As an independent consultant or small consultancy firm, your advantages over your competitors lie in your specialist offerings and your versatility in responding to client needs. However, your success is determined by how you market your skills, how you identify potential opportunities and how successfully you meet client expectations.
Outlined below are the different areas in which I can support you to achieve this.
Secretarial Support
Verbal and written communication are fundamental to how your business is perceived. Efficient use of your time, and how you follow through your goals, are crucial to your success. By keeping an overview of your requirements, I can assist as follows:
- Diary management and organisation of travel
- Inbox management
- Preparation of proposals, correspondence and presentations
- Editing and proof-reading of all documents
- Organisation and minuting of meetings; following through of subsequent actions
- Liaison with clients and contacts as required
Administrative Support
In order that your business runs efficiently, you require systems in place that are up-to-date, accurate and support your needs. You require a clear overview of your income and expenditure, and you require clear understanding of your co-workers’ activity. I can provide support as follows:
- Database management
- Recording of all expenses
- Raising of invoices and chasing where required
- Ensuring that all filing systems are properly organised and up-to-date
- Tracking subcontractors’ hours and ongoing availability
- Updating project-management systems
Marketing Support
Marketing activity can often be overlooked as non-urgent, but is crucial to the survival and growth of your business. Outlined below are ways in which I can assist in ensuring that your profile is raised and future contracts are more likely to be secured:
- Identifying and scheduling relevant networking and business events
- Background research for Thought Leadership, articles and sales materials
- Managing and updating website
- Managing social media content and identifying where comments/discussions on different platforms may be of relevance
- Coordination of sales pipeline: recording updates and monitoring the follow-up of ensuing actions
Project Management Support
The smooth-running and successful outcome of any assignment is crucial to your reputation and future work. I can assist in the coordination of projects as follows:
- Ensuring relevant contracts are in place
- Monitoring of progress and deadlines: reporting of any issues identified
- Organisation and minuting of project meetings
- Assistance in sourcing potential sub-contractors/staff to meet current or future project requirements
- Production of documents where required
- Assistance in writing of case-studies
