A successful consultant is generally busy doing ONE thing -- consulting with clients to help them improve their business. The one thing that a consultant is generally NOT doing at the same time is promoting and selling their services to new clients. For independent consultants, it often proves difficult to perform both roles - a service provider and a business development person - at the same time.
There are three effective ways that a consultant like yourself can grow your business in this type of situation:
1. Narrow Your Focus - You can't be 'everything to everybody', so narrow your focus to a core industry segment so that you can be the best in that business area.
2. Talk "Dollars & Sense" - Develop a strong message that communicates a clear value proposition(s) that a prospective client can derive from engaging you as a consultant. Ideally, this 'value proposition' should be monetized in a way that makes sense to a C-Level executive.
3. Be Where Your Customers Are - Clearly identify the best, most cost-effective method(s) for reaching your target client prospects. Find opportunities to put your message 'in front' of your prospective clients, when you can't be there yourself.
At TAPPI, we have created a unique marketing opportunity for our industry consultants -- independent consultants just like you.
The TAPPI Consulting Council (TCC) puts participating consultants 'front and center' with their core audience -- when they are looking for consulting services. This service leverages a small participating fee in order to create an expanded marketing effort that rivals the 'big consulting shops'.
Let TAPPI help you market your services, while you are busy providing those services to your existing customers.
We invite you to learn more about this unique service. Contact Kristi Ledbetter at TAPPI today to get more information about the TCC at (770) 209-7319.
And if you are an independent consultant, be sure to ask for more information about the upcoming TCC Consultant Workshop that will be held in Atlanta, Ga., on April 26.
TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/