You've said before in the Daily Tips that doing pro bono work is a great way to develop business. I just don't see how, given that volunteering time is time I can't bill. Please explain again why this is not a money loser.

You are absolutely correct that replacing a paid day with an unpaid day is a money losing proposition - when considered on a cash basis. However, there are two things about this assumption that make false the conclusion that pro bono work is a bad idea.

First, we don't bill 100% of our time. We do spend time for which we are not being directly paid in activities like administration, research, conferences and other professional development, networking and calling on prospects. These all pay off down the line - some soon and others much later - but we do them because we see the connection. We are accruing assets that will produce income later. So, to say that every unbilled hour we could be billed is unlikely (but good work if you can get it).

Second, the nature of pro bono work differs than paid consulting. Your attitude and your relationship with the "client" are different. They see your commitment is to the cause and that you place service before fees. The people for whom you are providing services look at you differently and so do your colleagues. I am far more likely to ask a consultant to join a team if I see they are willing to donate their time and skills to a cause than if they are only interested in chasing paid work. Few may express this out loud but commitment to community is a reliable mark of a true professional consultant.

Tip: Contribute some of your time (it can be as little as a few hours a month) to serve your community in some way that leverages your consulting discipline or industry expertise. It extends your skills, introduces you to a new group of individuals, builds your community, and places you (legitimately) favorably in the eyes of your professional colleagues.

P.S. Aside from the honor of contributing your skills to your community, serving competently leads to requests for paid consulting services. Done right, you can replace much of your marketing time with pro bono time and get the same book of business and improve your community at the same time.

© 2010 Institute of Management Consultants USA

Many of my engagements involve interviews of staff, customers and suppliers. These take a long time to compile and analyze. Are there any shortcuts that other consultants use?

Interviews are a logical part of organizational diagnostics, but reduction in the level of effort in just the beginning of possible improvements. Treat this activity like any formal research project, to include a research plan with explicit objectives, clear data collection, compilation and documentation processes and a formal evaluation.

Of the many ways to improve the process to streamline the interview process, here are two tips. First, standardize the interview process with a script instead of just "having a conversation" with the interviewees. Select specific questions and areas of investigation you want and review the draft script with your sponsor. This will make the time you spend in the interviews more efficient by staying on topic.

Second, use a data collection form tied to the script to make compilation and evaluation more efficient. For example, you might include a grid for interviewee estimates of future sales or resource requirements. This will help assure that your interview does not end with important data missing and will speed up compiling of responses.

Tip: Interviews are more than just conversations. Make the process efficient with a deliberate research and data collection plan and save yourself the time you seek.

© 2010 Institute of Management Consultants USA