I'm a first time contractor and have been at it for two years now, working for a friend's services company. There are four partners with the other four of us 1099 contractors. Within the last year they have been asking me to work from the office more which is fine, but there are times when there is nothing for me to bill my time towards so I spending 8 hrs at my desk but I'm only able to bill 4 of it to a client which is unsettling. Adding to my frustration is that I have not received a raise either. Should I be expecting one since I'm 1099?

When putting together an approach for addressing a client's needs for your consulting services or when comparing the pros and cons of different solutions, there are several questions that you should consider when it comes to design feasibility. The following are an example of the minimum questions you need to pose to ensure a successful solution design.

Following the engagement kickoff, you move into perform mode and provide the services you have promised. Naturally, the nature of what you do will vary with each engagement. The following are a few brief suggestions for carrying out successful engagements.

A hot-air balloonist had drifted off course. He saw a man on the ground and yelled, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"

"Yes," the guy said. "You're in a balloon."

In yesterday's post, I described the first phase of a consulting process model I was familiar with. Again, this model isn't unique and shares many core ideas that you'll find with other models. However, I believe it can be instrumental in one's growth as a consultant to read about what other people have found successful. With that in mind, here's the second and final phase of the consulting process model.

During the course of consulting project, you will likely have to give bad news to your client. This is never an easy task, but it's one that should be executed with care. These are some suggestion how to be the bearer of bad news.

I was recently going through some slides from presentation on consulting and came across three definitions for consulting all of which take a different perspective. Which of these three sound the most accurate to you?

Yesterday, I wrote about customer influencer roles and described the various roles that people involved with your project may play. Today, I'm offering up a discussion about the personal motivations that each of these roles might have. Understanding a persons' underlying motivations can help direct your efforts when constructing a consulting proposal.

As consultant, you'll want to make sure you deliver something of value in exchange for the fee you charge. This deliverable can be one or more of the following.

Giving a good presentation isn't easy despite appearances. They require preparations beyond just pulling together a bunch of slides. Here are some ideas to help you succeed with your next presentation.

Technologists have to be careful not to become pigeonholed. What do I mean by that? Well, after 10 years of Java development, you're going to have a very hard time convincing anyone that you can do anything else. This is not good for your career.

Whether you're a consultant in the traditional sense of the word or are simply in the role where your opinion is sought after, there are three skills, according to Peter Block of Flawless Consulting fame, that you need to have to be successful.

Presentations are one of the main ways that your ideas as a consultant will be communicated to your team and client. As such, it is important to develop the skills to assemble a good presentation and then to deliver it effectively.

Employees often wonder about going out on their own. Part of this desire comes from the grass is greener on the other side of the fence syndrome, but part of it also comes from a true desire to be independent. Not to long ago I read about a business analyst that wanted to become a consultant. He was bright and he carefully considered his approach before making any moves. Here's his story as I remember it. Note that this isn't intended to be a guide for becoming an IT consultant, but rather an example of the kind of thinking you should do.

A good report is not a mass of data. Rather, it is a clear and concise presentation of insightful information. The quality of a report is a direct reflection of the quality of thinking that goes in to it. The following is a high-level overview of what goes in to creating a consulting report.

At the beginning stages of a consulting engagement, there are ample opportunities to make mistakes. Unfortunately, mistakes at such an early stage in a project can often become magnified later in the process and can lead to disastrous results. Here's a list from Brown & Kirkwood to watch out for.

Some very dedicated and smart software developers have created WordPress, a blog publishing tool. This software is at least as good and in many cases better than the commercial solutions out there. Written using PHP and architected to allow for customizations as needed, there really is no limit to what can be done with WordPress. Other content creators have noticed this extensibility and there are libraries of plug-ins, themes, and how-to articles. A simple search in your favorite search engine will direct you to the most popular of these libraries.

A shepherd was herding his flock in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the shepherd, "If I tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?"

In order to discuss liability that may arise under a consulting contract, you need to first understand two key terms.

Back in my independent consultant days I remember reading the following article by Janet Rhul. The message board she posted it on is no longer active, so hopefully she won't mind me reproducing it here.

Perhaps even more important than being able to ask the right questions, is being a good listener. This area is often neglected because few people think that there is skill in listening. It is assumed that if I hear what you say that I'm also listening to what you say. This, of course, is a bad assumption. Here are comments about listening that might help you improve your abilities in this often neglected area.

Flawless Consulting by Peter Block suggests that following a prescribed 5 phases approach to consulting can help you succeed in your endeavors. Here's a summary of the different phases with my spin on how they relate to IT engagements. Of course if you end up agreeing with these, you should really consider buying the book.

To market your consulting approach and proposal effectively it's useful to identify the roles people may be playing, recognize their typical needs, and be prepared to demonstrate that your proposed solutions have something for everyone. Here are some common characterizations of the influencing roles you may encounter with clients.

Welcome to the Information Technology (IT) Consulting Guide. Hopefully you're a consultant in the information technology industry. The alternative is that some search engine has brought you here after you've searched for something I've written about. Either way, I welcome you.

It's important to recognize that trust and rapport in a consulting relationship, like any other type of relations, takes time to develop. Consider that most relationships develop in the following way.

There's certainly no end to the number of models you can use to approach consulting engagements. At the heart of all of them is a shared core that has been shown to be successful time and time again. As a starting point, I'm going to describe a model put forth in a consulting skills presentation.

Risk is inherent in all IT consulting projects. There are usually so many players and so many variables that something can and often does goes wrong. That's why it is important to examine the potential risks and determine how to deal with them if they actually do come to fruition.

Asking questions is integral to all consulting jobs. Very, very rarely will the situation you're in be so simplistic or so well-defined that you won't need to ask questions. The following are some practical client interviewing tips which should help you achieve the best results.