How Do I Start A Consulting Job I Have Passion For?

Let me start with this:

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed.  Most suicide is as a result of depression. If you are planning to invent an app that would help depressed people, i think you are about to save the world. Go ahead with it, it’s a good plan.

Are you considering starting your own consulting business?  Then you should make sure that you read to the end.

If you want to start a consulting business, it’s best to start planning a year or two ahead if you can. Build relationships within your current work environment with colleagues, suppliers, competitors anyone who will be a good contact for you when you head out on your own.

Use professional networking websites like LinkedIn to connect with others in your industry. It’s a great way to stay in touch with key people and seek introductions. The best rule is if you meet, connect. You never know who you may want to reach out to later, and online tools make it easy to find people from different places.

Now, let me give you some tips and ideas of what to do and how it works.

1. Take it seriously

Do it right. Stay mindful of the old adage about a consultant being somebody who is between jobs. Avoid making that impression. You can start a website and have business cards. Establish a social media presence as a consulting business. Don’t let your clients or potential clients doubt you.

2. Under promise and over deliver

Repeat business is the key to success. It takes four times the resources to find a new client than to keep existing clients. Even when it’s 3 a.m. and you’re hating the job, stick to it to deliver your best work in the morning.

3. Use Your Lunch Break for Client Calls

As much as we try to push the limits and search for more hours in the day, the reality is there are only 24 hours to go around. At least 8 of them are already earmarked for your 9 to 5 job. Your consulting business, unfortunately, gets whatever is left over.

It’s up to you to find creative ways to use the remaining hours in your day in the best possible way.

Consulting would be so much easier if everything we did was over the web. But in reality, you can’t manage a client relationship through email exclusively. At some point, you have to pick up the phone and talk to them or meet with them face-to-face. Finding time to this during normal business hours is a struggle we all face.

4. Be Transparent With Your Clients

Honesty is the best policy and this 100% applies when you’re managing a job while running a consulting business. Your clients should have a clear picture of what to expect in terms of your commitment, your day job, and the hours that you’re available to receive calls and attend meetings.

Setting real expectations not only ensures that you’re all on the same page, but it reduces stress on both you and the client, it keeps the relationship honest and transparent and doesn’t spook your boss because you’re not answering personal calls during business hours.

5. Don’t drag on with unhappy, unprofitable, or unproductive clients

If there is constant pressure and complaining, don’t fire the client, but do propose three or four times what you would normally charge if that client asks for a follow-on job. If your client is disastrously late to pay, you have an unhappy client. Don’t fight with them, you can’t win. Explore what the real problem is. Write off the debt. Go on to the next engagement.

6. Find Your Niche

What service needs are missing in your industry? Where do people struggle the most? It is where your biggest opportunities can be found. List your strengths and areas of specialty. Who can benefit the most from this knowledge? It is your ideal client.

7. Practice a Set of Talking Points

These talking points should highlight the reasons you are different than other consultants in your field. The first thing you should talk about is the value you bring to your clients. How can you help them? What will they experience after using your services? What will they gain from you? You will want to practice saying these points out loud and be sure to time yourself. Enlist family and friends to listen and offer constructive criticism so you can refine your message. And remember, a good consultant spends more time listening than talking, so build questions into your presentation so you can spend plenty of time listening.

You could even prepare a sample for us at wealthresult to check it out for you.

8. Build Templates for Proposals

To be an effective consultant you need to be efficient. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel each time you do a new proposal or project. This means you must design forms and fill in the blank templates. For example, maybe you need data gathering forms or a form for a set of onboarding questions that you always ask.

9. Lay Out Your Pricing Structure

Put your pricing structure in writing. It may require some analysis as to how long a standard project will take and what outside resources you’ll need to pay for. You have to have this down because when someone asks “How much?” you want the answer to roll easily off your tongue.

10. Know What Comes Next

When someone says yes, you want to be ready to go. Lay out the sales and design process. Have contracts ready. The worst thing is when someone says “yes” and you realize you have no idea what to do next. Be prepared and ready so when they say “yes” you can lay out a timeline and expectations for how the process of working with you will go from start to finish. Consider using a “welcome email” or packet that tells them what to expect.

Before starting up a consulting or free-lance business, take the time to plan ahead. Set your goals, take actionable steps, and review you plan frequently to ensure you are making the right adjustments along the way. It might be tough at the beginning, but I can assure you that if you demonstrate your determination, you can break through.

I Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask us below