The biggest roadblock to getting started as a freelancer or consultant is deciding what to charge.

If you charge too much, potential customers will walk away. If you don’t charge enough, you are leaving money on the table. Obviously, not good.

So you fret and worry. Are you charging as much as the market will bear? Are you charging so much that you lose desirable projects that don’t pay all that low? How do you know if you have charged as much as you can?

You want the client to say “yes” when you present your price. Or truly, you want the client to say yes but to wince. And how do you know if the wince is real or if it is to prevent you from raising the price later because you think you are at the brink?

Just thinking about this is enough to give you a headache.

And when you are writing an actual proposal, it’s enough to add upset stomach to your health woes.

Now here is the number one reason that what you charge is not all that important:

Each client stands apart. No one knows what any other client of yours has paid so you are not setting a precedent in pricing jobs for future clients, assuming you have not publicly posted rates on your website or elsewhere.

Granted, there is still the sticky issue of how to raise the price on existing clients. But if you are starting out, existing clients are by definition but a fraction of your future customer base. Furthermore, there are ways to address this issue later on when it becomes a problem.

But your pricing headache will soon start throbbing if you worry years in advance. Today’s challenge is snaring your first few assignments.

Our attitudes about pricing have been shaped through corporate employment. So let’s get on the same page about how corporate salary administration works.

When you accepted your first job offer out of school you didn’t feel you could bargain much for a higher salary because your work experience was limited. You took what was offered and found out later that in the sophisticated U.S. career market, smart applicants negotiate their entry salary like they’re shopping for a sombrero at a tourist trap. Compounding the problem is that some of us unknowingly (or even knowingly) experienced gender or other discrimination that further depressed starting pay.

Then ever after, employers administer your wage by percentage increases. So if you start low, the increases increment from a lower base, resulting in significant (but secret) pay disparity among coworkers over time.

It’s like if one person invests $1000 in a bank passbook savings account and another invests $1000 in a bond paying 10%. After 30 years, the second person has a lot more money (unless the company goes bust).

Currently, employers want to maintain past disparity among new hires. Some hiring companies insist upon learning your past salary in your application cover letter. And some require past pay stubs before making an offer.

This is unconscionable, obviously. The valid question is what are your services worth to the new employer, not what the past employer got away with underpaying you.

Freelancing and consulting are not like this. Though you may list past clients on your website, no one will ask you what were paid for these assignments. Nor will anyone ask you for a contact at past clients so they can verify what you were paid.

The objective of freelancing and consulting is to have enough different clients that you never feel as powerless as when you wed yourself to a single full-time job and forsake all others.

Each freelance or consulting client is a new day, a fresh start. This makes each proposal you prepare much less of a life-altering event.

Let’s conclude with a funny story from Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek. There’s much in that book that I don’t believe would work for most people (starting with the fundamental premise that we can make all the money we need to live a pleasure-filled lifestyle by working only four hours a week). But some of his ideas are intriguing.

Now for the story. Ferriss recommends approaching local offices of big-name companies and offering them your services in a small way. For instance, call the area service office of IBM and propose a brown-bag luncheon program on time management. No matter how little you are paid (or even if you do it for free) and no matter how few people show up, he says you can legitimately claim you have consulted with IBM forever after

Here’s how you can follow the footsteps of highly successful consultants:

1. Know the client. It is not enough that you know your clients’ business and to which industry they belong to. To become more effective on what you do, you need to make time to gain in-depth knowledge about your clients’ goals, history, and missions. You will also need to obtain information about their competitors and stakeholders. Keep in mind that you will be paid to carry out your clients’ objectives and you will not be able to perform this better unless you are equipped with all the relevant information.

2. Active listening. As a consultant, you need to listen actively to your clients so you can accurately assess their problems and offer the most appropriate solutions. What you can do is to encourage them to give you all the details of their problems or goals. Don’t forget to take down notes. Use effective probing questions to easily get a clear picture.

3. Work with key people. The problem with other consultants is that they don’t know how to identify the people that they need to talk to when they are trying to understand or resolve the organizations’ problems. As a consultant, you need to know the function of every people in the organization who can give you the right information and who can help you assess and resolve the existing problems.

4. Tailor-fit your consulting services. Keep in mind that when it comes to people, strategies, processes, and solutions — one size does not fit all. You will need to tailor-fit your services to the needs and demands of your clients to better serve them.

Here’s how you can increase your chances of being hired by top consulting companies:

1. Assess your skills and your expertise. The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you have what it takes to become an effective consultant. You must have the needed educational background and experience. For instance, if you are applying to financial consulting companies, it is imperative that you have a bachelor degree in accounting, commerce, or business. It would work to your advantage if you have relevant experience like working for mortgage companies in the past.

2. Resume. It’s crucial that you’ll be able to capture the attention of your potential employer through your resume. You can make this happen by making your resume compelling and extra powerful. It must be well-written and it must speak volumes about your expertise. Include only the information that are relevant to the position that you are applying for. Do not forget to include your most recent, most friendly-looking photo.

3. Prepare for the interview. If your resume is truly interesting, I am pretty sure that you’ll be called in for an interview. Make sure that you do necessary preparations ahead of time to increase your chances of being hired. I suggest that you read several articles that are posted online where you can get tips and techniques as to how you can impress your interviewer. It’s important that you project a confident image, that you dress for the occasion, and that you articulate your thoughts and ideas in a very easy to understand manner.

This article is for those people who want to start a career in corporate consulting. Here’s what you need to have to get started on the right foot:

1. In-depth knowledge about the job. Obviously, you’ll increase your chances of making it big in this endeavor if you understand the job and its description on a deeper level. I recommend that you read and learn as much as you can about corporate consulting. Right now, there are several ebooks, articles, and even newsletters about this endeavor. Take advantage of them and increase your knowledge in no time.

2. Skills. Make sure that you possess the following skills; people, communication, problem-solving, analytical, leadership and interpersonal skills. These are crucial to your success in this endeavor.

3. Experience. You are most likely to be hired by organizations (if you are an independent consultant) or consulting companies if you have relevant working experience. It’s an advantage on your part if you have worked as a manager or a team leader in a big company. It would also be a big plus if you have relevant educational background and if you have attended relevant seminars and trainings in the past.

4. Availability. Although you might not spend much time dealing with clients for the first couple of months, this might change once you have made a mark in this field. Several clients might sign up with your services and it’s crucial that you give them enough coaching time. It would work to your advantage and it will benefit your bank account if you work as full time corporate consultant when this happens.

Consulting is one lucrative but highly competitive field. Here’s how you can get ahead of the pack:

1. As a consultant, you must pay close attention to details and you must be able to deliver effective solutions on a timely manner. You are expected to be professional, organized, prompt, reliable, and of course, responsive. Your clients must not wait for more than 24 hours to get replies to their email inquiries otherwise, you’ll surely lose their business. You are also expected to stay on top of latest trends and you must exert conscious effort to constantly increase your knowledge on your chosen field.

2. Analyze the problems first. Make some time to research and study all angles of the problems before you make suggestions or offer solutions. Identify relevant components and dynamics and make sure that you outline how elements fit together before you start formulating successful solutions.

3. Interpersonal skills. As a consultant, it’s very important that you possess excellent verbal and listening skills. You must be able to effectively articulate your thoughts and you must be able to communicate in a very easy to understand manner while still sounding highly intelligent.

4. Be cross-functional. It would work to your advantage if you know the ins and outs of your chosen consulting field. You don’t need to be experts on different disciplines but at least you must know a little bit of everything so your clients will not need to hire additional consultants for their other related problems. Through this, you can help these people save a lot of money in the long run.

A business plan can increase your confidence and help build any small business ideas you may have. It can be your silent partner that is there to help you grow your business to it’s fullest potential.

If you want your small business ideas to grow into a successful profitable business you will need to have a business plan. It is your route to success,Guest Posting without it you are planning to fail

Your business plan needs to be a live document that is in constant development and is continually checked and updated, You must know if you are meeting your goals and if you do not continually check your business plan it can not work for you. Your business plan will allow you to make the needed changes to adjust to your small business growth or lack of growth.

The basic outline of a business plan is to detail the systems you will use and the task that are needed to accomplish your goals. By reviewing your business plan on a monthly basis at first you will be able to check your progress or lack of it. Once your business is up and running inn the direction you desire you may want to revise the time you review your plan. If your small business is progressing the way you planned and growth is steady checking your plan quarterly might be a good choice.

At first financial goals should be small. Although small they should be accomplished in the time frame you set. The initial small goals are as vital to your overall plan as the larger goals you have set for later dates. If your plan is working correctly in the early stages you will be able to determine if the complete business plan is achievable. Make sure that each goal is achieved as planned.

As in most aspects of life the best of plans can fail. You must ask yourself two questions. 1. Did you complete each goal in the time period you set. Were you able to achieve some of your goals but not all of them.

2. Were you able to use the systems you put in place and did they work as planned. Some of them will have met the goals you set while others did not.

Look carefully at your answers and analyze them. You will have systems that worked correctly and performed as expected. Keep those and continue working with them. The will also be systems that did not meet the goals you had set and the plans you had made. Look at these systems and find why they did not work.

You need to know why they did not work, if the system was flawed, were there steps in the system you may have missed. In answering those questions you can adjust future plans to accommodate errors that may have been made or discard the system completed and replace it with a new one.

A good solid business plan will continually improve and adjust. Adjusting and manipulating your plan for future growth will not only improve the effectiveness of your plan it will insure continued growth of your business.

Along with helping to build your small business ideas a business plan can give you confidence. A business plan is like a silent partner that helps keep your business on track.

A discount dental plan has things in its favor, particularly if you don’t have any dental health benefits. How does it work, and is it right for you?

The first thing to know about discount dental plans is that they are NOT insurance and cannot be viewed in quite the same way. That having been said,Guest Posting you should be aware that some states may choose to treat them under much the same rules as insurance, and that may blur the differences between them.

WHAT ARE DISCOUNT DENTAL PLANS?

A discount dental plan is what its name implies. It is a plan, or group, that can be voluntarily joined by you, the customer, and by the providers, i.e. dentists and/or oral surgeons. You will generally be charged a fee, usually monthly or quarterly, for your right to continue to participate as a member of a plan. This membership will entitle you to discounted services at the offices of the dentists or other providers who have agreed to offer their services to members at those discounted rates. While the discount is generally shown as a percentage off of the provider’s standard fees, some plans may include set prices for some procedures. A reputable plan should be able to provide members with a comprehensive list of procedures and discounts (or prices) along with a list of providers.

NOTE: If selecting a discount dental plan, it is important to check their list of providers to find out if service is even available in your area.

NOTE: Since most savings are in the form of discounts applied to the provider’s normal fee, some shopping around among providers may be of value. Providers often offer services at rates that may be higher or lower than the dentist down the street. They have merely agreed to discount their “usual” charges.

WHY WOULD A DENTIST OFFER DISCOUNTED DENTAL SERVICES?

Although we would like to think of dentists and other health care providers as part of the “medical profession” and subject to lofty ideals and codes, they are also small business owners. However, such professions often have some ethical or legal restrictions on how they may advertise, and advertising is the lifeblood of any small business. By joining a discount medical plan as a service provider, a dentist can increase his or her immediate exposure to a group of potential clients that might otherwise have passed them by. A side note on this is that if the plan member is satisfied with the services they receive, they will probably return to that provider again and again, and will also possibly recommend the dentist to friends and neighbors who are not plan members.

WHEN ARE FEES DUE UNDER DISCOUNT DENTAL SERVICES?

Unlike some forms of insurance where claims are filed, percentages and deductibles are reckoned and a final patient cost arrived at, under most discount dental plans the financial transaction consists of an immediate discount on the normal fee with the member paying the dentist the due amount at time of service. While any dental fee, even a discounted one, can be pretty hefty, there is no waiting and no uncertainty as to probable final cost.

THE HIDDEN VALUE OF DISCOUNTED DENTAL SERVICES.

Let’s face it. Dental services are expensive. Many of us have experienced the time in our lives when we put off even basic dental services simply because we did not think we could afford it at the time. For many of us, this proved to be the wrong decision because a small problem which could have been caught and repaired early at a relatively “cheap” cost later became a big, expensive problem. For families with children, this scenario is not at all uncommon. Most discount dental plans will allow for relatively inexpensive checkups and services such as teeth cleaning. This will allow families, particularly large families, to keep their costs down by catching small problems before they become big problems.

One additional value is that these plans are often billed month-by-month and can be entered into and dropped as needed should your health benefits position change.

NOTE: A drawback to these plans is that not all dentists are members. If you have an established relationship with one dentist, he or she might not be on the plan and you may have to begin all over with a new dentist. Also, in some areas there may be a large selection of dentists, but only a relative few on the plan. Again a reminder – do your homework and check out the availability of providers before putting money into any plan.

IS A DISCOUNT DENTAL PLAN WORTH IT?

That IS a tough question. Like insurance, investments, and annuities, there is no way of knowing what the future will bring. While the actual out-of-pocket cost of the plan itself is easily calculated, cost to savings evaluations cannot be made until after the fact. A discount dental plan is usually purchased with the idea that the membership costs are relatively small in relation to the amount of money which might be saved should the historically expensive services of a dentist be needed.

ARE THERE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS THAT WOULD IMPROVE THE VALUE OF A DISCOUNT DENTAL PLAN?

Some discount dental plans have bundled their plans with other services. These may be offered for additional fees, or may be included in the price of the plan itself. This may vary from plan to plan, and it would be the task of the consumer to compare the benefits of any plan before making a commitment.

It has been noticed with great care and attention that if the business does not have a sound marketing plan and marketing position then he won’t be getting enough profit in his business. It is necessary for any company to come up with some strong and powerful marketing plan so that they might be able to dig out maximum profit from their clients and customers.

It has been noticed with great care and attention that if the business does not have a sound marketing plan and marketing position then he won’t be getting enough profit in his business. It is necessary for any company to come up with some strong and powerful marketing plan so that they might be able to dig out maximum profit from their clients and customers. When we talk about any real estate company,Guest Posting then they should also put forward their best while creating a marketing plan of their company. This piece will be telling the importance of marketing and advertising to all the real estate companies. Starting with, internet marketing will be allowing any real estate company to capture their customers instantly and turning them into clients in a short span of time. It is only because of strong and firm marketing plan that will make your company distinguished and prominent by taking a little bit time.

The business of real estate can only be generated if the company will be having consistent and continuous marketing and advertising campaigns. In order to guide your real estate brokers and agents, event marketing will surely be helpful for them. This sort of marketing will be generating an efficient and effective way to bring more accounts and business for the company. This is only the tip of the ice berg! Below are some more important aspects that highlight the importance and significance of a marketing plan in a detailed and explained way. Read it and get to know the answers of your queries so that you might be able to re-plan your marketing plan in a more enhanced and better way Marketing plan also make the company to conduct and plan out some home buying seminars and home selling events so that your company might have the right platform to speak to your target audience. Flyers also play an important role in the marketing plan of a real estate company.

In order to have some sufficient number of buyers, make excessive use of fliers! Experts and masters are of this viewpoint that if the real estate company would be spending some appropriate cost on his marketing plan then it will surely be generating some huge profits in a shorter time frame. Growth and success will be there in their business plan if they will be implementing their marketing plan in a proper way. Hence, the importance and significance of marketing plan in the field of real estate is quite and rather clear. Any company should not ever neglect the importance of marketing plan in his business. Any company should be considering the above mentioned importance so that they might be able to make their marketing plan to work out in a much better way in future. Any individual who is thinking to get start with the real estate company then he should first focus on his marketing plan because it is only the marketing plan that will be bringing business in his company.

The Blue Options HSA plan provides catastrophic coverage. You will pay less money out-of-pocket if you need to be hospitalized and you will definitely pay a lower premium every month. If you are looking for the least expensive, most sensible plan to cover yourself and your family, then you need to consider the Blue Options HSA plan.

Which plan is better? Well,Guest Posting that all depends.

Let’s face it the cost of health insurance plans has been rising about 8% each year. Sadly, this doesn’t appear to be getting better either. It may shock you when you realize the simple truth. HSA type catastrophic health plans are much more affordable.

Let’s look more closely at the Blue Options HSA plan first.

Why Blue Options HSA plans don’t get much consideration:

* People don’t understand HSA plans

* They probably never had one offered to them at their job.

* The deductible appears to be very high

* They sometimes believe that the plan is of no use unless the deductible is met

* They have fear of something they don’t understand

* They don’t know that they can take pre-tax dollars to pay for medically related expenses

* Most people don’t understand the concept of statistics and probabilities

* The agent they are using doesn’t want to take the time to explain a new plan concept

Let me entice you with some cost comparisons:

The typical twenty-nine year old male and twenty-eight year old female in North Carolina would pay $237 per month for the Blue Options HSA plan. This plan has a maximum out-of-pocket expense, if either one has to be hospitalized of $5000.

Let’s take and example: Jim has to have his gall bladder removed. The operation will cost nearly $22,000. What does Jim have to pay? He has to pay $5,000. The insurance company pays the balance due. of $17,000. Heart bypass surgery might cost $130,000 and you would still be out-of-pocket the same amount. It would only cost Jim $5,000 out of his pocket.

Blue Advantage Plan for the same 29 year old male and the 28 year old female is $272 per month. This plan has a maximum out-of-pocket expense, if either one has to be hospitalized, of $5,500. Therefore, the gall bladder operation would cost Jim $5,500 instead of $5,000.

Think about it. The couple will need to pay $35 more each month – or $420 more per year to have the Blue Advantage plan.

That doesn’t sound too good. The Blue Advantage plan will cost you $500 more out of your pocket if you have to be hospitalized.

So why is the Blue Advantage plan the most popular plan in North Carolina?

The Blue Advantage plan easy to understand, first of all. People like the fact that they can see a doctor for $25, or $50 for a specialist. Medications are only $10 for generic, $35 for preferred brand drug after a $200 annual deductible.

Here’s the story: People are afraid that they won’t be able to see a doctor for a sick visit without it costing more than their budget can stand.

If you are insured by the Blue Options HSA plan it will cost you more to see a primary doctor, $60 and about $80 to see a specialist. Therefore, to see a doctor you will pay $35 or $55 more.

There is more to the story. On average, people may have to be hospitalized once every 9.2 years. Young healthy people need to see a doctor once per year for a thorough check up. In addition, most young healthy people see a doctor for a cold or other minor health problems one additional time per year.

Shouldn’t young healthy people have a catastrophic plan such as the Blue Options HSA plan? Yes! A catastrophic plan will help them get the care they need and the Blue Options HSA plan costs less than the Blue Advantage plan.

Most of people are unaware about some mistakes when they carry out a weight loss plan. This article is to point out some common mistakes for those who are still news to weight loss plans.

Most of Weight Loss Articles are guiding you how to carry out a weight loss plan effectively. But sometimes you may not know that you have done some weight loss mistakes through out the journey of your weight loss plan. It kills your weight loss goals indirectly. At the same time,Guest Posting it does affect your weight loss plan too. Related to this, some common weight loss mistakes that you must avoid to make a success in your weight loss plan.

1. Skipping meals – The biggest mistakes in your weight loss plan is meals skipping. The main reason from those dieters is that weight loss plan could be effective if less eating. In fact, this ‘method’ could not make a success in your weight loss plan, but it does affect your health’s condition. If you try to lose your body weight with this ‘method’, your are likely to eat more than usual for your lunch – if you skip your breakfast on a daily basis. Therefore, you are likely to gain more weight, instead of make a glittering success in your weight loss plan.

2. Starving – Do not ever try to starve yourself to slim down your body shape! It is killing and strongly not recommended for those wish to carry out their weight loss plan. As mentioned just now, you are likely to starve yourself when you skip your meals. Starving could slow down your metabolism rate, and it does affect the fat burning rate in your body. Please bear in mind that you have to enhance a good eating habits (no junk food, oily food) with healthy foods to lose your body weight. It helps to enhance your muscle in your body. Muscle is vital to transform your body into fat burning furnace.

3. Self esteem – Once you have planned your weight loss plan, do not always doubt your decision and effectiveness of the weight loss plan. You should understand that nothing is totally perfect. An ideal weight loss plan may suitable for others, but it may not suitable for you. After getting and customizing your weight loss plan, practice it, and then only evaluate it. You should always confident to your own weight loss decision. If you think you can, you can!

4. Weight Loss Pills/Drugs – IF you are still new about weight loss plan, you are not advised to take any weight loss pills or weight loss drugs to speed up your weight loss plan. Natural healthy weight loss plan should always be your priority to lose your body weight. If you insist to have a rapid weight loss plan, consult a physician or a doctor before getting started with any kind of weight loss pills.

As a conclusion, you can always feel the visible of your weight loss plan within 3 months. Of course, you have to carry out your weight loss plan effectively with your strong determination, consistency, and self-esteem. If you are able to notice and rectify the weight loss mistakes that you have made now, you are likely to achieve your weight loss goals very soon.