Be a Good Listener
Above all, you must be a good listener. If you are always talking, you can’t hear what the client is saying. Allow the prospective client to tell you what is wrong and what needs to be fixed. Consultants often will assume they know the problem and start addressing issues that are not even a concern to the client. When you meet with a prospect, ask questions that encourage the client to talk about his or her concerns.

In a first session, you might ask:

• What are the challenges you face in your business?
• If you could change one thing tomorrow, what would it be?
• What are your organization’s strengths? 
• How do you capitalize on those strengths? 
• What weaknesses may be present in your organization?
• Where do you think improvements can be made?

While listening to the answers, you can determine whether your service offerings can address the issues and whether the prospect is a potential client for your type of consulting service.

Next, determine if you and the potential client are a good fit. Many consultants focus on winning the client, rather than creating a win for the client. Be sure that you can meet the client’s needs before you take the next step. Successful consultants know when they cannot correct issues of concern — and do not engage in a relationship that is doomed from the start. Don’t try to stretch beyond your abilities; you will only end up with an unhappy client.

Make Use of Your Strategic Partners
When you have a prospective client, but you cannot perform the entire range of services on your own, should you walk away? Absolutely not. Reach out to your network of strategic partners and find one who can help you complete the engagement. It is paramount in any consulting practice to have a network of professionals who can assist you when you cannot cover certain aspects of an engagement. A truly successful consultant is a master at networking within his or her profession and related professions. Entire books have been written on the topic of strategic partnering, which allows the smaller consultant to provide services to a much larger clientele.

Write an Effective Proposal
Once you understand the client’s needs and know that you have the necessary skills, the next step is to write an effective proposal. The key to closing any consulting sale is in the wording of the proposal. You must concisely describe the project: its scope, costs, deliverables, milestones and your client expectations. Many consulting opportunities are lost because the consultant can’t effectively communicate the expectations in the proposal.

Take Stock of Your Work
After you have finished your work for the client, take stock of the completed project. Follow up with the client to determine the successes and failures of the engagement. This will allow you to figure out what changes you may need to make on future projects. A post-project debriefing is a great learning opportunity. While this time often is not billable, it offers invaluable knowledge and the opportunity to cement a client relationship.

Ask for Referrals
The final attribute that keeps a consultant in business is his or her ability to obtain referrals. The best source of business is word-of-mouth from past clients or your network of strategic partners. Be sure your clients know that you want referrals. Stay in touch and ask them for referrals on a regular basis. Clients tend to forget you need referral business, unless you remind them and reward them for their efforts. A card, phone call or thank-you lunch can go a long way toward finding the next project.

If you want to build a consulting practice, be sure you can deliver on the following statement:

Be a good listener who creates a win for the client by using strategic partners, writing effective proposals, taking stock of your completed work and asking for referrals.

If you can master this simple process, you’ll find yourself with a successful consulting practice.

ROSEMARIE A. FISHER, CPA, is President of Real Possibilities, LLC, a business and technology consulting practice in Hamilton. She can be reached at rfishercpa@comcast.net.