that part of the proposal that the buyer signs indicating agreement with all details, terms, and provisions included. An acceptance can also be oral, or can be in the form of a payment when you've indicated that a payment will indicate acceptance of the terms.

a brief (one page or less) description of the consultant's accomplishments, credentials, and credible background. Note: This is not a resume.

a bound booklet that describes your firm's services, client results, and approaches; provides testimonials; and contains other relevant information for a prospective buyer. You are better off with no brochure than a cheap foldout version. Wait until you can afford a decent one of four to a dozen pages.

that person who can write a check (expend budget without further approvals) for the consultant's products and services; also called economic buyer or true buyer.

traditional corporate configuration, which I believe now offers fewer advantages than an S corporation, though either is appropriate for a consulting practice.

that status that confers upon celebrity you a credibility and competence that is spoken about by others and readily accepted without further proof or validation by those who do not know you.

an organization or individual that engages the consultant to achieve certain results in return for agreed-upon compensation.

producing print or recorded material through a third party, which pays you a royalty for the intellectual property but controls all production and distribution (as opposed to self-publishing).

the oral agreement with the buyer that the objectives, measures of success, and value to the organization are accurate and acknowledged.

the application of talents, expertise, experiences, and other relevant attributes, which results in an improvement in the client's condition.

the work of the business (for example, health care or producing cement).

fees paid only upon achievement of some predetermined goal. As a rule, this is not an attractive fee arrangement.

your firm's address on the Internet (for example, summitconsulting.com).

ownership of an enterprise. In this case, it is sometimes offered in place of cash compensation for services rendered. Equity can be attractive as a portion of compensation, but should never represent total compensation, especially for new consultants.

that person who is responsible for determining whether a consultant may fit certain criteria or otherwise be acceptable, but who cannot buy the services and can only recommend alternatives to the real economic buyer.

those payments, usually in cash but sometimes in equity, bartered services, or other forms, which compensate the consultant for the value delivered to the client.

that person who is not a buyer but advertently or inadvertently stands between the consultant and buyer.

tasks and activities required to generate outputs.

"International Standard Book Number," which should be applied to all your printed and recorded products that you wish to sell. This is how all bookstores and online sources order your material. ISBNs are available from R. R. Bowker. (ISSN is the equivalent for print and electronic newsletters.)

a prospective client's name and contact information, from any source.

a form of incorporation increasingly popular, and very appropriate for consulting practices.

the creation of need for your services among potential buyers.

those indicators of progress (metrics) that tell the consultant and the buyer whether the project is meeting the agreed-upon objectives.

the systematic, procedural approaches that a consultant uses to implement a project (for example, surveys, training programs, competitive analyses, and so on).

the activity of meeting others in a systematic manner, particularly those who can buy, recommend, or otherwise support your services. The best networking is accomplished one-on-one by providing value to the other party first.

those end results whose achievement will indicate project success. Objectives should always be stated as business outcomes.

a single sheet in black and white (for faxing) and color that succinctly describes the consultant's accomplishments, clients, results, and credibility. The one-sheet is particularly important for speaking engagements.

alternative approaches to reach the client's objectives, which provide the client with the ability to determine how to use the consultant, rather than whether to use the consultant; also called a choice of yeses.

results that have a demonstrable impact in improving the client's condition. These are always business-related.

a formalized, professional set of documents assembled in a folder that is used for promotion and credibility. Press kits typically include references, testimonials, a biographical sketch, client lists, articles, interviews, and related materials; also called media kit, publicity kit.

work undertaken deliberately for no compensation, for the purposes of marketing, charitable contribution, longer-term visibility, networking, and other such purposes.

techniques to run a business that can be applied to any content (for example, decision making or conflict resolution).

the document that summarizes conceptual agreement, and also details timing, accountabilities, terms, and conditions of the engagement.

a source, usually a client, serving as a contact for prospective clients to ascertain the quality of your work, veracity of your claims, and so on.

a prospective client's name provided by another source. The best referrals include an introduction of some kind. The barest are those that simply provide a name of someone who may be interested.

the interaction created between consultant and buyer based on mutual trust, candor, respect, and a perception of peer-level credibility.

a set fee paid for access to the consultant's expertise and support without regard for specific projects or objectives. Retainers should be paid in one sum or in installments at the beginning of each designated period.

those functions on the Internet that provide information about web sites by keywords, topics, subjects, and so on. Your web site and firm should be listed with the major search engines and be updated periodically.

producing your own printed or recorded material by contracting for all technological and logistical assistance (as opposed to commercial publishing).

a summary of the conditions facing a prospective client that need to be improved as a result of the consulting engagement. This brief description should be the first part of a proposal.

form of incorporation designed for small businesses, wherein the profits flow through the owner's personal tax returns.

that part of the consulting proposal that deals with fees, payment schedules, expense reimbursement, and related matters.

a written endorsement on a client's stationery validating your value and contributions to the writer's organization.

that part of the proposal that deals with start and end dates, and when certain events are scheduled to occur. Timing should always revolve around calendar dates, not relative dates (for example, "June 1," not "30 days after our agreement").

the degree of improvement to the client represented by the achievement of the objectives. These may be quantitative (2 percent increase in sales) or qualitative (there will be much less stress for me).

those fundamental beliefs that guide our behaviors, and that should be congruent between the consultant and buyer in terms of the project and the relationship.

the paying of a third party to publish your material, sometimes including design, distribution, order fulfillment, and so on. It is more expensive than self-publishing, in which you are paying only for actual printing, and is not credible in the marketplace. Eschew vanity publishing.