For years, I relied on referrals, but I wasn’t intentional about it– I didn’t have a referral strategy. I just hoped I’d get a good referral. And even if I didn’t get a good referral, I felt obliged to pursue … Read More
sales
When does a solo consultant need a CRM?
I get this question a lot, sometimes from folks just starting out as a consultant, often as a corporate refugee, and sometimes from folks who have been consulting for a while and maybe even tried a fancy CRM that felt … Read More
You don’t have to be superhuman to be a super connector
When I grow up, I want to be like those awesome people who always seem to be putting the right people together– super connectors. I used to think you had to be some kind of extroverted freak who actually enjoyed … Read More
The 2 Words You Don’t Want in Your Positioning Statement
Your positioning statement, elevator pitch, brand story, whatever you want to call it, should be doing a lot of heavy lifting for you. But there are 2 very short words that always weaken your positioning. (And I know some folks … Read More
What’s on your Not-to-do List for 2024?
Lots of folks make resolutions to do X, Y, or Z in the New Year. Nothing wrong with that, I say. Except that you might have made similar resolutions last year. And maybe the year before that. And before that. … Read More
The secret 2 step sales process to get consulting clients: it’s not quantum mechanics!
Some consultants, especially when they are uncomfortable with the sales and marketing side of running their own practice, have a tendency to make sales more complicated than necessary. They buy lots of books, take classes, implement enterprise-level CRMs, etc. (So … Read More
What’s the best CRM for an independent consultant?
People constantly ask me, “what’s the best CRM for independent consultants?” Actually, they usually don’t even qualify the question that much. They just ask, “what’s the best CRM?” (“CRM” stands for Customer Relationship Management, but most folks use it more … Read More
Use AI to make you more human, not less
A lot of excitement about AI for consultants is about creating content and trying to automate relationships. But speaking (out loud or in written form) is not the same as communicating. And communicating is not the same as connecting. If … Read More
The (Lack of) Fortune is in the (Lack of) Follow-up
Consulting projects are “considered purchases”, so the (lack of) follow-up is often the determining factor in the purchase decision. The larger the project, the more consideration buyers give (and the more you should give as a consultant– do you really … Read More