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Overview

Not everyone is happy with their nine-to-five job, and many people choose to work in consulting.

But as any successful consultant knows, the profession is not just about making money. In fact, it involves a steep learning curve and the accumulation of diverse skills. It brings the possibility to make changes that can potentially impact tens of thousands of people’s lives.

The author will teach you how to set up your own company and acquire the kinds of clients that will make your million-dollar business. You’ll also learn why successful consultants actually fire their clients, why putting relationships before money will actually make you wealthier, how to ask for $50,000, why you should never ever enter negotiations with the “gatekeeper,” and why your free time is your true wealth.

Big Idea #1: A consultant adds value to their customers’ cause.

To become a doctor or lawyer, one must fulfill certain requirements. For example, you need to pass the bar exam and complete residency before getting your license.

While the requirements for becoming a doctor or lawyer are very specific, there’s no such thing as a hard and fast set of rules when it comes to being a consultant. So what is it?

A consultant is someone who has a unique set of skills and talents that help to create the value-adding components that their clients’ businesses lack. The wealth of knowledge, experience, and relationships they have in a certain area is what makes them valuable. They’re able to solve problems for their clients because they can draw on all of those resources to provide solutions.

This means that you have to identify your strengths and build on them. For example, if you’re a legal expert witness in a dispute, then you are acting as a content consultant.

This contrasts with process expertise, which transcends specific industries and is applicable in almost any environment. Companies that have spent years developing their processes are experts at those processes and tend to specialize in them because they know it best.

For solo consultants, process expertise is more valuable than content expertise because it can be applied across a broad spectrum of diverse industries.

Big Idea #2: Get discovered by making yourself visible.

Starting a business is not easy, and the hardest part is getting clients. Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most effective ways to get clients, but it’s also out of your control because you rely on word-of-mouth referrals from other people who have heard about your services.

Although you should deliver great work, it is important to treat every interaction with a prospective client as a moment of truth and always think in the long-term. Consulting is a relationship business, and your success depends on building relationships with clients.

You can help promote your business by asking clients for testimonials. It’s also important to keep a record of your success and intellectual property in order to build your reputation and showcase your body of work.

Everything you do to market yourself will help you get your message across and make a name for yourself. This includes hard-copy publishing, speaking engagements, interviews, product sales and websites. Use this as proof of your credibility rather than just using it as a marketing tool.

The best way to get people to see the value you can add is by showing them how valuable you are.

Big Idea #3: Focus on the big picture and don’t let your job get in the way of your career.

How do you measure the quality of your work? Many consultants get tangled up in trying to quantify their tasks with arbitrary measurements, like the number of meetings held or reports written. In reality, it’s all about adding value to a client’s business.