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1. #26267 A form for recording/submitting to clients additional charges, required by client-requested changes in the scope of a consulting project. GotoMedia (2004). Resources>Consulting 2. #26208 Academic Training for Independent Contractors and Consultants We need academic, along with, professional training, defining 'academic training' as conceptual and theoretical, future-oriented and speculative. Farkas, David K. STC Orange County (1998). Presentations>Education>Consulting 3. #19564 The Art of Selling: Your Sales Techniques Must Fit the Product and the Times A successful marketing representative shares her secrets on proven ways to sell writing consulting services. Olive, Jo-Anne. Writer's Block (1996). Careers>Consulting>Marketing 4. #14409 Association of Professional Communication Consultants APCC is a professional community where communication consultants: increase their knowledge; grow their businesses; achieve high standards of professional practice. APCC's mission is to support members as they help clients reach goals through better communication. 5. #29739 Avoiding Client/Contractor Nightmares: Best Practices for Contractor Management You've secured the budget to produce some badly needed, high visibility deliverables. Part of that budget includes funding for contractors. To help manage and guide the communications between your contractors, your staff, and your management, you want to use your company's best practices. The best practices of the contractor or provider firm you employ should closely match your own company's best practices. Beginning on the "same page" will eliminate headaches and expenses during the lifecycle of the project. A quick comparison of practices and procedures enables you to proceed with the project confident that you are using competent outside resources. Michaels, Sherry, Maggie Haenel, Ann Backhaus. STC Proceedings (2004). Careers>Project Management>Consulting 6. #20267 Avoiding the Pitfalls of Independent Contracting With the decline of employer loyalty to employees and the move to outsource peripheral functions, many technical communicators are exploring the possibility of becoming an independent contractor. Although much emphasis has been given to marketing and negotiation skills, there are pitfalls awaiting the entrepreneur who leaps before looking. Among these pitfalls for former corporate employees are structuring time and dealing with isolation. Success as an independent is measured by how well he/she deals with these intangible issues. Smith, Gem. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Consulting>Contracts 7. #19550 Becoming Your Own Corporation: Boon or Bust? Writers today are being advised to stop thinking in terms of building a life-long career with one employer, and instead view themselves as a one-person corporation offering specialized services to whomever is willing to pay the highest price. Zvalo, Peter. Writer's Block (2000). Careers>Freelance>Consulting 8. #19556 How to tell your client the truth even when a project isn't working out as planned. Holland, Anton. Writer's Block (1995). Careers>Freelance>Consulting 9. #23986 It takes research, humility, and skill to truly understand your customers well enough to serve them better than your competitors. Cooper, Alan. Cooper Interaction Design (2002). Design>Web Design>Consulting>User Centered Design 10. #26266 A spreadsheet to calculate consulting/design costs. GotoMedia (2004). Resources>Consulting 11. #13574 The Business of Writing: How Do I Set My Rates? Do you know how much what you do is worth? Very likely a lot more than you think. But how do you figure out how much to charge for a given job? Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2001). Careers>Consulting>Pricing 12. #13229 Cheaper Over Better: Why Web Clients Settle for Less Schumacher explains why clients hire bad web designers (and what good web designers can do about it). Schumacher, Adam. List Apart, A (2000). Design>Web Design>Consulting 13. #13230 The Client Did It: A WWW Whodunit Why is it that we allow ourselves to be put in a compromising position where the client tells us how to be web designers? Maybe it's because the perception among the wider public is that 'anyone' can make a website. And they're right. Anyone can make a website--but not everyone can make an emotionally engaging interactive experience that will live in the visitor's memory. (Similarly, anyone with access to a photocopier and a stapler can 'make a book,' but good books are scarce.) Shepherd, Robbie. List Apart, A (2000). Careers>Consulting>Web Design 14. #26263 Client input is the foundation upon which successful web sites are built. This survey will help you articulate and identify the overall goals of your site redesign, including specific questions regarding message, audience, content, look and feel, and functionality. 15. #20090 This panel brings together three consultants to discuss the link between the client and consultant. Their individual papers provide the background; 'Create Your Consultant Image,' 'SmartStart Guides,' and 'Managing Client Relationships.' Woods, Joyce F., Nancee E. Master and Karen Steele. STC Proceedings (1997). Careers>Consulting>Communication 16. #27086 Client-Friendly Atmosphere: The Polish and The Lubricants During the last few years in projects, I interacted with a lot of clients. All these projects were based offshore, where client interaction was mainly through emails or teleconferences. When you do not work face-to-face with clients, communication is key to win your clients' confidence. Nafde, Yamini. Indus (2006). Careers>Consulting>Collaboration 17. #13184 Consulting and Independent Contracting The Consulting and Independent Contracting progression will focus on both beginning and advanced topics relating to independent work. Independent work requires attention to two main areas: maintaining professional standards and practices; and building a successful contracting or consulting business. As the role of contractors and consultants continues to evolve practitioners face issues articulated in the topics below. Individual topics addressed are: choosing between contracting and consulting, marketing a business, and addressing legal issues. For those already established we look at ways to expand the consultant’s personal resource network and issues of incorporation as a growth alternative. Barker, Thomas. STC Proceedings (2001). Careers>Freelance>Consulting 18. #14602 Consulting: Keeping Up in a Down Economy Barker explains how consultants can prepare for survival and long-term growth in the technical communication business, even in the midst of an economic downturn. Barker, Thomas. Intercom (2003). Careers>Consulting 19. #24706 Consultants, like Life Savers®, come in flavors. Some are sweet and cloying, some area little too tart, some are bitter, some are too hot and spicy, and some like baby bear’s porridge taste just right. Clients may put up with the flavor of the month, but will he or she recommend or select it the next time around. Since referrals and repeat business are the life-blood of consulting, maintaining an excellent working relationship with a client is critical. Learning how to work with a client is the key to consulting with panache and knowing the rules helps open the door. Burrer, Donna J., Faye Lepp and Curtis C. Stokes. STC Proceedings (1994). Careers>Consulting 20. #19871 In the 90’s, contingency staffing (also called temporary staffing) has become a way of life for businesses that have had to streamline operations and reduce fixed costs in order to compete. Consequently, contract employment and independent contracting have become a way of life for many technical communicators who can’t — or prefer not to — find a full-time job. Cheirrett, Peg A. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>Freelance>Consulting 21. #30312 Contracting as a Career Alternative The technical contracting industry provides a unique career opportunity for experienced professionals in most technical communications disciplines. It also provides a possible alternative to unemployment in view of the continuing 'down-sizing' and restructuring activity going on in today's marketplace. Randolph, Brett W.F. Boston Broadside (1991). Careers>Consulting>Freelance 22. #13527 Contracting Versus Consulting: Making an Informed, Conscious Decision As independent or freelance technical communicators, we typically call ourselves contractors. Our clients and potential clients, however, might consider some of us contractors and others consultants, with different expectations applied to each. The differences in perception vary from one individual to the next, but you might generalize them as differences in the level of abstraction of the technical communication product with which each type of worker is engaged. Ames, Andrea L. Technical Communication Online (2002). Careers>Consulting 23. #19872 Contracts that Don’t Bite: Contracting for Technical Writing Services in the Real World The presenters examine all aspects of contracting from the viewpoint of both the contractor and the employer/client. The focus will be on the contract itself which provides a clear starting point for maneuvering through the critical issues, including what constitutes a legal contract and topics a contract should cover. The ensuing discussion will cover the different ways that writers work and are paid, managing the inevitable changes to a project, and a closer look at the pros and cons of working on an hourly or term contract compared to fixed price contracts, or contracts with an upset limit. Forsyth, Diane and Duncan A. Kent. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>Freelance>Consulting 24. #19120 Convincing Clients to Pay for Usability Professionally run design agencies user test their designs to increase the value they deliver to their clients. The challenge is getting clients to understand the benefits of a solid development methodology. Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2003). Articles>Usability>Consulting 25. #20091 Managing relationships with a client is an important part of the business cycle, ensuring successful projects and setting the stage for additional business.
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