Balancing a consulting lifestyle can be complex, between personal interests and doing triage for client services, marketing, research, writing, networking and more. How do I keep from getting overwhelmed by these demands?

Things happen, to be sure, but you have a lot of control over the circumstances in which you find yourself. You also have a lot of control over how you see the world. Bad days are inevitable; bad attitudes are optional.

Think of people you associate with. Some can find something positive to say about any situation. A lost client is an opportunity to hone the sales pitch. A project that gets off track is a chance to work on project management skills. You leave a conversation with them feeling invigorated and positive.

Then there are people who can find something negative to say about any situation, even a neutral one. The new engagement will make them too busy to take a vacation. The researcher they hired doesn't have any useful skills.You leave a conversation with these toxic people feeling drained and dreading the next encounter.

Consultants, by nature, look for flaws and, consequently, improvement opportunities in every situation. We are trained to see the downside of people and processes, but that doesn't mean we have to carry that perception over into our dealing with our colleagues. Even when you think you are being "honest" or "helpful," doing so does not help.

Tip: Commit to leave every conversation with people feeling better than when you found them, whether family, client or colleague. This applies to you and the other person or persons. Find something positive to comment on, work on or look forward to. Everyone wins.

© 2011 Institute of Management Consultants USA

I want to extend my practice to an industry in which I have no experience, but for which I think I could provide good service. I have no contacts but would like to know if cold calling is an effective way to make myself known.

Cold calling, as traditionally defined, is generally a bad strategy for consultants. The idea of getting a name off a mailing list or the lobby directory and calling unannounced is likely to result in two things. First, you annoy the person, most likely a senior manager, you are trying to dazzle with your capabilities. Second, you leave an impression that you are somewhat desperate to get work, so much so that you are trying to shortcut the effort required to build a relationship. In essence, you are trying to make withdrawals from a business relationship "bank account" before you have made any deposits.

Recognizing that you are new to the industry and do not have a ready referral network, why not try a "modified cold call," that minimizes the downside of traditional cold calling. This does require some research and, although it is a "cold" route to get to prospects, you do arrive at a prospect's door armed with something valuable to offer.

You probably know enough about the industry that it is an attractive consulting target for you. So, you probably know enough to draft a white paper on key trends in the industry and, given your understanding of the companies, you will recognize several of those companies that are leading positive trends or are in serious trouble. These may well be your prospects, if you can prepare a cogent argument of how your services can bring value to their rise or reverse their decline.

Tip: Prepare a company specific plan of action or white paper targeted at the company or subsector in which the company works. Contact (this is a "cool" call) the appropriate executive with an offer to discuss a specific action they could take to improve their lot. You may have to send the piece ahead to get the appointment, but this should be sufficiently intriguing to land you a face to face conversation about a specific action for which you could provide value. Make sure you have a testimonial/referral or two to back up your claim you can deliver this service.

© 2011 Institute of Management Consultants USA

As the economy worsens and people are laid off, won't that increase the number of people who call themselves "consultants"?

Yes, it is easy for someone who has been laid off to put up a shingle and call themselves a consultant. However, maintaining a consulting practice means continually delivering value over a long time. To become a professional consultant does require more than just the desire or happenstance of "doing a little consulting."

If you are worried about competition, then consider this a good thing. You probably work hard to develop your professional consulting skills and behaviors, including certification or achieving a national reputation in an industry or discipline. Tough economic times create opportunities as well as risks for consultants. Many consulting firms go out of business when times are tough, just as many new firms are formed.

Seek out new consultants to find out which ones will make valuable partners and which ones do not (yet) have the fully developed skills and behaviors of a professional consultant. At a minimum, look for opportunities to take on new partners and evaluating the continued value of current partners.

Tip: Rather than fear or resent new consultants, welcome new consultants into your network and professional associations to evaluate where their knowledge and skills might be useful to you and your clients. However, remember that consulting is a profession and select your colleagues from the professionals, not just those with some experience. If you know skilled individuals who you think might make excellent consultants and who are considering such a move into consulting, suggest that they join an organization like IMC to develop the consulting competencies, behaviors and ethics of a professional consultant, in effect turning an expert into a consultant.

© 2011 Institute of Management Consultants USA