One question that I get every so often from clients, colleagues and acquaintances is whether or not consulting is a “lonely business”. Those who aren’t familiar with the routine of the consultant can’t imagine the balancing act of developing business, delivering work and focusing on professional development all at the same time. It’s not for everybody…and it’s also what you make of it.

During the past 11 years, I’ve had the pleasure of offering business consulting services to huge companies (IBM, Sun and Pfizer), non profit organizations (like EDC, Inc.) and startups (like tvCompass and RampRate Inc.). I have to say that each engagement has had one thing in common - teaming and collaboration. It’s impossible to understand a client’s current situation and desired outcome without becoming immersed in their organization. And in order to deliver business management and consulting services, it’s usually important to interact with the client, their suppliers, employees, and partners. I find that business management consulting is anything but lonely!

It dawned on me recently that the most energizing aspect of the work that I do is collaborating with others. On any given day, I might interact with other members of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMCNE) to create a press release for an event or a survey for the membership. On another day, I wear my marketing consulting hat and pull together a cross-functional team at a client site to walk through a strategic planning exercise for 2009. By the end of the week, I may be participating in an online meeting with a client and their key sales managers as we develop sales training workshops for even more teams within the organization.

Is professional consulting a lonely business? Not at all - if you do it well!

In these crazy economic times, don’t lose focus of some business basics that can help keep your organization on track:

1. Update your plans.
Now’s a good time to take a look at your goals for the rest of 2008 and refresh your business planning. Take a look at your sales funnel, and closely examine whether or not it needs adjustment. Have customers put off purchasing until next year? Have any of your prospects indicated a significant shift in their business? What’s the current buyer behavior and has it changed? Are your sales, management and operations plans up to date?

2. Encourage a “We rise and fall together” culture.
It’s often true that there’s safety in numbers, so encourage your team and the rest of the organization to look at positive, thoughtful ways to get handle the current economic climate. Engage the organization to work together with a team challenge, for example, to come up with five new ways to improve productivity.

3. Reach out and touch someone.
Shifts in global economic and business markets are often a great conversation starter. Over the past several weeks, I’ve received calls from vendors and suppliers who were “just checking in” to see how my business was running. It’s always wise to keep communications open with prospects and clients, in good times and in challenging ones.

4. One person’s trash is another’s treasure.
I’ve often heard this saying applied to garage sales, and it can also apply to your business. Look for competitors who may abandon market segments where you can fill a need; take another look at customers that may be underserved. Can you reposition your products or services in a new or different way to appeal to this audience?

5. Leading change = Lead by example
In an interview with Fred Hassan, CEO of Shering-Plough, The Harvard Business Review assesses the work that’s been done to transform that organization. The primary focus has been on regaining the “top line” - the sales organization - as a key value driver. Since 2003, the focus has been on salesforce performance, relationship building with physicians and leveraging the sales management team to extend the company’s vision to its selling organization. Within your organization, now is a good time to lead change that can have longlasting impact.