Five Quick Consultancy Tips (March 8)
Here's a fresh batch of quick consultancy tips...
A few quick tips….
Make sure you and your clients are aligned on definitions. Create a definitions slide if you need to outline the terms and interpretations of them. Things like strategy and marketing can mean very different things to different people. Don’t even get me started on ‘bi-weekly’.
Select one client acquisition medium and completely master it. There are some great options to choose from. But whichever you choose, you should be fully committed to it. Don’t dabble in several mediums until you’re regularly attracting clients from one.
Don’t optimise your content for engagement or likes. The most popular content is rarely the content which attracts clients. The things you need to be popular on any social platform can be off-putting to the people you’re trying to reach.
Over-communicate with clients. A client should never be chasing you for updates on the project or to find out when deliverables are due. Don’t leave a void for clients to fill with their worst-case scenario. Proactively communicate what’s coming (and even communicate if nothing’s changed. Constantly clarify the deliverables too.
Expressions of interest from your ICPs is the one metric that matters. If people within your ideal client profiles aren’t contacting you with interest in your services, then you need to change up your strategy.
I hope you get as much mileage out of these as I have.
On over-communicating: make sure clients experience no surprises.
Establish a governance cadence where you go through the project status in detail. Inform them of any possible blockers as soon as you become aware of them. Create mitigation plans for all risks you identify.
Do not wait until the last week to communicate risks and issues, when they have become unmanageable.
It's the fastest way for clients to lose confidence in your capabilities.
I chuckled at "bi-weekly", I felt your pain: so many times I've been the one asking if what they really meant was "fortnightly" or "every two weeks".
That also ties well with the over-communication advice, especially if working remotely you have to clarify and follow-up twice as much you would do while working in person.