Introduction

Where Independent Info Pros Come From
Getting Started as an Independent Info Pro
Now That I've Started, Where Do I Go?
Getting Down to Research

SECTION ONE: GETTING STARTED

Chapter 1: What's an Independent Info Pro?

What's This Business All About?
So What Do You Do, Anyway?

Online Research
Library Research
Public Records Research
Telephone Research
Document Delivery
Competitive Intelligence
Information Management
Library Staffing
Training and Seminars

Focus, Focus, Focus
Where Will I find My Clients?
Real-Life Examples

Color Printer Market
Finding Funding
Automobile Aftermarket

Frequently Asked Questions

"How can you sell someone else's information
"Why do you charge me when it's all free on the web?"
"What if you don't find any information?"
"What training or education is required?"
"Will you hire me? Can I intern for you?"
"Can I do this part-time?"
"How much will I earn?"

Endbar: Independent Info Pro Reality Checklist

Chapter 2: A Day in the Life of an Independent Info Pro

My Typical Day
Your Typical Day
Issues We All Face
Endbar: Eternal Verities in the Life of an Independent Info Pro

Chapter 3: The Joys and Frustrations of Being an Independent Info Pro

The Thrills of Being an Independent Info Pro
Sidebar: It All Depends...
The Chills of Being an Independent Info Pro
Sidebar: With A Little Help From My Friends
Endbar: The Best and Worst of Being an Independent Info Pro

Chapter 4: Are You a Potential Independent Info Pro?

The People Skills
The Entrepreneurial Skills
The Business Skills
The Information Skills
Where Can You Get Help?
Endbar: Checklist of Key Independent Info Pro Skills

Chapter 5: Understanding Your Competition

What Am I Up Against?

Special Libraries
Public and Academic Libraries
Information on the Desktop
Joe Down the Hall

Sidebar: "You Can Find That On the Web?"
Working with Your Competition
Sidebar: An Example of "Coopetition"
Looking For Competition
Making Yourself Competition-Proof
Endbar: Lessons Learned About Competition

Chapter 6: Structuring Your Business

Incorporating or Keeping It Simple

Sole Proprietorship

Sidebar: Protecting Your Social Security Number

Partnership
Limited Liability Company
Corporation

Sidebar: My Newly Incorporated Life
Going Solo or Playing a Duet
Hired Help or Ad Hoc Subcontracting
Endbar: Deciding on the Structure of Your Business

Chapter 7: Before You Launch

Business Plans and Other Pipe Dreams
Sidebar: Business Plan Checklist
Marketing Plan - Getting Clients to Beat a Path to Your Door
Who Are Your Clients?
What About My Steady Paycheck?

Moonlighting Employee
Full-time Entrepreneur
Part-time Entrepreneur

Just Do It!
Endbar: Checklist for Launching Your Business

Chapter 8: Checklist for Setting Up Your Business

Who Am I?
Sidebar: Are You My Employer?
What Am I?
Where Am I?
Office Equipment Checklist
Sidebar: Shopping Perils, Pitfalls, and Precautions
Other Office Expenditures
Your Public Face
Sidebar: Tackling That To-Do List
Staying in Touch
Setting Up Office Procedures
Paying Your Dues
Endbar: Final Thoughts on Setting Up Your Business

Chapter 9: Software For Your Business

The Basics

Word Processing
E-mail
Web Browser
Accounting
Backups
Virus Protection

The Nice-to-Haves

Adobe Acrobat
PowerPoint
Screen Capture
FTP Client
Dedicated Search Software
File Compression

Other Cool Tools
Endbar: Software Lessons Learned

Chapter 10: Work and The Rest of Your Life

Living Abundantly
Time Management, or, "I think I'll take a little break now"
"The Info Pro Is In"
Sidebar: Take a Day Off
Creating a Good Office Environment
Going On Vacation

"Call My Associate"
"Here's My Password"
"I'm Outta Here"

Sidebar: E-mail Vacation Message
Business Coaches: Help, I Need Somebody
Endbar: Life Lessons Learned

SECTION TWO: RUNNING THE BUSINESS

Chapter 11: Managing Your Clients

Monogamy vs. Playing the Field
Is Any Client Too Small?
Sidebar: Working For the Cause
Tire Kickers, Lookie-Loos and Low-Ballers
Sidebar: Free Samples, Anyone?
Let's NOT Do Lunch
Handling RFPs

Advantages of RFPs
Disadvantages of RFPs

Sidebar: Government Contracts the Easy Way
The Art of Proposal-Writing
Sidebar: A Sample Proposal
Get It In Writing?
When to Say "No"
The Project From Hell
How To Fire a Client
Endbar: Top Tips for Managing Clients

Chapter 12: Money, Money, Money

Financing Your Business
Accounting 101
Billing and Collections

The Check's in the Mail
Be Explicit

Sidebar: "Will That Be Visa or MasterCard?"

Ask if They're Happy
Presenting the Invoice
Net 30 Means Net 30

Cash Flow
Sidebar: Overhead vs. Cost of Goods Sold
Paying Yourself
Paying The Tax Man
Endbar: Living Large, or, Managing Your Money

Chapter 13: Setting Rates and Fees

Setting an Hourly Rate
Hourly Rates or Flat Fee?
Estimating a Project

What's Involved?

Sidebar: What'll It Cost?

Pricing Permutations

Sidebar: Working 9-5, Monday-Friday, Period

Bid High or Don't Bid
Presenting the Estimate

Can You Get the Money Up Front?
Recalibrating Rates
Endbar: Top Tips for Rates and Fees

Chapter 14: Subcontracting, or I'll Scratch Your Back If You Scratch Mine

How Does Subcontracting Work, And Why Should I Share?

Calling In the Experts
On the Road Again
Needing Low-End Labor

The Challenges of Subcontracting
Sidebar: Points to Ponder
Following the Golden Rule

If You're the Contractor

Sidebar: What About Referral Fees?

If You're the Subcontractor

Running a Subcontractor-Based Business
Endbar: Top Tips for Subcontracting

Chapter 15: Ethics and Legalities

IANAL
Ethical Quandaries
Handling Conflicts
Client Confidentiality
Reading the Fine Print
Sidebar: Playing By the Rules
Contracts and Agreements
Sidebar: Dangerous Words
Keeping Your Word
Copyright Perils
Recycling Results
Legal Collections
Endbar: Top Tips for Remaining Lawsuit-Free

Chapter 16: Professional Development
AIIP: Your Secret Weapon
Associations Galore
Hi, My Name Is _____
Sidebar: Getting the Most Value From a Conference
Staying On Top of the Industry(s)
The Invisible Network
Endbar: Top Tips for Maintaining Your Expertise

Chapter 17: Strategic Planning

Getting a Yearly Check-Up

What More Can I Do For My Clients?

Sidebar: Saying "Thank You"

Spotting Troublesome Clients
Looking at the Revenue Mix

Sidebar: Planning to Plan
Taking Time to Think
Building a Brain Trust
Sidebar: Listening to Your Clients
Expanding Your (and Your Clients') Vision
Sidebar: Finding a Sounding Board
Endbar: Top Strategic Planning Tips

SECTION THREE: MARKETING

Chapter 18: Marketing Do's and Don'ts

Who Needs You?
Sidebar: Information-Hungry Professions
Know What the Client Needs
Think Globally, Not Locally
You're Always "On"
"Can You Do This for Me?"
Ten Mistakes New Independent Info Pros Make
Endbar: Successful Marketing Techniques

Chapter 19: Your Business Image

Here's My Card

Designing a Logo
Paper Matters
Don't Forget to Call

Sidebar: Business Cards and Logos That Work
Your Brochure
Your Telephone Image
Answering Your Phone
Creating a Marketing Kit
Endbar: Checklist for Polishing Your Business Image

Chapter 20: Marketing on the Web

Establishing Your Web Presence

Reserving a Domain Name

Creating a Web Site
Sidebar: Publishing Your Rate Sheet
Getting Listed in Search Engines and Directories
Getting People to Visit Your Site
Sidebar: Tracking Your Web Visitors
Marketing with E-Mail
Participating in Electronic Discussions
Endbar: Top Tips for Marketing on the Web

Chapter 21: Print Marketing

Starting Your Marketing List
Mass Mailings: Directly to the Wastebasket?
Targeted Mailings
Client Newsletters and Postcards

Newsletters
Promotional Postcards
Mailing Services

Sidebar: Tickler Files
Directories

Do Clients' Fingers Do the Walking?
Specialized Directories

Print Advertising
Endbar: Top Tips for Print Marketing

Chapter 22: Writing and Speaking as Marketing

Author! Author!
Writing a Query Letter

Writing Well
From 3,000 Words to 100,000

Speaking Your Piece

Starting Local
Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
Finding a Test Audience
Going Global
Learning to Speak

PowerPoint Tips
Sidebar: Public Speaking Pep Talk
Endbar: Lessons Learned as a Writer and Speaker

Chapter 23: Starting the Word of Mouth

Promoting "Brand You"
"What Does Your Company Do?"

The Art of Schmoozing

"How Did You Hear About Me?"
Working the Associations
Maximizing Your Exhibiting Dollar
Asking for Referrals
Leads and Networking Clubs
Viral Marketing
Endbar: Top Tips for Starting Word of Mouth

Chapter 24: Public Relations

Doing Something Newsworthy
Writing a Press Release
Sidebar: Sample Press Release
Getting Noticed
Sidebar: "According to Client X"
Becoming a Certified Expert
Building a Press Kit
Giving Good Sound Bites
Endbar: Public Relations Checklist

SECTION FOUR: RESEARCHING

Chapter 25: The Reference Interview

Steps in a Reference Interview
Step One: First Contact
Step Two: Explore the Question
Sidebar: Getting at the Underlying Question
Step Three: Negotiate Everything
Step Four: Stop and Estimate
Step Five: Get Buy-In
Sidebar: Am I Giving Away My Secrets?
Sources of Ambiguity
Endbar: Top Tips for Negotiation

Chapter 26: Thinking Like a Researcher

Ready, Fire, Aim

What Form of Information Are You Looking For?
Will You Know It When You See It?
How Much Do You Know About The Subject?
What's at Stake?

Seeing Horizons and Setting Limits
Sidebar: Working For Free
Mapping Out a Large Project
Tutorials on Research Techniques
Endbar: A Researcher's Checklist

Chapter 27: Approaching Online Research

It's All On the Web For Free, Right?
What's Missing?
Free vs. Fee
Boolean Basics
Adjacency, Truncation, and Other Power Tools
Endbar: Top Tips for Online Research

Chapter 28: Web Research 101

How Search Engines Work
Getting the Most from Search Engines
Web Directories and Guides
The Invisible Web
Discussion Forums and Bulletin Boards
Sidebar: Mining Yahoo! Groups For Gold
Evaluating the Reliability of Web Sites
Searching Efficiently
Endbar: Top Tips for Internet Research

Chapter 29: Professional Online Services

"This Costs How Much?!?"
Cheaper by the Dozen?
The Big Three (Plus a Few)

Dialog
Factiva.com
LexisNexis
The Best of the Rest

Sidebar: "Visitor" Access
Power Tools
Controlling Searches With Controlled Vocabulary
Personalizing Your Online Experience
Tracking Your Costs
When in Doubt, Subcontract Out
Endbar: Tips for Using the Professional Online Services

Chapter 30: Specialized Online Services

Broad but Low-Powered Services

eLibrary
FindArticles.com
FT.com

Low-Fee Specialized Services

EDGAR Filings
Hoover's Online
Stat-USA

Market Research Services

Profound
Market Research Aggregators

Public Records Databases
Endbar: Checklist for Using Specialized Online Services

Chapter 31: Telephone Research

What's Involved in Phone Research?
Characteristics of a Telephone Researcher
The Challenges of Telephone Research
Successful Telephone Interviews
Telephone Research Ethics
Endbar: Checklist for Telephone Researchers

Chapter 32: Public Records Research

What Does a Public Records Researcher Do?
Is a Public Records Researcher a PI?
Learning How to Research Public Records
Challenges of Public Records Research
Ethical and Legal Issues
Getting Started as a Public Records Researcher
Public Records Databases
Endbar: Lessons for Public Records Researchers

Chapter 33: Library and Other Manual Research

Using Specialized Local Collections
Document Delivery Services
Copyright Issues
Online Tools for Manual Researchers
Endbar: Top Tips for Library Researchers

Chapter 34: Deliverables

No Added Value = No Perceived Value

Basic Data Massage

Sidebar: Macro For Removing Manual Line Breaks

Packaging Your Results

Sidebar: Generating Tables of Contents

Moving Beyond Research Results

Less is More
Output Options from the Professional Online Services

Dialog
DataStar
Factiva
LexisNexis

Branding and "Sealing" Your Results
Archiving Search Results
Endbar: Top Tips for Preparing Deliverables

Chapter 35: Other Services You Can Offer

Training, Workshops and Seminars
Technical Writing
Outsourced Library Services
Consulting Services
Endbar: Checklist of Other Information Services Independent Info Pros Can Offer

Appendices
Appendix A. The Association of Independent Information Professionals
Appendix B. Staying Up-to-Date
Appendix C. Independent Info Pro Tools and Resources
Appendix D. People Quoted in This Book

About the Author

About the Editor

Index

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