After 3 weeks of working with a new client I discovered something very interesting about the decision to hire me. It was something that reinforced my belief that sharing my experiences publicly via a blog is a positive thing for my career.

I think that my fundamental reason for blogging is that I am happy to share things I learn, and it has the great advantage of being a highly available repository (albeit very public) of my own notes. However I have always been encouraged by the idea that it could also bring me more work.

I always assumed that this would be along the lines of helping more people find out about me, and therefore extending my reach and generating more sales leads. However I had not considered the positive effect that it could have once I am in the running as a potential candidate. This particular opportunity had been a tip-off from an ex-colleague and long time friend who works within the organisation, so I did not imagine that my blog would have any impact whatsoever.

WRONG!

I discovered today that, even after a relatively positive interview my candidature was being evaluated and the existence of my blog was one of the factors that sealed the decision. The fact that I wrote constructive and helpful facts and views from my profession was deemed to be a sign that I was thoughtful enough to make a good consultant, as well as simply being a practiced technologist. And this helped me bag the contract!

That’s great value from simply bothering to write down and click “Publish” on a subject you find interesting.

Because my consulting focus is technical responsibility, driving the delivery of technology rather than the output of teams, I don’t really fit into the niche of interim manager. However I have noticed that there are a lot of similarities between myself as an independent consultant and interim managers, both in terms of the way we operate and also in the ways we can market ourselves.

I always love it when someone else gives me a helping hand with my sales and marketing, and now I have come across a page that really helps me get to the bottom the benefits I offer my clients as an independent consultant. The table comparing Interims vs Consultants on BIE Interim’s site gives a series of reasons why a client might find it more helpful to have an interim manager come on board for a stint, rather than call in members of a management consultancy company.

I suspect that the total figure of people in the UK “pool” of interim managers is a little low, at only 700, perhaps this is slightly out of date. It is unlikely that there are so few, considering that there are currently 31 agencies in the interim placement business who have joined the UK Interim Management Association (IMA), and there may be others who have not joined.

Still I find there are plenty of other facts in the table that I am far more in agreement with, and I think most are very relevant to my role as an independent consultant on transformation programmes. Seeing them all spelt out like this really helps to concentrate my mind on any benefits I would like to highlight in my own marketing materials. Thanks, BIE!

I’ve been discovering all sorts of uses for feedback recently, but I’ve come across a neat idea of how to make even more use of recommendations too. Jason Alba, in his “I’m on LinkedIn – Now What” blog has pointed out that just leaving a recommendation lying statically on LinkedIn is rather wasteful of a precious resource. After all, someone has gone to the trouble of crafting an honest yet strongly supportive assessment of your abilities, the least you can do is celebrate it.

In his article Recommendations: So What???, he promotes the idea that you should share the recommendation outside of LinkedIn. His suggestion is to use the time-honoured publishing technique of quoting the most relevant snippet, rather than reproducing the whole statement as it was written. This of course means that you can choose the part of the recommendation which aligns most closely with the brand you wish to project.

“Arthur always ensures that the IT solution is the best possible one for the business”

As one reader commented, it may be a sensible precaution to ask the recommender’s permission before publishing their comment more widely. Although fair use means you could get away without their permission, it does seem wise to make sure you do not bite the hand that feeds you with glowing opinions. Also you can also ask the person if they mind the recommendation being overtly attributed to them. You might find it more powerful to say

David Bottomley, successful Change Consultant, found that Arthur always ensured that the IT solution was the best possible one for the business

I was pleased to hear that Executives Online has produced a new update to their Interim Management Report. I first came across this with the 2007 version, and I wrote about that in an old post Four top reasons why clients hire interim managers.

This new version gives both an update on how Interim Managers have been finding the recent market, and also a view of what clients want and expect from interims. I found this gave an interesting perspective on my own marketing strategy, both in terms of my own positioning and in clarifying problems I can help clients overcome.

Its easy to download, despite a short registration form, and the report is brief, yet clear and informative. I’m sure that if you’re an independent consultant like me, you’ll find it well worth a few minutes attention.

Here’s where you can find the Interim Management Trend Update and if you like that, you may be interested in their other Free Reports too.

I have realised a simple way to increase my own efficiency, as well as making myself feel stronger and more positive. Its easy to turn the dead time, during the day when I am carrying out menial chores, into informative and productive moments. My hands and my eyes may be busy, but my ears are redundant and my brain is barely ticking over, so I can focus on activities that use these spare parts, turning dead time into spare time.

There are many online publishers who produce podcasts on a whole variety of subjects, and its as easy as finding and downloading these onto a portable MP3 player or even onto a mobile phone. The only other thing you need is somewhere to take notes when you are stimulated by a practical idea or a useful thing you could do.

Simple home or office chores like filing and tidying can be great for shorter podcasts. Or if you have to drive somewhere you might have time to listen to something a little longer. Needless to say, rather than relying on pen and paper, or jotting on your organiser, you’ll find a voice recorder safer and more practical behind the wheel. Now rather than being a mundane waste of time, the weekly family sumermarket run is an excellent time to work through longer material.

One of my favourite sources at the moment, especially considering my current focus on developing my own consultancy practice, is RainToday.com. Although their main products are webcasts and in-depth articles via annual subscription, they do produce 10 minute audio digests of their regular interviews with authors and speakers with specific experience and insight that can help develop your techniques for marketing and selling professional services. Check out their feed at http://raintoday.libsyn.com/rss or see their main web site for other materials.