Consulting Secrets to Triple Your Income

Consulting Secrets to Triple Your Income

by

Fred Gleeck

Smashwords Edition

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Published by Fred Gleeck at Smashwords

Consulting Secrets to Triple Your Income

Copyright 2011 by Fred Gleeck

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If you find typographical or grammatical errors in this book, they’re here for a reason. Some people actually enjoy looking for them and we strive to please as many people as possible.

All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior design, cover design, and icons may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

About the Author

Contact Information

Introduction

Your Goals

My Goals

How Much Experience Do You Need?

Consulting is Not a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

1. Strategies for Success

Appoint Yourself King or Queen

Identify Industry Leaders

Market Through Associations

Working With Multiple Associations

Creating a New Association

Handling Association Politics

Piggybacking on Industry Events

Leverage Strategic Alliances

Alliances with Vendors

Alliances with other Consultants

Joint Ventures

Use the Funnel System

Be Outrageous!

2. Overview of the System

1) Select a Niche

2) Determine Whether or Not the Niche Has a Sufficient Number of Buying Units

3) Create a Line of Products to Sell to This Niche

4) Generate Leads into Your Funnel

5) Get Your Leads to Buy Some Product, No Matter How Inexpensive

6) Trade Customers Up the Ladder to More Expensive Products Automatically

7) Maintain Regular Contact with All of Your Customers

8) Convert Product-Buying Customers into Consulting Clients

9) Trade Smaller Consulting Clients Up to Larger, Monthly Retainer Contracts ASAP

10) Generate Repeat Consulting Business by Delivering Tangible Consulting Value

11) Generate Great Testimonials to Use to Sell More Consulting Business

3. Selecting Your Niche

Calculating the Number of Buying Units

Is Your Niche Worth It?

4. Creating Your Line of Products

Why So Many Products?

The Wow Factor

Front-End/Back-End Products

Product Development

5. The Quick-Start Product Line

Low-Priced Reports

Becoming an Affiliate

Licensing Products from Others

6. Yes, Your Book!

A Book in a Weekend?

Three Ways to Write Your Book

The 25x4x2 System

The One Page per Topic System

The Transcription System

Editing Your Book

Designing Your Book

The Text Block

The Cover

Getting Testimonials

Printing Your Book

Short Run Printers

Print On Demand (POD)

Registering Your Book

ISBN

Library of Congress

Advanced Book Information (ABI)

Bar Code

Copyright (Form TX)

7. Subscription Products

Newsletters & e-Zines

Publications

Tape-of-the-Month

Membership Site

8. Audio Products

Equipment

Recording Equipment

Duplication Equipment

Packaging

Distribution Options

What Should You Record?

Record Your Seminar

Record an Interview

Interview a Prominent Expert

In-Studio Recording

Providing Free/Low-Priced Audios

9. Video Products

Should You Hire Someone or Do It Yourself?

Equipment

Product Placement in Videos

10. Consulting Services - Have You Thought of These?

Private Seminars

Teleconferences

Monthly/Weekly Coaching

Roundtables in Cities You Visit

Critiques

Mystery Caller

11. Using Seminars to Build Your Consulting Business

Why You Must Do Seminars

The Seminar Formula

Planning Your Seminar

Creating a Great Seminar Title

Designing Your Seminar

Seminars vs. Boot Camps

The Modular Content System

Setting the Date

Best Months

Best Days

Avoiding Conflicting Events

Selecting a Location

Pricing Your Seminar

Promoting Your Seminar

Early Enrollment Incentives

Advertising Your Seminar

Newspaper Ads

Magazines

Trade Publications

Using Direct Mail

Writing a Direct Mail Piece

Sending Postcards

Seminar Hotlines

One-Step vs. Two-Step Seminar Promotion

Handling Registration

Toll-Free Number

The Heart Attack Seminar Registration Curve

Taking Payments

Preparing Your Seminar

Warning: Always Get to the Room Early

Setting Up the Room

Theatre Style

Classroom Style

Round Tables

U-Shaped

Seminar Materials

Should You Use Name Tags?

Handouts/Workbooks

Evaluations

Delivering Your Seminar

Starting the Seminar

Encouraging Audience Participation

Using Exercises

Staying on Schedule

Repeating Questions Asked

Using a Content Action Idea Sheet

Giving Exact Times for Seminar Topics

Planning Breaks

Using the Post-It® Note System to Postpone Questions

Leveraging Guest Speakers

Using Hot Seats

Group Outings

12. Filling the Funnel

Overview of the Process

Test Before Investing

Free Ways to Generate Leads

Generating Publicity

Writing Articles for Trade Publications

Teaching Continuing Education Classes

Speaking at Industry Conventions

Speaking at Trade Shows

Exhibiting at Trade Shows

Setting Up Your Trade Show Booth

Personal Contact Marketing (Networking)

Participating in Online Groups

Cold Calling vs. Lead Generation Advertising

Advertising

Using Repeat Exposures

Classified Ads

Display Ads

Direct Mail

Sequenced Letters

Postcards

Endorsed Mailings

Using Public Databases

Using the Web to Market Your Consulting Services

13. Selling the Products

Understanding Return on Marketing Dollars

Measuring Your Progress

Understanding the Three Types of Customers

Licensing Your Products

Licensing to Dealers

Multi-Site Licensing

Step-Down/Step-Up Offers

Pre-Selling

Up Selling

Creating a Catalog of Products

Setting up Hotlines

Answering the Phone

The 30-Day Delivery Rule

Shipping Your Product

Getting an Outside Vendor to Handle Fulfillment

Handling Returns

Managing Your Database

14. They Call You for Consulting–Now What?

Setting Your Fees

Offering a Guarantee

Inform First, Sell Second

Responding to Customers

Handling Customers

You Don’t Want Every Customer

You Can’t Read Your Prospects’ Minds

Be Persistent, Not Pushy

Find Hardcore Supporters

Promotional Materials

Testimonials

Faxable Sales Material

Tiered Brochure

Web Site

Business Card

Novelty Items

Traveling

Luggage

Airline Clubs

Your Air Carrier and Rental Car Companies

Hotels

Proposals

Contracts

Negotiating Your Fees

Performance Contracts

Retainers: Your Bread and Butter

Discounting Fees

When Should You Walk Away?

Generating Repeat Business

Expanding Into New Markets

15. Conclusion

Other Valuable Learning Resources From Fred Gleeck

Order Sheets

Fred Gleeck’s Million Dollar Rolodex

Books You MUST Read

Acknowledgements

Whenever you complete a book like this one there are plenty of people to thank. I’d like to list those who I feel most deserving of mention here.

First, thanks to Tami Dever for the cover. Although Tami is no longer working on covers for me these days, she did an excellent job with this one and she still needs this mention.

Next, to Nick Zelinger for his tireless work with the interior of this book and MANY other books I’ve done over the last year. Nick is the consummate professional and always does a great job. Feel free to contact Nick for both cover and interior design work at znick4@qwest.net.

Another important person to thank is Scott Laudenslager. Scott does all of the printing for my books these days and always does what he says he will do. Thanks, Scott! If you’re printing any books yourself, make sure to contact him at: kimcoprinting@qwest.net.

Finally, I’d like to thank my mentor (now deceased), Howard Shenson. Howard, wherever you are, thanks for starting me on this path. If not for you I wouldn’t be where I am today. I only hope that I can be as good a mentor to my clients.

That’s it folks! Let’s get on with the show.

Preface

About the Author

Hi! My name is Fred Gleeck and I’ve been a marketing consultant for over 19 years. I was born in Japan and raised in the Philippines as the son of an American diplomat. I left the Philippines to attend undergraduate school at the University of Florida, where I graduated with high honors and a degree in marketing. After that, I earned a master’s degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management (also known as Thunderbird).

After leaving grad school, I moved to New York City where I was promptly fired by five major Fortune 500 companies in a row. There seemed to be unanimous agreement that I should be self-employed. So, I landed my first big consulting assignment with IBM. I worked with them for nine days back in 1985 and made over $31,000! I was psyched! What a great way to make a living. I trained over 600 people on interviewing skills.

For four years, I worked with CareerTrack. At one point they were the largest public seminar company in the world. I was their top speaker in every topic I presented, both from the standpoint of customer ratings and product sales. I still do anywhere from 40 to 50 presentations a year. I’ve done an average of 100 paid presentations a year for the past 15 years. It has been one of my primary means of generating consulting work.

I don’t use traditional marketing methods to generate consulting business. Most traditional methods don’t work AND they cost a lot of money, so over the years, I have developed a system that brings clients to me. My system turns your marketing efforts from a cost into a profit center.

A number of my consulting assignments come as a result of people who attend one of my seminars. This is how I got the IBM project. By now you may be thinking But, I don’t like speaking. Don’t worry, even if speaking in front of groups is not your strength, you can still use the system I will reveal to you in this book. In addition to doing seminars, there are a number of other non-traditional ways to generate leads and clients for your consulting business. So, if seminars and speaking aren’t your bag don’t worry, there are other methods to chose from.

I have authored a number of books on topics that are tangentially related to this one. They include: Marketing and Promoting Your Own Seminars and Workshops, Publishing for Maximum Profit and Speaking for Millions. All of these books compliment this one. If you are interested in any of these titles, I suggest you order them through Amazon. However, if you have an order totaling over $100, contact me directly at 702-617-4206.

I go back and forth between my house in the Las Vegas area and an apartment in New York City. I’ll also be spending a lot of time in Europe during the summer. My plan is to spend winter in Las Vegas, summer and fall in New York City and most of July and August in Europe.

I have a sign up in my office. It says: Net $1 million a year with no employees. That’s what success as a consultant will give you. Freedom to live life as YOU want. Now, let’s get YOU started on achieving YOUR dreams!

Contact Information

Don’t be a stranger. I would love to hear from you. I encourage your questions and comments. All are welcome. My contact information is listed below and I encourage you to contact me in whatever way is easiest for you.

I am also available to speak to your organization regarding this and a variety of other topics.

E-mail address: fredgleeck@mac.com

Business phone number: 702-617-4205.

Address: Fred Gleeck

209 South Stephanie Street, Suite B-209 Henderson, NV 89012

Website for this particular topic (I have over 300 domains): www.consultingexpert.com

If you would like to receive my free seven-day course on how to jump start your consulting business, delivered to you via email, send an email to: Tips@consultingexpert.com. After you start the course, you’ll continue to receive valuable information on how to market your consulting business.

Introduction

When I was in my early 20s, I read just about every book there was on the subject of consulting. They gave me some great marketing ideas that I could have implemented provided I had a huge wad of cash in the bank. I found that most of these books were based on the assumption that I had the funds to sustain a three- or four-year economic drought while waiting to land a large consulting assignment.

Over the years, I continue to read books on the topic, and continue to be frustrated. I finally realized that none of these books told you how to start and build a consulting business and make money while you were waiting to land the big money clients. This book shows you exactly how to do just that. That’s why it’s different. Very different.

The system that I present to you here is unique. I am the only person on the planet that recommends a system for marketing your consulting business that is a profit and not a cost center. This is revolutionary in the consulting business. Every other methodology I’ve ever seen suggests a marketing system that costs you money.

My assumption is that your relatives have not left you a big chunk of change sitting in a trust fund for you to access as needed. I will also assume that you want to do consulting work but don’t want to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while you are waiting to land the big consulting gigs (even though I happen to LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches).

Doesn’t it sound more enjoyable to have money coming in while you are waiting on the large consulting jobs? What if it wasn’t just a little money, but a very nice, regular stream? The system I will teach you in this book helps you effectively market your services as a consultant. At the same time, I will also help you make a bunch of money while waiting to land your big money clients. This will prevent you from becoming what I call a begging consultant. The begging consultant is like the person in high school who couldn’t get a date. Why? They were needy. You got the feeling that they had to be with someone to survive. What was the net result of all this neediness? The exact opposite of what they wanted: NO DATES!

This is very similar to most consultants. Consultants who appear to need business will have limited success in getting people to use their services. No one wants to employ the needy consultant because the potential client asks him or herself, If they’re so good, why aren’t they busy? Perception is reality. You have to look like you are in demand, even if you aren’t.

The other side of the coin is that you can’t look like you’re too busy. Otherwise, no one will try to engage your services because they suspect you won’t have the time to do their work properly. You have to strike a balance. You’ve got to look in demand, but still be somewhat available. How do you accomplish this? As an example, you can wait 24 hours to return a call rather than returning it immediately.

The system I’ll demonstrate for you here will show you how to make money while you build a base of customers. It will help you build a long-term, sustainable income base. Traditional consulting only allows you to get paid for the actual time you’re working for a client. That means you can only make as much money as you have time to work. The system I’ll outline for you here allows you to get paid while you sleep. Money will come in regardless of how much available time you have to give your clients. Money will come in 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from all over the world.

As a consultant you sell your knowledge, your information, and your brainpower. The problem with most traditional consulting models is that they concentrate almost exclusively on selling these skills face-to-face. Why not sell your knowledge and expertise in other forms as well? Why not create a system that has clients coming to you? As we begin the 21st century, the traditional consulting model is much too restrictive. The new consultant understands that the delivery of his or her expertise must be multi-faceted.

A better name for a consultant in this day and age would be information marketer. With my system, you will market your knowledge and information in a variety of ways; sometimes face-to-face and sometimes in other forms. In this book I will teach you a system to penetrate a niche market with information products. I use that term to include any and all products or services that fall into the following categories: books, e-books, audio tapes, video tapes, seminars and CD-ROMs. These, combined with any other brainpower that you can package and sell will comprise your line of products.

After you select a niche, you will attack your niche market through the Internet, direct mail, public speaking, and a variety of other means. The techniques you will find apply to consultants in any and all fields. I am currently involved with numerous niche markets myself. Some of these include video production, catering, film-making, financial planning, self-storage facility operation, and another eight or ten niches. Each quarter or so, I add another one because it’s a plug-and-play system.

Rather than jump around and give you examples from all the different industries, this book will draw the vast majority of its examples from the self-storage industry. This happens to be a rather small niche, so it serves as the perfect case study for this book. As self-storage was my first market, I made a number of mistakes–mistakes that I am not making with each succeeding niche. Mistakes that you won’t have to make at all if you read and learn from my experience. If I can make this system work with self-storage operators, you can make it work with virtually any niche you select.

If you have a substantial amount of knowledge in a given field you can easily double