope creep."; Effectively convey the value of the project; Frame your intervention in terms of outcomes rather than cost; And much more. Let this detailed, how-to guide lead you to consulting success, before, during and after the proposal process! Book & CD

Thrive! is the first book from best-selling author Alan Weiss to deal with self-mastery and taking control of your own life. Hundreds of pragmatic techniques help the reader avoid the victimology; mentality; accept personal accountability; identify and throw baggage off the train (even at the cost of a few cows in the countryside); build self-worth; and master the five traits which Thriving people employ. You will be a ball in that strangely hypnotic Japanese game of Pachinko if you listen to...unsolicited feedback...I've seen people's dreams ruined by those who offer 'help.' It's usually not malicious (though sometimes it is), it's usually done with the intent to help, it's usually focused on 'fixing' you. And it's usually deadly. Alan Weiss takes you through specific steps and techniques he's developed and utilized with thousands of coaching and mentoring clients globally over the past 25 years. In 200 pages and one day you can begin to retrieve control of you life, your relationships, and your career, and escape the pressures trying to make you into someone else every day. George Irish, the former president of Hearst Newspapers (reviewing Alan Weiss's Life Balance) observes, (Alan Weiss)...provides a wealth of information in an engaging and thoroughly readable fashion. He shows that to be successful you don't have to just work, work, work. Learn why real wealth is discretionary time, and why so many people erode wealth by mindlessly trying to simply make money. Come to grips with TIAABB (there is always a bigger boat). Face the fact that decisions, not wishing, move you along the road to your goals. Too many people are merely trying to survive, blaming the economy, technology, the competition, their parents, their kids, or the fates. Don't waste another minute. Start Thriving!

The expert guide to effective internal consultingThis book guides internal consultants through the steps necessary to bolster their credibility, build relationships within the organization, develop internal marketing abilities, and apply proper methodologies to their work. Alan Weiss, an experienced consultant, provides practical techniques the internal consultant, internal human resources practitioner, and any other internal change agent can use to excel at work, advance their careers, and become valued assets to their organizations. Some of the major subjects covered include setting up the proper environment for success and establishing peer-level interactions.Alan Weiss, PhD (East Greenwich, CT), has consulted with hundreds of organizations around the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett-Packard, Merck, and Chase. He lectures widely and appears regularly on radio and television to discuss productivity and performance. He is the author of twelve books, including Getting Started in Consulting (Wiley: 0-471-38455-0), The Ultimate Consultant (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5508-6), How to Acquire Clients (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5514-0), and Process Consulting (Jossey-Bass: 0-7879-5512-4).

Follow the expert advice in this book--the fourth in The Ultimate Consultant Series--and you won't fall victim to the success plateau that undermines many consultants. If you feel that your work has become easier, it may be that you're not climbing "up" but rather moving laterally. And, sooner or later, your plateau will begin to erode and you'll find yourself on a decline. In How to Acquire Clients, Alan Weiss, internationally recognized consultant and author of the best-selling Million Dollar Consulting, shows you how to continue to move "up the mountain."

The intent of this book -- the author's goal for you — is to understand the baseless underpinnings of almost all our fears. You read that correctly -- almost all our fears -- and therefore to discard them. The author has expertly coached leaders and managers in the discovery of, examination of, elimination of, and sustained freedom from fears.We all know people who are charming and articulate, but flounder on a stage addressing colleagues; musicians who master intricate scores but can’t play the basics when asked to solo; athletes who "choke"; business people who are strong until it comes time to ask for the business; people who consistently feel like "imposters."We are far better at dealing with external, tangible fears than our own imagined ones. We purchase insurance, watch the safety demonstrations, know how to use the Heimlich Maneuver. But those are responses to rare and often never-occurring emergencies. Our mythical and monstrous fears are daily dark clouds, masking our talents no less than depression or guilt.It’s time to realize there is no monster under the bed, never has been, and never will be without having to check nightly and without needing a weapon on the night table. Picture yourself freed of restraints that you could never properly articulate and were loath to discuss, but which you carried on your shoulders constantly, a dead weight, nonetheless.Essentially, this book is for entrepreneurs, business owners, and those who seek a better position for themselves and their talents, but who procrastinate, delay, and hang back. It’s about isolating and overcoming the internal fears that we generate every day like a geyser, triggered by time, events, or shifts in the environment. We are our own worst enemies and we ignore the practical remedies to escape fear because we use our energies instead on blaming everyone else.

No pre-pandemic strategy is effective anymore. None. Not for organizations large or small, for-profit or non-profit, domestic or global. Claims of a "return to normal" or "the new normal" are ridiculous. What we’re facing is really a "new reality," and that reality is the need for agile strategic decisions and pragmatic views of the future. That means that strategy formulation can be reduced to a few days and the view of the future can only be 12–18 months. This is the antithesis of Peter Drucker’s approach to strategy, but his highly effective approach was developed at GM three quarters of a century ago. It’s time to move on.Alan Weiss has developed an original and completely new approach to strategy which thus far has certified over 100 people globally, delivering this approach to scores of firms of all types in four countries. More than two dozen firms are using this approach. Sentient Strategy is based on two modern awareness of the environment in which the organization exists and has influence, and consciousness of the impact of actions being considered. The old SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) approaches are currently equivalent to riding down the freeway on a horse. We must drop the hubris that has led us to believe we can see years ahead and anticipate what’s coming. No one predicted the Internet No one predicted the latest pandemic.It’s time to turn volatility and disruption on their heads and use them as offensive weapons in the marketplace instead of trying to protect ourselves from them. Imagine a strategy that an organization can formulate in just a day or so, revisit easily and frequently, and design a series of shorter-term, viable futures. "Sentient" means "perceptive" and "self-aware." It doesn’t mean "one size fits all" from a cookie-cutter firm’s approach to strategy.Alan Weiss equips the reader to consider using this approach independently. These are new times—a new reality, a "no normal™"—hence, it’s ridiculous to use old approaches to strategy. There’s a clear reason why Sears didn’t morph into Amazon and why Hertz surrendered its number one spot to Enterprise.

Ageism is too often an accepted form of bias, even though the facts support the value of aging. Airline pilots forced to retire at the arbitrary age of 65 are usually at the top of their game. Forced retirement in most organizations remove highly skilled performers as well as role models and trainers for newer generations. Instead of revelling in who we are, we begin to try to look younger as soon as possible, with 16-year-old women receiving nose and breast surgery as birthday presents. People have become inured to "losing" abilities as they age instead of appreciating new abilities that only age can bestow. Everyone extols the need for gender equality, lest we lose the talents of half of our population. Yet, people over 65 are currently 15 percent of the US population (46.2 million) and is projected to rise to 34 percent. Due to the IRA legislation of the Reagan era ― and the lack of need to purchase homes, college educations, cars, or health care―the discretionary assets are also substantial. It's time these people took control of their lives and influence on everything from business to politics.

The inside information from a top Fortune 500 consultant as to why the "fads of the month"downsizing, reengineering, TQM, or you name itnever work. A close look at boards, executives, human resources, and other culprits who deserve to be told, "You're not wearing any clothes!"

In a true "flat earth" there are no borders or impediments to importing and exporting knowledge. Such knowledge transfer, if recorded, would more than offset the current US trade deficit and balance of trade figures. The audience for this book is primarily solo or small-practice consultants (and those considering independent consulting) who seek the wealth, experience, and gratification of consulting internationally. Both "on the ground" and remote techniques are addressed, so the peripatetic and the home-anchored can achieve significant new goals, adventures and growth-experiences.

Book by Weiss, Alan

For over 30 years Alan Weiss has consulted, coached, and advised everyone from Fortune 500 executives, state governors, non-profit directors, and entrepreneurs to athletes, entertainers, and beauty pageant contestants. That’s quite an assortment of people, and they run into the thousands. Most of them have had what we euphemistically call "means," and some of them have had a lot more than that. Others have been aspiring and with more ends in sight than means on hand.Alan Weiss I’ve dealt with esteem (low), narcissism (high), family problems, leadership dysfunctions, insecurities, addictions, and ethical quandaries. And I’ve talked with them through the coronavirus crisis. But don’t get the wrong idea. About 95% of these people have been well-meaning, honest (to the best of their knowledge), and interested in becoming a better person and better professional. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be talking to me.I found the equivalent of the "runner’s wall" in their journeys, where they must break through the pain and the obstacles and then can keep going with renewed energy and spirit. But runners know how far they must go after the breakthrough, be it another half lap or another five miles. There is a finish line.I’ve found that people in all positions, even after the "breakthrough," don’t know where they are in the race, let alone where the finish line is.They do not know what meaning is for them. They may have money in the bank, good relationships, the admiration of others, and the love of their dogs. But they have no metrics for "What now?" They believe that at the end of life there is a tallying, some metaphysical accountant who totals up their contributions, deducts their bad acts, and creates the (hopefully positive) difference.That difference, they believe, is their "legacy."But the thought that legacy arrives at the end of life is as ridiculous as someone who decides to sell a business and tries to increase its valuation the day prior. Legacy is now. Legacy is daily. Every day we create the next page in our lives, but the question becomes who is writing it and what’s being written. Is someone else creating our legacy? Or are we, ourselves, simply writing the same page repeatedly?Or do we leave it blank?Our organic, living legacy is marred and squeezed by huge normative pressures. There is a "threshold" point, at which one’s beliefs and values are overridden by immense peer pressure. Our metrics are forced to change.In an age of social media, biased press, and bullying, we’ve come to a point where our legacy, ironically, is almost out of our hands.Yet our "meaning" — our creation of meaning and not a search for some illusive alchemy — creates worth and impact for us and all those with whom we interact.

A fun and creative guide to keeping customers ecstatically happy Businesses are used to competing for market share, inexpensive labor, and time-to-market, but today's biggest competition among top firms may be the war for top talent. Today's best organizations are reaching across traditional geopolitical and cultural boundaries to attract and retain the best and brightest workers. In The Talent Advantage , authors Weiss and MacKay tap into their long experience as experts in talent recruitment and retainment to explain why today's business leaders must take firm control of the talent hunting process to ensure great hires. Here, they show leaders exactly how to do that.

A unique handbook of graphics and other visual aids that will create irresistible and dynamic presentations, sales calls, meetings, speeches, and other communications. The book includes a CD ROM compatible with any platform enabling the reader to insert the visuals into his or her own materials, with permission to do so. The book contains a visual on one page and a description of its origin, rationale, use, and space for notes on the facing page. The process visuals are the best from the works of Alan Weiss, one of the stars of the lecture circuit, and the author of "Million Dollar Consulting" and "Money How to Make A Million As A Speaker."