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An environmental consultant wears quite a few hats. Environmental consultants, who are usually involved with most government programs and major industries, and often with relatively smaller projects, are responsible for environmental management, problem solving, analysis, and the storage of crucial data.

They often come face-to-face with very challenging and difficult to deal with environmental issues.

For example, a consultant is often involved with chemical cleanups, development issues, emissions issues, endangered species issues, industrial site rehabilitation, mining projects, recycling, storm water runoff, waste management and landfills, and wildlife habitats.

An environmental consultant is hired as an expert advisor and bills his or her clients on an hourly basis.

Historically environmental consultants were primarily involved in situations that involved undoing past damages or remediation. However, they have now become instrumentally involved with new projects.

For example, before beginning construction, the entities in charge of major residential developments will often make environmental safeguards an integral part of their management plans.

Although environmental studies are usually required by law, people in the construction industry know that just having environmental studies conducted is considered to be a wise practice. That’s because the initial environmental site analysis may find issues that could evolve into major problems for them, the local wildlife, or the future residents of the project they are working on.

Most people know that large amounts of water can destroy a foundation. But did you know that the harmless looking maidenhair fern means that there’s a lot of water around? You might not know that, but a consultant whose focus is the environment does.

Aside from potentially destroying the foundations of buildings about to be constructed, the water that the construction site is on might actually be a source that feeds the local water supply.

Without this knowledge the developer might install sewage pipes and drains that could contaminate the local water supply system. If that were to happen, aside from the potentially serious health consequences, fixing this mistake could take many millions of dollars.

Here are some additional issues an environmental consultant might find:

• Soil erosion that was or could be caused by removing vegetation

• Water-logging which would be the result of building near a wetland

• Site risks that are related to aquifers, natural drainage, and water courses

• Subsidence that could be caused by removing trees

An environmental consultant usually works during regular business hours. However, their job could involve a lot of extra time and it could include a considerable amount of site work and analysis.

Although the median salary for an environmental consultant is $50,000 per year, his or her income would actually depend on the nature of the employment contract, the nature of the work, and the nature of their specialization.

In addressing the question “who hires consultants?”, the definition of “being a consultant” needs to be settled first. It is simple-enough. It is generally accepted to be “a person who gives expert advice professionally” (Oxford Concise English Dictionary).
 
In business-survival language, a person determined to become an independent consultant has to approach his search for clients with some kind of presumption that he will be able to establish good business relationships with enough people (especially business decision-makers) who will be prepared to consider hiring him (or her) for the expert advice he will be able to offer them and the style and manner with which he will offer it.
 
There are then two further questions to be tested: who hires established consultants who have built-up a solid reputation for themselves in their field over several years and who already have a contact book of regular clients? And who might be likely to hire a newcomer?
 
WHO HIRES ESTABLISHED CONSULTANTS
Accepting that the established consultants will have been newcomers to their marketplace at some time in the past, the now-settled reality will be that they will have built up a reputation and will have proved themselves to be invaluable to the clients they have accumulated since they set-up business They will be hired because of these attributes: the service/s they offer will have become sound and well-suited to the individual clients; they will have developed an understanding of the businesses and have a serviceable relationship with the personalities they have to interface with; and they will be reliable.
 
The businesses, for their part, will have the best of several different worlds.
 
The consultant will provide them with on-call access to his expertise, but only when they need it. They do not need to employ an ‘expert’ member of staff (with all the attendant liabilities) and find other work for the staff-member to do to fill-up time. Nor will the client need to pay for holiday time or time-off-sick. All these savings are likely to matter particularly to smaller businesses interested in economies wherever they can be found.
 
Equally importantly, a consultant is likely to be especially-valued if he is known to reinforce his existing expertise continuously by buying the journals and keeping-up his memberships of the professional bodies that will ensure he stays fully up-to-date on professional matters, and even to spend money on essential training courses, sparing clients the need to include any of these often substantial annual training costs in their own budgets.
 
But perhaps the most fundamental reason why an established consultant will be consistently hired is that most old-fashioned ingredient: reliability. He will be going out of his way to make sure that his clients can feel confident he will always be there for them, ready to help them sort out their problems. Quite often they can’t be confident their own staff would be that diligent.

As an independent consultant, you must have a marketing mentality focused on generating new business until you’re well established and have more business than you can handle. If you are already a well-established consultant, consider becoming a mentor to a new consultant or do some hiring and teaching.

Independent consulting is an area of work in which expertise in your niche is both expected and required.

Therefore, the first step is to identify a niche in which a clearly identified need exists and one in which you have the expertise to fill. Take inventory of your knowledge, skills, and expertise then zero in on an area in which you want to consult.

Second, review your existing clientele. If you have a recent employer with whom you had a good working relationship and from where you were laid off for financial reasons, explore the possibilities there. Look for businesses in a related field and ask for referrals. And, read help wanted ads, but offer to work as an independent consultant rather than as an employee. You don’t need more than two or three assignments to get going.

Third, develop your promotional materials – - brochures, business cards, flyers, and press releases for distribution. However, do not send out your business cards, brochures, and flyers to just any company or organization. Make the contact first either from your referral source, phone calls, etc and then follow up with your mailings. With regards to press releases, decide what you want to announce, make sure it has value to the newspaper’s and internet news readers and send it out.

Fourth, develop your website and related blog for your consulting business. Do not concern yourself with paying someone to do this for you. You are an independent consultant. Learn how to do this for yourself. You don’t want to depend upon someone else for updating and changing your website and blogs when your business evolves and expands. There are many free options on the internet. Use your research skills and find them.  Become self-reliant.

Fifth, on your website, be clear as to what you want your visitors to do. If you want the visitors to call you for a free consultation, make it clear how long it would last. If it’s 30 minutes, say so. If it’s to subscribe to your newsletter, say so.  Make the call to action appealing and worthy of the customer giving you their e-mail address.

And sixth, offer tons of useful and relevant information on your website. This provides a sample of your knowledge and expertise and shows them what they can expect when they decide to do business with you.

Would you pay $200 to save $10,000? Or $25,000? Or $40,000? Let me start off by saying that hiring a college financial aid consultant (or college financing consultant) is not absolutely necessary. Many families manage to put in the time and effort to research the financial aid process, and end up doing just fine. Having said that, I’ve seen firsthand how being uninformed and making mistakes in this area can lead to devastating consequences.

A friend of mine (we’ll call him Rob) is a prime example. He hired a “financial aid consultant” to help him navigate the bewildering college financing system when his oldest son was applying to colleges. I don’t know the exact qualifications for the man who showed up at Rob’s house to “help” him, but, he was clearly not qualified. Rob’s son was subsequently admitted to the expensive private school of his choice (which was no surprise, since it wasn’t a selective school), and they paid full price for the privilege. The son graduated, and now, 4 years later, both Rob and his son are still struggling every month to cover the payments on over $80,000 in student loans. I look incredulously at Rob and ask him, “What were you thinking?” His response: “We just didn’t know.”

So if you want to be sure that you’re informed about getting the most free college money, you may want to hire a professional. Let’s take a closer look…

1. How does someone become a college financing consultant? They go to their computer and print up business cards with their name, phone number, and the words “College Financial Aid Consultant” on them. That’s it. There is no governing board or regulatory agency to qualify, regulate or monitor them. It’s up to you to determine if they are qualified.

2. Exactly what does a college financing consultant do? An ethical, qualified college financing consultant will tell you all about the financial aid process. They will answer questions like:

a. What is financial aid?

b. How do I apply for it?

c. How much can I get?

They will also provide you with advice on exactly how and when to apply. They will go through the applications question-by-question, making sure that you answer each one accurately. They will help you sort through financial aid award letters, and help you determine which offer is the best for you. If you have special circumstances, they will help you submit an appeal to the financial aid office.

3. What does an ethical, qualified college financing consultant NOT do?

a. They will not ask you for your PIN in order to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for you. That’s illegal.

b. They will not tell you to lie about your income or assets in order to receive aid your wouldn’t normally qualify for.

c. And they will never, NEVER offer to sell you an annuity. Some insurance agents have realized that parents who are applying for financial aid are prime targets for buying annuities. Why is that? Because annuities aren’t listed as an asset for financial aid purposes. If a family has $100,000 in investments (stocks, bonds, CDs, etc.), that amount must be listed as assets on their FAFSA. However, if they liquidate all of it and buy a $100,000 annuity, they don’t have to list it on their FAFSA, and they may be eligible for more financial aid. Don’t be fooled. Anyone who offers to sell you an annuity is an insurance agent, not a college financing consultant.

4. What does a college financing consultant charge? Most reputable college financial aid consultants charge a fraction of what admissions consultant charge, and will probably end up saving you a lot more than what you paid.

If you decide to look for an ethical, qualified college financial aid consultant, there are two main questions to ask:

1. Have you ever worked in a college aid office? This answer should always be “Yes”. There are over 7000 federal regulations that deal with financial aid, and only someone who has worked in the “trenches” can really know the ins-and-outs of the application process, eligibility, packaging, etc.

2. Are you licensed to sell annuities? This answer should always be “No”. I have run into many of these “financial aid consultants” who make a KILLING selling annuities, but don’t offer very good college financing advice.

So now that you know the ropes, don’t end up like my friend, Rob. Like hiring a tax preparer when you don’t know much about taxes, hiring a qualified, reputable college financing consultant can make a scary, confusing process easier, and may even save you money.

If a speaker is going to truly capitalize on the current needs and desires of people, they must be at the top of their game. One of the most important aspects of this is to be aware of the latest trends. A speaker won’t be successful at promoting themselves if all they have to offer is old news or outdated ways of thinking. Being on the cutting edge, and providing the latest information and ideas, is especially true for speakers who want to incorporate consulting into their offerings.

Global Consulting As a Speaker: Professionally Rewarding!

Consulting involves providing professional and expert advice in areas such as business, management, technology and communications, to name just a few. Global consulting extends the reach of a speaker on a much larger scale, since it involves international relations with companies from different parts of the world. When a speaker ventures into global consulting it greatly enhances their credentials. However, it is not necessarily easy to penetrate the global consulting market, and not all speakers will be able to do it. What it takes is a speaker who has established a reputation as an authority in their field. It is important that they have a loyal following and client base in their own country, before venturing into the global market.

Once a speaker is hired as a consultant to countries outside of his or her own, it is an indicator of solid experience, reliable service and expertise in their chosen field. It is also an opportunity for the speaker to showcase their talents and marketability, since consulting requires a different level of success in a given field. Global consulting can be quite challenging, but the rewards are many.

For the company hiring consulting services, there are generally 3 primary goals including enhancing business growth, optimizing the wealth of stakeholders and company owners and boosting the over-all performance and productivity of the company’s workers. A speaker who ventures into consulting can easily become a part of a company’s business acceleration, and growth, through a series of motivational talks, consultations and workshops.

Whether absorbed as a partner or independently hired, speakers can benefit tremendously from being a global consultant. It is a chance to expand one’s horizons in terms of career growth, and will provide the opportunity to open new and unexplored avenues where one’s expertise and talent as a speaker can be put to good use.

Global Consulting as a Public Speaker Made Easy:

Regardless of the many advantages of becoming a consultant, there is an important aspect to the profession that many speakers fail to recognize. In the current era of “being local and dealing global”, offering global consulting services as a speaker can be easier than you might realize. It does not require you to get on a plane and travel great distances. All it really takes is an Internet connection and the skills to provide good quality teleseminars. You can begin your consulting business in the comfort of your home. Once you have developed your ideas for your seminars, and done a bit of marketing, you are ready to broadcast your teleseminar globally. There need not be any limit to how far you can extend your reach.