| Many professionals are attracted to the business | | | | terms, but in a way that positions you properly as |
| consulting arena because of the promise of high | | | | the trusted expert advisor. |
| profit margins, stimulating work, professional respect | | | | 2. Get General Agreement |
| and greater personal freedom. While it's true that the | | | | The most important thing to remember about dealing |
| most successful business and management consulting | | | | with prospective clients is that you clearly establish a |
| professionals do attain all these objectives, the | | | | differentiating value proposition, and that you |
| journey to the top is not always easy, desirable or | | | | establish your framework for understanding what the |
| pleasant. | | | | client's needs are. This must be part a subtle but |
| For many new business consultants, mastering the | | | | insistent part of your initial relationship-building. |
| delicate dance of approaching, negotiating with, and | | | | Whether this is done through a situational analysis, |
| landing new clients can be a nerve-wracking | | | | opportunity analysis, threats assessment or some |
| experience. They would rather have someone else | | | | other specific mechanism is not as important as the |
| do the business development, marketing and | | | | fact that the path to getting it done is available and |
| negotiations, so they can do what they do best. | | | | easy-to-understand. |
| If you fall into that category, my advice would be to | | | | It is during this process that you should ensure that |
| dispossess yourself of that mindset. What you may | | | | you strike up a general agreement and framework of |
| currently lack in those areas can always be learned | | | | what you (or your organization) will do relative to the |
| and will ultimately be the difference between outright | | | | needs of the prospective client organization. |
| business failure, doing just okay, or becoming | | | | 3. Send Them A Proposal |
| phenomenally successful. | | | | Depending on the scope of your consulting services, |
| The sequence I share below is significantly influenced | | | | your proposal may just be a basic restatement of |
| by the thinking of Alan Weiss, one of the most | | | | what was agreed or a fairly detailed sequence of |
| successful individual independent consultants. | | | | milestones and outcomes. Much good work has been |
| 1. Attract incoming calls through marketing | | | | written on the subject of proposal writing and I |
| No matter what you think your business is, your | | | | won't rehash that here. Make sure that your proposal |
| primary job is marketing. Without a steady and | | | | accurately reflects your capabilities. |
| dependable flow of business, your venture will fail. | | | | You should also consider asking for more information |
| One of the ways to make sure you leverage every | | | | if you want some more information on the |
| marketing dollar (and get the best results) is through | | | | background context behind a RFP (Request For |
| what I term platform attention marketing. | | | | Proposal). |
| Although he does not use this term, you can see this | | | | 4. Commence Negotiations |
| method clearly illustrated in the marketing systems of | | | | After you have sent in a consulting proposal, don't |
| most top performing consultants. Through articles, | | | | diminish your superior positioning by appearing too |
| books, speeches, direct marketing and strategic | | | | eager to get a response. If this is for a fairly |
| alliances, they attract and serve their way to very | | | | significant investment, be prepared to wait for up to |
| powerful brands...not the other way around. It is | | | | a few weeks before you call in to check on it. Of |
| rarely a smart idea for a small business to invest | | | | course, if you are aware that there is a looming |
| inordinately in brand image advertising rather than | | | | deadline this would not be the right advice for that |
| direct marketing to well-targeted market segments. | | | | situation. |
| This is the way the best business consultants position | | | | Always negotiate from a position of professional |
| themselves to be attractive to the executives and | | | | expertise and equality. Keep plugging away at this |
| business leaders they work with. When prospective | | | | process, and you'll find that you will soon land that |
| clients show up, they show up ostensibly on their | | | | first client. |