Starting A Consultancy Services Business? Here Are 10 Ways To Land Your First Client

In starting a business, you could either choose to focus on products or services. Products would largely involve you spending lots of money to build the product, followed by serious efforts to sell it. This involves the outflow of cash. But consultancy services businesses generate revenues without mostly spending any cash. They market abstract products, generate revenues, and subsequently profits when people pay for their services. Consultancy services could range from mobile application development, to web application development, tax audits, security services, business planning, and a lot more. These various consulting services business categories are powered without cash but with pure intellect.

If you have a service you want to offer, the next step would be to acquire clients. Getting clients for a service they don’t exactly know they need can prove to be difficult. Sometimes, it could be as little as convincing them to build a website through your website development firm, or getting professional ad spend advice. Irrespective of how highly important these services are, most businesses in Nigeria and every other part of the world still relent to subscribe, ignoring the mountain sized advantages they’d benefit.

For an existing consultancy services business, getting more clients comes easier, especially with word of mouth spreading fast about their unique skills and professionalism. It’s not just getting the clients that you need to remember now, but also keeping the clients as well. One easy way you could do that is by sending them a corporate gift basket to make them feel appreciated, but there are loads of other options you could do that are a bit cheaper as well. Yet, most existing consultancy services firms don’t get clients as fast as the few giants. With a client drain plaguing the industry, how then does a new consultancy services business get even their first clients? With a guided and highly disciplined approach, you’d land your first client and subsequently add more along your business journey.

See Also: New Entrepreneurs Will Regret 8 Things This 2016: Here’s How To Avoid Them

10 Ways To Get Clients For Your Consultancy Services Business

1). Network Strategically:

Networking is at the helm of the success of any consultancy services business. If your consulting business will succeed in Nigeria or any part of the world, you must know the people who need your services, and they must, in reality, know you also. Going to niche networking events and introducing your services to those you know would need it most, is one great way to get clients. You must equally dress the part because, there’s a saying that goes thus: “the way you arrive is who you are”. Dress and look like you’re the best in your field. Then when you approach prospective clients to introduce and talk about your business, you’d be replied both with respect and top attention. Network, network, & don’t stop networking. Your business depends on it!

2). Cold Calls:

Who says you can’t just pick up the phone and dial a company who could need the service you want to offer? When you cold call, you’re contacting a prospective client that is not expecting a sales pitch from your company. Cold calls have a high rejection rate. You probably would have to make 20 to 30 calls to various clients to successfully get one meeting. But irrespective of it’s draw backs, it still works till today. Calling early in the morning between the hours of 8 a.m and 11 a.m gives the best results. Most businesses and individuals don’t like to be pitched in the afternoons. Calling them in the morning works better, because that’s when their minds are mostly clear and opened to possibilities.

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3). Direct Mail:

Pitching your services via e-mail is one effective way to get new clients. Purchase a list of e-mails with prospects within the niche you want to reach, and send a highly thoughtful introductory mail of your business to them. Include links to a few of your best works, show them the benefits of using your services, and then set a panic monster; like a limited time deal to motivate them to take an action.

If you don’t get a feedback any time soon, you can always send a follow up email. Most prospective clients reply after a second email. It’s important to know the total response you might get from your email pitch might be less than 5%. But from the 5% that replies, you could land your first client.

4). Referrals:

You could do a free work for a potentially large client with a lot of industry friends, so your business can benefit from an initial word of mouth advertisement for your consultancy services business. Word of mouth would on the long-run determine how far your services business would go, so the quality of work you always deliver must be rock solid amazing. You could also talk to family and friends to get their friends to perhaps patronize your services.

Good referrals would land you your first real client in a short time.

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5). Blogging:

Starting a blog that focuses on solving problems in your niche is a great way to land new clients. When people trust you enough to regularly visit your blog to get expert advice on a particular problem or two, turning some of them to real clients later on would be a lot easier. For instance, if you run a blog that focuses purely on enlightening people on the best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips and tricks, getting clients to have you consult on SEO for their business would be easier through your blog than cold calling or direct mail. Show and teach your expertise, and people will follow. With that in mind, assuming you work hard, prove you can achieve results and manage to land a few clients, you may just find yourself having a strong SEO service to take to the market.

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6). SEO For Your Company Website:

Showing up on the front page of google when someone searches for your services is an important avenue to get clients. Get an SEO expert to work out a plan to get your site ranking high, and you’d be among the top 10 businesses that google would recommend to prospects.

See Also: You Will Fail As An Entrepreneur If You Do These 5 Things

7). Sub-Contract For Other Contractors:

Many small companies sub contract for larger companies. This mostly involves executing a contract that was awarded to a different company on behalf of that different company. A popular example in Nigeria can be seen in the logistics business sector. Delivery companies outsource their excess deliveries to smaller ones, so they can always meet up to their customers expectations. Advertising your services to a company that gets too much work, is one great way to get contracts. The income you’d earn is never what it ought to be, but it’s one way to stay afloat when your existing clients are not exactly using your services at the moment.

8). Social Media:

Promoting your services on social media is a way to get new clients. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, & LinkedIn are great places to market your services. Start thoughtful conversations about solving problems and more with your fans, and overtime, you’d slowly turn some of them into clients.

See Also: The Top 10 Reasons Small Businesses Fail

9). Speak At Events:

Everyone always wants the business card of the expert who addressed them at an event. The opportunity to speak with this individual perceived to have superior intellect is a win for prospects. Most of them would want to know how they can benefit from your expertise after the event. A follow up conversation with a couple of them would in turn convert a few into clients.

10). Advertising:

This was saved for last because it’s not a good approach when heading into the business of consulting. Though unethical, it can be a great way to get clients. Promote on the right ad networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, and the likes, to hit a select few who may be interested in your business. An ad campaign executed right always proves highly productive.

See Also: 10 Ways To Find More Customers For Your Business Without Spending Any Money

What are your thoughts on these 10 ways to get clients for your consultancy business? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

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