by Craig Pickering

Created on: April 15, 2009

To succeed as a consultant you need to first look at your own business. Being self-employed your survival lies in your ability to find work, which involves promoting your skills amongst your peers and your network.

Centres of influence are also essential to your business. A centre of influence is someone in authority or who is well respected in their field, who recommends you to others. Their influence is such that when they recommend you, you instantly have credibility.

Others call these, referrers, and they are, but the key is to convert a referrer into a centre of influence. Choose these people wisely and treat them with great respect, as your reputation (and theirs) is on the line.

In order to accomplish these tasks, and to be successful as a consultant, there are certain personal qualities that are considered essential.

- Objectivity -

A consultant is required to establish trust and rapport with people at all levels of an organisation. This involves listening without prejudice, and not judging until you have all the necessary information.

Objectivity is crucial to any consultant. It allows you to view the situation from a helicopter point of view, and demands that you listen to both sides of every argument and idea presented to you.

If you are to walk into a business and quickly assess where the issues are, then objectivity is essential.

- Selling Skills -

To be a successful salesperson, there are a set of skills that you require. Some of these skills are also required by a consultant, and include; being able to quickly establish rapport, the ability to listen, to empathise, and to quickly develop trust.

If you cannot talk to everyone in an organisation, or if you are uncomfortable in meeting new people, or if you talk and do not listen then you will fail as a consultant.

- People Skills -

This is the ability to interact with people in a respectful, relaxed manner.

The key word here is respect. Many intelligent people lack people skills, and hence do not know when to be tactful, when to just stop talking and listen, when to voice their ideas and when not to.

Put simply, people skills encompasses the ability to interact with others in a manner that makes them feel comfortable and secure, and where they know their opinions and ideas are important.

Without people skills, you cannot be a leader and as a consultant you need to lead.

- Leadership -

The qualities of leadership you require as a consultant are: * Assertiveness * Knowledge * Experience * Empathy

Assertiveness is not being dictatorial. Assertiveness is the ability to vocalise your thoughts and ideas in a confident and commanding manner. If you cannot do this, then others are unlikely to believe what you say.

Knowledge and experience are intertwined. You first need knowledge to acquire experience, and experience in itself brings knowledge.

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the other person's shoes. To see an issue from all angles and viewpoints is necessary in order to develop and implement key strategies. If you do not exhibit empathy, and take into account the needs, fears and expectations of all staff then they will not implement the necessary changes you have recommended.

- Summary -

In essence, the key attributes required by a consultant are objectivity and the ability to be aware of all the issues facing each stakeholder in the business.

To be successful in this, a consultant requires sales skills, people skills, leadership qualities and the ability to articulate all of these skills assertively.

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