Be a geek!
If you are not at least aware of what technology can achieve then you are not only behind the times; you have passed your use by date.
As a consultant you need to love technology, you need to be following and evaluating the trends that are out there, and be able to comment on them (intelligently) in relation to any one of your assignments.
I'm not saying that you should become a programmer, or that you should slavishly tie into all technological fads, or that you should suggest a technology solution when a services one will do.
But you at least need to be aware of all the options. Even service industries (non product based) benefit greatly from using technology to enhance their offerings. Mobile working is now inexpensive and easily attainable, SaaS is all over the place, and there are a vast range of tools out there to make any company more productive, better communicators, and better able to harness the talent of their people.
Hard graft lesson learned - If you aren't able to talk to your clients about technological solutions to improve their productivity and profitability, then you need to be in a different game. (From someone who bucked this trend for a long time)
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