This article highlights techniques to help grow your consulting business.
It can seem challenging at times to find new ways to grow and expand your consulting business. What it always comes down to is putting a marketing system in place and sticking to it on a consistent basis. Below are 4 things you can add to your marketing system.
Finding a Good Business Partner
A good way to grow your consulting business is to find a partner. There are a number of pretty good reasons for this. First of all you are expanding your potential client base. But you are also increasing the value of your service. How so? In looking for a good partner, find someone who brings a different set of skills and who therefore complements yours. For example, maybe you are bad at developing prospects for your business; find a partner who is a wiz at consulting marketing. If you are someone who is more goal oriented, and always looking at the big picture, find someone who is more detail oriented. Remeber too, this person should have the same goals as you. Have the same philosophy in building your business. Once you find someone who is a good match, make a written agreement between the two of you and you are on your way to growing your consulting business.
Join the Chamber of Commerce
For a business consultant, this is a must. There are few better ways to introduce your consulting services to the local business community than here. Your business may be more National than local in reach but remember, much of your business will come from referrals from happy clients that refer you to their contacts who could be just about anywhere in the country.
Be sure to be a regular attendee at the mixers and functions and always have enough business cards on hand to give out. As you meet other members be sure not to sell anybody right there and then. Wait until you get to know them a bit. You will find that they will be asking you about your services in many cases.
Accept Credit Cards Anywhere
Of coarse you should be accepting credit cards, and another way to grow your consulting business is with mobile credit card processing. Accepting credit cards by phone is a good way to do this. These dial pay accounts allow you to close the deal in person write as the agreement has been made. For example, your customer may verbally commit to you on the sale or service you are providing but unless you can finalize that agreement with payment, you may risk losing the customer to other day to day distractions or worse yet, to another consulting service. Having a merchant account that can work on any telephone, including a cell phone gives you this powerful advantage and again will only increase your sales and profitability as a consulting firm.
Transaction Based Referrals
You have always heard that in order to grow your consulting business you have to have happy so they will send you nice warm referrals. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Often times they are simply too busy to do so. This is where the benefit of this technique comes into play. Simply stated, a transaction based referral is asking for a referral at the point of payment or contractual agreement. A great way to do this is to offer some kind of discount for your service per referral and perhaps even a greater discount if they purchase your consulting services. This will even encourage your client to call the referral and recommend your services so that by the time you contact them they are already a warm lead.
Whether you are in small business consulting, computer consulting or any other area of expertise, using these simple ideas can help you take your business to the next level. And remember, building your business is about having a marketing system that you stick to consistently.
