Building a Strong Consulting Practice
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Make Use of Your Strategic Partners
When you have a prospective client, but you cannot perform the entire range of services on your own, should you walk away? Absolutely not. Reach out to your network of strategic partners and find one who can help you complete the engagement. It is paramount in any consulting practice to have a network of professionals who can assist you when you cannot cover certain aspects of an engagement. A truly successful consultant is a master at networking within his or her profession and related professions. Entire books have been written on the topic of strategic partnering, which allows the smallest consultant to provide services to a much larger clientele.

Write an Effective Proposal
Once you understand the client's needs and know that you have the necessary skills, the next step is to write an effective proposal. The key to closing any consulting sale is in the wording of the proposal. You must concisely describe the project: its scope, costs, deliverables, milestones and your client expectations. Many consulting opportunities are lost because the consultant can't effectively communicate the expectations in the proposal.

Take Stock of Your Work
After you have finished your work for the client, take stock of the completed project. Follow up with the client to determine the successes and failures of the engagement. This will allow you to figure out what changes you may need to make on future projects. A post-project debriefing is a great learning opportunity. While this time often is not billable, it offers invaluable knowledge and the opportunity to cement a client relationship.

Ask for Referrals
The final attribute that keeps a consultant in business is his or her ability to obtain referrals. The best source of business is word-of-mouth from past clients and your network of strategic partners. Be sure your clients know that you want referrals. Stay in touch and ask them for referrals on a regular basis. Clients tend to forget you need referral business, unless you remind them and reward them for their efforts. A card, phone call or thank you lunch can go a long way toward finding the next project.

If you want to build a consulting practice, be sure you can deliver on the following statement:

Be a good listener who creates a win for the client by using strategic partners, writing effective proposals, taking stock of your completed work and asking for referrals. If you can master this simple process, you'll find yourself with a successful consulting practice.    Previous page