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A consultant is worth their fee if...
There appear to be two choices in the world of consulting. The most common is the specialist with a highly developed and narrow field of expertise, the brilliant practitioner. The second is to be a facilitator of expertise, building a broad repository of experience and knowledge through a team of experts and combining that with a growing a group of clients who wish to procure those services from time to time. The brilliant business leader. Essentially the first is usually one or two experts who sell their services for a handsome fee which would be above what they could earn as employees. The second is the business building model seeking to fill a niche market with commercial fees, multiple resources and market presence. Both are welcome in our market of professional services for the not-for-profit sector, in fact more of both are needed to fill the chasm on unmet societal needs. In 16 years as a consultant I have found that it takes more than expertise to be a good consultant. A consultant is worth their fee if: • they can apply their expertise to multiple situations, causes or campaigns; • they have a broad range of experience to call upon which can then be applied in innovative ways to stretch their client’s program to the next level, not simply replicating what someone else has done; • they have an inquiring mind with which they identify potential, opportunities and obstacles, then determine the most appropriate solution that their client CAN implement and CAN fund; • they consult – firstly listening, secondly understanding their client’s brief, priorities and limitations, thirdly providing concise and clear options, precedent, direction and counsel; • They lead – a consultant is hired because they are confident, knowledgeable and experienced. They know the answer, they have a track record of success and colleagues respect their counsel. At my consultancy, Xponential Fundraising, we specialise in income development for not-for-profit organisations. We work in New Zealand, Australia and more recently in UK. Our consultants are trained, empowered and released to help make their clients achieve their dreams. Craige Gravestein xponential.co.nz
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