A few days ago I was having a chat with a friend (who is a consultant) about the “occasional” consultants that are invading the market. I gave the subject some thought and decided to write a few lines about it…

What makes a person start a consultancy practice? I believe that the main paths are:

• A desire to develop your own business and make good use of your knowledge and experience.
• Employees who leave a company and are hired again as consultants (and take advantage of the situation to get some extra clients).
• People who lost their job and need an income source to pay their bills.

This last type of consultant can be a risk for serious consultancy practices. I’m not implying that people who lose their jobs cannot enter the consulting business. In fact, if they have a special knowledge that they can offer, my opinion is that they really should develop their own business.

The problem is when, because of desperation or lack of knowledge, they begin to “sell” themselves without previous planning.

This situation can be seen in many discussion lists and forums: people that identify themselves as consultants, but seem to be lost in the subjects that are supposed to be their specialty.

Being a consultant is much more that helping others with tips and suggestions. It means doing for your clients what they cannot do by themselves, with quality and excellence. For those who are beginning, I suggest the following ideas:

• Participate in online and offline communities: use these spaces to discuss subjects of your knowledge, so that people begin to see you as and expert in that field. Be careful with everything you say, and don’t try to make direct sales through these channels. Your value should be seen naturally.
• Create a brand: it can be based on your name, but should be done by a professional. The first thing your client normally sees is your brand, and a good first impression is important.
• Create your website: a good website can be made with a low investment. Again, it should be done by a professional. Avoid the temptation of doing it by yourself, since the result could be inadequate and reflect the quality of your work negatively. Go for something simple, but well done.
• Prepare your methodology: before talking to any client, you must have your work methodology ready, including processes, forms, presentations and reports. Read all your material repeatedly so that you can discuss it with your clients with ease.
• Select your clients carefully: you will probably feel nervous or insecure with your first clients. Try to begin with simple projects, in which you can gain experience and confidence as a consultant.
• Focus on results: if you cannot show clear and objective results at the end of your consulting project, your chances of being called again are slim.
• Invest heavily on quality: everything you do should be very well done. It’s better to do less, but with great quality, than shooting everywhere with mediocre work. Show your clients that your services have a differential and they will feel confident to work with you again in the future.

If you consultancy business is suddenly interrupted by an interesting job offer, there’s nothing wrong with taking that offer… as long as you do not abandon any of your customers and partners. A wrong attitude in a moment like this is not only unethical, but will shut the doors if you ever plan to go back to consulting.