Getting Started in Consulting by Alan Weiss Summary

Getting Started in Consulting by Alan Weiss is a practical guide for launching a successful consulting business. It covers niche selection, pricing strategies, client acquisition, and operational efficiency, emphasizing low overhead and high-value service delivery. Key themes include building a six-figure income from a home office, crafting persuasive proposals, and leveraging ethical practices for long-term growth.

Aspiring consultants, career changers, and solo entrepreneurs seeking actionable advice on starting a consultancy will benefit most. The book is ideal for professionals in fields like management, HR, or finance looking to monetize expertise. It’s also valuable for existing consultants aiming to refine their pricing, branding, or client retention strategies.

Yes, it’s a must-read for its no-nonsense approach and real-world frameworks. Weiss combines 40+ years of experience, offering tools for writing proposals, setting fees, and avoiding common pitfalls. The book’s focus on immediate cash flow and scalable systems makes it a standout resource.

Alan Weiss founded Summit Consulting Group in 1985, earning $3M annually advising firms like Merck, GE, and Toyota. He’s authored 60+ books, including Million Dollar Consulting, and teaches advanced consulting at the University of Rhode Island. His methodology has shaped thousands of consultancies worldwide.

Weiss advises identifying underserved markets where your expertise intersects with client pain points. Examples include compliance training for healthcare or AI adoption for SMEs. He stresses specificity: “Become indispensable in a narrow vertical before expanding”.

The book advocates value-based pricing over hourly rates. Charge based on client ROI, such as 10-20% of a project’s estimated financial impact. For a $500K cost-saving initiative, propose a $50K fee. Weiss also recommends retainer models for recurring advisory roles.

Top pitfalls include underpricing, vague niches, and overinvesting in infrastructure. Weiss highlights a case where a consultant lost $20K by renting premium office space prematurely. The solution? Start lean, reinvest profits, and scale only with proven demand.

Ethics are central to building trust and referrals. The book advises transparent contracts, confidentiality safeguards, and avoiding conflicts of interest. Weiss shares an example where rejecting a lucrative but misaligned project led to three referral-based clients.

Getting Started focuses on launch fundamentals, while Million Dollar Consulting targets scaling established firms. The former details business registration and initial marketing; the latter explores team hiring and global expansion. Both emphasize value-based pricing and niche dominance.

Some reviewers note the book underestimates digital marketing’s role in modern client acquisition. While Weiss prioritizes referrals and speaking engagements, readers suggest supplementing with SEO and LinkedIn outreach. The 2000s-era case studies also lack AI-driven market analysis examples.

The core principles remain valid, but readers should adapt advice to remote work trends and AI tools. Weiss’s emphasis on lean operations aligns with hybrid consultancy models. Updated tactics might include virtual workshops and AI-enhanced proposal drafting, building on his timeless value-creation framework.

Yes, it provides a six-month roadmap for corporate employees, including financial runway planning (save 6-12 months’ expenses) and skill repositioning. A case study features an HR manager who tripled her income by branding as a “hybrid workforce compliance specialist” using Weiss’s templates.