7 Qualities You Must Have to Become a Successful Consultant
Sunday, October 11, 2009, 5:59 AM | Leave Comment
Becoming a consultant is easy. Becoming a successful consultant is not that easy. It needs hard work, dedication and consistency. Initially, it needs a lot of planning.
A good business plan can do the trick. But the most important question you can ask yourself is “Do you have what it takes to be a successful consultant.”
Some people might realize their capabilities in this regard, others might not.
Follow these steps and become a successful consultant:
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You must deliver
To finish and deliver a project, you must have a standard of ethics and principles to give you direction to embark on the path of being a successful consultant.
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You must have people skills
I believe strongly that good people skills are essential for a consultant. You must have the ability to let your clients know that you are there to assist them. In other words, you want to make their job easier.
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Select the right niche market you are good at
You can be one of the two types of consultant:
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As the hands-on consultant, you should be able to train others and be able to teach the skills you are good at.
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As the management-oriented consultant, you should be able to talk to senior managers about focusing on subjects related to strategic, technical, and operational planning within a corporation.
The second type is on a higher level. Once you have determined your area of expertise and what type of consultant you want to be, you need to write a business plan.
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You must establish credibility with your clients
Your potential clients need to be convinced of your business capabilities that you can do the job and can do it efficiently and successfully.
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Do some advertisements so people know about you
Whatever you do, get your name out in your niche market. Have a website or a blog where you write fresh and unique articles on your subject.
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Use contacts at your previous job
Who else but your former colleagues and managers are in the positions to give you reference you would need to look for new clients.
However, be careful about taking clients with you when leaving a company. Your employment contract may forbid it.
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Never give up. Keep working at it
There will be times you would get discouraged and in despair you might be tempted to quit being a consultant. Don’t be.
The road to success has never been easy no matter what you do for a living. But being a consultant, once you have found success, the rewards are greater and you will be well-satisfied.
In a Nutshell
It’s always hard to start in a new venture – whether it’s a business, your first job and definitely being a consultant. But if you got laid off recently or have been unemployed for sometime, starting as a consultant is one way to make a good living.
