Congratulations if you are reading this! You have amassed the greatest

a critical step toward growing your consulting practice.

Obtaining clients, and doing it quickly, is a constant worry for consultants across all industries. You will face numerous choices. Should you increase your advertising expenditures? Should you enhance your networking efforts? What is email marketing? Are you considering starting a podcast?

You, too, will have numerous questions. Are you considering hiring someone? How much time should you devote to self-promotion? Will this need an excessive amount of time or money?

I’ll share a tiny secret with you.

You must be the type of consultant that you would hire!

How customer-centric thinking can get you new clients fast

This formula is quite simple. Think like your clients to get more clients!

While obtaining clients may appear to be a complex undertaking, it is attainable if you have a few techniques. However, before we delve into the practical ways for quickly acquiring clients, you must ask yourself the following questions:

Is the consulting I’m providing relevant to my intended audience?

Is my consulting the consulting that I would like to engage in?

Is my consulting practice bringing actual benefits/gains to my target audience?

Is my consulting practice effective at building a strong bond with my target audience?

Is my consulting firm adaptable in terms of price and content strategy?

Is my consulting practice open to a variety of clients?

While determining these answers on your own is satisfying, let’s concentrate on the most critical aspect of your consulting practice: your consulting specialization!

You’ve already addressed half of the problem by identifying your consulting niche!

If you haven’t already, read our in-depth guide to identifying your consulting niche.

Why finding your niche is the fastest way to get consulting clients

The more particular you can be about your topic, the easier it will be to establish oneself as the sole authority on that subject.

It’s a straightforward question. What makes YOU unique? Can you pinpoint the precise issue plaguing your specialized market and offer a solution? If the answer is yes, you become the solution for your specific audience.

Additionally, your consulting specialization should enable you to create a trademark program for your niche that will attract clients due to the value proposition you can deliver. This hallmark program must incorporate your distinct style, knowledge, values, and experiences.

Even direct outreach will sell like hotcakes with the proper answer! Once you’ve established yourself as the only solution to their problem, acquiring additional clients becomes effortless. Your credibility will handle the promotion for you, allowing you to concentrate on the heart of your consulting business: the clients you have just signed on!

Create a sketch of your ideal client

I know several consultants eager to sign on new customers, but when I ask them, ‘who is your ideal client?’ they cannot articulate the type of clients they desire to consult. While identifying your consulting specialty does imply identifying your niche audience, the more pertinent question is, ‘who is your ideal client?’

Consider the following:

Are you aware of your ideal client’s financial level?

Are you aware of your desired client’s age range?

Are you familiar with the type of job that your ideal client performs?

Are you aware of how and where your ideal client interacts with like-minded individuals?

Are you aware of the recreational activities in which your prospective client partakes? Are you familiar with the blogs and magazines that your potential client reads?

Are you aware of your potential client’s fundamental beliefs and value systems?

Are you aware of which political party they support?

You can create the best elevator pitch globally, but you can deliver it in person if you know your target client! Numerous consultants squander necessary time pursuing clients who are not a good fit for their niche. Identifying your ideal client will save you a lot of time and get you a fraction of the time you would have otherwise invested.

Do not come to a halt here. Once you’ve identified your ideal client, investigate and identify what is currently missing in their life. What is their requirement? How are you going to be the solution?

Additionally, it’s a good idea to explain the kind of clients you DO NOT want to counsel while you’re at it. This clever little trick can boost your productivity and give you the time and energy to focus on developing a genuine connection with the kind of clients with whom you’d love to advise and assist them in achieving their aspirations and goals!

Eight ways you can get consulting clients fast!

Be a part of your ideal client’s community.

Are you familiar with the top three Facebook or Reddit communities dedicated to your niche? Being visible in your desired client’s community builds credibility with its members. Please take note of what they are saying. Are you able to communicate in their language? What are there most often asked questions? Are you capable of adapting your consulting process to their unique requirements? Of course! You’ve established your niche and are confident in the difference you can make in your clients’ lives. However, how do you convince them that the solution to their issues is right around the corner?

The oldest storytelling trick is known to man! Demonstrate, not tell.

Begin by responding to their inquiries without making a sale. Take it further and inform them how you can provide complete support based on their response. Your prospective client is not limited to individuals with whom you are conversing but also to others monitoring this exchange.

Additionally, do not stop at responding to inquiries! Create your pieces and contribute great content to establish you as a regular contributor over time and with diligence. After all, people are more likely to trust and believe a recognizable face.

Be ‘the expert’ in your client’s community.

As a result, you know how they obtain their news and updates. If you appeared as a guest speaker on their favorite channel or wrote a guest piece for a blog they follow, you would no longer be just another ‘known’ face in the community. Consider the ramifications. They regard you as an authority figure and recognize your availability and accessibility within their group!

Several actions that you can take include the following:

Participate as a guest on a niche-related podcast

Interview with an expert

Interview with an expert

Contribute columns as a guest to other blogs/magazines

Respond to Quora questions

Host a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything)

Read – How to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Expand your consulting options!

Have you ever visited a shop that sold only one item? Not! Nowadays, clients anticipate greater flexibility, which you can supply by offering different check-out choices.

It’s a straightforward trick. I have more items to sell means bringing in more revenue and clients more quickly!

Having a single core package might be daunting for some clients, as it fosters a sense of rigidity, making commitment more difficult. Having several check-out choices instills confidence in clients regarding their investment and, consequently, in you!

While acquiring clients quickly is great, will they be long-term and high-paying clients if you do not inspire them with confidence? Most likely not.

When you stock your shop with items your customers desire, you effectively provide them with an irresistible offer!

Will it be a dependable and comprehensive program? Or is it a single evocative call? It must be enticing and presented in your style with whichever option you choose.

The image is taken from unsplash.com.

Diversify your medium of communication

This is the social media era. Without question. Then why would you limit your marketing efforts to Facebook and email? Diversify your channels and make yourself accessible through a variety of media.

Consider your ideal client once more. What social media platforms do they frequently utilize to communicate with the outside world and express themselves? Are you friends with them on those social media platforms? If not, immediately create a business account! The logic is sound; the more time you spend ‘out there,’ the more people will see you, resulting in a more significant number of possible clients!

We usually develop a preference for one or two mediums that have consistently produced outcomes. If you want to attract clients quickly, you must frequently push yourself! To begin, you do not need an audacious objective. For starters, physical presence and consistent involvement are beneficial.

How do I market my consulting practice?

Hustle the heck out of your testimonials

Have you ever heard the expression success fosters success’? That is correct! Success breeds success! Once you’ve established yourself as the industry’s only credible solution,

Consider the ideal client. Something is lacking in their lives at the moment, and YOU are the key to enabling them to live a more meaningful, purposeful, and satisfying existence. However, how are people to believe you? I’m not referring to referrals alone. True, the hen with the golden egg is always a reference point. However, convincing your target client that you are the solution they want requires leveraging your testimonies. Even better, use the testimonies from the clients who referred you!

Socialize, don’t network

You’re acquainted with a large number of people. They are aware of your activities. Additionally, they see a lot of people you are unfamiliar with. Do you see what I’m saying? When you socialize, you connect with people instead of networking, where you create channels to sell.

Socializing will assist you in getting out there and becoming noticeable! Additional points if you’re having a good time while mingling. It’s a fact that when you’re having a good time and enjoying yourself, you attract more individuals. When you feel good about yourself, others do as well!

You will earn their trust, and even those who know little about you will open up about their issues and search for solutions. To be sure, uncertainty! For the simple reason that the solution to their problems is right in front of them!

Meaningful talks are not limited to those held across the office table. It might be at a brunch gathering hosted by a friend or a pub. Undoubtedly, individuals will increasingly prefer texting to call and call meetings. Whatever the case, some will always need a visible and tactile connection.

Face-to-face contacts will always reign supreme, and if you want to get consulting clients quickly, you must invest time networking and having fun!

The six principles of Dale Carnegie for making a memorable impact

1. Take an interest in the interests of others
2. Smile
3. Bear in mind their given name.
4. Could you encourage others to express themselves?
5. Discuss what is important to them.
6. Make others feel valuable – and do so with sincerity

The good old ‘follow up’ routine

The bane of the consulting business is the ever-growing pile of unfinished conversations with potential clients. A brief follow-up may be all that is required to get things moving! Take care to focus your follow-up on their issue rather than making a hard sales pitch.

This is a win-win scenario. Really. Consider the following. You phone an old lead and inquire about their well-being. You inquired about the issue they expressed during your previous conversation. The likelihood is that this individual is still dealing with those issues. Your call may be the catalyst they require to recognize their need for help from someone like you!

What if they are no longer confronted with that issue? Assuming a sales pitch does not accompany you, your concerns and questions will only add to your credibility. Once they believe your interest is genuine, you have taken the first step toward developing a lasting relationship with that individual!

All that remains is for you to leverage your relationship with them. Referrals? What about word of mouth? Persuading people to survey in exchange for access to free content? Assisting you in establishing contact with another peer within their community? Possibilities exist!

Free Resource

Never undervalue the persuasive power of a freebie! Everyone appreciates the tidbit they can take away from a bite-sized communication. When you provide your skills for free, you demonstrate your style and establish trust.

It is a widely held belief that if you share your resources for free, no one will want to purchase them! While it may appear otherwise, complimentary resources enable prospective clients to understand what you have to offer. If you distribute high-quality content, even if it is your most valuable resource, you will incur no losses! People think, ‘wow if THIS is the free content, the paid content must be incredible!’

Additionally, because the content is free, they can share it with their network. More individuals will now see your material, and the likelihood of becoming clients is more significant than before!

Several of the free resources that you can provide include the following:

• Ebook – a handy resource that is both long-lasting and has a great potential for network sharing
• Consultation Is a win-win situation for all!
• Templates/Quiz/Cheatsheet — a way for your clients to gain firsthand familiarity with the approaches and tools they will benefit from if they employ you as a consultant.

Many consultants I know met their first large client either due to previously assisting clients for free or being referred to another client due to the free resource’s trustworthiness!

How to succeed at customer-centric thinking for your consulting practice

Understanding your audience is a lifelong process of discovery. Involve yourself in your client’s environment is an exciting and wholesome exercise. While we’re at it, keep in mind your purpose.

Every contact, especially those conducted online via various platforms on social media, will work to your advantage if they are consistent with your brand style. The authentic you, dressed in your signature way.

Consistency is critical for cultivating and engaging with the community of your ideal client. A simple key to remember – is they must understand why they require your assistance—concentrating on solutions rather than making it a problematic sales presentation would work wonders!

My recommendation? Go for it. You have to play big to win big.