The best way to get your first client is, hands down, your own network. As for finding your 2nd, 3rd Depending on the field you're in and who you're selling to unclear from your post LinkedIn can be a great tool to identify potential clients and to find out where you can provide the most value.
When it comes down to how to approach clients and maximise the impact of your value proposition, you might find the books by Neil Rackham a valuable read I would recommend "Major account sales strategy". Just wrote a post on this!
As someone else mentioned in this thread, that's the most important part. Personal referrals. Strategic alliances. The business coach had clients who needed my social media marketing services at the time. And the PR firms had tons of clients coming to them for press and inquiring about social media. It was a value add for them to refer me to their clients. Depending upon the kind of consulting business you have, could you connect with accountants, lawyers and other professionals servicing them?
That would be my reccommendaiton. All the answers make an assumption not in evidence. Before you even think about starting a consulting business you must be laser focused on what business problems you solve and then have a crystal clear methodology to solve the problems.
People want to buy from someone who knows their business but who also has a vision for how to solve the problem. I can tell you how we at Sudden Impact Web Design do it. We're a husband and wife, family-owned and operated digital marketing agency. We don't have a fortune to put into huge marketing efforts.
But we do, however, have me blush, blush , and I used to be a reporter and freelancer and learned to hustle at a young age. One of the things we did when we first started was go online and print up a huge stack of postcards, coupons, business cards, and drive around to local area industrial parks, office parks, neighborhoods with shops in them; and simply go door to door introducing ourselves and giving out cards.
No hard-sell or pressure, just casual, polite introductions and a card. Did most of the cards end up in the trash? But the cards that received calls back to us got the best service and best returns on investment they ever dreamt of. Those efforts got us referrals upon referrals. And when that well runs dry every once in a while, we can simply "wash and repeat.
Now, yes, a professional online presence that employs smart SEO, Google Analytics, Google Adwords, Facebook ads, regular blogging, active social media Hi - I just came across this and noticed you wrote this years ago, so I really hope your business is going well!! If you need inexpensive yet expert marketing, design or small business consulting services, please consider my agency, Bloominari. I also provide free project estimates! Let me know if I can help you in any way and best of luck to you!
Answered 5 years ago. Easiest way is to do pro-bono consulting work for Startups and small businesses and then use them as referrals. Another way is to brand yourself as a knowledgable professional through Linkedin pulse. It is working for me. Consulting is a business that required domain expertise of the consultant. People will only consult you if you are more experienced and better in a particular interest or a subject area in comparison to the free options available.
You can start consulting the people you know for a 'pay if you like' model. In this model there shall be a box to drop the money that doesn't show how much money is dropped in the box.
If people are satisfied with your consultancy, then they will drop in some money in the box. If you receive more money per person then you are going good, else keep on learning and always ask for the feedback without asking them to name themselves. This anonymous system will help you in understanding your worth, quality and will also help you making the process better day by day. Your clearest path to a new client is your network of former employers and others who can make introductions to get that first project kicked off.
Keep in mind, though, that consulting begins and ends with results. To succeed, you must offer and deliver undisputed value to your clients and everyone else in your network.
Value is also the foundation on which you must build your marketing. So, before you launch your practice, give these ideas some thought. About the Author: Michael W. All Rights Reserved. Blog Menu. Business Know-How Powered by. McLaughlin August 11, Consulting is a big—and growing—business. So how do you break into consulting?
Think about Your Fourth Client First As a new consultant, you should be able to generate a project—or maybe several—through your networks of friends, past employers, and colleagues.
Start with these four simple tips: Know exactly what to say—in one minute or less —to prove you are the best consultant a client can find. Create a marketing strategy that emphasizes action over planning. Become a master of the consulting process, not just a subject-matter expert. Win with value and results, not price. Have Something to Say… Prospective clients rarely look for consultants until they have a pressing need. Be prepared to answer these questions during your first conversation with them: What, exactly, are you offering?
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You decided to launch your own consulting gig to put your expertise to good use — congratulations! Before you set out to sign more clients, you first need to understand who your ideal client is. List the key qualities and attributes your ideal client has.
Here are a few questions to consider:. By now, you should have an area of expertise identified. But what do you offer that makes you stand out from the other consultants in your niche? Consider areas you naturally excel in. Are you incredibly organized? Then perhaps your unique value proposition is that you help your clients implement scalable business systems. Are you a natural people-person who builds cohesive teams? Then consider marketing your team-building abilities to organizations that can benefit from them.
Your unique value proposition should be your key selling point that drives discovery conversations with new prospects. After identifying your ideal client, you should have a good idea of the kind of problems or obstacles your services can help them overcome. Establish yourself as an authority in your niche by sharing content that speaks to the problems your ideal client is likely to face. Not just in an abstract sense, but in a practical, meaningful way. It gets your attention and interest because it speaks to who you are, where you work, and the problem you want to solve.
Now do this for your consulting business. You know who your ideal client is, and where they are. Before you can craft irresistible messaging, you must learn what it is your ideal clients truly want. You want to echo their language back at them so your marketing resonates with them. Do your research and speak with them. Find out the words they use to describe their situation.
Use the most powerful words in your magnetic messaging. There are many ways to promote your consulting services. The tactic you choose will depend on who your ideal client is and where you can most effectively and efficiently reach them. Webinars Webinars are a great way to educate and provide valuable information to buyers and get more consulting clients. Done effectively, not only can you demonstrate your authority live on the webinar — you can do it in front of many people at one time.
Most webinars are a series of presentation slides think PowerPoint or Keynote that you take attendees through. Too many people use webinars strictly as a way to present information. The most effective webinars are the ones that engage the attendees in making them part of the conversation.
Small Events A great way to get more consulting clients is with small events. Attendees get a lot out of these events and you have a great opportunity to demonstrate and communicate the value you can deliver live. As opposed to webinars you can see buyers face to face, shake their hands, and work side by side. Of course, this does require you to physically organize and put on the event. Offer a Valuable Resource Another strategy and tactic is to use a valuable resource to leverage your marketing which will help you to get more consulting clients.
It can be a PDF, video, audio, whitepaper, report — almost anything as long as your ideal client will find it valuable. You can offer it by calling your ideal client on the phone, by email, or even using advertising.
The buyer is most often thrilled to receive a free resource of such value is now feeling gratitude and more connected to you.
This approach leads to greater contact with your ideal client and is a mainstay for many successful marketers. If you do have a list this is one of the most effective tactics available. You can send a regular newsletter to your list with everything from case studies, news, stories, tips, and resources. The idea is to provide valuable and educational information to your list on a regular basis.
They see you as the authority and will wait in anticipation to receive your next newsletter. You can send out your newsletter, which can actually look just like an email as often as you feel. We send out our newsletter email twice a week. Some of my friends send theirs out once a month and others every weekday.
We made some changes and now they get anywhere from qualified leads responding to their newsletter every time they send it out — and this is with a small person list. Social Media I love talking about social media in terms of marketing. Most consultants and a lot of coaches have absolutely no clue about how to use social media. Some people will tell you that social media sucks. Others will say the exact opposite. And then there are those in the middle. Typically their attempt is half-ass and lacks guidance and direction.
For some Facebook is great, others find their ideal clients on Pinterest. And still others use LinkedIn or Twitter to get more consulting clients. Go where your clients are!
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