After hearing the same dire news from several of my consulting friends, I put a poll up on LinkedIn:
About half of the consultants out there are having a tougher time bringing in new clients than they have in the past.
Before you get too excited
This isn't a dive into any of the new automated tuning features of SQL Server 2017.
I'm interested in them because Microsoft thinks they can put us out of business with them, but...
There's a fine art to running a productive meeting, keeping the discussion focused and scoping things tight to meet your scheduled finish time. Today's consulting lines post is about keeping people happy while still finishing meetings on time. Let's join a troubleshooting session where I've been brought in to help a client whose AlwaysOn Availability Groups are failing…
Some of my consulting lines are all about context. Let's just jump right into a project kickoff meeting with an architect and a few developers:
The Conversation
Me: "So, what pains is this SQL Server having?"
Phil I. Buster: "When I first started out here, we had SQL Server 2005. The app only had a couple of users back then, so as we added functionality, we decided to keep the business logic in the database. It wasn't too bad at first - "
This has grown to become one of my favorite consulting lines. I don't use it often, but used judiciously, it's a lifesaver. I use it a few different ways: Using This Line at the Start of the Meeting If you know in advance that the organizer (or some of the attendees) tend to ramble on…
Before I became a consultant, I was on the other side of the conference room table - we would bring in consultants, and I'd be amazed at all the cool lines they whipped out. Now that I'm the one giving advice, I like sharing some of my favorite consulting lines that you can use in…
I have to deliver a lot of bad news. It's pretty much my full time job. Nobody calls us when things are going well. (Well, they tweet us, because that's free.)
Sometimes, that bad news is very dangerous - especially for the company as a whole, or its customers.
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed a subtle change to our site, swag, and PowerPoint templates over the last few months. Here's the evolution as seen in our company coffee mugs:
Far left, the one with the heart, is the current one, but the transition is a funny story.
The ability to program in five languages, including one machine-level? Not it.
Project management skills, up to and including a PMP certification? Not that either.
Tired of workin' for the man? Want to live the glamorous life of jet setting around from place to place, working on really challenging problems, and eating at foodie restaurants? You just need three things.
1. A price.
Right now, people probably don't put a value on your time. You can't exactly put up an hourly rate sign, but you can start to put in some gentle barriers to make sure people respect the worth of your time.
If you swing by BrentOzar.com today, you'll notice that ZOMG EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT!About six months ago, we embarked on an ambitious project to redesign the entire BrentOzar.com. We quickly picked PixelSpoke, a web design firm based in Portland, and they knocked it out of the park.PixelSpoke started by surveying our clients to find out why…
Take it from me, performance tuning ain't easy. To do it well you need to use all of your technical skill, plan strategically, and communicate your recommendations effectively. You also need to inspire adoption. After all, what good is a plan to change a system if you can't convince anyone to go along with you?
This book paid for itself in less than ten minutes.I do consulting work on the side, and like many consultants, I'm never sure if I'm quoting the right billable rate. When I picked up this book several months ago, the first thing I did was turn to chapter 12, "Putting a Price on Your Head." …
