INTRODUCTION

PART 1: DEALING WITH PEOPLE

1. CLIENTS ARE PEOPLE TOO
Relating to business people – asking questions – active listening – EARS – open questions, follow-up questions – be interested not interesting – personality types

2. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Networking – attitude of mind – multipliers – marketing v selling – meeting client's needs profitably – selling: the four–step process – asking for work

3. PITCHING FOR BUSINESS
Pitching process – to pitch or not? – long list – invitation to tender – pre–pitch meeting – planning your proposal and interview – tender – shortlist – hot buttons – turning features into benefits – moving the goalposts – follow-up

4. PRICING
What clients mean when they ask about cost – alternative pricing structures – the levers of profitability for professional service firms – working capital – time recording – commoditisation of services – complaints about cost

5. NEGOTIATING THE PROJECT
Project planning template – variables – demonstrating VFM – internal management/external reporting – post–project reviews – portfolio managing clients and work-types – how negotiation really works

6. GETTING THE WORK DONE WITH OTHERS
Working in teams – Belbin – effective delegation – feedback – BOOST – NITA – appraisal – leadership – ACES – time management – flipcharts

7. CLIENT COMMUNICATION: GET TO THE POINT
Put conclusions first – simple language and short sentences – structural scaffolding – emails – telephone technique – presentations – visuals – using stories in brochures

8. DOING WHAT YOUR CLIENT WANTS
Managing client expectations – expectation minus perception equals satisfaction – dealing with complaints – generating solutions – staying in touch – CRM

PART 2: DEALING WITH ORGANISATIONS

9. STRATEGY: A SENSE OF DIRECTION
Vision and mission – normative strategy – Porter's Five Forces – SWOT – matching to the external environment – PESTL – scenario planning – Mintzberg – Drucker – BCG – balanced scorecard – content and process – the CEO's strategic concerns

10. ORGANISATIONS AND WHAT PEOPLE DO IN THEM
Business, structure and purpose – organisational functions – other professionals and what they do – working together

11. BIG ISSUES FOR BIG BUSINESS
Knowledge economy – technology convergence – BPR – outsourcing, offshoring – quality – supply chain management – data mining and warehousing – privatisation – CSR – government, economics and statistics

PART 3: DEALING WITH FINANCE

12. THE PROFIT IMPERATIVE
Cashflow and profit – income and capital – equity and debt – business formats – entrepreneurs – venture capital – accounting terms – factoring – invoice discounting – balance sheets and P&Ls

13. HOW BUSINESSES GROW OR DIE
Going public – franchising – M&As – competition policy, monopolies and cartels – takeover timetable – hive downs – MBOs – private equity – corporate governance – reading the financial pages

14. IMPACT OF THE FINANCIAL MARKETS
Bonds – basis points – credit rating agencies – junk/high–yield – types of bank – asset finance – foreign exchange – spot market – trade finance – inflation and interest rates – risk management – hedging – derivatives – insurance – Lloyd's – shipping

15. CRUNCH TIME: SUB-PRIME & THE RECESSION
US home loans – poor credits – securitisation – SIVs – interbank market – trading frenzy – bonus culture – on-demand overdrafts – how bad banks have wrecked good businesses

APPENDIX: WHAT ELSE TO READ, WHERE ELSE TO LOOK

JARGON BUSTER