Are you planning to start a consulting business? It is a good idea to begin planning well in advance. Also, you need to build relationships with colleagues, competitors, suppliers, and anyone who can be a good contact. Sam Ovens is one of the best program on consultancy training. The following are some steps you should take before you begin a consulting business.
Build Up Your Network
You can use professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn to connect with people in your industry. It is a good idea to stay in touch with important people and even seek introductions. The good thing is that if you meet – connect. You cannot tell who you may want to reach out later. Different online tools can make the process easy for you.
Find Your Niche
You have to check the service needs that are missing in your given industry. Find out where people struggle most. That is where you can find your biggest opportunities. It is a good idea to list your areas of specialty and strengths. Who can benefit from this knowledge? You should not try to give something to every person. In fact, you can be a more successful consultant when you apply your expertise to the niche market. Thus, you can easily tailor your services to add value to a given group of businesses or people.
Practice a Set of Talking Points
Talking points should be concise descriptions of whatever you do and how you can do it. Getting this is vital to your success of the consulting business. The talking points ought to highlight reasons you are different from other consultants in your area. You need to talk about the value you get to the clients and how you can be of help to them. What can they experience after using your consulting services? Do they gain from you?
Develop a Pricing Structure
You need to put the pricing structure in writing. This requires analysis as to how a standard project is done and how long it takes. You can have this down and give it easily when someone asks about it. Avoid underpricing your project either. Remember that your time is of great value. If you do not believe that, then you can revamp your service offering.
You should note that people value whatever they pay for. Therefore, if you charge too little, they may not take you seriously. Thus, there is a need to have a pricing template that can help you estimate how long the project will take.