The Art of Professional Consulting

When I was in college, I studied (ha!) and coded during the day to keep my classes in sync, and worked nights and weekends at a local Starbucks to keep the top ramen paid for. Working for Starbucks was a great experience that developed into a passion not only for the joy of making coffee, but for creating great customer experiences. Anyone who has ever worked at a coffee shop knows that all coffee places have regulars. In the Northwest, if you're a coffee drinker, you're pretty much a regular to at least one coffee shop. Some places you go back to for the quality of the coffee, the atmosphere (I have a place I'm a regular at because of the free wi-fi), or the service. What made that job for me was the relationships I developed with the people I worked with, as well as with customers. Sometimes a relationship with a customer would be a fleeting moment where you would crack a joke, pay them a compliment, or make sure you went out of your way to make them sincerely glad they came in.

Like any customer-facing job, sometimes there would be people who were downright nasty. Sometimes there were even regulars who were downright nasty every visit, but it made it that much more rewarding when you could finally break through their shell and get a smile or a laugh. Recent months have granted me several opportunities to leave the mothership in Portland to go out and provide professional on-site training and technical consulting for a few clients. Each time I finish an engagement, I think about what successes we had from the sessions, what things didn't go so well, and what I can do to prepare myself better for the next time I head out. Like anything in life, with enough practice and experience, I will get better. I feel compelled to blog about it in order to compare what I learn in the short-term versus six to twelve months from now, as well as get some different perspectives from other colleagues in the industry who do professional consulting.

The first rule of Fight Club is to know your product. You are there for consulting around either a particular product or a range of services you have expertise in. The more you know about your craft, the easier it's going to be to adapt to tricky situations or setbacks when they come up.

Learn to adapt. Some clients are going to need more help than others. Learning to quickly identify what areas you can contribute to that will provide the most benefit is a major key to success. Ask plenty of questions, learn about their environment and their problem statement in detail, and do your best to put yourself in their shoes. While you're there, you're on their team, so tackle problems as a team. If you're not sure where to start, ask the client what they most want to get out of your time with them, and prioritize accordingly.

Always keep a positive attitude. Being a friendly, engaging person goes a long way, as your attitude will help shape that persons opinion of you. Proving quickly that you are a knowledgeable, friendly and up-beat person will pave the ground for the clients' trust, and will you give you padding if and when the unexpected happens. Group settings can be particularly challenging to gain trust, as you have limited time with individuals. When individuals in a group ask a question, acknowledge the pertinence of their question, why it was a good question to ask (they almost always are), and what you can do to help. Remember that is the reason you are there. Back when I worked in the corporate scene and we would bring in consultants, I would have this idea that they were there to tell me what to do. I try to convey that I am there to offer options, and ultimately the client makes the decision. Once a decision is made, I then help in any way possible.

Remember everyone's name. It must be a subconscious thing, but there's something about when someone you've just met uses your name in a casual conversation with you. "Thanks, Tim. I think we made a lot of progress today. Same time tomorrow?" I can't explain why, but people like that. You should find out what else they like also, but that's a good place to start.

Have a sense of humor. Nothing lightens up the mood of a long day like a light-hearted joke in context with what you're working on. But remember to keep it clean, and not excessive. Pretend you are the best man giving a toast at a wedding reception. You want to be a little bit funny, but you really want the crowd to be listening to what you have to say.

Keep an open mind. You don't always have to be right. The client knows their business needs better than you do, and if they are insistent on doing things a certain way, then adapt. If you are certain they are on a path of self-destruction, as long as you've vocally identified the risks, you've done all you can.

Don't get discouraged. Something will probably go wrong at some point, and it might not even be your fault. You could have never seen it coming or had no way to prepare for it. Address the issue, but keep going, and stay positive. If you're stuck, ask if you can come back to it later, but address that you know it is a priority.

Utilize your resources. If you don't know the answer to something, you're asked something that is out of your expertise, don't be afraid to use your resources. Just make sure you have thought about what your support system is in case something goes wrong and you need some help. People are generally understanding in sticky situations. After all, if you had all the answers, you'd be building rockets or something equally as difficult.

There are many other items to consider before a consulting engagement, but these are the biggest one's I keep as a mantra in my mind. I have a lot of room for growth in the consulting space, but it's a truly enjoyable activity to participate in. You get to meet new people, see new places, and work on new exciting projects.