5 Foolproof Ways to Get Consulting Clients Easily
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Published:
January 6, 2023
Reading Time:
7 minutes
Let’s face it, finding new clients as a freelance consultant can be a daunting task. You see, as an employee at a top consulting firm, you always have something to work on. This is because your seniors will find big clients and keep the company running. However, as a freelancer, you’ll have to find clients yourself.
Now, even though this seems very difficult, there are some hacks that you can use to make your life as a freelance consultant way easier. In this guide to getting more clients, we will discuss two major topics: the wrong ways to find clients and the right ways to do so.
There are many articles on the internet that will give you generic advice, like “speak at events” and “build your network”. But this may not always work in freelance consulting. However, we have tailored this article specifically for consultants. This means that all the advice mentioned in this article is relevant to the consulting industry.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into it.
Now, even though this seems very difficult, there are some hacks that you can use to make your life as a freelance consultant way easier. In this guide to getting more clients, we will discuss two major topics: the wrong ways to find clients and the right ways to do so.
There are many articles on the internet that will give you generic advice, like “speak at events” and “build your network”. But this may not always work in freelance consulting. However, we have tailored this article specifically for consultants. This means that all the advice mentioned in this article is relevant to the consulting industry.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into it.
The ‘Wrong’ Ways to Find Freelance Consulting Clients
Before we discuss the 5 easy ways, let’s first talk about the wrong ways of finding consulting clients. If you can understand the wrong ways and avoid them, you’re already halfway there. So, here’s what you should avoid:
- Paid social media ads: As a freelance consultant, you only need two to four clients at any given time. In fact, as a single person running a freelance business, that’s all you can handle anyway. So, there is no need to target hundreds or thousands of people through social media ads.
- PPC/Google Ads: Again, the same concept as the previous bullet point applies here. You don’t need to advertise your freelance consulting services to a whole lot of businesses. That’s why investing in Google Ads may also be futile.
- Networking events: Sure, networking with like-minded professionals and potential clients is a good action to take. However, there’s no guarantee that you’ll sign a $10,000 freelance contract after meeting someone in a business seminar. But that shouldn’t stop you from expanding your network. The only thing is that you shouldn’t have high hopes of finding new clients like this.
- Spam emails: Some people say that direct email marketing is over, while others say that it’s still a great option. But the fact is, what you write in an email is more important than any other factor. If you write desperate, needy, and spam emails, it may do you more harm than good.
- Generic freelance platforms: If someone’s a video editor, graphic designer, website developer, or something similar, then platforms like Fiverr can help. However, an experienced and senior consultant must stay away from such platforms. Instead, you should find consulting clients on reputable online platforms that are related to consulting. More on this later.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Large-scale social media ads or Google Ads are generally not an effective way to find freelance consulting clients. You only need 3-4 clients at a time, so targeting thousands of people with ads is of no use.
- An aspiring freelance consultant should avoid spamming emails and LinkedIn accounts of potential clients. No one likes to be spammed.
- Testimonials are really important to get new clients. A survey found that 92% of consumers look for reviews before buying.
- Consultants should build a modern website and social media pages. They should also post content on these platforms regularly.
- Online consulting platforms may be the easiest way to find new freelance consulting clients.
5 Ways to Find Freelance Consulting Clients Easily
Great. We are about to move to the more exciting part of this guide to get more clients. Now that you know the ‘wrong’ ways of finding clients, let’s discuss the ‘right’ ways of getting new consulting clients on board.
Ready? Here we go.
Now, let's apply this to a real-life example. Suppose you’re a strategy consultant with 5 years of experience at McKinsey. Now, you want to leave the corporate world behind and start a new life as a freelance consultant. In this case, you could define your target audience as follows:
“CEOs in Germany aged 50-60 who are goal-oriented and ambitious and are looking to expand their business internationally.”
In this way, we have included all the relevant information in the aforementioned four categories.
Ready? Here we go.
1. Define your target audience precisely
If you want to find consulting clients easily, first define who your ideal client is. Marketers follow a time-tested process to define their target audience. Basically, they collect information about their customers in the following categories: geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral. Let’s dig deeper into this with the help of a table.|
Geographic |
Demographic | Psychographic |
Behavioral |
|
|
|
|
“CEOs in Germany aged 50-60 who are goal-oriented and ambitious and are looking to expand their business internationally.”
In this way, we have included all the relevant information in the aforementioned four categories.
2. Get testimonials from previous clients
Unless you have a personal relationship with a potential client, it could be very hard to get them on board without prior testimonials. According to BigCommerce, 92% of consumers read testimonials before they even think about adding an item to the cart. And 88% of consumers consider reviews from complete strangers to be as credible as a review from someone they know. This shouldn’t surprise anybody, because chances are, you yourself belong to that 92%.Whether someone buys a T-shirt online or hires a freelance consultant, they’d want to know what they’re paying for first. So, reach out to your old clients and get as many testimonials as you can get. This includes the clients you worked with when you were an employee. In a rare case, if you can’t find any previous client who can offer a testimonial, consider working on a short-term project pro bono just for a testimonial.
Now, when you ask for testimonials, ask clients to add the following information:
- What was the client's position before they engaged with you
- How engagement with you benefitted them
- Your work ethic and overall behavior
- Whether they’d recommend you to others or not
“We engaged with John when he was a junior consultant at XYZ firm. John collected all the data we asked for in a timely manner and analyzed it within a week. We were short on time, so he worked extra hours to deliver our project before the deadline. He’s very polite and fun to work with. I would totally work with him again.”
3. Start investing in content marketing
This is the era of content marketing, period! Whether it’s a Fortune 500 company or a freelance consultant, everybody needs a presence on social media platforms. Now, it’s likely that you have already done some content marketing unknowingly. Yes, those witty pictures you posted on Instagram and those thoughtful posts you wrote on LinkedIn count as content creation. But now, let’s discuss how professionals should do it.First, you should create a content strategy. Since you’re a consultant, creating a strategy shouldn’t be difficult for you. Let’s understand this with an example. If you’re a digital strategy consultant, your content strategy could be to create case studies around digital success stories. These could be in the form of LinkedIn posts, YouTube videos, or even short Instagram Reels.
Secondly, you need to block out time for content marketing. Don’t just create one post a month and go dormant for two months. Take content marketing seriously—this is not a joke. Even though you may not get results overnight, your audience may build over time. This could be a great way to build trust and authority among your target audience members.
And finally, try to collect the email addresses of your viewers/readers. Yes, you’re not creating content to entertain people. This is business, and you should collect a lead’s details through content marketing.
4. Build an outstanding website and social media profiles
CVs are for employees. As a freelance consultant, you are basically a one-person business. And every business needs a well-designed website. Building a new website is not as difficult as it sounds. You could simply try free WordPress themes or even go for some paid ones. And if it’s possible for you financially, you could hire professionals to design a website for you. Your website should contain at least the following elements:- A high-definition picture of you dressed professionally
- An ‘About’ section highlighting your professional details, education, achievements, and awards
- A ‘contact me’ section
- Testimonials and case studies related to your projects
- Blog/video section
- Social media links
5. Sign up with an online consulting platform
Seriously, this may as well be the easiest of all ways to find consulting clients. As we discussed before, consultants shouldn’t look for projects on generic online platforms. Fortunately, there are online consulting platforms out there that operate in a similar way and are dedicated to just consulting. Also, unlike ‘generic’ freelance platforms, freelance ‘consulting’ platforms are a way more elegant and effective tool for consultants.One such online consulting platform is Consultport. Here at Consultport, we have over 10,000 freelance consultants in our network. We have helped many consultants find exciting and high-paying projects. So, this is how it works. Clients who are looking for freelance consultants tell us their requirements. Then, we look for freelance consultants in our talent pool that match those requirements. If a client and a consultant are happy to continue, they begin the project. And voila! Deal done! Do you see how easy it is?
If you’re a consultant who has experience working with top firms, blue-chip companies, or leading digital agencies, we’d like to add you to our talent pool. Let us find you your next big freelance consulting project.
