Re: Consultants in Crisis?

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Eric,

In a message dated 2/5/02 3:52:02 PM Eastern Standard Time,
Eric.Lehti@amb-adv.com writes:


> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> Is your iSeries (AS/400) business in the condition described by this
> Computerworld article?  What is your secret of success?
>
<<snip>>

Geeze, doesn't anyone read my IMHO articles on www.midrange.com anymore?
ComputerWorld is a month late ;-)!  Don't know where the author got their
figures, but independent consulting has been down a _LOT_ longer than _THAT_.
 I'd hardly call last year a success for myself, but what separated it from
_disaster_ is that 20% of all earnings go into savings for times like this.
Pre-tax.  Pre-retirement.  Pre-whydon'twegoouttoeattonight?.  Pre-vacation.

Secret one?  Save, save, save.  One of the reasons I formed my own company
was that I was sick and tired of others going out of business from under me,
despite the fact that I always billed my meager salary and benefits several
times over without a single client question of the charges.  Bosses tended to
spend my largesse on themselves (cars, houses, boats, etc.), rather than
saving for bad times or employee salary increases or bonuses ($50 at
Christmas or worse -- a $20 turkey or ham, was standard at more than one
firm).

Secret two?  Honesty, integrity, and a true desire to save the client money.
Don't take eight hours to write a program you could do in two just because
you wouldn't make as much money.  Sure you'll lose billable hours, but I
guarantee you that the client will call you back more often than they would
on the eight hour job.  Don't bill the client for a full day when you spent
half the day talking to other clients or your wife on the phone.  Don't do
work for another client on the client's machine and then bill both for the
hours spent.  Don't stay at the Four Seasons when the Best Western will do.
Treat yourself occasionally, but don't eat at a fancy restaurant every night
unless you're paying for it or there's no alternative.  Don't fly when you
can easily drive.  In short (too late for that), look at your bill and
imagine you were the one receiving it.  Bunking two to a room while traveling
is stupid unless you're on prison transfer and one call home per night
(unless there's an emergency situation that needs to be handled with more
frequent calls) should be allowed.  Just don't live like a king at the
client's expense -- our job is to help them make _MORE_ of it, you know.

Secret three?  Give something for free once in a while.  Don't start the
clock every time the phone rings (unless it's one of those "annoyance"
clients that calls three times a day because they refuse to read a manual) --
a two minute answer _DOES NOT_ require a "minimum billing" charge.  Bring
donuts once in a while.  Take everyone out to lunch (or DINNER if it's a good
client) occasionally.  Your clients are your friends.  Treat them that way.

A Few Examples,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA (freezing in Toronto, CA)
E-mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"The road to a friend's house is never long." -- Danish Proverb