How Clients And Consultants Find Each Other

Someone becomes a potential client when they realize they need to bring in somebody to solve a problem, avoid embarrassment, make more money, etc. That’s where we come in; that’s why we make the (sometimes) big bucks. So the consulting path to purchase—the magical sequence of events that brings client and consultant together—tends to be fairly standard.

How does that process of matchmaking happen?

This is the consulting path to purchase, as the marketing people say. 

1. They identify a problem or an opportunity that they need external guidance for. They decide they need a consultant. Sometimes, at this point, they already know who they need.
2. If not, they start asking around within their own organization and within their own networks. If you’re lucky, your name comes up. If you’re just starting out, it’s hard to get their attention at this phase.
3. Just to be on the safe side, they start googling around using search times like “best HR Consultant in XX area”. If you’ve done your marketing right, your name just might pop up in front of their face here.
4. They visit your LinkedIn or your website. 
5. They see your portfolio and, if you’re lucky, identify projects that look like the kind of thing they’re seeking. 
6. The read your profile and browse all your posts to get a sense of who you are and how you approach your work; they’re looking for a good match for their project and their culture. 
7. They talk to people who have worked with you, if they can. 
8. They email or call you up and give you the opportunity to write a proposal or send them a quote. 
9. If you’re really lucky, you get to spend a half-hour on the phone, listening to their situation and letting them know that you have experience in helping with challenges just like this one.
10. If numbers 2 to 9 haven’t worked in your favour because you’re new at this and they don’t know you, you still have a chance. They will very likely post that opportunity on their own website, and you can find it with your regular web searches. Boom! You can jump in there cold with a proposal.

So there are two parallel processes in the consulting path to purchase.

They’re looking for you, and you’re looking for them. Magic happens when you find each other.

So Here’s the plan.

1. You’re going to need a portfolio of some kind.
2. You’re going to need a website.
3. You’re going to need a LinkedIn profile. You may also want a presence in other social media.
4. You’re going to attend and speak at conferences and other professional gatherings.
5. You should think about blogging, though that’s not for everyone. You should think about a full content marketing strategy; more about that here.
6. You’re going to subscribe to bidder websites that highlight gigs in your field.
7. You’re going to do regular google searches using keywords from your field. “RFP” “Contracts” “(my field)”. (And narrow your Google results to the last week or the last month.)

Let’s go.

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