How to Become a Consultant

We’d Love Your Feedback On This

Sam and I keep this blog going because we’ve always wanted to share our experiences with other consultants.

We remember what it was like getting started, struggling to build a business and grow it.

Giving back is important to us. That’s not always the goal, sometimes we just want to rant on a topic that’s going through our minds. I guess you can say we have many reasons for spending hours each week to give you stories from the trenches with the hope that you’ll find some of it valuable and helpful.

Everyday our readership and traffic to this site keeps growing. That’s not enough though … What we’d really like to know is what you want us to write more about? or maybe less of?

We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or send us a message from our contact page.

Cheers,

Michael Zipursky, Blog Co-Founder
Business Consulting Buzz

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Email Marketing for Consultants

In my last post, Consulting Newsletters, I shared with you the story of how using email newsletters has landed me some big clients.

Today I’m going to share how to set up and use these newsletters effectively.

Select an Email Newsletter Service
The first step is to select your email newsletter service.

There are 3 services I recommend:

• Mailchimp - very user friendly, they have a free account, and lots of options.
• iContact - the fee is monthly, not per send, and has low entry costs.
• Aweber - great for email autoresponders, fair pricing and lots of options.

You can’t really go wrong with any of these three – I’ve used all, so I’m talking from experience.

Collect email addresses
Next you want to add and collect email addresses. There’s two main parts to this: (more…)

Global Consulting with Alan Waldman: Interview

We connected with Alan Waldman PhD to hear his story of becoming a consultant and what it’s like consulting all around the world. Alan is the head of Waldman Biomedical Consultancy and author of Adventures in Global Consulting and Discovered Global Wisdom.

1. What were your biggest challenges getting started as a consultant?
I began consulting initially as a second, part-time addition to my full-time position with a major not-for profit medical institution. This was done not only for added income, but also to help make sure that it was understood by industry what the products we (my company and field) needed.

In that sense, obtaining permission to do this, and finding time to do it, were the biggest initial challenge.

When I decided to become a full-time consultant, the biggest challenge was to learn how to do this as a business, how to bill, how to put together proposals, and, of course, how to find clients, and how to meet their needs.

2. How did you overcome those challenges?
There were several different steps I took to overcome the challenges.

One major step was to contact colleagues who had already become consultants, something not as common for people in the biomedical field then as it is now. From one of them, I was guided to advice she had received during courses on consulting—and to the realization, based on the information shared, that I both could and should double my rate from the one I used when it was a part-time job.

The other major step was actually to read books that were available, particularly Consulting by Robert Kelley, which provided excellent guidance on how to approach consulting as a profession, including self-examination, how to calculate rates, bid on projects, and, importantly, how to shift gears, as needed, from being the marketer to being the consultant to being the biller

3. Does being a consultant give you more freedom or are you working more than a 9-5 job?
Being a consultant does provide, along with a lack of security, opportunities for more freedom, and even for substantial income.

But, as a heading in the New York Times once said about consultants, it is easy to fall into the “Why Sleep, There Is No Money In It?” frame of mind, constantly trying to maximize income by working longer and longer (even when there is not a stressed client demanding you do it)

4. How would you recommend those new to consulting go about getting new clients?
From my experience, there are only a few methods that seem to be consistently successful with regard to finding, and equally important, getting work from, possible clients.

The first and basic method is to keep in full and constant contact with your colleagues and contacts within your field, reminding them, as noted in my books, Adventures in Global Consulting and in Discovered Global Wisdom, what you can do to help them, and also to help anyone they know who needs help.

Within that framework, being a good support to others is very important—one of our largest clients grew out of our efforts to help a friend who was trying to obtain products form Company X for sale, and who in turn recommended us when Company X had needs.

The concept, both with known colleagues and contacts, and with ones met through the second method, attending conventions and meetings in your field, is what I call “soggy bread”—throw your “bread” (in this case, help and knowledge) upon the waters, and while you usually will get back only soggy bread, sometimes you will be rewarded with new clients and projects,

5. Once you had a few clients how did begin to grow your business? What marketing or promotion worked best for you?
We did try, once or twice, to grow our business through actual booths at conventions; from our experience, this was not necessarily useful.

Other attempts that were not very productive, even if expensive, were:

a. making a major, but essentially “cold”, outreach to all other members of some professional societies (please note this is in advance of the internet groups, such as Linked In)

b. joining a Company that promised, for substantial membership fees, to collect projects of interest, on which one could bid (it developed that client companies tended to use the site mostly to check prices).

What has seemed to work for us, in addition to keeping in touch with everyone we ever worked with, mentioned above, is Google Adwords.

As the cost is related directly to follow up by users, we do find that there is a constant flow, as reasonable cost, of interested parties. While, of course, some of the traffic is individuals looking for positions with our group, we have been successful in obtaining projects from other contacts.

6. How big a role does online or offline networking play in your business success?
As noted above, it is imperative that you maintain a network, and constantly tend it.

We have had several instances where people we have worked with before have moved to other companies, and recommended us, something they would not have done if we had not kept in touch.

Plus, one of the great experiences of being a consultant is meeting people one would not otherwise have met—keeping in touch with them is a pleasure.

7. You’ve worked with clients in many countries around the world. Can you share the most surprising or culturally shocking event you’ve experienced over the years? (could be good, bad, or just plain scary).
The most culturally shocking event was having the young female Chinese secretary from one of the companies I was visiting as a possible source of materials showing up at my hotel door early one morning.

When I finally understood what was being offered, and politely said no, she indicated that the response by other visitors was usually more welcoming, and that her being on offer was in no way unexpected as part of the discussions.

I never mentioned this to the hosts; as I noted in Discovered Global Wisdom, one has to be very aware of different cultural customs, and move carefully.

8. For any consultants interested in doing consulting work globally do you have any tips for them on how to get into that?
While this may come across as simplistic, I can suggest that the best way to do consulting work globally is to develop and maintain core competencies that are valuable to companies in many places, including the United States, and are broad enough to protect you as the field develops.

For me, the core competence is what was required to develop and produce new biomedical products in a manner that was acceptable to regulatory authorities and would allow the products to come to market, particularly in the United States.

As can be seen on my company’s website, www.waldmanbiomed.com, this broad competence could then be placed on offer to support start-ups or major players, and anything from a very specific issue to a complete project.

9. What was the biggest factor in helping you increase your fees or grow your business? And what would you recommend to others that want to do the same?
While we have taken different approaches to billing, as described in Adventures in Global Consulting, our core approach has been to set reasonable pricing, and to hold to this, with modest increases over time.

In our experience, jumps in pricing are best with new clients, gathered as noted above, rather than with loyal existing companies.

What has been successful with regard to increasing income from ongoing clients has been to approach the relationship as a true collaboration, and loyally trying to help to identify areas requiring our help, whether problems in other areas, or the development of new products.

I can recommend the above approaches to everyone.

10. If you could offer one piece of advice to a consultant, something that you believe is a key to your success, what would it be?
I cannot stress too strongly, or over-recommend to others, combining competence with the development and maintenance of good, honest and helpful relationships with the client staff at all levels, not only with senior management and immediate reports.

There you have it. We hope you enjoyed this interview with Alan Waldman and if you have any questions hit us up in the comments and we’ll be sure to pass them on to Alan.

Can Consulting Make You Rich?

There’s really only a couple of ways to get rich in consulting. Of course, this all depends on how you define “rich.”

Consulting offers many benefits
You have the ability to work when and where you want. You can go to sleep and get up as you please. And you can work with practically any client you want and turn down those that you’re not interested in.

Its challenge however, if you want to get rich, is developing assets - other than your intangible knowledge - that can be leveraged, scaled or sold for millions.

There are really only two ways to get rich from consulting. (more…)

Consulting Newsletters

Write a short blurb, hit send and get a client. Sounds like marketing hype, right? It’s not. Here’s why:

Some of my best clients came from a newsletter I used to send out. One case in particular demonstrates the power a consultant can wield with a newsletter.

A true story
I met this business owner, let’s call him Wesley, at a cafe.

Just one meeting, hearing about his business and telling him a little of what I did. Then, I didn’t speak with him for years.

In fact, I was in Japan consulting for Panasonic, Sumitomo, The Financial Times and others. After nearly 5 years in Japan I returned home. The day I set up my new office I sent out a quick newsletter to clients and business friends letting them know what I was up to. (more…)

Referral Marketing for Consultants

There is one secret to making referral marketing really work for your consulting business. It doesn’t require any fancy techniques. You don’t need to purchase a huge system to study it.

The secret is to make getting referrals easy.

I learned this lesson many years ago. I was meeting with a multi-millionaire investor. He actually owned his own private equity firm. We had a nice chat and I found the workings of his business to be very interesting.

But then he asked a question that locked me up. He said, “So Michael, what kind of clients are you looking for?” My response, “Well, I’ve worked with many technology companies, financial publications, consulting firms …” and I continued to list the kinds of companies that made up my clients. (more…)

Don’t stop finding new consulting clients

You’ve landed a few consulting clients. You’re feeling good about life and the money is starting to come in. At this point you have a few options:

1. You sit back and enjoy the good life.
2. You keep marketing to land new clients.
3. You focus to work only with your current clients.

You have to enjoy your life everyday - and I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Life dishes out a lot of downs so you better enjoy the ups as well to keep you balanced.

What you really need though is a combination of number 2 and 3.

Always Have a Plan B
Even if you have all the clients you can handle you should continue marketing your services. You don’t have to do it to the extent you did when you had no clients, but you still want more.

Here’s why: at one point, and often when you least expect it your clients will want to end the project. Sometimes this happens slowly, other times they’ll all do it at the same time, and that can put you in a challenging situation.

By lining up new prospects on an ongoing basis you mitigate this risk. It’s the smart move.

The better you treat your clients the longer they’re likely to be clients and that’s why number 2 and 3 go hand in hand. The two together set you up for smooth sailing.

How to Become a Consultant - Part 6: Client Relations

Now that your marketing has paid off your busy working with your new clients.
At this point many consultants fall into a trap - they don’t take good care of their clients.

• They say they’ll call on a certain day or time - and they don’t.
• They schedule a meeting - and they show up late.
• They promise to send materials over - they never do.
• And most frustrating for clients…
• They don’t show any on going progress.

Your clients are your business. Without them you’re screwed. So treat them like gold.

A basic level of professional communication will set you levels above your competition.

Do what you say your going to do - follow through.

Give your clients gifts or do something to show that you appreciate their business from time to time.

Sure all this takes extra effort, but I’ll tell you it’s worth it. Most of my clients are clients not for weeks or months, but years. There is a reason for that. And it’s all about delivering as promised and treating your clients like you care for them and appreciate them.

Sell More Consulting Services by Selling Less

How can you sell more consulting services by selling less? There is a way … and I’m going to tell you what it’s all about.

You walk into a meeting with a prospective client. You show them your fancy brochure that lists all the services you offer. Maybe there’s 5 or 10 different consulting services you can provide.

To the consultant this makes a lot of sense. “I can offer all these great services, pick one, pick two, heck, choose them all.” There is a problem…

This approach doesn’t work.

The human mind can only keep focused on one or two, maybe three, points of information at any given time. By trying to sell more initially, you’re actually hurting your chances of making any sale at all. (more…)

Public Relations - New Ways of Getting SEO Links

Today’s guest post is written by one of our guest authors, Zeke Camusio of The Outsourcing Company. Zeke is a web consultant that specializes in SEO and today he talks about getting links to your website through, networking,  self promotion and public relations.
>> Read Zeke’s full bio here

They say a picture is worth more than a thousand words. This old adage has been proven true many times, however there’s another that is especially true in the age of networking and mass marketing: personal presence is rare and appreciated.

Networking events have been used for decades to attract attention to new products and services, re-launch existing products or advance a certain idea. There are many enterprises that have made a living from this activity, as people looking to find an audience for their product sometimes do not have the resources to put together an event around only their product. Networking companies have therefore catered to smaller firms by signing them up to a business networking association or group, and putting together people with similar interests by giving each a chance to present their company and products. (more…)

How to Become a Consultant - Part 5: Finding Clients

Here’s the fastest way to get consulting clients - know people. The more people you know the more people you can approach and tell them about what you’re doing. It’s a simple conversation approach but sooner or later someone will know someone, or maybe even a family friend will be a potential client, and you’ll have landed your first deal and have really become a consultant.

But what if you don’t know anyone? What do you do? Well, there are many approaches you can take, some will depend on your industry and others on your budget - if your questions aren’t answered in this post just leave your question in the reply area and we’ll see if we can help.

Landing new clients is all about marketing. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Find the right clients.
2. Get your message in front of them.
3. Make them an offer that is hard to refuse.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 over and over again.

This may sound ridiculously simple to you, but it works. Let’s break down each of these 4 steps in more detail. (more…)

How Consultants Deal With Sceptics

There’s no doubt that you’ll encounter more than your fair share of sceptics. You know, the people that don’t believe what you have to offer has any real value.

Most people are sceptical. That’s why much of the advertising we encounter has little to no effect. So how do you cut through the clutter and prove you’ve got the skills to get the job done?

Here are 3 suggestions on how to approach this:

1. Fish in the Right Pond
Some potential consulting customers will have little to no experience or interest in having someone like yourself help them with their business. Hey that’s fine. You can try to point them in the right direction, but if it becomes pretty clear that they’re not going to give you the time of day, move on.

There are plenty of business owners and company employees that understand they need help and are just waiting for the right consultant to come along. Target those people.

2. The Proof is in the Pudding
Give concrete examples of how your services and involvement has helped generate results in one form or another.

If you can paint this picture in terms (more…)

Consulting Less: A True Client Horror Story

During my years running a brand and marketing business and consulting in Japan I had my share of challenges. One that I remember, and in particular found quite tough at the time, also provided a great lesson I’d like to share with you.

It all started when we just landed a big contract from a large advertising agency. They hired us for our expertise and to help their Japanese client communicate their advertising messages more effectively to their global customer base.

The project started off well. In fact, I was told that our contract may double in size as a result of the initial work we did.

But the good vibe didn’t last too long.

Not long after, the agency took a sharp turn and decided they wanted to completely control the direction of our work. (more…)

Guest Post - Consulting using Twitter

Today’s Guest Post is by Susan Varty of Wordtree Consulting in Toronto. Susan is a writer, communications consultant and college professor. If you are in the Toronto area, you may be interested in signing up for her new 1-day course she’s offering: Hands-on Twitter course: Reaching decision-makers.

Do you watch television? What channels interest you the most when you turn it on? Do you still listen to the radio?

What if there was a station for every person with an Internet connection? What if you could chat with conference attendees without traveling - or even paying for the conference?

That’s Twitter. The only difference is that you have the ability to interact and connect personally, immediately - unlike television and radio.

This new medium is starting to become the norm for business people - and if they haven’t already thought about it - they are now.

Of course, consultants like you are often on the front lines to answer “social media” questions even though you may not have signed up for that role.

But more and more mediums are becoming important in the search for harder-to-find revenue dollars. Staying informed, aware, and being able to advise your clients appropriately has become almost a 24/7 job. More and more businesses are embracing online culture, low-cost/no-cost marketing, and tapping into word-of-mouth potential.

Working in an “offline” culture, your clients may say they don’t get it - and say they never will. As consultants, it’s one thing to agree, another to challenge. The most valued customers usually appreciate a fresh perspective and that’s probably why they hired you. Don’t let them miss these opportunities to engage their customers online. Educate yourself, learn the new mediums. We still use the phone, television, radio, photocopiers, books - why not give yourself the edge in this new decade? The “free factor” and its ease-of-use makes Twitter seem trivial. Think again.