4 Tactics for Getting New Clients for Your Consulting Business
You got your new consulting business launched. You have a name, a website, some business cards, and the skills needed to excel in this field. Now what? How do you get businesses to start using your services? Here are 4 tactics that have been proven to work specifically for consulting firms.
Host a Webinar
Businesses turn to consultants who can offer knowledge and experience that they need. So, one of the best ways to get a new client is to show them that you have the skills they’re looking for. Webinars are a great forum for doing just this. First, choose a topic for your webinar, then start marketing it. Reach out to business owners and let them know about your free webinar.
A few tips for putting together your webinar:
- Choose the right day and time. Statistics show that Wednesdays and Thursdays tend to be the best days for people to attend webinars.
- Pick a topic that your audience is interested in. Identify common pain points for your target clientele and offer solutions to that problem in your webinar.
- Don’t just talk at your audience. Make it interactive, and ask questions periodically. If you’ve been talking for more than four or five slides without interacting with your audience, you’ve been talking too long.
- Use your webinar to promote yourself too. While sharing information is important, ultimately, you want your attendees to contract with your firm. So show them how your services can help to solve the problem you’re addressing. At the end of your presentation, make an offer to work with them.
Networking Groups
There are groups dedicated to networking with other businesses all around the country. Check in your area to see if there are any groups nearby that you can join. There’s usually a fee to sign up for these groups, but it provides you with a valuable opportunity to meet business owners and spread the word about your company. Plus, most of these groups are committed to giving referrals to one another, and that’s one thing every business owner needs.
Cold Calling
You’re probably cringing just reading the phrase “cold calling.” But don’t let the naysayers influence your business strategies. Despite what people say, the phone is one of the most powerful marketing tactics you can use to bring new clients to a consulting firm. It’s direct, personal, and ensures a conversation with your desired clientele every time—even if it may be a short one. Of course, there are certain strategies you need to follow to land a sale over the phone, but if you learn to do it right, cold calling could become your new go-to for finding new clients.
Ask What They Need
Sometimes, you need to take a moment to ask your clients what they want from you, instead of just continuing to offer the same thing. Unbeknownst to you, the people you’re targeting may be looking for something different than what you’re currently offering. So, take a moment to poll your target demographic and ask them what kinds of problems they face and the kinds of solutions they need. You may be surprised by their answers.
One good example of this is entrepreneur and business consultant Sam Ovens. When he was first starting out, he spent a year and thousands of dollars offering something that nobody wanted. Then, he took a step back, narrowed his focused, and asked his target audience what their pain points were. This led to him creating his first successful product, an app called SnapInspect. Now, he’s a multimillionaire, business consultant and CEO of Consulting.com. Just goes to show that the right questions at the right time can make all the difference.
Author: Jeff Broth