Learn How To Start a Consultant Business That Customers
Crave. Be Stellar.
How do you start a consulting business known for having a stellar reputation?
Learn to transform your clients' frustrations into
solution-oriented flakes of gold.
Step One. Focus On How To Start Your Own Consulting Business That Delivers A Targeted Solution.
When deciding how to start your consulting business, you must determine how you will consistently help people maneuver through their problems. Your success as a consultant stems from the presence of two conditions:
- A particular cluster of people struggle with a problem that proves too difficult for them to solve on their own,
- They turn to you to provide a targeted solution that successfully resolves their problem.
Thus, your first step is to focus on how you will
- strategically funnel your ability to successful maneuver through a particular problem into a targeted solution
- that has been customized to solve a key frustration of certain niched cluster of people
- who would gladly pay you to make their frustrations go away.
Step Two. Know How To Convey The Problem You Can Solve In Concrete Terms That Others Will Get.
People hire consultants to solve very specific problems.
As a consultant, your strength comes from knowing, in very specific terms:
- which problems you know how to solve.
- which specific subset of people
can afford to pay you your worth,
and will reap the greatest benefit from your services
- how will they benefit,
- what actions they must take to reap the benefit, as well as
- how effective and impactful the benefit will be on resolving their core frustrations.
Step Three. Design a Business That Will Meet - And Exceed - Their Expectations.
When your clients hire you, they hire you with the assumption that you will be able them to resolve their problem. They expect results.
Thus, it in your best interest to convey, in exact terms, what results they can expect.
Step Four. Clearly Communicate Your Value And Your Operational Details.
Clear communication is imperative. Remember this when thinking through the details of how you will start your consulting business.
You don’t want to get to the end of a job, only to find out you
can't deliver stellar results due to misinformation. You can avoid this
by
- Having an up-front agreement with your client that spells out all of the details, metrics, and indicators, as well as
- Creating opportunities that will allow you to continually get client feedback.
Step Five. Ensure That Each Project Stays On-Schedule and On-Cost.
- Use hard numbers, dates, and times.
- Use unambiguous terms.
- What information must they give you before you can adequately solve the problem?
- Who is responsible for what?
- What are the timelines?
- How will their delays impact your progress?
- What is the agreed upon price?
- Where will you solve their problem? Off-site? On-site? via the internet?
- Will a certain set of inactions from them impede you progress? Drive up costs?
Step Six. Allot Time In Your Schedule For Strategic Planning
At least twice a year, allot time in your schedule to perform a strategic assessment of where you are headed in your business.
- Determine whether you are still meeting the needs of your target market.
- Determine if you will need to target additional markets or whether you need to refine your target market definition.
- Also determine whether your target market’s needs have changed and what you plan to do about it.
- Your business must evolve with evolving changes in the market. If it doesn't then be prepared for failure.
Step Seven. Know Your Limits.
-
As your business grows, steer it in the direction that will work for you.
You are starting your own business because you desire the flexibility to have enough time to both work and play.
When contemplating how you will start a consulting business that works for you, remember that you control the direction of your business. You have the right and the responsibility to accept jobs that fit within your consulting portfolio.
Don’t be so hard-pressed to take any and every job that is offered.
Don’t be afraid to say “no” to a client that doesn’t meet your pre-specified specs.
Most importantly, don’t forget to factor in a little play time...your mind, body, and soul will thank you for it.
Be Encouraged To Start A Business That Makes Your Customers Go Wild!
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