Book Review of “Million Dollar Consulting” by Alan Weiss
July 29th, 2011 by Diane Conklin under Diane's Book Reviews. No Comments.
Wow, 384 pages of relatively small print. This was a good book, filled with a lot of great consulting tips, strategies, and advice on topics I hadn’t even imagined. That said, I have to tell you I thought I might never finish it, but I did…over time.
It’s not so much the size of the book but the density of the information that prolonged the time it took me to get through this book.
If you are a consultant, or any business owner who has consulting as part of their business, this is a must read. You can get the details of how he recommends writing proposals, handling clients, ethical dilemmas and a wide variety of other things by reading the book yourself.
I want to focus on just a few concepts I found most interesting and added to the fact that this was already a book that was so worth the read.
First, Alan Weiss talks about the fact that is you improve just 1% each day that in only 70 days you will be twice as good as you are at this moment. Pretty amazing, huh? He also cautions that if you don’t learn carefully and become confused that the opposite might happen – he says people can get dumber.
It was particularly interesting to me that on the very same day I was asked about the amazing growth in our business and how it was happening I read the 1% solution at the beginning of Chapter 16 that says “The very act of growing creates a momentum that generates additional opportunities that hadn’t been anticipated.” Seemed like that’s exactly where we were when the question was asked.
The point of this 1% solution really is that we create our own breaks. The fact that we are creating our business and developing ourselves seems to create a force that brings new and better opportunities our way. When you get better, as a person, your business gets better too…automatically!
While the book is long and filled with great tips, strategies and business advice, you’d get your money’s worth with this book if all you did was read the last 4 pages where Alan Weiss deals with self-esteem, the specifics of growing a consulting business and discusses organizational issues most companies have to deal with. (By the way, I’m not advocating you not read the rest of the book, you definitely should).
The last sentence of the book really says it all – as related to our businesses, our consulting and our lives. He says “…understand the driving force required to become a million dollar consultant [is] you!” I would add you are the driving force of all things in your life.
For those of us who have groups or are involved in coaching or mastermind groups, I found this to be interesting too. He says groups bond through sharing challenges, contributions, having disagreements, and socializing. That means none of us ever have to go through one of those silly ice breaker exercises ever again. It’s very applicable for a lot of other things too – not just business or groups. I’d argue that’s how all people, in general, bond.
This is a book on consulting, but Alan Weiss talks about leadership, marketing, emotions, learning, positive self-talk, self-worth, and a host of other topics that we all need more of.
I have to tell you there were areas of the book – especially some of the marketing things he talked about, that I didn’t totally agree with. On the other hand, the consulting we do here at Complete Marketing Systems, is typically with Information Marketers and small business owners and he is doing more corporate things. Not that I think my business is different, I don’t, but there are times when certain things work with certain types of businesses that might vary some in others.
Alan Weiss certainly got the biggest marketing issue right and that is that it’s all really about the relationship – something we talk about all the time is relationship marketing. It’s here, it’s here to stay and it is how business gets done.
If you’ve read the book (somebody suggested to me the other day I might be the only person in the world who hadn’t to this point, since he’s on his 4th edition) I’d love to hear what you thought or if you picked up different items.
Let the discussion begin…..
If you want to purchase this book: Million Dollar Consulting
