Ah, the life of a consultant. Sleeping late, working in your pajamas until noon, never having to do anything you don't like. It's exactly what everyone dreams about, right?

Wrong! If you've ever wondered what it's really like to be a learning and development consultant and what it takes to become a successful one, then you need this book. If you decide to go for it-or if you've already taken the plunge—Consulting Basics can help you every step of the way. You'll learn about:

The four things you must have before becoming a consultant:

Realities of daily work life on your own

How to sell yourself, find clients, and develop proposals

The client's point of view and how it impacts you

Setting up your practice effectively and professionally.

Along the way, you'll find charts, checklists, anecdotes, examples, and questionnaires to help you gain perspective, navigate your choices, and move forward. An appendix provides sample written agreements so that you'll have essential documents as soon as the need arises.

Consulting Basics is comprehensive, yet it's a quick and pleasant read.