marketing

One of the many challenges consultants face is staying energized and engaged in our work. It’s clear when we have great work and great clients, it drives us to do more and we perform at our best.

In my discussions with other consultants, we all have (or had at one time) clients who don’t pay on time, make constant demands or frequent changes to the scope of the project. We put up with them and tolerate them to keep their business, but they actually do more harm than good. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as bad business.Read More >

I’m always looking for ways to improve business networking and the more I’m in business for myself as a consultant, I like to collect and share with people ways to connect with other professionals whether online or offline. The following are list of tips I have found useful over the years. Keep in mind as you read through them, some will work for you while others will not. It depends on the type of business you are in and the people you wish serve. Some tips, however, are universally accepted and should be applied regardless.Read More >

Editor's Note: TVCNet member Mike Fisch of Apropos has written a post for his blog about the difference between a feature and benefit. Because of its relevance to consulting in the process of marketing our products and services, we have reposted it here. Enjoy!

It's important to distinguish between features and benefits, because customers care much more about benefits. In fact, benefits are really what sell a product.Read More >

It’s amazing that the simplest things make a difference in gaining or keeping a client.  In our personal and professional lives, it’s far too easy to forget to show our appreciation and gratitude for the work we have and the opportunities before us.  The simple act of sending a “Thank You” message can set you apart from those who take the work and people they’ve built relationships with for granted.Read More >

I recently finished a report I found at FreelanceFolder.com on Why Some Freelancers Thrive. I started to think about TVCNet and the ways it helps to promote success among its members and helps avoid the common problems consultants encounter that bring about failure.

Let’s break down the elements of success and failure as outlined in the report:Read More >

I’m in the middle of reading a great book called Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. One of the ways to take advantage of the recent social media explosion in business is to listen to what others are saying about you and your industry. What they say, whether good or bad, is not necessarily about you.Read More >

From time to time it is a good idea for business owners to review their business plans and marketing plans. Things change (like the economy) and you need to check your business operations to make sure you are guarding against outside forces and aligning yourself with your business objectives so you can see whether or not you are headed in the right direction.Read More >

Networking can be an indispensible part of any business for promotion and to hopefully win clients. It surprises me, though, how little some businesses (namely independent business professionals like consultants) do it. Everyone has their reasons for not networking. Some don’t find it useful. Some are apprehensive to place themselves in what may feel like an uncomfortable situation.Read More >

We’ve now arrived at post number 3 of our 3-part series exploring how consultants can leverage social media. Today, we look at Twitter.Read More >

I'm a big fan of social networking applications and in part 2 of this series of posts exploring how consultants can leverage social media, we look at LinkedIn.  There are only a select few that I use, but it fascinates me how interconnected we are through the associations we keep. Whether through friends, family, colleagues or people we have randomly met at business and social functions, tools like LinkedIn help us manage those connections.Read More >