Customer Reviews

Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants: Breakthrough Tactics for Winning Profitable Clients

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Consulting is considered one of the most profitable professions, and is one of the last to remain unregulated. As a result, it attracts a variety of firms and people who often exaggerate their capabilities in an effort to gain attention and attract business. Authors Jay Conrad Levinson and Michael W. McLaughlin succumb to the same problem as consultants who promise their clients too much. The "breakthrough tactics" they advertise on the book's front cover never quite materialize and the promise deflates the sound advice they do provide. The first two-thirds of the book addresses "guerrilla marketing," a term used to sell other books, but not particularly apt for the familiar tactics here. However, the authors provide a good rundown on some solid, well-accepted components of marketing, such as public relations, advertising, surveys, books, speeches, Web sites and 'pro bono' work. They teach good management, which can transform and re-energize these tactics. Things pick up a little in the final third of the book as the authors discuss sales techniques, including pricing, dealing with competition and preparing a proposal. We suggest this useful (if not warrior-like) book to beginning marketers and consultants, and to the owners of small consulting firms.

If you buy this book expecting to learn about some startling new idea or theory, you are going to be disappointed. But what you will get are literally hundreds of practical, useable tips for professional services marketing. As a consultant, what I like about this book is that it gives me, all in one place, a reference manual that covers the whole spectrum of marketing and selling. This is one of those books that I expect will end up all dog-eared, filled with hand-scrawled reminders, and stuffed with post-it notes and page markers. I especially liked the chapter on pricing services -- that chapter should be read by every professional before they submit any proposal for work. It's the kind of practical advice that can save you a boatload of money.

My only gripe is that the title is really not accurate. This isn't just "guerilla" marketing -- it's really covers a much broader set of marketing and selling topics.

Well worth the investment.

When I got into the business of consulting, everyone I knew thought that business would just roll in, but that is just so not true! It's the de-facto bible for anyone in consulting who needs to market themselves. Easy to use, quick to read, lots of things you can apply immediately.

Guidelines for consultants and professional service providers. The book offers marketing strategy and tactics for getting clients as well as for selling your services and creating profitable relationships once you've been hired. Chapters cover: thirteen guerrilla marketing secrets; a marketing plan and road map; creating a client-centered web presence; free publicity; when it pays to advertise; five steps to a winning speech; publishing articles and books; proposal writing; project pricing; after-sales marketing. Provides lots of highlights and checklists. Gobs of great advice. Consultants will find a lot of nuggests in this book. Highly recommended.

If you provide any type of consulting service then you need this book. There are lots of books that give you lots of ideas, but every once in a while a book comes along that will make a difference. This is one of those books; it will make a difference in your consulting business. It is a very powerful business book, but it is also very easy to read. When you start to read it, have a pencil and paper handy since you will take lots of notes. If you don't read this book then you better hope that your competitors don't read it either!

When I read the back cover comment from Seth Godin, I was intrigued because I am a person who will tell someone how to build a watch when they ask me what time it is. Still, I questioned whether a self-employed private investigator could really employ methods developed for professional consultants. I found that I can, because I face the same challenges that any other business owner faces: sluggish or erratic growth; fierce competition; newcomers who are willing to undercut rates to astonishing levels; and clients who are in turn open to marketing or completely fed up with being targeted. The techniques put forth in this book are helping me to develop a unique approach that I am confident will, at the very least, win me an initial interview with a prospective client because I will not be seen as the "same old same old."

A book like this would have saved me a lot of time and money if I had it 10 years ago, when I started consulting. I'm recommending it to others in my firm. Even though I've been doing this for a while, I still learned a lot mysef - stuff that not just will help my firm as a whole, but help me be more successful as an individual consultant.

If you're a consultant/business owner, you need this book. Real life examples of how to market your company,make it more professional, and to make yourself feel more established in your field. Along with "Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits...", written in 1998, you will get into the proper mindset for self-promotion. Be brutally honest, put in some brainstorming hours and commit yourself to succeed. I will refer to both these books yearly to refresh my marketing campaign. (Written in 2005, the Internet and email marketing methods here are more contemporary than in the 1998 Guerrilla book).
I also bought a couple of proposal-writing books when I purchased this book, and wish I hadn't. The proposal-writing axioms in this book were more inline with the attitude of guerrilla marketing; after all, proposals are another way to solidify your company's identity. The other books' proposals were very stuffy.

This book is right on target for consultants who want to push their practices up to the next level without spending big bucks.

There a lot of consultants in the marketplace today, and clients can afford to be very choosy. Although not directed only at those of us selling technology services, the book gives advice that is immediately helpful for breaking through the clutter of wannabees and standing out as the firm of choice for your clients. It would be just as helpful no matter what kind of services you sell.

Now people who sell their consulting services can benefit from the well-known, successful tactics of the Guerrilla Marketing series.

This book provides practical, specific guidance for all consultants, whether they're in big firms or launching their own small practices. If you want to know how to get profitable clients and truly build your business rather than drift from project to project, this is the book to get you started.

The value it delivers is immediate, so keep a pen handy when you read it - you're going to want to start a to-do list for your consulting practice.

Anyone who earns a living as a consultant - or wants to - will be well served by reading this book.