Doug Casement reckons Consultants of Choice is a no-brainer for anyone going out on their own.

Doug has seen digital transformation projects turn ugly more times than he can remember and it’s always the human side of things that lets projects down. Crappy comms are at the heart of most business fails.

His new IT communications consultancy helps IT managers and CIOs avoid expensive disasters. No more dropping the ball when it comes to communicating the case for change. No more wondering why they can’t take people with them on the journey to success.

Doug’s background is tech journalism and major IT projects and he’s been a freelance IT advisor and writer for years. But selling himself as an IT comms specialist is a fresh application of his skills. And being a consultant, rather than a contractor, is also new. So, when Consultants of Choice launched, Doug was there in a flash.

Ready to go it alone but feeling uncertain?

Doug says, “I’m ready to go out as an independent. I worked for IDG’s publishing arm for 13 years and then I ran CIO research programs for IDC, where I was part of the team that created the CIO summit and conference. I've seen and done enough as a journalist and as researcher in the IT project space to have a fairly good handle on what works and what doesn't.”

“But I was feeling a little uncertain if I really had the skills and experience to be a success on my own. It’s funny because when I worked for large multinational organisations it never even occurred to me that I didn’t know my stuff. But now I’m going out on my own I’ve started to go, well, hang on a minute, who am I to say this?”

“I needed a boost to have the chutzpah to sell myself in meetings and put myself out there on LinkedIn. I've been getting Alicia's e-newsletters for some time, and I’ve bought a couple of her courses, so I jumped straight onboard the moment Consultants of Choice was announced.”

“I was feeling a little uncertain if I really had the skills and experience to be a success on my own … I needed a boost to have the chutzpah to sell myself.”

Advice tailored to the New Zealand market

Doug’s a bit of a learning connoisseur. “I've invested lots of money over the years in training and memberships, some of which I've never gone back to because I did the first 15 minutes and thought, this doesn't relate to New Zealand. There's far too much American bro culture in online learning and that doesn’t fly here.”

“The great thing about Alicia is she's been very successful in New Zealand and Australia. So, Consultants of Choice has practical steps tailored for consultants in the New Zealand market. It isn't some Americanised hype train. To be honest, there’s nothing similar available out there.”

“I like Consultants of Choice’s pragmatic down to earth approach and language. There's nothing about it that's flowery or mushy. It's good, solid information presented in a way that's easy to consume and easy to practice, and there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions. And it’s a community as well as training. You get to know other people in the same situation. It's a safe space to test ideas, admit mistakes, and ask, ‘What have I done wrong?’ And you know you’ll get common sense answers geared to our working environment.”

“Consultants of Choice has practical steps tailored for consultants in the New Zealand market. It isn't some Americanised hype train.”

Own your awesome (in public)

One thing that (pleasantly) surprised Doug about Consultants of Choice was the marketing module. He says, “Alicia has repeated several times that as a small independent specialist, you're more likely to get hired than the big four because you're a fraction of the cost and genuinely expert at what you do. But people have to know about you before they can hire you and that’s where marketing yourself comes in.”

“I've worked in marketing, but applying marketing principles to yourself and your business is different. Consultants of Choice reinforces how basic marketing can be but how important it is to do it. It’s a very timely reminder that, at the end of the day, business success is all about getting in front of people. But you don't have to go out to thousands of people. You just need to get to those people who you've identified as your ideal prospects.”

“In New Zealand, with tall poppy syndrome, it’s hard to get people to publicly admit that they’re quite clever. And as experts, we struggle with the curse of knowledge. We forget that everyone doesn’t know the things we know. For example, Alicia asked me to run a session on tech for consultants. Afterwards, people came to me saying how helpful my tips were. It made me think how important it is to remind yourself about your expertise and to share your knowledge.”

“Consultants of Choice reinforces how basic marketing can be but how important it is to do it. It’s a very timely reminder that, at the end of the day, business success is all about getting in front of people.”

Reinforce your self-confidence

Doug says, “Joining Consultants of Choice has given me self-conviction around the value of my experience and the worth of what I'm offering. The reinforcement around self-confidence is phenomenal. It helps reassure you that you do know what you know.”

“Alicia is very good as a coach. She's down to earth. She swears, which is always a good sign in my book. She's very fast to put her hand up and say, ‘I goofed on that and this is what I've learned.’ During coaching sessions, you can ask as many questions as you want. And Alicia doesn't laugh at you if you ask a silly question. If someone shares a failure, she responds in a light-hearted way, but at the same time, she's supportive and kind. That's a hard act to get right because you don't want to make people feel like idiots, but at the same time, if they’re banging their head against a brick wall, you want to let them know there’s a better way.”

The modules in the course build logically to train you in all the aspects you need to be an independent consultant. And that's missing in a lot of other training out there. I've spent a lot of money over the years on training, and there's plenty teaching some of the specialist skills you need, but I haven't come across anything else quite like Consultants of Choice that’s a fully rounded, 360-degree framework for consultants.

Consultants of Choice has given me self-conviction around the value of my own experience and the worth of what I'm offering. The reinforcement around self-confidence is phenomenal.”

Ask yourself the hard questions you need to ask

Doug reckons Consultants of Choice is a no-brainer for anyone considering going out as an independent consultant. He says, “It’s a good test of if you really want to be a consultant or if it's just an idle daydream. The first module is all about designing the life you want and looking at how working as a consultant could support that lifestyle. It makes you ask the hard questions and think about whether you have what it takes.”

“The programme is also ideal for anyone who’s an independent consultant but feels lonely or at odds with themselves. If you feel you need to do something with your business, but you’re not sure what to do, Consultants of Choice will give you that framework you need.”

“The value for money is outstanding. Consultants of Choice has been well worth the money, and then some, just for the online community and coaching alone. The training modules are almost a bonus. The community has such a diverse range of people, skills, and offerings. Hearing people talk about what's happening for them and how they deal with things gives us all ideas.”

“I feel more self-confident in terms of my offering, my experience, and my skills. Next year's going to be an absolute ripper. Either that, or it will go screaming down in smoke, and make the Hindenburg look like a minor explosion. But hey, either way, I’m going to have a lot of fun.”

“The value for money is outstanding. Consultants of Choice has been well worth the money, and then some, just for the online community and coaching alone.”