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The Virtual Consulting Discussion List [VCDL]
http://www.TheVCF.com/vcdl.phtml
April 21, 2003 Digest #2
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List Moderator: Michael S.DeVries DeVries@cris.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ...
[NEW] <<<
#1 Where / how to find good Virtual Consulting
Clients / Engagements
- Michael S. DeVries
#2 What are your favorite / the best Virtual
Consulting Tools?
- Michael S. DeVries
[CONTINUED] <<<
[NEWS] <<<
[INTRO] <<<
#3 Marion Gropen
[HELP WANTED] <<<
[ADMIN] <<<
************* [NEW] ***************
#1 Where / how to find good Virtual Consulting
Clients / Engagements?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries <DeVr-@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, April 21, 2003
Given the IMHO less than optimal current state
of the economy ...
And that I doubt any of us has / can have too
much business (do you?)
...
Let's share our thoughts, experiences, ideas
and best practices
regarding ...
Where / how do you find good Virtual Consulting
Clients / Engagements?
Do you get most of your Virtual Consulting Clients
/ Engagements from:
* Referrals from other Consultants?
* Referrals from previous (satisfied) Clients?
* From your Web Site(s)?
* From Consulting Firms?
* From Job / Freelancing "Boards"?
* From Recruiters / Headhunters?
Where / how else?
Let's help each other out in these "less
than optimal economic times"!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
-----------------------------------------------------------
#2 What are your favorite / the best Virtual Consulting
Tools?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries <DeVr-@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, April 21, 2003
Fellow Virtual Consultants,
What are your favorite / the best Virtual Consulting
Tools?
More specifically, what kinds and/or specific
pieces of software (and
hardware?) do you use / would you recommend that
help you provide
faster, better, higher quality Virtual Consulting
products and services?
Please let us know which tools you use and/or
recommend and why?
Also, please share with us and tips and tricks
as to how to best utilize
and benefit from the tools you use and/or recommend.
Please clearly indicate if you are in any way
affiliated with and/or
have a "vested interest" in any of the
tools, products and/or web sites
you are recommending - it's only fair and honest
that way, ok?
Please also share any knowledge / information
you may have regarding
whether the tool / product vendor offers any special
discounts / deals,
e.g. reseller agreements, for consultants who
recommend and/or sell
these products to their clients for their use.
Hopefully this will help all of use find the
best tools for our
engagements and clients!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
************* [INTRO] ***************
#3 Marion Gropen
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: marion.-@gropenassoc.com
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 14:36:19 -0400
Hello all,
I'm Marion Gropen, and my company is Gropen Associates,
Inc. I provide
small bits of information to small publishers
of books. The topics
covered include accounting, financial management,
personnel management,
operations and negotiations, among others.
I am a virtual consultant because that is the
only way to deliver
consulting services within the budget of the small
or micro publisher.
They can afford a few hundred dollars, but even
if the value for money
is good, they just don't have thousands. My marketing
and delivery
strategies have to be exceptionally cost-efficient.
I am hoping to find strategies for reaching my
core audience, for
establishing myself as a known expert, and for
increasing the size of
my customer base. You will have noticed that marketing
and sales are
**not** part of my area of expertise!
Here's what I'm doing so far. Suggestions will
be gratefully accepted.
In order to establish Gropen Associates as a
source of answers, I have
joined the 5 biggest list-servs covering publishing
topics, and respond
to questions within my area. I moderate one of
the largest listservs.
I have a web site which includes a large amount
of free resources that
publishers will need, such as an extensive directory
of free-lance
professional designers, proofreaders, etc. Each
page contains at least
a short explanation of what I do, and an invitation
to contact me for an
estimate.
I am beginning to provide other, non-competing
consultants with
articles for their newsletters to the industry,
on topics that I know
most small publishers need help with, and each
will include a short
blurb at the end about my services.
I have extended a discount offer to the members
of one of the bigger
associations of small publishers. This offer will
be used in their
recruiting drives.
I am tweaking my metatags, to optimize search
engine placement. I also
get a fair number of reciprocal links from the
sites of those
professionals to whose sites I link. (The number
is something close to
100 at the moment.)
I use the stats package provided by my web host
to help me figure out
what will keep visitors in my site longer, and
what causes increased
interest in the contact info, and details of my
services.
Okay folks, that's what I'm doing. What are you
doing, and what works
best? Am I missing any good bets?
Marion Gropen
Gropen Associates, Inc.
financial, accounting and management advice for
small publishers on a
question by question basis
http://www.GropenAssoc.com/
or phone (888) 3GROPEN
[Moderator Comment -
Welcome to The Virtual Consulting Discussion List,
Marion! :)
Ok ... Who's next?]
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