SAS Consulting: New Beginnings

1 Paper 228-26 SAS consulting : New BeginningsCharles Edwin Shipp, Shipp ConsultingKirk Paul Lafler, Software Intelligence CorporationAbstractTrends in corporate America include using topquality short-term resources such as subscriptiononline software services, DP outsourcing, systemdevelopment outsourcing, in-house consulting andcontract programming. SAS consultants are in afavorable position to take advantage of the highdemand for their services. Is your energy and skillset up to the challenge?

2 If so, there are benefitsand rewards to consider. This paper presents anddiscusses how you can become involved in theexciting world of SAS consulting and build asuccessful business as become a successful SAS consultant, your SASskill is paramount, followed by your skills in creatingand running a small business. Critical successfactors include training and business preparation,the business plan, marketing material, positioningand image, choosing your areas of services, andlastly, setting a billing rate or project price.

3 As aconsultant, you find projects in programming or inSAS instruction, and work individually or team withothers. You learn how to market your services tosmall companies, large corporations or governmentagencies. To assist you in getting started, a self-survey map will be made available in the SUGI presentation to help you assess where you are andthe options concerning where you would like to Path OptionsIn most cases, a professional SAS consultantstarts as an employee in a corporation, governmentor academic office where he or she learns manyvaluable lessons and experiences in SAS planningand programming.

4 Paths then open to outsideconsulting opportunities, either as an independentconsultant or teaming with others. That was thepast. Now it is more common for youngerprogrammers to consider entering consulting remains a good career move for those nearretirement or considering early retirement to prepareto work in some areas of SAS as a are some easy steps and lessons to learn inmaking this Portable OfficeFor a Consultant, portability means does not mean that everything you need isloaded into your car and off you go.

5 What it meansis that items essential to your business can beaccessed easily when necessary. Examples includeworking from home and dialing in to where yoursystems and applications reside, or being able touse a laptop or computing device wherever andwhenever the need calls for is possible that a portable office is nothing morethan your closest "full-service" copy center ( ,Kinko s). These "full-service" copy centers offerhigh quality services at affordable prices includingreproduction, fax, binding, telephone, computerpublishing, printing, scanning, does the portable office give you?

6 The basic definition of the portable office can bedefined as follows:1. Being productive away from "home"surroundings2. Having what s necessary to conductbusiness3. Having at your finger tips what s familiar does the portable office look like?Answering this question depends on when andwhere you need an office ( , plane, train,automobile, ship). The very definition of portabilitymeans being able to conduct the activities in yourbusiness whenever and wherever , the latest electronics have made thisonce difficult task less daunting.

7 Today s consultantoften uses one or more of the items listed Laptop or notebook computer2. Cellular telephone3. Pager4. PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)5. Pocket tape recorder6. Modem/fax7. Portable printer8. Rechargeable cigarette adapter9. Battery charger10. Batteries11. Blank diskettes12. High capacity storage device ( , Zipdrive, optical read/write drive, etc.)13. Learning tapes ( , career, management,languages, books, etc.)14. Name and address book ( , telephone#s for airlines, car rentals, hotels, businessassociates, etc.)

8 Rate SettingThere are two ways to price your consultingservices:Professional Development and User Support1. Set a rate according to the value of yourtime ( , hour or day or week)2. Set a total price for a task, activity, or job. The method you decide to use for establishing yourrate is a personal decision. You could combine bothmethods or invent an entirely new method to pricethe services you perform. Set up some rules to liveby. You and your family must be able to survive onthe salary you pay yourself, you should be able tomeet all of your financial obligations, and hopefullyshow a profit (although this last point may not be apossibility when you are first starting out).

9 Before you begin to set your rate, the first thing toremember is that whatever rate you set must (orshould) be a competitive one. A second thing toremember is that there is no set or "fixed" price forany service. You will find a range of prices (low tohigh and everything in between). It will benecessary to establish a rate within these upperand lower ranges. Do not be convinced that the onlyway you ll be able to compete is to set the lowestprice within this range. You should then spend time researching andlearning all you can about the market you areseeking to sell your services to.

10 Make everyattempt to answer the following questions. Is therea need for the services I provide? Is there acompetitor that can provide the same service asme? What types of services is my competitionproviding? Are there opportunities that are not beingpursued? How do other consultants sell theirservices? Elements to factor in when determining consultingrate: 1. Type of job (system programming,application programming, training, etc.)2. Cost of living3. Overhead costs4. Personal Training Costs (including getting upto speed)5.