Should I work on projects that are short term or long term? Should I focus on depth or breadth? Should I work with established clients or those who are in the process of growing and expanding? If you are a consultant, what would be your advice? Before attempting to answer these questions, let's understand the consultant's role. Conventionally, a consultant is defined as a professional who provides expert advice in one or more areas or industry segments such as manufacturing, information technology, retail, finance, etc. Peter Block, in his book, Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used, defines a consultant as "someone who has influence over an individual, group, or organization, but who has no direct authority to implement changes". Bound by a "code of ethics", a consultant's role is to influence and engage the client to provide practical and feasible advice that works in the client's best interest. However, at times, a consultant faces the above stated moral dilemma, which can be restated as, whether to act in the interest of the organization's business strategy or concentrate on serving the client's needs. Should a consultant undertake a project where the returns on time and effort invested are relatively small in volume of business or value? Or, does it make good business sense for a consultant to focus only on large projects? There could be multiple answers to these questions. For example, Michael Zipursky, a marketing consultant who has advised businesses such as Panasonic, Best Buy, Dow Jones and many others, suggests that consultants should avoid taking on smaller projects. He reasons that, when consultants work on larger projects they gain the ability to generate greater value for their clients. On the other hand, according to few experts, there are some situations where taking up smaller projects make sense for a consultant (and the consulting firm) as an effective strategy. It is a fact that taking on bigger projects with larger clients makes good financial sense. Take an 180o turn and consider a consultant working on smaller projects with smaller clients. Consultants in this scenario are required to work with more number of clients and on numerous projects to realize the financial inflow that could have otherwise been achieved through fewer clients on larger projects. An exception to this "rule" of taking on only larger clients and larger projects is when a consultant has the expertise but is not established in the market. Therefore, by working on smaller sized projects, it is an opportunity for the consultant to display results that can be converted into references, testimonials, recommendations and case studies. The experience and expertise that a consultant gains through these projects can be leveraged to strengthen their credentials and win more clients. Another scenario where it would make sense to work on a small project is when the consultant can recognize the potential of that client or project to grow rapidly and significantly in size over time. Consider the example of a start-up firm which has not yet gone public. They may possess state-of-the-art technology or a line-up of innovative products which showcases tremendous potential for growth. They could be the next "most innovative company" to the likes of Facebook, Apple or Google. It is definitely worthwhile for consultants to work with such firms on projects that are not big in size. These firms may not be able to fork out large amounts in consulting fees or their revenues may not be skyrocketing, but as a consultant, if you can visualize their scale of expansion, it makes for an irrefutable case. For a consultant, it is not just short term vision but the ability to see through the lens, perceive and understand the scale at which the client is slated to grow and expand. Having a far sightedness of this kind can earn a consultant larger projects and higher fees, given that the client firm will scale up. In some cases, consultants might spot an opportunity to work with a larger client firm but may face challenges in bagging a larger project as desired. An alternative approach is to work on smaller projects as it is a critical step for consultants in "getting their foot in the door". This initial engagement paves the way for consultants to build rapport and credibility. Consultants should fully utilize such opportunities to showcase their expertise and the value they bring to the client's table. This would pave the way for the consultant to win larger projects from the client. Lastly, it is critical to keep in mind the ethics of working in the best interest of the client. Every consultant should be passionate about the decisions they make regarding their approach or their strategy to bag projects and clients. A consultant may be passionate about working with smaller clients or on smaller projects. This is perfectly fine as long as he/she is doing what they really enjoy. Generating large incomes or revenues may not be their first priority and there is nothing really wrong in that. What is important is how the consultant is able to create value for the client in such scenarios. Make wise choices, don't get too perturbed as there will be many questions that your mind will encounter during the process of decision making. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9361470