Business consultants. Profession business consultant. Career steps and prospects

More and more schoolchildren are interested in what subjects need to be taken to become a manager. The thing is that “management” is a very common specialty now. After graduation, you can become a manager in one field or another. But what do you need to know about admission? What subjects will you need to pass to become a manager? Where can I go for further education? It's not that difficult to figure all this out. Of course, you should first choose which one you can enroll in, then check the exams for admission to a manager there. But in general terms, the enrollment process will be the same in all universities.

Management is...

What subjects do I need to take to become a manager? Before finding out the answer to this question, you must first understand what profession we are talking about. After all, schoolchildren try to choose either promising areas of study, or those where it is easy to study. Management, as already mentioned, is a very common area of study.

But who will the citizen be after graduation? Does it even make sense to acquire this profession? A manager is a manager. Most often it is about sales. And any - both in the IT field and in regular stores.

In Russia it is considered both promising and useless. High competition is what you will have to face. And even a person without a diploma can work as a salesperson in a store. Not everyone will be able to achieve heights. That is why the profession of a manager is not very respected by parents and is preferred by applicants. This is a humanitarian direction, it is easier to study than, for example, to become a programmer. And if you just want to get at least some kind of diploma, you can think about what subjects you need to take to become a manager.

List of items

Management is a common liberal arts field of study. And almost every student knows what exams he will have to take after 11th grade to be admitted. It is worth noting that there are no additional tests or competitions when considering applicants as future students. Therefore, it will be enough to successfully pass the Unified State Exam. And submit documents to one or another institution for study.

But what subjects need to be taken as a manager? At the moment it is:

Russian language;
mathematics;
social science.

The last exam is a profile one. Actually the main one. It is on this basis that applicants will be assessed first. Taking into account the fact that now in Russia they plan to divide all exams into ordinary and specialized ones, it is simply necessary to know that social studies plays a paramount role for a manager.

where to go

You will no longer have to take any additional tests, tests or difficult subjects. Where to apply to become a manager? This is a rather difficult question. After all, there are a lot of training options.

Among them are:

Admission to the University. After 11th grade, having passed the Russian language, mathematics and social studies, you can enroll in the “Management” program at almost any university in the country. This direction is available at both Moscow State University and MGIMO. You can also pay attention to any liberal arts universities.
College education. At the moment, in Russia they offer to study to become a manager even after 9th grade. Or after 11 - depending on the educational institution. It is worth paying attention to liberal arts colleges. There will definitely be a direction in “management” or separate specialties such as “advertising manager”, “sales manager”.
Retraining. Most often, retraining occurs on the job. Or take courses from the labor exchange.
Taking courses. Not the best solution, but the profession of a manager can be mastered in specialized courses. They are organized, as a rule, by private training centers. You won't have to hand over any.

Now it’s clear where to study to become a manager. As practice shows, universities are in greatest demand. After completing your studies, you can work in the field of management without any problems.

Training period

How many students study in their chosen field? It all depends on which educational institution the person applied to. At a university, a bachelor's degree takes 4 years, and a master's degree takes another 2. In colleges, the average time to obtain a specialty will be the same as at a university (bachelor's degree). Advanced training courses require about 6 months of retraining. And if you visit private centers, you can become a manager in 2 months or a year.

It is worth noting that some universities, in addition to the listed exams, may require you to pass several more subjects. It all depends on the character and specific focus. What items need to be submitted additionally to the manager in some cases? This:

geography;
biology;
physics;
chemistry;
story.

Business consultants provide consulting services to various types of companies and entrepreneurs on a variety of issues. Most often, they work within a narrow specialization: drawing up a business plan, conducting an audit, personnel certification, market research, company registration, etc. The task of business consultants is to recognize the problem and propose a specific solution. They help the head of the enterprise to study the state of affairs, conduct the necessary analysis of the situation, understand the nuances of the task at hand and make the right decisions.

Places of work

Typically, business consultants are on staff of consulting companies. They can also work in legal centers, advertising agencies and other companies providing B2B services.

History of the profession

Professional business consultants appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, but consulting began to develop intensively only after the war, becoming widespread in the 70-80s in Japan, Great Britain, the USA and Europe.

Russian consulting emerged only in the 90s of the last century and is now in a stage of active growth. The profession of a business consultant is becoming increasingly complex, popular and in demand.

Responsibilities of a business consultant

The main task of a specialist has three steps: study the situation - find problems - offer specific solutions to these problems. In the future, the consultant can accompany the project until its successful completion.

The job responsibilities of a business consultant may look like this:

pre-project research and analysis of the company’s activities;
description of business processes;
development of corporate regulations, instructions, technical specifications and various accompanying documentation;
project support;
conducting business trainings and consulting project participants.

Requirements for a business consultant

The most important requirement for a business consultant is to have an excellent understanding of their field of consulting.

The main requirements may be the following:

legal or economic higher education;
PC fluency;
negotiation skills (often at the level of top officials of companies);
ability to analyze, model and build business processes;
ability to create instructions, technical specifications and other documentation.

Sometimes you may need:

experience in software implementation and automation of company activities;
experience in conducting trainings;
knowledge of English;
team management experience.

Sample resume for business consultant

How to become a business consultant

No educational institution has a program called “business consultant.” To become a business consultant, you must graduate from the law or economics department of a university and gain extensive practical experience in the relevant field of activity.

Business consultant salary

The level of income of a business consultant depends on the degree of his professionalism. He can receive from 30,000 to 400,000 rubles per month, depending on the project being led by a specialist. Experienced business consultants are highly valued and earn a lot.

Allows you to choose the one you like. However, there are those where even a beginner, with a certain approach and effort, can begin to make a career. One of these is a consultant, who is this, what requirements and opportunities can be obtained - read on.

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Features of the profession

The provision of advisory services allows a person to solve a number of problems related to the explanation of not only certain terms and designations, but also various characteristics of goods.
It is for this reason that a consultant is a person who is a professional in a certain industry and provides consulting services in this particular field of activity.

Today, in the labor market, specialists who have a certain level of training and are able to provide consulting services on various issues are especially in demand.

The consultant profession is divided into 2 main types :

providing services at the internal level, when, as an employee of the organization, a specialist can provide consultations not only to his colleagues, but also to clients seeking help;
providing services at an external level. Most often, this will be an individual entrepreneur providing advisory services using a special agency.

Let's look at the main areas in which professional consultants can work.

Shop assistant

One of the most popular professions in the labor market is a sales consultant. Its main task is to correctly tell about the product, and so that it is immediately purchased.

Like many, the specialty of sales consultant provides specialists with the opportunity for career growth. However, this will require maximum effort and energy. Only in this case will he succeed on a rather difficult path to the top.

Career growth will occur in several stages:

the entry level will be a simple salesperson providing advisory services;
senior sales consultant;
shift manager;
manager of a store or salon.

With a lot of effort, nothing is impossible.

Financial Consultant

The provision of advisory services related to finance is always in demand and requires a specialist to have deep knowledge in this industry. This consultant is contacted at those moments when the need arises to make transactions, assess the financial condition, develop a strategy, select an investment object, or resolve the issue of purchase and sale.
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At the same time, the specialist is required to be a professional in the financial industry. Constantly monitor changes occurring in the stock market, study and understand changes in legislation, analyze the financial situation in the country and abroad, always be aware of all opportunities for successful investment and much more.

Modern business cannot operate without knowledge of tax legislation. It is for this reason that the services of a tax consultant will always be in demand.

Only from them will it be possible to obtain detailed information regarding problems arising with taxation. In order to be in demand, specialists study not only tax issues. But also regarding tax law.

Business consultant

For those who are planning to start their own business or are already an entrepreneur, it is important to obtain qualified advice on running a business.

This includes questions such as:

competent and correct preparation of a business plan;
conducting personnel certification;
audit control;
registration of a company;

These and many other questions can be solved by specialists who have chosen the main profession of a consultant. Who is this? The main requirements were covered in this article.

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" In comments from readers, there was a request to tell in more detail who a business consultant is in a small and medium-sized business, what tasks this person performs, what knowledge he should have, and when he is needed. And today I am fulfilling my promise to the readers back then. So let's get started.

What is a business consultant?

I will not give dry definitions here; I think they are not interesting to anyone. A business consultant is the same person who is invited from outside to help find a solution to some problems. It is also obvious that an outsider's view often helps to identify things that you would never discover as an employee of the company.

I want to talk to you exclusively about business consultants who work with small and medium-sized businesses, because... with enterprises with approximately 5 to 70 employees. This work differs in many ways from what the specialists who are hired by large companies in such cases do. And, just with these nuances, it makes sense to understand.

So, what are the features of small and medium-sized businesses?

The structure of the business is quite simple. Typically there is no need for complex logistics or analytics. Management is carried out by a small number of people. Many other structures are also missing, without which it is impossible to imagine managing a large company.
A small business does not have sufficient financial resources to attract a whole staff of different specialists.

It is these two reasons - lack of need and cost savings - that have led to the fact that for small and medium-sized businesses the optimal solution is the services of a general consultant.

Let me remind you that a generalist consultant (as opposed to a specialist consultant) is a person who is able to evaluate the business as a whole, outline general trends, see prospects and opportunities for improving the situation. Typically the situation extends beyond a single process and/or function.

Of course, it's not that simple. Understanding what is happening in business and finding the causes of the “disease” is only half the battle. The decision must be specific, like a prescription from a doctor. Therefore, along with a general understanding of business processes, the consultant must have many related knowledge and skills. Thus, today it is impossible to imagine running a business without using software. Therefore, a business consultant must be familiar with the IT sphere, have knowledge of what solutions exist, which can be implemented to order, be able to assign a task to a programmer, etc.

Why do you need a business consultant?

When communicating with new clients, I constantly have to answer this question. It is also often asked by my former colleagues from the IT field and employees of various companies.

It would seem true:

The structure of a small enterprise is quite simple.
A manager can and even should be able to see the work “as a whole.”
It’s not difficult to find the “weak link”; often even clerks understand which department is “slowing down” the work.
To automate, you can directly contact the programmer.

All this is, of course, true. This is exactly how a small company should operate. But the reality is somewhat different from any business scheme, and usually differs for the worse. As a result, the company has been operating for some time, and current problems are resolved more or less successfully as they arise. And then the crisis comes. And then they call a business consultant.

What does a business consultant see most often?

« The bottleneck of a business very often turns out to be not at all what the client said.
For example, you can be 100% sure that your company cannot increase its turnover due to the slow operation of the warehouse. You buy computers and some software to automate work for the warehouse. Hire more loaders and storekeepers so that they collect orders faster. At the same time, the real problem lies in the ill-conceived work of the delivery department. It is enough to optimize transport routes, learn to transfer documents to the warehouse in the correct order, and the throughput of this warehouse will increase without any other investments.
To solve an emerging problem, they choose a complex and erroneous path.
As you know, you learn from mistakes. But is it worth learning exclusively from your own? A business consultant is essentially a crisis manager. He is called when the company faces certain problems. The consultant analyzes the business and understands the prerequisites that led to the current situation. He sees many different wrong decisions, as well as their consequences in practice. And, naturally, he will not repeat such mistakes in his work. Therefore, the help of a business consultant very often saves a business from the “rake dance” that your competitors have already been through.
When automating work, preference is given to far from the best tool.
Most often, a business manager and a programmer speak “different languages.” As a result, the programmer either works without any tasks at all, i.e. composes it for himself on the basis of what he himself guessed in a conversation with the client, or receives technical specifications, which in fact forces him to do something that is not exactly what the client really needs. Moreover, any IT specialist, without exception, is limited in choosing a solution by his specialty. Thus, a 1C specialist will habitually modify one of the 1C configurations for the task at hand, at a time when an Excel spreadsheet or a separate program for sending mail may be sufficient to solve the problem.

So, a business consultant is the same person who will be able to competently diagnose the problems that have arisen in your business. He is used to looking not only at obvious symptoms, but analyzes the entire business process. After which the business consultant will prescribe the correct “treatment” for you. He has practical experience, knowledge and understanding of the mistakes of your colleagues, and there are different solutions that have been tested in practice.

Business consultant must be an IT consultant

If a business consultant works with small and medium-sized businesses, he must also be an IT consultant. Modern business processes cannot be imagined without automation. Many enterprises need new products, methods, and, as a result, programs. Implementing a new process without software support is not realistic. And you need to be able to choose the optimal solution, as well as explain to the client why this particular software product is best suited. In addition, it is very important to understand how it will interact with other programs and processes in the enterprise. For a small business, it is best if one person chooses business tactics and strategy, as well as software support for new business processes.

At the same time, a business consultant cannot be tied to any one software product. Unlike a programmer, he must choose the optimal solution every time, without getting hung up on some familiar tools. A business consultant does not care whether the work of new processes will be built using 1C, some specially developed applications or standard Microsoft Office tools. He knows well what the modern IT market can offer, knows how to clearly set a task for a programmer, and always chooses the solution that is best suited for automating business processes in a particular case.

Turnkey work and other nuances

A very important point for small businesses. The consultant will help bring all your ideas and proposals to life:

Will prepare and help implement any personnel changes, changes in operating hours, etc.
Prepares and implements new software solutions. The consultant takes care of all the nuances - from choosing a program to finding a specialist and implementation.
In the process of solving the problem, if necessary, some nuances will be worked out separately, including involving specialists in the advising profile.
Train staff in new working methods.

Most often, a business consultant works with one company for no more than 1.5 years. During this period, all assigned tasks are fully resolved. And when new business solutions begin to work as normal, the company’s employees themselves, without help or prompts, can continue to work in the right direction, and the business consultant’s work with a specific enterprise ends. As my practice shows, until the next difficult task.

Separately, I would like to say about one more function of a business consultant. This is the “lightning rod” function. Personally, I have encountered this situation more than once. The head of the company, even without my help, knew that the company needed changes. Moreover, I understood in many ways which ones. But he also understood that these changes would lead to unpleasant personnel decisions for some of the staff. And the team is friendly and works well together. If you start introducing some innovations, you may get offended and leave, including those specialists whom you really don’t want to lose. What's the result? Reforms are shelved for fear of making things worse

What happens when a business consultant shows up? He is a stranger, yet he is the one responsible for all unpopular decisions. Everything is simple and clear. The company has certain problems. The manager hired a specialist who then proceeds as he sees fit to solve the task. And all the negativity from the team is directed towards the consultant.

It would seem that these are all little things. But it is precisely such “little things” that very often help a small company to maintain both employees and normal relationships in the team, and to carry out all changes as painlessly as possible. The consultant is not afraid of this negativity. He worked and left. And he is paid money precisely for introducing changes, so the reaction is familiar, does not evoke any emotions, and for the manager - one less problem, and an important one.

How did I come to this?

The question of how I came to this profession, so rare for our country, is also asked quite often. And to understand the specifics of the work, it would be useful to talk about this. Maybe even some of you will want to become my colleague. And here I hope that my path, my mistakes and developments can be useful.

By the way, today in the Russian market business consultants for small and medium-sized businesses are very necessary. This niche is still very poorly filled. And the work is incredibly interesting, and not only financially. I personally will always be happy to help any of you become my colleague, I will suggest good literature and answer questions. Who needs it - write, I will be glad. And I’ll immediately recommend a book that I myself consider a reference book: "Management consulting. Introduction to the Profession" Edited by Milan Kubra .

So, I lived in Ufa, was involved in business, and was actually the deputy director of a fairly reputable company. We sold auto parts; it was profitable back then. It would seem, what else is needed? I had a very decent income, a car with a personal driver, a quiet job and a “solid” 100 kg with some tendency towards further increase in body weight. This is such a classic “boss”.

I know that, unfortunately, for most Russians such a development is the ultimate dream. Many of us are focused solely on making a profit. As a result, too many more or less successful sellers have appeared in our country, while there is a clear lack of artisans and specialists who know and love their job.

Personally, when they say the word “craftsman” to me, I remember the German blacksmiths of past centuries, who for generations honed their skills, forged armor, swords, and utensils. They weren't good salesmen. They were specialists who knew and loved their job. And for this they were highly valued.

What do I want to tell you? If you are a seller, if you think that profit comes first, then you will most likely not be interested in reading further. But if you, like me, think that it is much more interesting not just to sell, but to create some value yourself, to be a specialist, then we are on the same path.

So, I am a fairly active person, my established comfortable existence was not enough for me, I wanted something interesting. I read about business consultants, watched interviews with representatives of Western businesses who managed to open branches in our country and become successful with the help of such specialists, and I realized that I could do this too. Moreover, I want to do this. As a result, I gave up everything and moved to Moscow.

1C specialist or my training

Personally, to study various business processes in practice, I chose the path that was closest to me. He completed the courses, received a certificate and became a 1C specialist. As you know, 1C programmers constantly work with business processes, accounting, warehouse, trade, and other types of accounting. Therefore, in the process of working with the 1C program, it is very easy to study the peculiarities of the work of a particular company.

The first company where I got a job was a company selling various pet products (pet food, cages, toys, other accessories). The company was actively developing, and even then it had an extensive network of stores. Once, in my presence, a dispute about pricing broke out. I already knew well how everything works here, and therefore I risked making my proposal - one of the options for uniform pricing for all stores. At first, the management’s reaction even offended me. They told me: “Are you a programmer? Mind your own business". But then I realized that they were right.

And then I made an important conclusion for myself: If you want to be seen as a business consultant, you need to introduce yourself as a business consultant. Otherwise, you and your ideas will never be taken seriously. Businesses are run by people, and people tend to think in stereotypes.

Then I got a job as a project manager. Then he worked in several more positions. So I worked from 1C until 2008, before the crisis. By this time, I already had some ideas and developments, plus I had already been working as a freelancer on various projects for about a year.

So, 2008. A crisis. I come to one enterprise, the owner of which is going to implement 1C Production Management. At the same time, I see that he himself doubts his choice and even whether he needs to implement this program. And then I proposed to start by making a description of business processes. It turned out that the management could not understand what was happening in their company, and therefore I came in very handy with my proposal. It should be noted that if not for the crisis, they would hardly have agreed to trust and try to change their company so radically. This project lasted more than two years and gave me experience and convinced me even more that I was on the right path.

This is how I understood what I needed to do to start a career as a business consultant. . Many people have problems in business. I need to come to people, tell them what I can do, I need to offer my services. They are really in great demand.

Today I have about 35-45 completed projects. Each project brings new people, an industry, new achievements, new ideas. I worked with a clothing factory, worked with smoothie and juice manufacturers, with cosmetics sales, with auto parts, with warehouse equipment sales, with beauty salons, etc.

I've seen a lot of mistakes in business. After all, me, a business consultant, like a doctor, is most often called when the “illness” becomes obvious, and “self-medication” does not help. That’s why I saw a lot of different solutions, in practice. And I will be able to immediately cut off erroneous ideas and choose the optimal “medicine” for a specific situation.

I am constantly learning, and not just through practice. While in our country business consulting for small and medium-sized businesses is very poorly developed, in the West this specialty is very popular, there are many textbooks, interesting articles are published, there are some methods and even professional standards.

Every project is a complex and exciting task. Despite all the knowledge and skills, I do not and cannot have ready-made solutions “on my knees”. Every time I have to study all the nuances of the business, starting from general trends and ending with the work schedule of employees, the system of rewards and punishments, the peculiarities of transport accessibility of the office, warehouse, production, etc. and so on. And only after understanding all the nuances of the company’s work do I have the opportunity to identify the real problem and offer options for solving it.

Business consultant is not a job for the lazy. I won't talk about how much effort and time it takes to sell my services. On the one hand, they are in great demand; there is a real shortage of business consultants for small and medium-sized businesses. On the other hand, many businessmen do not understand how a business consultant can help them; they have to spend a lot of effort explaining what I am writing about here and now. But these are small things compared to how much effort you have to put into the work process itself. You have to constantly learn. Firstly, you need to study the nuances of a specific industry, and even a specific enterprise. Secondly, it is not enough to identify the problem, you need to solve it. And this is to think over and implement a software solution, monitor the work of employees who, most likely, will sabotage your proposals at first, since new things are always difficult to perceive. It is necessary to train staff in new methods of work, constantly monitor the quality of this work and the effectiveness of the chosen solution, and much, much more.

Business consultant for small and medium-sized businesses is very interesting!

Unfortunately, today in Russia small and medium-sized businesses are developing very poorly. One of the important reasons for this sad state of affairs is the lack of sufficient experience and knowledge of business processes among entrepreneurs. Business develops, essentially, by trial and error. While in the West, businessmen actively use the services of business consultants, thanks to which they avoid many “pitfalls” in their work and use their capabilities more effectively.

I think it is very important that in our country the number of business consultants working with small and medium-sized businesses also increases. And for businessmen to remember that they always have an assistant. A business consultant does not have any interests or preferences of his own in your business, but is always ready to help in a crisis situation, develop a reliable and effective development strategy, or even just give really good advice.

I hope that I was able to convey to you the main thing: why a business consultant is needed in a small and medium-sized business, what he does and what knowledge he should have. And also how interesting this profession is, and how important it is for the success of Russian business that there be more of us, that people turn to us more often, that together we learn to work even better!

First steps in consulting

I regularly receive letters with one single question: " How can I become a business consultant? Where to begin?".

Ugh... I'm so tired of answering questions like this... Especially when they come from people aged 20+ years. Friends, I’ll tell you straight: the desire to become a business consultant at such a young age is pathological. Which needs to be treated with electricity :) Let me explain.

All over the world (but not in Russia), consulting is " gray hair profession"People go there who ALREADY have something in their souls, have some solid life and professional experience. These are people who have ALREADY achieved success in some profession, made a career, implemented many projects, achieved significant results in society and status.

WHERE exactly people come to consulting from (from business, from science, from sports, etc.) is no longer so important. It is more important to understand two fundamental things:

1. Consulting is separate, NEW (in relation to past successes and life experience) field of professional activity. They have their own competencies, skills, tools, operating principles, etc. and so on.

Consulting requires learning, and you need to work hard to constantly improve your skills and abilities related specifically to consulting. What I mean is that anyone can just “go into” consulting. The thresholds for entry into this business are fantastically low (opening a hairdresser is even more difficult)))). But only a few become professionals in consulting.

2. There are many things in the world that cannot be implemented directly. If only because these are “fuzzy concepts” - no one fully knows or is sure what they really are :)

An example of such a fuzzy concept is “happiness”. Who knows what it is, and how to get it with a guarantee... For example, can you, right now, after reading these lines, snap your fingers (pluck a hair from your beard, press a button, etc.) and become happy?

I repeat - there are many things that are a certain uncontrollable side effect our ongoing activities/activities. If you strive for happiness by attacking it head-on, you will, at best, become a miserable drug addict. But if you live a productive, interesting life filled with meaning and emotions, doing what you love, communicating with good people, happiness will find you on its own :)

The same story with consulting... A person who dreams of becoming a business consultant (business coach) head-on is a preoccupied maniac :) But then a by-product of WHAT is consulting?

Consulting is HELPING PROFESSION. Those. This a by-product of your sincere and constant desire to help other people. Think about it! It is important not to confuse some fundamental things here! For example...

Consulting is NOT a desire teach/educate others. If you want to teach, go into pedagogy and torment the shkolota :) In business consulting, it is still unknown who teaches whom :)) If you like the role of a mentor/guru, then it’s better to pass on consulting (before you do a lot of bad things).

Consulting is NOT a desire show off in front of the public. If you want to show off in front of large audiences, go to the Petrosyans :) Of course, business clowns ( oh, sorry, motivational speakers :))) is in fashion today, but on this path you must at least have acting talent (to become a “consultant”))).

I repeat: consulting is a sincere desire help other people in their work, in achieving THEIR GOALS. Of course, you can help in different ways. Familiar story: " Do you want to help? Stand nearby, take a shovel, and dig!" :))) Here you need a very clear understanding of the subject of your activity and your strengths ( unique competencies, with the help of which you can really provide valuable assistance to the client).

About myself beloved :) I know exactly what I have two unique competencies. First of all, I'm a professional psychologist. Secondly, I researcher, analyst, scientist. Subject of my activity- people (more precisely, their psyche) and information. I also know how to handle a shovel, but using my competencies to dig is not the best idea :) It’s like hammering nails with a microscope.

I started helping others as a psychologist. People sought advice on a variety of issues, including many related to business: How to resolve conflict in a work team? How to motivate your own employees? How to develop a new product so that it is attractive to customers? How to train new employees? etc. and so on. I simply helped in resolving these issues, without even thinking for many years that I was actually doing business consulting :)

The same story applies to scientific competencies. I will give just one example from many years ago ( At that time I was still working as a university teacher, and my business card did not have the inscription “business consultant”))). An entrepreneur I know complained in a private conversation that he had a “crisis in sales.” He has several stores, but recently he found new suppliers, greatly changed the assortment, and indeed “the whole sales concept.” After which sales collapsed...

I began to ask questions to understand the situation, and began to jointly discuss the causes and consequences of the crisis. We came to the conclusion that some kind of marketing action was needed to convey a new sales concept to customers. It was also revealed that the company has a marketing specialist and a luxury customer base. “Luxurious” because clients were periodically surveyed, and the database contained a lot of useful, high-quality information. For example, incl. the way customers reacted to those marketing campaigns that were previously carried out. There was so much information ( the client base contained almost 3 thousand IDs), that it was just some kind of Big Data))))

My eyes immediately lit up: “Let’s do customer segmentation based on this very data! And let’s do it on the basis of all the data at our disposal, using some statistical analysis methods.” The leader “gave the go-ahead”; I did a cluster analysis; Together with a marketing specialist for each cluster-segment, we proposed ideas for promoting a new sales concept and a new assortment; after which they rushed to put these very ideas into practice...

For those eager to become consultants:) I would like to emphasize: 1) I was just trying to help solve a pressing problem; 2) I tried to help using those competencies/tools that I am fluent in (in this case, multivariate statistical analysis); 3) then I didn’t think that I was “business consulting” :))) I was rather solving a research problem. As a result of the research, I obtained some new knowledge (detailed description of client segments), and passed this knowledge on to those who later used it in practice.

By the way (again for beginners;)) I’ll say that I did this research for free back then. I was just interested in what would come of it - purely educational interest. In addition, I was not at all sure whether the knowledge I gained about customer segments would help the company get out of the crisis. The knowledge helped :) But I received gratitude (in the form of money))) from the head of the company almost a year later - when it was already clearly clear that this information was useful to them.

If we talk about today ( when my business card already says “business consultant”))), then everything is more complicated. There are types of work for which I take on only for decent money, only on an advance payment, and I’m also capricious at the same time))) For example, like the statistical analysis of the company’s client base described above. It’s just that I have honed this competency over many years, and with a 99% guarantee I know that the information extracted as a result of the analysis will be useful for the customer.

But despite this, principle remains unchanged: " First the desire to help, then everything else". That is why among my projects there are a lot of free ones or those that I do for pennies. These are projects where I am not sure of the sufficiency of my competencies, or the usefulness of the result for the customer ( Which, by the way, I always honestly warn you about). This includes charity projects. These are projects in which I myself develop, and where the interaction with interesting and smart people is much more important than the money received. These are projects where not only I help (unilaterally), but where genuine cooperation and mutual assistance arises...

Why am I writing all this? The other day another one arrives a letter with the question “How can I become a consultant?”. And there are many more clarifications in it: How much should a consultant earn? What should be the prices for services? Is it necessary to register an individual entrepreneur? Etc. and so on. Maybe these questions are important... But in my understanding, these are all minor details.

Main - do you want to help other people in their business? Can you really do this (help = forget about your life and your interests for a while, and live by the interests and goals of the client)?

Do you have some valuable competencies(and are you working to continually increase them) through which you can help others?

Answer positively to these questions - you can take a risk and get involved in consulting :)

Let's assume that you read everything and I didn't dissuade you... Those. I’m still itching to become a business consultant :) And I still want to get specific advice... Get it!

Here's some concrete advice: in my opinion, there is 4 types of professional competencies of a business consultant, and you can start “becoming a business consultant” by working on any of them.

1.Industry competencies. What real business, what field of activity do you understand best? In retail? In oil trading? In internet marketing? In the restaurant business? (etc.)

In what industry have you perhaps ALREADY worked before? In which industry during your career have you achieved maximum results and implemented outstanding projects? In which industry do you have unique “author”, innovative experience?

Even if you have no actual work experience in the industry you are interested in, how would you rate your “industry knowledge”? Are you able to communicate with industry experts in the same language? Are you able to maintain professional conversation topics at such a level that you can be easily accepted as one of their own?

2.System competencies. Any business consists of standard subsystems (standard business processes): strategic and operational management; marketing; production; personnel management; quality management; financial management, etc. and so on.

What systemic competence (and, importantly: developed at a very high level) do you have? Maybe you are well versed in personnel management? Or can you manage corporate finance?

System competencies require special education ( for example, if you want to become a human resource management consultant, get at least a university diploma as an HR manager!) and a whole complex of professional knowledge, skills and abilities.

Let me emphasize: the system competence chosen by the consultant must be developed at a VERY high level! You have to constantly study, study, study, and implement project after project in a variety of organizations. Otherwise, you simply will have nothing useful/new to give to those system specialists who already work in the organization.

Do you know what I mean? In order, for example, for a consultant to be able to help in any way a professional marketer who has been working in a particular organization for many years, the consultant must be a super-duper mega-marketer, capable of giving at least something valuable to an ALREADY competent professional. This means that you must be able to “upgrade” your system competence faster, wider and deeper :) than your client. Do you/can you do that?

3.Instrumental competencies. Business consulting is assistance that is provided using various tools. The nature of these tools can be very different - managerial, psychological, economic, financial, etc.

As a rule, all these tools are easily accessible (just look through any textbook). Moreover, I’ll tell you a secret that it’s almost impossible to come up with new, particularly advanced and “secret” tools in the world of management and business. Under the hyped “newest methods of consulting” there is usually hidden the banal desire of the “creators” to simply make money from such “rebranding”.

It is no coincidence that I say that all the tools are ALREADY known and easily accessible. It's not about the tools, but how deeply, accurately and masterfully we use them. Many years ago, I believed that there was nothing simpler and more primitive than, say, a SWOT analysis, or, for example, mapping the problems of an organization. These are indeed VERY SIMPLE tools, described in any management or marketing textbook...

And then I saw how a Professional consultant (with a capital “P”), Arkady Ilyich Prigozhin, applied these “simple” tools in practice. And I realized two things: a) these tools are not simple at all, they are very powerful and allow you to extract a lot of useful information and help in solving many problems; b) there are many subtleties and variations in the application of these methods “for all occasions”.

It's about the same as with a violin. If you give this wonderful instrument into the hands of an unprepared person, then he will only be able to knock on the body :))) And if you give it into the hands of a Master, then he will be able to perform an entire suite on one string...

Now, actually, the question is: what specific consulting tool do you master perfectly, at a master level? At least one?! You own it at a level that no one else does - i.e. Do you have unique experience, knowledge and skills in using this tool?

4. "Alien" competencies. Any business is a living and open system. It's part of life. Business will never be a science in which everything is subject to strict laws and rules.

This means that there are no and never will be strict limitations in understanding the process and methods of business consulting. Business can develop with the help of instrumental metaphors borrowed from a variety of areas of life.

For example, if “the whole world is a stage, and the people in it are actors,” and you personally are a brilliant director, then why not use your professional skills for business consulting? For example, you can take and organize a business theater :) / And this is an ALREADY implemented idea :)) just enter “business theater” in any search engine/.

Maybe you are an excellent jazz player and can advise on creating a “funk business”? ;) Or are you an excellent traveler, and can you tell me how to develop an “expedition-style business”? ;))) / and these are also implemented ideas!/

Question: Do you have any unique “alien” (i.e. not directly related to business) competency, but which is in demand by business or can be a valuable business metaphor? Can you use the competencies you already have to provide real help to the business?

WANT TO BE A BUSINESS CONSULTANT? Listed above are four types of professional competencies of a consultant - take and develop any of them. Can be done separately or combined :)

I am also often asked the question: " What to read on business consulting?". It's simple:) If you decide to improve your industry competence - read everything you can about “your” industry. Especially periodicals. Especially professional forums/blogs on the Internet. Especially foreign professional forums/blogs. (If you decide to improve your systemic or instrumental competence - recommendations similar).

By the way, even if you have a specialized education (say, a university diploma in management), I highly recommend re-reading the textbooks. Especially those sections that are related to your chosen consulting specialization. Do not re-read like a student, not “for show,” but purposefully look for tools that are close and interesting to you, and which will later feed you, by the way. Having found “something interesting” in textbooks, look (Google to the rescue!) for the latest books and articles on these topics/tools (special magazines, forums, blogs).

In addition to specialized literature, it is important to have some general understanding of what counseling is, how the process is organized, what rules the consultant must adhere to, etc. A lot of stuff is being written and published on counseling these days, so I recommend starting with the classics:

1) Any books and articles by the already mentioned A.I. Prigozhin. In general, I believe that the very first book a novice consultant should read should be " Organization development methods"(2003). It complements her very well" Disorganization: Causes, types, overcoming" (2007).

2) All books by David Meister: “Trusted Advisor,” “First Among Equals,” “True Professionalism,” “Strategy and the Fat Smoker,” “Managing a Professional Services Firm,” “Practice What You Preach.”

3) To understand (feel!) what business consulting is at the level of industry leaders, I highly recommend reading I. Rasiel, P. Friga " McKinsey Tools" and/or I. Rasiel "McKinsey Method".

4) One of the first books (read back in 1999), which also helped me understand that there is counseling as a professional activity - Calvert Markham " Management consulting" (later republished as "Management Consulting").

Of course, there are other books on business consulting. Maybe someday I will continue this list;)

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