Recently I was asked what it was I did for a living. I told the person that I could give them the long answer or the short one. He said he was serious and wanted the long version. So I started to tell him. As I proceeded I thought this would make a great blog entry and a resource for anyone interested in what it is I do.

I started by telling him that I am a business consultant; a rather general, all purpose title. But then I elaborated. I told him I specialize in the planning, implementation, and management of strategic initiatives pertaining to sales, marketing, and client relations.

What I prefer to do with a client is examine where they find themselves, where they want to be, and the assets they are working with. Corporate culture is something that must be recognized and either accepted for what it is or changed. Organizational management is the driving force behind the persona the company is trying to create and it manifests itself in the sales and marketing endeavors that it tries to implement.

To that end, with regards to marketing, I assist firms with their branding and imaging. This means everything from the way the employees look and dress to a unified Social Media presence. In most cases it is recommended that anyone in the firm associated with client interaction and communication should sign up for one of my 2 ½ day, 17 hour, 30 topic sessions on soft skills. The training helps merge the concept of taking ownership in a professional manner; essentially Entrepreneurship and Etiquette.

What I have found with most small businesses is that they have an idea, product, concept, service, etc., and have managed to carve out a nice little business for themselves without much planning or strategy. But now they have hit a wall. They don’t have the infrastructure in place to expand. They may have policies in place that work for a small shop and customer base, but nothing scalable.

What I am able to do is take my many years of experience, education, and professional resources, and make a firm, like the one mentioned above, polished, streamlined, and competitive.