Alan Weiss is the author of several books including “Getting Started in Consulting” which is a guidebook for someone who is a consultant, or wants to start. For $13, “Getting Started in Consulting” is a great alternative to his week long seminars which can run $15,000.

Checking reviews for Alan Weiss’s book there were many positive ones, as well as recommendations on the Usenet newsgroups. A check of their web site shows many different products, but one thing alarmed me was the article on how he thinks you should have a strict no refund policy on what you sell which raised a red flag. Also his advice that credit card companies are cooperative when you have a no refund policy isn’t accurate, people can still get chargebacks and the credit card issuer always takes the side of their customer in a dispute to avoid losing them as a card holder.

Overall, Alan Weiss has solid advice for those who want to get started or hone their skills as consultants, but I don’t agree with him on many points when it comes to marketing. Clearly his books are a good value at under $15 compared to the stiff price tag on his week long seminars.