Bio of Melvin Feller Consultant

Melvin Feller MA is a business consultant with more than 35 years of business experience. He has an extensive background in planning and managing cross-functional business operations, and both real estate and technology projects. He also continues to teach others to excel in this business realm.

Before we see what the key attributes of a proper advisor or consultant are, it is essential to understand what are the various parts in a consulting career.

First and foremost, the advisor has to engage with the persons or a team of persons representing the customer. This interplay will confirm in the advisor the understanding of the nuances of the customer’s business. Often, these are both the enterprise proprietors or the key decision makers in the company.

So, the big question is what role does the advisor play here? The consultant’s function is to provide the men and women involved, training on business strategy, or new approaches of doing equal tasks; which leads to enhancements in one or more business operation parameters. It ought to be the company’s operations, the company’s brand in the market, and its products and services are known to be first-class.

In order to be enormously valuable in this role, the advisor should possess following attributes:

Ability to strike a rapport with the customer

Relationship constructing and personal development skills

Being an accurate listener

Being truthful

Projecting a strong business image

Building client trust

Projecting a brand or identity that portrays the company’s image

Business etiquette and social etiquette

Developing a special operating style

Being knowledgeable

Let’s look carefully at these attributes in order to recognize the finer nuances of each.

Ability to Strike a Rapport with the Customer

The most required skill an advisor ought to have is the capacity to strike a strong and trusting rapport. Any type of consulting engagement entails an interplay between two people who are mature, professional, and accomplished.

The fundamental premise of consulting is that every person is different. Everybody comes with an ego. They have previous credibility, track record, self-respect and self-confidence. Hence, the consultant’s function is very challenging. He is required to set up an engagement matrix or a relationship wherein, he is regarded at as a specialist and the client takes their recommendations and guidelines, seriously.

Relationship Building and People Skills

It is critical for the advisor to construct a relationship with the customer, and as a result his gentle abilities are of high importance. How he connects with people from specific backgrounds is very important. As the advisor progresses in the consulting assignment, he needs to subtly implement his knowledge, understanding and previous experience in client’s field of business. This will make certain that the engagement proceeds in an un-interrupted manner.

Being a Good Listener

Consulting is a two-way system wherein the advisor has to analyze the business enterprise and the business problems of the client. Only then will he be in a position to propose adjustments and/or enhancements in the company’s parameters. Hence, it is necessary that the advisor is patient, and listens to the customer’s issues, his points of view and company needs. Only if the advisor seems to be understanding the customer’s business, do they actually become closer to their company parameters and the cutting-edge scenarios; then he will be in a position to galvanize their use upon them in order that he can make an actual difference!

Melvin Feller MA goes on to say that “Unless you understand the place you are, you will no longer be capable to inform your clients how to proceed and how to go there”.

A desirable consultant or advisor is continually inclined to learn, to do the thorough research, the fact-finding, and acquiring the know-how to be constantly well-prepared.

Having an inquisitive nature, asking questions with politeness so that you don’t offend the client will become a very indispensable aspect. Another thing which is very essential in the consulting business is the capability to do an create excellent documentation and then organizing all written communications. Either via emails or any different potential of written communication, the advisor needs to be in a position to set up the ordinary tempo of the project.

The conversation capabilities of the marketing consultant are important. Email etiquette needs to be observed by means of the guide at the same time as sending information points over email, sending request, or placing conferences via the internet. There ought to be a clear undertone of being polite. While being both assertive and positive so that the main consulting message strikes at the heart of the issues.

Being Truthful

Another crucial thing of being a highly sought-after consultant is being truthful. Unless and till he makes the client conscious of what the realities are via telling the truth, he cannot be in a position to provide the variety of consulting that entices the clients to make the crucial modifications in their business and company process, that includes both the clients operating parameters and their business mission environment. Thus, it is a must to be truthful and straight forward.

Projecting a Winning Image

The marketing consultant need to maintain a demeanor and image that is professional and authentic. The marketing consultant wishes to come throughout as an individual who is polished, polite, assured and assertive at all times. That includes acting as a positive authority as it is an essential trait for a marketing consultant to be successful with the client and their bottom line.

Most of the consulting engagements contain influencing most decision makers in the organization. There is continually resistance to change in most business and in personal endeavors. Hence, it is vital that the advisor is authoritative, influential and assertive.

The consultant/advisor will be seen as influential with the encouragement of always dressing appropriately, by using exhibiting robust conversation skills, a professional. Apart from this, a very thorough understanding of the issues in which he is imparting consulting information is crucial.

Building Customer Trust

The consultant must create a prevailing impact via their personality, as well as their conduct so that each business clients begins believing in them and begin trusting them. Therefore, constructing the right plan and operating procedures have confidence in every possible essential parameter. Their persona performs a main function in developing the first affect in the idea of improving the client’s business.

The consulting engagement or mission may additionally not benefit by dragging out the consulting process. So, in a very quick span of time, within the early communicated communications the consultant or advisor has to create their first influence in such a way that the business client starts off believing in them as the expert. This builds faith and trust by the client, while at the same times gives insight in to the consultant’s way of working, their discipline, professionalism, and then creates the desired atmosphere in which there is cooperation with the client’s desire to implement the change in the client’s business.

Projecting an Image That Matches with the Company’s Image

Depending on the degree of seniority, the consulting position may also contain business operations and branding improvement as well as some pre-sale’s activities. In this case, the guide ends up interacting with very senior management individuals within the industry, the choice makers, owners, or the decision makers of businesses to whom the consultant is supplying consulting services to. The consultant/advisor has to comprehend how to signify their business services at the best and highest levels. They need to undertake in creating an image that fits with the company’s mission and branding.

Business and Social Etiquette

Another aspect of consultant’s job, they may also have to entertain some of their clients or attainable clients off-site in various social scenarios. The social engagements and conferences with the client should be in upscale hotels, or in their own comfortable and upscale conference rooms.

Therefore, the consultant/advisor must be versed in appropriate business attire and needs to learn to be relaxed while being viewed as interesting the clients in every social situation. This is essential in developing the best impression possible. Apart from this, skills in ordering food, how to order wine, are absolutely essential in constructing the consultant’s image.

Developing a Unique Personal Style

At the social situations the place the marketing consultant meets the client or interacts with them, the advisor/consultant should be well practiced in introducing themselves, or organizing engaging rapport. The advisor wants to strengthen their particular fashion of introducing themselves and use that as a mechanism to break the ice with all the businesses’ team members.

Being Knowledgeable

When it comes down to it, there is no replacement for the practical knowledge and know how in the area in which the consultant/advisor is consulting on. There is no replacement for continuing learning the cutting-edge actions in the consultant’s field of practice; whether or not it is studying news, reading administration books, technological know-how or anything is occurring in the market. Understanding market trends is an essential aspect of the consultant’s businesses practice.

Finally, the consultant/advisor need to ascertain that they close the loop on all communications. It is a mandated practice that after attending the meetings, they send a courtesy electronic mail thanking the business client for the meeting. They can send brief bullet point messages if the client prefers it. This is solely intended for the client in that they may comply with the closing of the information loop on all the interactions in order that the actions of each and every transaction and interaction is maintained by documentation. By doing so, their consulting business will get greater and greater possibilities to maintain repeat customers.

These are some of the key attributes make Melvin Feller a great Consultant!