7 Tips to Build a Great Consultant’s

Website
 WEBSITE TIPS

 MARCH 22, 2019

 8 MIN READ

Illustration by Noam Weiner

If you are running a consulting business or any other kind of professional

independent services, building a website is more vital than ever before. Nearly every
prospective client will visit your website to decide whether or not to trust you with
their business, so having a great website can be the difference that swings client
decisions in your favor.

But what does a great consultant’s website even look like? In short, your website
should sell your individual talents, skills, knowledge, experience, and innovative
solutions. Your professional website is your opportunity to create a strong online
presence, clearly exhibit your unique strengths, establish your authority status, and
persuade clients to work with you.

Without further ado, let me share with you my top seven tips for transforming your
consultant website into a major client generator with a steady stream of quality
leads.

How to build an independent consultant

website:
1. Communicate your value: Write a short sentence or paragraph that explains
what makes you unique, and put it front and center on your website.

2. Pick a user-friendly website design: A clear, simple design with an easy-to-

follow website navigation is your best bet.

3. Deliver informative, client-focused content: Offer advice, tips, and

solutions that will help your prospective clients, instead of just talking about
yourself.

4. Include an obvious Contact button: Put a clear call-to-action on your

website, where people can click to take the next step.

5. Use your website to start building relationships: Add a contact form and

links to your social media accounts so you can continue to connect with
clients. :

6. Legitimize your business: Build trust and credibility by providing photos,

testimonials, case studies, and logos from companies you’ve worked with.

7. Keep your site fresh and SEO-friendly: Add new content regularly and
optimize your pages so that search engines can find you.
1. Clearly communicate your value
When first landing on your website’s homepage, prospective clients will be on the
hunt for your value proposition. As your unique selling point (USP), the value
proposition should be the first thing that visitors see when clicking on your website
link. Whether in just a sentence or a short paragraph, it is essential that you instantly
draw prospective clients in by articulating exactly what you do, who you can do it for,
and what makes you the best choice.

As an independent consultant, it’s essential to show your face on your website to

stand out in a sea of qualified competition. It’s a good idea to incorporate a
slideshow of pictures, videos, and graphics to immediately connect with visitors as
well as communicate the value of your services.

2. Pick a user-friendly website design

Like any other site floating in cyberspace, it is important for a consultant’s website to
be designed with the user in mind. Rather than focus on a flashy design, make sure
you take into consideration how your prospective clients will actually use your
website. Jimdo is one of the best website builders for consulting businesses
because you don’t have to design it yourself or pick from a million templates. The
intelligent system puts all the pieces together for you in a modern, sleek design, so
it’s perfect for even the most design illiterate.
Start with a clean, modern design and easily make changes to match your style.

On most independent website consulting examples, you’ll see that they keep the top
navigation bar simple and direct, so that it’s easy for people to find what they need:
Home, About Me, Testimonials, Services, Blog, and Contact.

You can also add a contact button to your navigation menu bar, so that it’s really
easy for people to get in touch with you with just a click.

 
3. Deliver informative, client-focused
content

A clear call-to-action on my site makes

sure clients know exactly how to get in touch.

In order to make your consulting website succeed and boost its search engine
rankings, you will need to continually add informative content that is focused on
offering advice, tips, and solutions for your prospective clients. Don’t limit your
website’s content to strictly boasting about your practices and detailing what
services you offer. In all honesty, clients will rarely care about your consulting
services until they’re convinced that you have the knowledge to help.

Of course, one of the best ways to do this is to write high-quality original content for
your website, either on your web pages or in blog posts. Take this opportunity
to give clients a glimpse of your personality, sense of humor, and the way you
approach problems—this will give them a sneak preview of what it’s like to hire you
as a consultant.

You can also engage your visitors in the content even more by transforming it into
an infographic. Infographics are a great way to communicate ideas in a way that is
visually appealing and easy to understand. Even if you don’t have design skills, you
can use tools like Canva or PiktoChart to build your own graphics. You can
also create your own icons and edit photos, even if you don’t have Photoshop.

4. Make it easy to interact and get in touch

For each post on your blog or website, you should give the option for clients to share
the information on social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
LinkedIn, and Tumblr. Not only will this help create engagement for your visitors, but
it will also drive traffic to your consultant website for generating solid leads.

You should also make it as easy as possible for clients to do the most important
thing you want them to do—get in touch with you. Put a clear call-to-action on your
site, where people can click to take the next step.

As a consultant, you might offer clients the chance to book a free one-on-one 30
minute consultation with you, so that you can get to know each other. With Jimdo,
you can link a button directly to the booking service of your choice, so that
customers can schedule appointments with you right without leaving your
website. Most bookings are made outside of business hours, so having a booking
service take care of this for you means that you can catch clients after hours without
being tied to your phone.
 

5. Build client relationships through

interaction
As a general rule of thumb, consultants should interact with prospective clients
without being too pushy or intrusive. One of the greatest parts of having a consultant
website is having the ability to easily nurture both new and old relationships with
clients. That being said, bombarding clients with salesy pitches can lead to a loss of
interest quickly. I suggest that you send clients high-value content at regular
intervals to convince them you have what it takes to help them, without going
overboard.

Consultants should always use emails, online newsletters, blog posts, webinars, and
other simple web-related tools to easily stay in touch with clients. You may want to
offer a free valuable video, audio, or article series on an interesting topic to draw in
potential clients. Add a link to your email newsletter service  to have visitors enter
their email address to sign up for updates. Notifying clients when you are offering a
new service or post is how you develop strong client relationships.

6. Legitimize your business

If you have any hope of converting visitors into long-term clients, you are going to
have to legitimize your consulting business to prove that you are real and you have
the qualifications needed.

Since it is crucial that you build credibility, I always recommend that consultants
show pictures of their office environment, provide thorough background information,
highlight their accomplishments, display logos of companies they’ve worked with,
and include case studies. Showing your physical address on your website will also
clearly communicate to clients that you are fully accessible.

Furthermore, I find that posting testimonials from previous clients can go the extra
mile towards alleviating any hesitation that visitors may have over doing business
with you. I recommend creating an entire testimonial page filled with comments from
previous or ongoing clients, with information about them to establish credibility. Don’t
be afraid to simply ask your satisfied clients to jot down a quick reply describing the
positive experience that came from working with you and place this on your website.
Read more tips on how to drive traffic to your new website when you’re just starting
out >>>

7. Keep your site fresh and SEO-friendly

Since a great website is worthless if no one can find it, take advantage of the various
marketing strategies available to drive more traffic your way. Keeping your content
up to date with new writing, testimonials, and information will be useful to your
potential clients, but it will also improve your ranking in search engines.

Whether or not you are interested in using pay-per-click advertising, you should
always make certain your website’s content is optimized with the latest SEO
strategies to generate a high ranking in Google and other popular search engines.
Choose strong long-tail keywords that closely relate to your consulting services and
integrate them within the content scattered throughout your website.

Rather than being an afterthought, a consultant’s website should play a prominent

role in marketing the practice to both new and current clients to stand out in today’s
increasingly crowded marketplace. To review, make sure your website has:

 A succinct, easy-to-read value proposition

 A clear, streamlined design without a lot of clutter
 Updated content that clients will find useful and informative
 Easy ways to get in touch: share buttons, contact information, and clear calls-
to-action
 Client testimonials, photos, success stories, and other ways to show that you
are the real deal

Jimdo
The Jimdo blog is made for all entrepreneurs—everyone with their own idea or project. Here
you will find interesting information about founders and start-ups, current trends and exciting
stories from other Jimdo users as well as great website tips on design, shop, SEO and more.
How Can a Consultant Easily Start an Online Business with Consulting Software?

41022 VIEWS 10 MIN JAN 05, 2020

There has always been demand for consulting services in a variety of domains, from

education to counseling to finance. The advent of the internet has given a major boost to

consulting businesses as consultants have gotten the opportunity to go global and provide

their services online.

Would you like to expand your own consulting business? If your answer is yes, then you

should arm yourself with the proper gear. An expert who wants to give online consultations

needs a variety of tools and services:

 Video calling software for direct communication with clients

 A messenger and email service for communicating with clients

 A calendar for managing appointments

 A payment system for receiving money from clients

Using lots of separate tools can be rather complicated and have a negative impact on a

consultant's efficiency. To avoid such problems and start a successful online business,

experts should use an all-in-one consultation platform.

A consultation platform is the only tool you need to give live online consultations to clients

all over the world. Using a single tool for managing appointments, communicating with

clients, and receiving payouts streamlines the workflow and makes online consulting

extremely effective in 2020.

We’ve written this article to give you an in-depth look at all-in-one consulting software and

show you how it can help you start a successful online business.

Benefits of All-in-One Software for

Online Consulting
All-in-one consulting software is created specifically for professionals who need a universal

tool for online consulting. You may have never heard about all-in-one consulting platforms,

so we’ve decided to show you what problems they solve and what advantages they bring to

consultants.

Live Online Communication

Effective, quality communication is the cornerstone of a consulting business. You need to

fully understand your client's problems in order to deliver the best solutions.

Online consultations usually require several types of communication:

 Video calls for live face-to-face interactions between consultants and their clients.

Unlike phone calls, video calls help to build personal trust, which is essential to

online consulting.

 Live chat for exchanging messages. This functionality can be used separately or in

combination with video calls.

 Group calls come in handy when an expert needs to consult several clients at once.

Group calls also allow consultants to conduct webinars as well as offer e-learning.
  File transfer to send educational materials, legal documents, financial papers, and

other data to your clients and let clients securely send documents to you.

 Screencasts for showing your computer screen during consultations. This

functionality is particularly useful for webinars.

Needless to say, an all-in-one consultation platform must support all of these types of

communication. Even if you don’t need all of them on a daily basis, you should still be able

to use any of them anytime.

Also, keep in mind that today more people go online from mobile devices than desktops.

According to an assessment by StatCounter, mobile phones and tablets have outpaced

desktops in global internet usage (51.3% versus 48.7%).

Both experts and clients must be able to use all-in-one consulting software not only on their

desktops or laptops but also on their mobile devices. This means that a consulting platform

needs to include mobile applications for iOS and Android for both consultants and clients.

Effective Time Management

Most people usually live a hectic lifestyle as they combine work, leisure, and personal life. A

busy schedule can cause lots of problems for consultants: they can forget about

appointments, double-book appointments, or simply be late. Needless to say, any of these

is a blow to your professional reputation.

Moreover, clients are likely to experience the same problems. Imagine you’re ready for a

consultation and your client doesn’t show up. This means you lose time and revenue. That’s

why online consultations require a helpful time management tool.

An online consultation platform should come with a built-in calendar that ensures effective

and easy time management. This calendar should allow consultants to see how many

consultations are booked and for what days and times. From the client’s side, the calendar

should show when a consultant is available.

Needless to say, consulting software must also support email notifications. In fact,

consultants can be notified by email about any updates to their calendars.

Apart from email notifications, an all-in-one consultation platform can automatically send

SMS reminders to consultants and clients so that no one forgets about upcoming

consultations. You can easily set the time when reminders are sent (1 hour or 30 minutes

beforehand, for instance).

A calendar should also allow consultants and clients to cancel or rearrange appointments if

need be. If consultants cancel appointments, they can offer a different date and time. In this

way, the calendar helps consultants stay on schedule.

If you’re already using some other calendar (such as Google Calendar) for managing your

schedule, you can easily integrate it with your consultation platform so that all events are

automatically added to your existing calendar.

Streamlined Payment Process

As a consultant, you want to have a guarantee that your clients will pay for consultations.

This is a rather pressing problem for people who provide online services, as people from

other countries may simply not pay, and forcing them to might be impossible. For many

experts, this is the strongest concern that holds them back from online consulting.
Requesting an upfront payment before a consultation can be a way out, but few clients are

willing to do it. All-in-one consulting software streamlines the payment process and removes

such difficulties.

How does it work? When clients book a service, a consultation fee is automatically held on

their accounts. It’s then transferred to a consultant's account after a consultation is over.

This way, consultants are sure to get paid for their services, while clients don’t need to pay

anything upfront.

Easy Accounting
Paying taxes is an integral part of any business, and consulting is no exception. An all-in-

one platform helps businesses simplify accounting and makes paying tax es effortless.

Consulting software keeps track of all financial transactions, which means you know

precisely how much money you’ve earned within any period of time.

Consultants can easily collect financial data for further processing and tax calculation.

There is, however, an even simpler method of accounting – an online consulting platform

can be integrated with accounting software such as QuickBooks that can analyze all

financial information and generate accounting reports.

A third-party solution can also help by creating invoices, managing cash flow, and so on.

This is particularly useful for independent entrepreneurs who handle all financial matters

themselves.
Simple Client Management
Knowing your clients is key to business success. Experts who start giving online

consultations expect to get more clients and therefore need to collect and analyze a lot of

client information.

An all-in-one online consultation platform features a built-in customer relationship

management (CRM) system. This built-in CRM collects and securely stores data such as

name, birthdate, occupation, contact information, appointment history, and so on. With a

CRM, a consultant can easily manage all this client data.

A built-in CRM allows consultants to carry out targeted and efficient email marketing

campaigns. Consultants can select clients (by name, occupation, age, etc.) and carry out a

survey or just send promotional emails.

Consulting software also stores a full history of interactions, so a consultant knows when

the last communication with each client took place.

Finally, such platforms allow consultants to receive feedback from their clients after each

consultation. This functionality helps consultants provide helpful and high-quality services.

Corporate Use
Not all consultants work individually; there are those who run their own consulting agencies

and employ other experts to give consultations. Therefore, effective consulting software

must be scalable.
An all-in-one online consultation platform should work for corporate use, meaning several

consultants must be able to use it. All consultants should have the same interface and

functionality.

Meanwhile, clients should be able to choose consultants they want to work with, check their

schedules, and make appointments.

Needless to say, there must be an administrator account that can add and delete

consultants. Admins should be able to track the performance of the platform and have

access to the full client base and payment history, all calendars, and so on.

How Does All-in-One Online

Consulting Software Work?
We’ve just mentioned the most important features of an online consulting platform from the

consultant’s perspective, but it’s equally important to fully understand how this software

works for clients. So let’s go over the steps a client takes when using this software.

Step #1 Checking a Consultant’s Schedule

First of all, a client starts by checking a consultant’s calendar in order to pick a date and

time for a consultation. As we’ve just mentioned, an all-in-one online consulting platform can

be used by several consultants; in this case, the client needs to select a consultant and then

check when he or she is available.

Step #2 Booking an Appointment
Once a client has selected a suitable date and time, he or she moves on to booking an

appointment. At this stage, the client needs to pick a payment method and enter payment

information.

When an appointment is booked, a client gets a confirmation email about the appointment.

Moreover, a client gets reminded of this upcoming consultation some time closer to the date

via email or SMS.

Finally, a consultation fee is automatically held on the client’s bank account. Of course, if a

consultation is cancelled, the reservation is cancelled too and this fee is returned.

Step #3 Holding a Consultation

The next step is the consultation itself. There are several ways to give live online

consultations: by video or voice call, by live text chat, or by group call. The duration of a

consultation is specified in a consultant’s calendar.

Clients can receive consultations from their desktops, laptops, or mobile devices (via a

mobile app).
Step #4 Making a Payment
When a consultation is over, the reserved money is transferred from the client’s to the

consultant’s bank account. The speed of the money transfer usually depends on the

payment system used by the consulting platform.

Thanks to such a streamlined payment process, consultants are sure to receive payment

while clients know in advance how much a consultation will cost.

Step #5 Providing Feedback

At this final step of the online consultation process, clients receive an email with an

invitation to complete a brief survey and provide feedback. After receiving feedback,

consultants can analyze it and improve the quality of services they provide.

How to Become a Consultant: 11 Steps to

Doing it Right
Written by Meg Prater @Meg_Prater
 Do you have a well-developed network? Are you self-directed? Do you have an
impressive portfolio filled with client success stories? You might be ready to become
a consultant, but it can be difficult to know where to start.

Download Now: 8 Free Consulting Templates

What is a consultant?
A consultant is a person who's an expert in a particular field who gives professional
advice to individuals and businesses in their area of expertise.

Types of Consultants

Here are some of the most common types of consultants:

 Business consultant - Advisor who helps identify improvements to an organization's

operational efficiency and performance. "Business consulting" can apply to a wide variety of
solutions.
 Sales consultant - Sales professional who helps develop an organization's sales
process, identifies ways to improve sales performance, and provides sales training to reps.
 Marketing consultant - Marketing specialist who helps organizations create and
implement marketing strategies to increase brand awareness and generate leads for the
business.
 Accounting consultant - Advisor who analyzes a business's financials and helps the
leadership team make good financial decisions.
 Technology consultant - Expert who helps organizations implement and/or utilize
technology solutions in a way that improves the operations and performance of the business.
 Legal consultant - Lawyer or legal professional who advises a business on legal
matters.
 Public relations consultant - Specialist who improves communications between a
business and the public.
 What are the qualifications to be a consultant?

Because a consultant provides expert-level advice, it's typical to have a bachelor's

degree (often in addition to an advanced degree) as well as a great deal of
experience in the niche they are working in. 

These specifications are subjective and flexible, taking into account that it really
comes down to the buyer's perception of value.

Do you have an area of expertise to advise on? Follow these steps closely and you'll
build a strong foundation for future work, repeat clients, and expanding your reach
and reputation.

How to Become a Consultant

1. Identify your area of expertise.

2. Set goals.

3. Make a website.

4. Get certified.

5. Choose a target market.

6. Decide where you'll work.

7. Create your offerings.

8. Set your rates

9. Network with people.

10. Know when to say "no."

11. Build a repeatable system for attracting and closing clients.

 1. Identify your area of expertise.

Be honest about where your strengths and expertise lie -- and consider strengths
outside your nine-to-five focus. Maybe you have a landscaping side hustle with
enough client demand to take it full time. Or perhaps you're good at closing difficult
deals in the medical sales industry -- so good that your colleagues are always
asking for help.

Ask yourself three questions to identify your niche:

1. "Do I have a unique point of view?"

2. "Do I have the experience necessary to be authoritative in this field?"
3. "Is there demand for this service?"

Being a consultant requires you to be organized, self-motivated, and good at

boundary setting. Before launching your website and accepting your first client,
consider your ability to meet these demands. You might identify the perfect niche,
but if you can't meet independent deadlines or manage a billing cycle, you might not
be ready to become a consultant.

To find your consulting specialty, consider areas you excel in at work, projects
you've gotten high marks on in performance reviews, or hobbies you've mastered
outside the office. You should also factor in what you enjoy -- if you're doing this full-
time, it needs to be an activity you're passionate about.

2. Set goals.

Setting goals helps you know what you're working towards. Do you want this to stay
a nights-and-weekends project? Do you hope to turn it into a full-time business? Do
you want to hire employees someday? Answer these questions and plan
accordingly.

Once you've identified broad goals for your business, narrow your focus to more
immediate needs. To do this, make sure your goals are SMART:

 Specific: Clearly define what you want to accomplish

 Measurable: Identify targets and milestones to track progress
 Attainable: Keep goals realistic and manageable
 Relevant: Set goals that fit with your business model
 Time-Based: Identify deadlines for your goals

Here's an example of SMART goals for a consultant who coaches sales teams to be
better at cold outreach:

 Specific: I will coach SMB sales teams on how to make better calls, send higher
quality emails, and follow up in an effective manner. The result will be more qualified
opportunities for reps resulting in more closed business and higher revenue for the
organization.
 Measurable: Success will be measured by increased client pipeline and percentage of
client deals closed as well as referrals for my business.
 Attainable: I have three clients already and bring in an average of one new referral
every month. I know there is demand for my service, and this cadence is manageable for my
workload and operating budget right now.
 Relevant: This business model fits my skill set and allows me to benefit from my
success with sales outreach as identified by myself, my coworkers, and my supervisors.
 Time-Based:

o November 15: Website goes live

o December 1: Review previous month's work and ask for at least one referral

o December 5: Send client bills for the previous month's work

o December 15: Have all coaching sessions scheduled before this date in
anticipation for holiday schedules

As your consultancy grows, so will your plans. Revisit your SMART goals on a
monthly or quarterly basis and adjust them as needed.

Maria Marshall, an associate professor at Purdue University, researches small and

family-owned businesses. She recommends including visionary goals for your
business as well. Marshall outlines four main areas of focus for visionary goals:
 Service: How can you improve customer satisfaction and retention?
 Social: How can you give back to the community through philanthropy or
volunteering?
 Profit: How can you increase profits by X percent?
 Growth: How can you expand your company (i.e., new employees, more clients,
office space)?
3. Make a website.

Think you can get by without a website? Think again. A recent Local Search
Association report finds that 63% of consumers use websites to find or engage with
businesses, and 30% of those consumers won't consider a business without a
website.
Also, if you have a site, Google gives your business more authority in local rankings.
Creating a Google My Business profile isn't enough. A website that's optimized with
backlinks, domain authority, and views will encourage Google to display your
website in relevant searches.
Don't think website creation is in your wheelhouse? Services
like WordPress and Squarespace make it easy to build a website,
and GoDaddy allows you to lock down a domain name.
And if you want a tool that'll help you do everything from tracking incoming leads to
booking meetings and will grow with your business, try HubSpot. Your website is the
first impression of your business. Invest time here and see the returns for years to
come.
4. Get certified.

Are there certifications that will give you an edge? For example, if you're a
consultant for medical sales professionals, consider pursuing accreditation in one of
HIDA's Medical Sales programs. If your specialty is coaching teams to be better at
outreach, consider getting an Inbound Sales Certification from HubSpot.

Whether software, skills, or subject matter-specific certifications, find out what's

important in your industry and invest in expanding your knowledge base. As a
consultant, it's crucial to remain cutting edge and competitive in your niche, and
certifications are a concrete way to demonstrate your drive.
 5. Choose a target market.

Once you've identified your niche, be clear about who your target audience is. For
example, if you help startup sales teams navigate early-stage scaleup, hone in on
your target market by answering these five questions:

1. "Where is my target audience located?" (Will you serve local clients only? Will you
accept national or regional clients? Will you exclude international clients?)
2. "What are their biggest pain points?" (What has driven them to search for your help?
What are their daily roadblocks to suggest? What are their scaling challenges?)
3. "Who is competing for their business?" (Who are your biggest competitors and how
do your services measure up? What sets you apart?)
4. "Am I targeting startups themselves the individual sales managers?" (Will you reach
out to businesses or network to individuals through local meetups or LinkedIn outreach?)
5. "What motivates my target audience?" (What is your audience's end goal by choosing
your services? What do they hope to achieve for their team and for themselves?)

Getting specific about who your customer is and what's important to them allows you
to provide superior service and reach clients who are the perfect match.

6. Decide where you'll work.

You probably won't need a designated workplace while getting your consultancy off
the ground. But if you're becoming a full-time consultant, it might be helpful to have
an office. Before you start booking office tours, ask yourself a few questions:

1. "Can I afford office space, and if so, how much can I afford?"
2. "Will a workplace enhance my business or help it grow?"
3. "Why do I need this space?" (i.e., do I meet with clients? Am I hiring some part-time
help?)
Once you've decided that office space will truly benefit your business, consider what
kind of space is right for your needs. Coworking spaces like We
Work and Galvanize are staples of many urban environments.
 They give you access to shared or small workspaces, as well as meeting rooms and
amenities, at a lower monthly rate than traditional office spaces. They also give you
another way to network and benefit from those around you.

7. Create your offerings. 

How will you be providing your consulting services? What kind of delivery models
will you use? Will you be traveling to them and providing your services on-site, or will
you provide your services virtually? Will you be performing actual work for them, or
will you simply be guiding them to do the work themselves?

Here are some popular consulting models:

 Done For You

 Done With You

 Coaching (One-on-One)

 Group Coaching (One-to-Many)

 Online Program (On-Demand)

Even though it's the least scalable, it's often advisable to being with the "Done For
You" type of model so that you have proven experience and success stories to
better sell the other types of products.

8. Set your rates.

Deciding how much you'll charge clients can be the hardest part of starting a
consultancy. It's tempting to charge less than you're worth because you haven't
proven your results yet.

Research what comparative consultants are charging in your area (sites

like [Link] are great for this). And decide which of these common types of
consultant pricing would most fairly compensate you for the work you're doing.
 How much should you charge as a consultant?

1. Double/triple your current hourly wage

2. Set a daily rate

3. Set fees by project

4. Set fees by performance

5. Set fees using data from previous client work

6. Set solution-based fees

Once you've decided what to charge, consider how you'll bill clients and accept
payment. There are many free and fee-based platforms -- like Invoicely, Freshbooks,
and Due -- that allow you to automate billing cycles, track and manage invoices and
payments, and run reports on weekly, quarterly, or yearly earnings.

And don't forget to consult with an accountant during tax season. If you're not having
taxes taken out of your payments, you'll need to budget for those when taxes are
due. An accountant can offer guidance on how to make this less of a headache.

9. Network with people.

Speaking of networking … Referrals are a crucial way to grow your business, but
they aren't the only way. Unlike at a large company, you probably don't have a
marketing team whose whole job it is to promote your business. Instead, selling the
value of your consultancy often falls to you and you alone.

Join LinkedIn and Facebook groups your audience frequents, write and share blog
posts highlighting your expertise, and attend meetups or conferences in your area.
Be everywhere and talk to everyone who's a good fit for your offering. No one's
going to sell you as well as you, so brush off that elevator pitch and get ready to sell
yourself anything but short.
 10. Know when to say "no."
In the beginning, it's easy to say "yes" to every client and every request. Now more
than ever, you want your work to be high quality, organized, and manageable.
coming in at a manageable rate.
If saying yes to a new client means your current client work will suffer, say, "I'd love
to serve your needs, but with my current workload, I don't think I can give you the attention
you deserve. I should have more availability next quarter. Can I reach out to you then to see
if this is still a need?"

Prospective customers will appreciate your honesty, and you'll be able to maintain
high-quality work at a cadence that doesn't threaten your sanity or existing client
satisfaction.

It's also difficult to turn down clients that aren't a good fit. Be honest when you can't
meet a prospective client's needs, and be proactive about introducing them to
someone who can. They'll benefit from a better match, and your business won't lose
sight of what it does best.

11. Build a repeatable system for getting and selling clients. 

Once you have your business set up, you can't just hope for your clients to knock on
your door saying, "I'm here and ready to pay!"

You'll need to analyze your niche and examine your existing network as you
strategize how to find consulting clients. From there, you need to get into the
business of marketing your consulting services and understanding exactly how to
sell to prospects.

Here's where how you can start:

How to Find Consulting Clients

1. Identify your ideal customer.

2. Find out where they hang out online.

3. Learn what motivates them.

4. Size up your competition.

5. Decide what sets you apart.

6. Develop an outreach strategy.

7. Be clear in communicating your unique value proposition.

1. Identify your ideal customer. 

You won't be able to attract, engage, or close new customers if you don't know who
they are. Being able to understand your audience is critical to crafting your
marketing and sales strategy (as well as your messaging). 

Consider spending time making the buyer persona of your ideal client. Who are they?
What industry are they in? What type of services are they looking for? Why?
2. Find out where they hang out online. 

Once you know who they are, do research to find out where they spend their time
online. Chances are, the web will be a big acquisition channel for you, so you want
to ensure that you can be found where your customers are. Which websites and
social media are they active on?

It can also give you more insights into your persona that you can use to understand
them. Let's say you find a big community of your target customers on Facebook.
Seeing what they post can give you insight into what they think about and what they
experience.

3. Learn what motivates them. 

People don't wake up one day and decide to buy something. Chances are, they
experience a pain or a triggering event that causes them to be open to solutions,
including your solution. 
4. Size up your competition.

What are your competitors offering and what are the price points? What makes them
attractive to buyers?
5. Decide what sets you apart. 

What additional value does your work add that other consultancies don't? If you can
provide more value, a differentiating experience, a more accessible price point, or
unique offerings, you'll be able to stand out from your competition and position
yourself as a leader in the space. 

This unique differentiators make up your value proposition, and your value

proposition is going to help your buyers choose you over the competition.
6. Develop an outreach strategy. 

Now that you know where your prospects hang out online and what matters to them,
you can decide how to attract them to you. What channels will you be focusing on?
What will be your primary tools for communicating (e.g., email, phone calls, social
media)? 

7. Be clear in communicating your unique value proposition.

As you communicate on whatever channel you decide and with whichever tool you
choose, be sure that you're conveying your unique value proposition. In other words,
you know you're good... let your prospects know too. And prove it. 

Your value be clear in all your messaging whether it's on your website, in your
emails, on marketing materials, or in your pitches.

Becoming a consultant is an exciting way to grow your career. Be honest about your
readiness and niche, organized in your approach, and clear in defining, meeting,
and addressing your goals. The above steps are the perfect way to start. Good luck!

How to Start a Consulting Business

6 steps that will set your consulting business up for success
BY 

DANA ANSPACH
 

REVIEWED BY 

DAVID KINDNESS

Updated April 13, 2020

Working for yourself rather than for an employer has its challenges, such as losing
insurance benefits or a reliable paycheck. But it comes with trade-offs that, for many
workers, outweigh the challenges: the ability to set your own schedule, choose your
own projects, create your own career trajectory, and focus on goals that you personally
value.

For these reasons and many more, self-employment is the career path of choice for
over 10% of the population in the United States. 1

One way to make the transition to self-employment is to begin consulting in the field that
you have already worked in. For example, if you work for a law firm, you could work as
a legal consultant for businesses that don't have in-house legal staff.

Consulting work allows you to leverage your existing professional experience, rather
than starting a business from scratch. This can be an especially profitable choice: fields
that are a good fit for consulting—such as law, accounting, or management analysis—
have the highest earning potential for self-employed workers. 2

Like any business, there are steps you can take as you start your consulting business
that will set you up for success.
Invest Time in Networking

Squaredpixels / Getty Images

Networking allows you to connect with others in your industry, stay in touch with key
people, make yourself known to potential clients, and seek introductions that can help
advance your business. If you meet with someone in a professional capacity, find some
way to connect with them.

You may want to exchange contact information and send a follow-up email, or you can
use professional networking websites like LinkedIn. You never know who you may want
to reach out to later, and online tools make it easy to find people no matter when or
where you met them.3

Find Your Niche

Consulting that provides opportunities to mentor young businesses can be quite

rewarding. Hero Images / Getty Images

Don't try to offer something to everyone. You will be a far more successful consultant by
applying your expertise to a niche market that needs what you have to offer. In this way,
you can tailor your services so they add value to a specific group of people or
businesses. Ask yourself:

 What services are missing in your industry/geographic area?

 What are your areas of specialty?
 What problems can you solve that no one else is solving?
 Who would benefit the most from your knowledge?

Once you define what you do and who you do it for in a succinct way, you'll know who
your ideal client is and how to begin pitching and marketing your services. 3

Practice Your Talking Points

Get your message clear and your consulting business will be easier to build. Blend Images /
Diego Cervo

Think of your talking points like sound bites: short, concise descriptions of what you do
and how you do it. Getting these down is key to pitching and promoting your consulting
business.

These talking points should explain what you do, but, more importantly, they should
highlight the reasons you are different than other consultants in your field and they
should reinforce the value you bring to your clients.

 How can you help the people you work with?

 What will they experience after using your services?
 What benefit do your services provide?3

Practice saying your points out loud. Enlist colleagues to listen and offer constructive
criticism so you can refine your message. When you are delivering them, remember that
a good consultant spends more time listening than talking. Always end your pitch with a
question so you can find out more about any potential client you meet.

Create Systems

For best results get your forms and templates in order. porcorex / Getty Images

Put systems in place so you don't have to start over for each project. For example, you
may need data-gathering forms, a proposal template, a set of onboarding questions that
you always ask, or a description of your services that can be sent to potential clients.

Using templates will ensure that you:

 Work as efficiently as possible

 Have a coherent, branded look for all documents and forms
 Maintain the same level of quality from project to project
  Don't omit important forms or documents
 Have a consistent approach for working with all clients

Create a Pricing Structure

[Link] / Getty Images

Establishing a pricing structure may require some analysis and some trial and error to
learn how much time a given project will actually take. When you establish your prices,
consider:

 What is standard in your industry

 How much time you expect to invest in a set of tasks
 What you need to earn to support your business and make an income
 Any outside resources or expenses you will incur
 The costs you have that would otherwise be covered by an employer, such as health
insurance or retirement matching
 Your experience and expertise

If you are worried about underpricing or overpricing, try using a pricing template or time-
tracker to estimate the time a new project will take. Once you have a set rate, put your
pricing structure in writing and stick to it.

Remember, people are more likely to value what they have to pay for. If you charge too
little in order to get more business, you might find yourself struggling to get clients to
take you seriously.

Know What Comes Next

A contract solidifies the agreement and spells out next steps. Vincent Hazat / Getty Images

As with any business, you will be a more successful consultant if you have a plan for
what comes next, both short term and long term.
 In the short term, have a plan in place for how you will embark on a project before you
begin working with your first client. Be prepared so when a client says yes, you can lay
out a timeline and expectations for how the process of working with you will go from
start to finish, as well as provide any necessary materials to get started.

In the long-term, you need to know how you will position your business within your
market, how you will advertise your services, and what your expectations are for income
and growth. Creating a business plan will help you plan and set goals for the next one,
five, and 10 years.4

Once you have created your plan, review it frequently to ensure you are making choices
in line with your market and goals, as well as making any necessary adjustments along
the way.

ARTICLE SOURCES

Be The Best Consultant Ever: 6 Things That

Will Make You Great

The MuseFormer Contributor

Leadership


 You may have noticed that the consulting
industry is full of high performers from top schools with great grades and interesting
work experience. So, what does it take to succeed in such a competitive industry
among the best of the best?

From my experience, there are a number of qualities that top performers adopt that
are much more important than a golden resume. Whether you’ve just started a
consulting job or are considering it as a career path, think about how you can
develop the following qualities that will help you go from being a good consultant to
a great one.

1. Being A “Safe Pair Of Hands”

This essentially means that you will do exactly what you said you were going to do,
when you said you were going to do it. Sounds simple, but it’s the number one
quality needed to build trust and credibility among your team and your clients.

For example, in the beginning of your career, your team will lean on you for support
in the more rote areas of consulting work, such as creating PowerPoint decks, taking
notes, and organizing projects, and it’s important for you to be able to do these tasks
without errors or much oversight from your manager. Make sure you keep your
promises, be consistent in your quality, and master the basic skills in Excel and
PowerPoint. The more trust you build early on, the more opportunities you will be
given in the future.
RELATED: 5 Unconventional Habits That'll Make You Successful
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2. Having Attention To Detail

This is such a crucial skill in consulting because one of the ways we build trust with
clients is by producing error-free deliverables, which shows that we’re thorough and
our recommendations are solid. Ensuring there are no grammar, spelling, or
calculation-related mistakes are in your work is essential and ultimately reflects on
your entire team.

If you have a natural attention to detail, congrats! But if, like me, you are more of a
big picture thinker, there are a few tricks I’ve learned to help build this important
skill. First, when it comes to math, show your work. I know this sounds like your
high-school teacher talking, but this always helps to ensure you’ve thought of
everything and allows you to show your manager the steps you took to get to your
answer (and find any errors before it reaches the client).

The second step—and the one that has turned me slightly OCD—is to create lists of
things to double-check before submitting anything. For example, I have a
PowerPoint check-off list that includes things like adding page numbers to every
slide, recalculating all numbers, and making sure a consistent font is used
throughout.

RELATED: 5 Tools Every Consultant Should Have

3. Being The “Go-To” For Something

During your first few years of consulting, you’ll likely be floating between industries,
areas, and clients. Despite your broad experiences, it’s a good idea to start
developing a skill that allows you to differentiate yourself from all your rock star
peers.

While being a jack-of-all Microsoft trades (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) is definitely

needed, the consultants who perform best always have an area that they truly excel
in—one that’s in demand and that nobody else seems to have. Whether that’s
advanced financial modeling, communications skills, or a particularly deep
knowledge in an industry, take the time to find out what you can become the go-to
person for.

4. Knowing How To Think Before You Do

As mentioned before, almost all consultants are A-type personalities with enough
ambition to last a lifetime. But what really distinguishes a good consultant from a
great one is the ability to not only focus on the tasks at hand, but also to think
critically about the work.

For example, your client may be asking you to find cost savings in a supply chain, but
first, try to understand why this is critical to the business. Are profits declining? Is
the competition lowering product prices, forcing your client to compete? Knowing
how to think this way will help you develop better insights and solutions for your
client. Try spending a little extra time thinking through your task before jumping in,
interpret the numbers you’re crunching (don’t just be an Excel monkey!), and
challenge your manager’s requests (when appropriate, of course).

5. Having Resourcefulness 

In consulting, you will be asked to solve problems that may be completely new to you
—or even completely new to the industry. And when you’re faced with these tough
problems or challenging requirements, it’s your resourcefulness that will help you
succeed. While this isn’t quite Outward Bound, you should develop the ability to
quickly and creatively solve problems.

As a general rule of thumb, when you need help, you should approach your team and
manager first, followed by your peers and internal experts, and then other external
resources. There is likely someone who has done what you are trying to do before
and can help you find the answer—or at least help you think about new ways to
tackle the problem. Be sure to not give up too quickly, be creative in your research
efforts, and show your team that you’re willing to do whatever it takes.

6. Not Being Afraid To Ask (Good) Questions

Asking questions is at the core of how a consultant works, so much so that there are
times when I feel like Sherlock Holmes! Questions help ensure you understand what
you are being asked to do and the issues your client is facing, and they can also help
you to demonstrate your understanding. Never be afraid to ask for clarification—it’s
better than doing something wrong. Even if you don’t have a question to ask,
restating what you’ve been told to clarify your understanding can inspire confidence
with your manager or client.

Of course, be sure to ask questions in a helpful, non-annoying way. If you have

multiple, send them in a single, structured request rather than repeatedly
approaching your manager or client. Also, take simple questions on items such as
acronyms or Excel formulas to your peers or Google

undefinedRELATED: Landed A Consulting Gig? 5 Things To Do Next

It takes a lot to succeed in the consulting world, but focus on these key skills. You’ll
have everything you need to shoot above and beyond your peers.

"Be The Best Consultant Ever: 6 Things That Will Make You Great" was originally
published on The Muse.
Alex Nuth is a Management Consultant at Accenture[/entity] and has worked
across a number of industries and functional areas helping clients solve some of
their largest and most important challenges. She graduated from the University of
Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2011 where her courses focused on
Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She enjoys traveling and has worked in both
China and Colombia.

Photo courtesy of Digital Vision / Thinkstock.

The Muse