Consulting services are not a cold call sale. Think about this long and hard before you spend money on someone's audio series, seminar, or "fail-safe cold call system." Buyers no more would purchase from someone calling them from out of the blue than you would send a check to the smarmy securities salesperson who calls you at home at 8:30 in the evening and says, "Alan, how are you? This is John Smith from XYZ Investments and I was given your name by a mutual friend. . . ."
Buyers must be attracted to you. That might sound counterintuitive, but it makes the difference between your beating the bushes trying to sell a commodity, and dealing with a buyer on a peer-level, collaborative basis. The buying psychology is 180 degrees different when you are sought out, rather than attempting to ingratiate yourself with a buyer.
When you pursue someone, they have the right to demand to know how good you are, who says so, and what kind of "toe in the water" might be an appropriate test. When the prospect pursues you, they are solely interested in how quickly you can help them, credibility is already established, and fee is not an issue. (You don't haggle over price with the Bentley dealer.)
The gravitational pull has many spokes to it, some of which can wait until you're more firmly established, more confident, and wealthier. (See Figure 4.1.) But you should begin the marketing gravity as soon as you decide to go into the profession. Note that this can and should be begun even before you've formally established your firm. The fundamental components of your gravity can be begun at any time, and the sooner the better.
Marketing is not selling. Marketing is the act of creating and accentuating need among potential buyers of your services. That creation is important, because not all buyers realize that they need your help, and even what they want is not always what they actually need. The difference between what clients want and what they really need is your added value as a consultant. (More about that later.) The accentuation is vital because even when the need is felt, it may not be of sufficient priority or urgency to merit the buyer's taking action.
In this chapter, we explore the fundamental spokes of the gravity:
These initial aspects of gravitational pull do not require that you be a known entity. In fact, you can begin with them even though you're the only one at the moment who realizes you're a consultant!
A press kit (or media kit, or client information kit, or presentation kit) is a primary marketing tool because it is flexible, immediately required, and the mark of a professional. It also obviates the immediate need for more expensive alternatives, such as brochures and four-color flyers, though you may choose to include those later. Despite the wonders of the electronic age, a great many prospects want hard copy they can look at, pass around, and make notes on. Moreover, you want to have an attractive package, not a download from someone else's computer and printer representing you.
A solid beginning press kit can be assembled using a presentation folder, which is simply a large folder with two deep pockets inside, and usually a die-cut opening to accommodate a business card. You can purchase these at large office supply houses such as Staples or with catalogs through the mail. They range from plain stock to expensive finishes, and they can be blank, printed with your firm's contact information, or embossed. Begin with the best one you can afford, but remember that you can always upgrade when finances permit. If you have them printed, don't order more than a few hundred to begin with, no matter what the cost savings of printing larger amounts.
The press kit is the single item that will be ubiquitous for your marketing purposes. It will go to prospects, serve as a leave-behind, be used for media inquiries and interviews, house proposals and confirmations, and be employed for a myriad of other purposes as you progress. There is nothing worse than a prospect's receiving from you a mass of loose papers or uncoordinated materials.
A good beginning press kit contains the following items.
Don't make the mistake of listing everything you do or want to do and leaving it at that. Prospects don't care how good you think you are; they care about how they might benefit if they hired you. Consequently, insert a sheet with a heading such as Typical Client Results or Benefits of Our Approaches, or something similar.[26] Practice stating and writing these as client outcomes, not as your inputs. Examples:
Consultant Input | Client Output or Result |
|---|---|
Conduct focus groups. | Remove the distraction of workplace environmental concerns. |
Lead sales training program. | Accelerate sales and build business. |
Facilitate strategy retreat. | Create a pragmatic strategy with buy-in to improve market share. |
Teach presentation skills. | Create messages that establish uniformity for customers and non-duplication of efforts. |
Teach delegation skills. | Empower employees as business owners to preserve resources and maximize opportunities. |
Implement Internet solutions. | Enhance business using viral selling. |
Provide for diversity sensitivity. | Create a global mind-set and business to attract new customers. |
Orient your results toward organizational improvement, not toward tasks or programs.
Buyers want assurances. When you're just beginning, however, you don't have any clients, let alone testimonials. Here's what you do about that. Provide a free speech or do some pro bono work (discussed later in the chapter). When people in the audience or on your committee or task force say, "Nice job!" simply say "Thanks!" and ask for their cards if you don't already know them. Then send them a letter explaining that references and testimonials are key to any professional services firm, and ask if they'd be willing to put their brief laudatory remarks in writing on their letterhead. You'll then have a testimonial letter on the letterhead of a vice president of the local bank or utility. You're not claiming them as clients, merely providing support that they believe you do good work. Try to obtain five or six of these for inclusion in the press kit. (When you actually get them from clients, be sure to include them!)
You can also obtain character testimonials about your honesty, work ethic, quality, intellect, and so on at any time.
Your biographical sketch should be a brief description of who you are, not a resume. You're not looking for a job; you're looking for a client. No one cares if you love to travel or play golf. Keep this professional. It will also double as an introduction when you speak, and can be distributed to people in your meetings and presentations. Keep it simple, honest, and relevant. Don't be afraid to use some humor. Many consultants make the mistake of not updating their biographical sketch. You'll be surprised how much you can add every six months if you're active in the business.[27]
These are also known as white papers, and they are one of the most powerful marketing tools for beginners. A position paper is simply your firm's (your) position on an issue in an area about which you consult. They are nonpromotional, and should be filled with pragmatic information and/or provocative opinions. For example, if you consult about employee recruiting and retention, your position papers might be on:[28]
How to find the right person the first time.
How to conduct behavioral interviews.
The fallacy of personality profile tests.
Why money is not a motivator.
Why exit interviews must be mandatory.
Position papers should be from two to six pages. The longer ones may contain graphics and illustrations. They should have your copyright at the bottom of each page, including the cover sheet. You should use attractive borders and fonts and you can simply whip them off the computer or have your local print shop publish them. In either case, do not use copier paper. Use higher quality bond, either matte or glossy, for a quality image. (Position papers will also serve as the basis for articles, pamphlets, web site postings, and, perhaps, even a book.)
Position papers enable you to quickly establish credibility and value for the reader and prospect. You should plan to create at least one a month until you have a couple of dozen. They will also force you to think through your positions and justify the nature of your work. If you use others' ideas or words, give full and complete attribution. Keep such excerpts minimal.
As long as your work is original, you can copyright it. Place this copyright line at the bottom of every page:
© (or) Copyright John Smith 2009. All rights reserved. (You do not need both © and "copyright." Either one suffices.)
You can update a copyright to the current year by adding to or changing the copy with more examples, updated references, and so on.
Since you don't want to make the prospect work, provide references automatically, rather than force the prospect to request them. When you're new to the profession, use character references: your attorney, accountant, former employer if you left under good circumstances, customers of your former employer, civic and charitable contacts, friends and acquaintances who hold professional or managerial positions. Always ask permission and alert the references that they are on your reference list. Do not assume a positive response or take chances. I've personally contacted references who gave poor feedback on individuals on no fewer than three occasions.
Hint: If and when you can, fill up one piece of stationery with references, including for each name a title, organization, address, phone, fax, and e-mail. The more references you provide, the less likely the prospect is to call any of them. The psychology is not surprising: The more references provided, the more the prospect assumes that none need be called. When you provide only two or three, the prospect may be uncomfortable and not only call all of them, but ask the references for further references (a very common technique these days). Provide as many as possible, up to a complete page (about 15 will do it, in three columns of five).
Your press kit will grow with articles, interviews, advertising reprints, and so forth, but for now this is a solid beginning.
The initial image your prospects will actually see is usually your print materials. This is why a good designer is a wise investment at the outset. In any case, following are the must-have items when you open the doors.
Your stationery should have your company name and logo printed on it, as well as a minimum of phone number and address. You may wish to include fax, web site, and e-mail address. Don't overdo it. The letterhead design and layout should allow you to write a standard business letter cleanly and should be unobtrusive. If you choose a colored paper, make sure it's professional looking and dignified. Earth tones usually work well; pastels never do.
An inexpensive way to add a great deal of class is to purchase matching second sheets. A great deal of your correspondence—as well as nearly all your reports, proposals, and evaluations—will require multiple sheets. Use your letterhead for the opening page (except for reports) and the matching second sheets for all other pages. The second sheets can be completely plain, simply matching the color and texture of the letterhead. Some consultants, however, like to have their firm's name printed on the second sheet as well, aesthetically as a design element, and pragmatically in case the sheets are inadvertently separated by the reader. In this case, use small print and a small portion of the page, and never include contact information on second sheets.
Envelopes should be the same color and texture as the letterhead, with your company name, address, and logo in the upper left-hand corner. (They can be on the reverse, but your company will be recognized faster when they're on the front, which is also more professional.) Buy number 10 envelopes for this purpose, so that you're able to put quite a bit of material into them.
Create a matching address label to use with shipments requiring boxes and larger envelopes that won't go through your printer for addressing. These should also have your name, address, and logo, and should be self-adhesive. Hint: Use labels that are the same size as number 10 envelopes so that you can simply feed them through the envelope feeder of your printer. This way you don't have to reconfigure anything to put sheets of labels through, and can either print them one at a time or feed them automatically for large mailings. These large labels also should display your name and logo.
Contrary to contemporary trends and advice from marketing coaches, business cards should be elegant in their simplicity. These are not advertising posters; they are reminders for people who may want to call you. (And remember that automatic scanning devices that import business card information into a computer still often have trouble identifying a myriad of data and graphics.)
Your business card should have your name, title, organization, phone, and fax. You may also include your e-mail address and web site. That's it, however. Information such as cell phone, pager, home phone, alternative addresses, and a variety of association memberships and honorifics simply cheapen the card. Printing information about yourself or your offerings on the reverse side of the card is a waste of money, and amateurish. Your photo should not be on your card, although this is a beloved technique of professional speakers and Realtors. (When was the last time you read an executive's business card and it had promotional material about the business on the back? Never?)
The card should be of the same color and design as your letterhead and envelopes. Make sure you use a quality, sturdy stock, however, so that corners won't tend to bend and it can stand up to life in a pocket or briefcase. The only thing worse than having no business card for a prospect is whipping out one that looks like it had been serving as a beer coaster at a rowdy bar. Keep your card to the standard size, since many people store them in holders that assume a common size. You don't want to be cast out as a misfit. (The notion that an odd-size card is memorable and will be kept separate is a myth. Cards that don't fit in a holder with others are usually discarded, no pun intended.)
Your initial purchase of letterhead, second sheets, envelopes, labels, and business cards will take care of the immediate future. If you can afford it, carry the same design and logo over to the presentation folder itself. When you're ready, you can add more sophisticated image literature, such as a brochure and one-sheet, which I discuss later. For now, keep your initial order volume relatively low—a thousand of each item should be more than sufficient. If you have so many prospects and inquiries that you're running out of materials, simply order more and thank your lucky stars for such a wonderful problem.
Ask your designer to provide you with a graphics file of your logo and other artwork to keep on your computer. This is very useful for inclusion on your web site, on certain mailings, and for others who want to run graphics with your articles, reports, and so on. You want to replicate your logo and design on the electronic reports, letters, invoices, press releases, and so forth that you send electronically.
Now that you have a press kit and appropriate business image literature, you can begin the interactive aspects of marketing. (It makes no sense to try to meet people if there is nothing you can hand them, send them, or leave with them!) The least expensive yet still potentially powerful marketing device for a new consultant is networking.
Networking is not merely talking to people and handing out business cards. In fact, most people who think they're networking really aren't, and they waste their time and resources while wondering, "Why is this highly touted tactic so frustrating?" So, let's define what we mean. It's more than "working a room."
What: Networking is the interactive pursuit of others and development of reciprocally beneficial relationships through interpersonal, telephonic, electronic, and correspondence activities.
Why: One networks to reach new buyers and to close business.
How: Effective networking involves a combination of providing value to others so they will be moved to reciprocate, and becoming an object of interest to others so they will direct third parties to you. Direct networking means that you are interacting with potential buyers of your products and services, and indirect networking means that you are interacting with people who can direct you to those buyers or can direct such buyers to you.
Is this more formalistic and complex than you thought? I've deliberately tried to interpret it that way, so that you can appreciate that networking is a methodical, systematic, disciplined approach to selected people, and not merely casual chat and haphazard meetings.
Among those who constitute networking potential for you are:
Buyers. | Bankers. |
Media people. | Key advisers. |
Key vendors. | High-profile individuals in your business. |
Mentors. | |
Recommenders to buyers. | Trade association executives. |
Endorsers. | Community leaders. |
Executives planning conferences and meetings. |
Networking is far easier than ever with e-mail, voice mail, and other communication alternatives, but nothing is as effective as the face-to-face interaction that allows for personal chemistry to develop. If possible, networking should be done in person, and followed up on or reinforced through other communications avenues.
Here is a sequence for networking, whether at a trade association meeting, civic event, business conference, recreational outing, or nearly any other activity that you know in advance you'll be attending.
Learn who will likely attend the event. Obtain a participant list, a brochure, the names of the committee members, or make an educated guess. Prepare yourself for whom you're likely to encounter, and create a target list of the best prospects. For example, if you know the local newspaper's business page editor is attending a charity fund-raiser, you may want to make her acquaintance so that you can eventually suggest an article. If the general manager for the local utility (and a potential buyer) is at the dance recital, you may want to try to identify him and begin a casual conversation during intermission.
Begin casual conversations during the gathering to both identify those targets you've chosen and to learn who else might be there who could be of help. For example, you might want to introduce yourself to another consultant whose web pages you think are excellent to explore whether she might make her web designer's number available to you, or approach a local designer because you'd like to understand how she might work with you even as a novice.
Introduce yourself to people without describing anything about your work and simply listen to them. If in a group, which is likely, don't attempt your personal networking. Wait until you can find the person alone later, and approach him one on one, preferably where you will have a few minutes in private. That's all you need. Don't talk to someone while your eyes work the rest of the room, and talk only as much as required to get others talking. You want to hear about them, their views, and their preferences.
When you're able to spend a few minutes one on one, offer something of value, based on what you've heard. For example, if the person is a potential buyer who has mentioned the problem she's having with attracting and retaining good people, suggest a book that you would be happy to pass along or a web site that you'll send by e-mail which has articles on the subject. If the person is a graphic artist, ask permission to give his name to some people you know need literature designed. The key here is to provide value to the other person.
In the event you're asked what you do, practice providing very succinct responses. Here's a dreadful response:
I'm a consultant who focuses on the interactions of teams, especially cross-functionally, raises sensitivity to synergies possible in greater collaboration, and implements processes to enhance team connectedness. I use instruments such as . . .
Here's a terrific response:
I assist clients in improving individual and organizational performance.
If the other person says, "That's a bit vague. How do you do that?" then you reply,
Well, if you tell me something about your organization and the issues you're facing, I'll show you how the approaches may apply specifically to you.
Exchange a card or somehow gather the other person's contact information so that you can send the promised material or information. At a minimum, get a phone number and e-mail address. Do not provide brochures, materials, or any other gimmicks. No one wants to lug around material at any kind of event, and this stuff usually winds up in the nearest discreet garbage can.
Immediately—the next morning at the latest—deliver what you promised. If you're providing the other party as a resource to someone else, send a copy of your correspondence to the person you're recommending, or let them know that you've given their name to the individuals you had mentioned.
In a week or so, follow up to see if the material was helpful, the reference worked out, the prospects called, and so forth. Ask if there is anything further along those lines that might be helpful. Then, summarize or reaffirm your offer of further help with a letter accompanied by your promotional material and literature. Suggest to the other person that you thought he or she might want to learn a little more about you and what you do.
In a few weeks, send still more value in the form of a contact, potential customer, article of interest, and so on.
If the other party replies with a thank-you for your latest offer of value, then get back to him and suggest a brief meeting, breakfast, lunch, or other opportunity to get together at his convenience. Simply say that you'd like to learn more about what he does and also get his advice about what you do. If he has not responded with a thank-you of any kind, then wait one more week, call to see if he received the additional value you sent, and then suggest the meeting as described. (His active response simply enables you to shorten the waiting time.)
You've just been through 10 steps of successful networking. This is not a numbers game. Obviously, if you leave an event with a fistful of unqualified and undifferentiated business cards, you'll spend your entire existence on the steps as laid out. The power of networking is not in the quantity of the contacts, but in the quality of the contacts in terms of what they are able to do for you: buy your services, recommend you to buyers, provide publicity, offer important advice, serve as a vendor or resource, and so forth.
Networking is not about how to work a room, but rather about how to establish your value with others. Working a room is a task and an activity; establishing your value is a marketing strategy. Your success or failure in networking will reside in your own philosophy and discipline in approaching the opportunity strategically.
A reiterationon what is often known as social media for networking: Services or platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and others offer the ability to be in constant touch with a huge diversity of people. I have seen people help one another with traditional jobs, vacations, product deals—you name it. While I do not believe that corporate executives purchase consulting help through these channels, you can establish personal networks, which constitute a form of networking. Two caveats:
These can be hugely labor intensive for fairly small business return, so vigorously protect your time.
Take what you are told with a three pounds of salt, not just a grain. This is equal to a vast warehouse of people shouting what's on their minds. Look for patterns of logical advice, do not follow one-off suggestions, and make sure those to whom you listen are, themselves, successful.
If you provide disciplined and dedicated marketing time and energy to this virtually free opportunity every week, you will always have prospects in your pipeline and always have a surfeit of resources to call upon no matter what your particular needs.
Don't worry if you're an introvert. You're probably better off in that you're not as inclined to talk and more inclined to listen. Just focus on a few good people.
Think of yourself as a cowhand cutting livestock out from the herd. Don't attempt to network in a group of people, maneuver to get one-on-one time with your target.
Do not eat or drink while networking. If you do, getting drunk is not even as bad as having lettuce in your teeth and stains on your jacket.
Come early but don't stay late. The high powered people "put in an appearance" and seldom close the place. Don't waste your time with the people who just pursue free booze.
Follow up assiduously. Only bad things happen the longer you wait. Absence doesn't not make people fonder, it makes them forget.
Pro bono work is work you deliberately decide to do for free, not work you wish you were getting paid for but aren't! As a general rule, I suggest that you confine pro bono work to nonprofits, and never provide your services for free to profit-making organizations. The latter involvement will stereotype you as a desperate consultant who will work for nothing for exposure only, and will present all kinds of difficulties if you ever want to bid on a project on a normal basis within that organization.
The great value of pro bono work is threefold:
You are legitimately contributing to a worthy cause.
You are honing your skills in a nonthreatening, appreciative environment.
Potential buyers and recommenders are seeing you in the best possible light—they are watching you perform as a colleague, not as a potential consultant or business partner.
Try to find pro bono opportunities that will involve you with potential customers. Fortunately, no organization soliciting free help is going to question your experience, credentials, or motives. These are ideal opportunities for new consultants.[29] Local associations, civic entities, and community help groups typically have people on their boards, committees, task forces, and fund-raisers who are also senior managers and executives. This could include groups as disparate as the soccer association, United Way campaign, Girl Scouts, shelter for battered women, chamber of commerce, planning commission, or Audubon Society.
Assume a position of trust, visibility, and impact. I suggest you volunteer to take on the dirtiest jobs, those that no one else readily accepts. These usually include fund-raising chair, volunteer head, corporate sponsor chair, and so on.
Also, the more your pro bono position lends itself to meeting other potential customers outside the volunteer organization, the more powerful. So tough jobs such as fund-raising and seeking corporate sponsorships do enable you to meet still more potential buyers. (As a rule, pro bono work that involves contact only with individuals within the organizations will be least effective for your networking and marketing, though these may be organizations that you still help because you believe in their causes. I'm simply suggesting that some of your pro bono work be with the former, as well.)
While doing pro bono work, throw yourself into it and get to know your colleagues who represent your potential customers or recommenders. Make their jobs easier. Take on more than your share. Give them credit.
Then, when the time feels right and you've developed a cordial, trusting relationship, suggest that you meet outside the organization for breakfast or lunch simply to get to know each other a little better. Don't make a sales pitch, but merely seek to build on the relationship and find out still more about their issues and priorities so that, eventually, you can suggest how you might be of help.
Two keys: First, patience is essential. Second, don't wait, however, until your pro bono work is done or the event is completed. It's much harder to link up after the fact. So, suggest your meeting and relationship building while you're together and have the opportunity to see each other on some regular basis. This makes stalling almost impossible because the individual is seeing you regularly.
Obviously, networking and pro bono work are closely allied, and the skills of the former should be employed in the latter. Any publicity you gather from the work (newspaper articles, photos, event literature) can play an important role in your press kit to demonstrate your community involvement and the results you help achieve in an organizational setting.
There are a wide variety of places where you, your firm, and your services can appear. For information about how to find them, see Appendix G. But as part of your fundamental marketing approach, some bear discussion before we move on.
One place to arrange for your presence is in so-called buyers' guides. These are listings of resources in certain fields offered by a variety of publications. Some listings are free, some require payment (depending on listing size, inclusion of logo, placement, and so on) of about $200 to $1,000.
Never make the mistake of trying to calculate how many hits you receive from a listing source. One hit that results in a $25,000 piece of business is far superior to 5,000 hits that produce nothing. (The same will hold true, by the way, for your web site.) Since none of us is smart enough to know when a particular buyer or recommender will be looking in a particular source for a particular service, simply maintaining a presence in these directories annually makes a lot of sense.
Directories also are useful when circulated to editors, reporters, talk show hosts, radio producers, television producers, assignment editors, and other media people, because they afford the opportunity to be interviewed, thereby reaching potential buyers in even more credible ways.
Some of the best directories and buyers' guides for attracting business (which may be offered periodically) and media attention for consultants are published by:
American Society for Training and Development.
Training magazine.
Society for Human Resource Management.
Kennedy Publications Consultant Guide.
Institute of Management Consultants Directory (membership required).
Society for Advancement of Consulting online directory (membership required).
National Press Club Directory.
Yearbook of Experts, Authorities and Spokespersons.
A modest budget of $1,000 to $2,000 annually would probably secure a decent-sized listing in a combination of three or four of these sources, so the investment is very reasonable, and you can add more listings as your business grows.
You should also appear in your local telephone book's Yellow Pages under headings such as Business Consulting, Management Consulting, Training, Facilitation, and whatever other listings best describe your work. Many local organizations do use the telephone book to locate service providers. Spend the few extra dollars to have a bold listing and a small display ad. Statistics show that such ads draw far more phone calls than do simple one-line listings.
When you create these listings and ads, give some thought to their appearance. Look through the book or magazine to see which ad formats strike you as the most effective. Frequently, the publication will offer free advice on layout, and sometimes even provide complimentary camera-ready production work. It's wise to spend a small amount of money with a designer on your own to maximize the visual appeal of the listing. Your logo, for example, will add eye appeal to it. Bullet points are usually highly effective, and lengthy narrative is not. Don't talk about how good you are, demonstrate how clients will benefit (for example, do not say, "We provide superb presentation skill coaching," but rather, "Our clients are able to deliver their message crisply and powerfully to potential customers and the media.").
You should begin thinking about marketing before starting your business if possible, but strenuously engage in it as soon as you can. The press kit is your cornerstone, and the look of your literature and stationery will provide your early image for prospects and media sources. Fewer items of high quality are always superior to many items of mediocre quality.
Networking and pro bono work are inexpensive, excellent investments of your time, which can be begun immediately and which should be continued no matter how successful you may be at gaining initial work. The key is to keep the pipeline filled. Too many consultants mistakenly abandon this when they secure their first business. This shortsightedness means that the marketing cycle has to be started from scratch every time an assignment is completed, and is a guaranteed way to destroy cash flow and to flounder.
Passive listings in hard copy and electronically are excellent devices to maintain visibility before certain readers and inquirers. They are valuable for the quality of the business they can generate, not the number of inquiries. Sometimes excessive inquiries can simply mean that an ineffectual or ambiguous listing is providing mixed messages to readers.
When you've mastered the fundamentals, you can embark on advanced marketing techniques, which we now turn to in Chapter 5.
Final thought: Revisit your fundamental marketing techniques at least semiannually. You may well find that you've outgrown them, and should either upgrade your contacts or spend more time on more sophisticated techniques.
Q. What about the electronic consulting sites where you can list what you do and also find potential work?
A. This is a relationship business, and no corporate buyer is trolling the Internet to review listings, as though this is some kind of dating service. You're far better off trying to get articles and columns published in online publications to enhance the reach of your expertise and differentiate you. Never join a "meat market."
Q. Networking and asking people to buy my services embarrasses me. Aren't there less aggressive techniques?
A. This is the marketing business. You have to always remember that you are not "selling," but trying to help the buyer improve her condition by obtaining your value. The first sale is to yourself. You can certainly be successful even though a few spokes in my marketing gravity aren't in our comfort zone, but if most of them are unappealing, then you're in the wrong line of work.
Q. Would it be of benefit to include in my promotional materials other resources, other people's work, biographical sketches of some potential alliance partners, to give the feeling of more heft to my solo practice?
A. No. You are the talent. On my web site, you face a "dead end," in that I'm not even liking the visitor to Amazon.com (you can buy my books right on my own site). If your work or value is based on others' talents, why do I need you? You're better off with less value that is singularly you than trying to lose yourself in a herd.
Q. I've found that I can attract quite a few people following me on Twitter and that I can gain a substantial following by placing podcasts on sites such as "Grammar Girl." Isn't that the express lane to creating a brand?
A. With whom? Bloggers will tell you that blogs are the greatest thing in the world, just like an insurance agent will tell you that insurance is the best investment for you or a Ford dealer will tell you Fords are better than Toyotas. You have to reach corporate buyers who can purchase your consulting services. They are not listening or participating in social media to find consultants, except in the case of those of us who already have powerful brands (David Maister, Seth Godin, Jeff Gitomer, Marshall Goldsmith, and so on.)
Q. Isn't it awkward to try to reach someone who is a personal acquaintance on a business level? For example, my best friend's husband is a senior banking executive. We seem them socially, but I'd find it uncomfortable to approach him (or her to reach him professionally).
A. I guess it all depends on whether you believe you'd be helping him or taking something from him, right? Should you be helping his competition before offering that help to him? Isn't he an adult who can say that he appreciates the offer and will let you know, or that they are already doing it, or that he really needs what you're talking about? Are you Paul Revere or Chicken Little?
[26] I realize that there may be no results to date, which is why we're simply stating what can be expected.
[27] See Appendix E for a sample biographical sketch for a beginning consultant.
[28] See Appendix F for a sample position paper.
[29] You may well already be involved in pro bono work from current or prior employment. If your colleagues do represent potential customers, then you are fortunate to have already begun this process! Bear in mind, however, that you'll be adopting a somewhat different strategy in the future.