It takes no talent to work hard.
Tim S. Grover – Author
I’ve been a project consultant for 30 years and have written best-selling books. My project Work Lesson Earned from my Working It Playbook are below:
• Know your value proposition. What separates you from the rest of the VUCANs (iNhabitatants of VUCA world)? Then price your services accordingly. I differentiate consultants into 4 categories: 1. How; 2. What; 3. Why; and 4. Who consultants. How consultants ($X/hr.) know how to do something right. What consultants ($1.5X/hr.) know what to do right. Why consultants ($2X/hr.) know why the right work must be done right. Who consultants (3X to 5X/hr.) know who pays for doing the right work right.
• Add real and perceived project value. Commodity consulting in the west goes for about $X/hour. Move up the how, what, why, and who consulting curve to offer higher real and perceived customer value. How consultants are skilled technicians. What consultants are skilled managers? Why consultants are skilled communicators. Who consultants are skilled leaders and politicians. Who consultants offer clients peace of mind in today’s VUCA world.
• Differentiate yourself. How do you differentiate yourself from the rest of the project consulting and work VUCANs? The differentiators are what make you different. This is your ‘value proposition’.
• Reinvent yourself. I used to reinvent myself every 7 years – my half-life. That’s too long. Now, I do it every two to three years. It’s critical to stay ahead of the VUCA curve.
• Brand You Pivot. Personal brand management (Brand You Pivot) is what consulting is all about these days. Look out for your #1. Your employer won’t. You need to continuously update your brand, skills, contacts, knowledge, etc.
• Develop a killer new process or product and write a book about it. Another thing I’ve learned about consulting is there’s a linear correlation between visibility > credibility > marketability > brandability > billability. It’s pretty simple. Visibility through a thought leadership blogs, vlogs, social media, books, or clever methodology, leads to your marketability, employability, and billability. It’s that simple.