Making the leap from corporate to a consultant can be challenging. After gaining better insight around your strengths and the services you would like to offer, you will want to clearly define who you would like to service and where you can find them. In the world of entrepreneurship, the better you allocate your time to learning, growing, developing others, and generating a profit, the better off you are.
Here are a few tips for blazing your trail as a consultant:
REMEMBER YOUR BUSINESS WHY: It is essential to remember your business “why,” and what motivated you to service your targeted clientele in the first place. Starting a consultancy shouldn’t just be about revenue. You should be treating your consultancy business as a business, and positioning yourself as a solution provider to your target audience.
SOLVE A PROBLEM FOR YOUR AUDIENCE: Ensure that you are indeed a subject matter expert when providing solutions in your space. The term “Fake it Until You Make It” is not for a consultant. Your target audience will be looking to you to answer their questions and provide solutions that work.
BE CLEAR ABOUT WHO YOU SERVICE: If you aren’t clear on who you serve, it makes it difficult to understand what you do. Establish a clear target audience to avoid attending events unaligned with who you would like to service and taking dead-end consultation calls. Not establishing a clear audience could lead to you positioning yourself for possible dilution and improper positioning of your brand. Having an unclear understanding of who you want to serve could also lead to services offerings and pricing that are all over the board.
DESIGN A PLAN TO DISCOVER CLIENTS: The only thing standing between you and your dream clients, is you. Be honest with yourself about who you would like to serve and pursue them with active business development and marketing strategies. Relying only on referral business will not position you to reach your goals. If you desire to serve corporate clients, take the time to research how the procurement process of those clients.
Remember, you wanted to become an entrepreneur to have an improved work-life balance, share your expertise, and develop professional relationships built on your terms. Maximize your efforts strategically to maximize your results. I want to help you develop a strategy for your consulting business.
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