Tim McKane – 5 Ways To Add Some Spark To Your Consultancy Business.

Tim McKane, founder of McKane Communications, a leading marketing consultant and member of Hubflow, sat down with us today to discuss his top 5 tips for elevating your consultancy business:

Business consultants. The term is applied across many fields about multiple people. From the large multi-nationals to the single operators, providing expertise across all elements of business from finance to marketing, quality standards to HR and a lot more.

Single operator consultancies are usually established by people with experience of working in larger companies, particularly in the business management and financial arenas, but within that, can be delivering environmental or health and safety systems, or training the client in leadership and management.

Like any business, the challenge is to get business. To bring in new clients, to have a pipeline of leads to be ready for the end of a project. And that can be where it is more demanding than expected. It involves sales and marketing, building awareness and credibility, and opening new doors.

Here are five things from my own experience that will help a small consultancy to grow:

Don’t put limitations on yourself.

Often consultants want the client to fit their experience, rather than listening to the real needs of the business. Consultants that listen first build long term relationships, and the most crucial predictor in business growth often is exactly that – nurturing relationships with your clients, so that they will keep coming back.

Clarify your target markets.

The opportunities for fine tune targeting have never been better. Look at the competition and differentiate. Make the people you want to sell to sit up and take notice. Be exciting. Be bold.

What will people think about you?

Take a cold hard look at yourself as a brand, not you the person, and ask yourself what the potential customers see. Is it the right image to get you clients and in return, sales?

Find a niche audience.

Who is targeting IT start-ups, new law firms, or freelance marketers? Big businesses start out as small businesses and there is nothing more exciting than helping them develop.

Are you in the right space?

What does your address say about your business. Are you meeting prospects for coffee or in a professional meeting room? Is there an opportunity to get business working in a coworking space? Will working along side other people give you a lift, help you focus, and open new doors for business relationships and potential clients? The right space can answer all of these questions.

At Hubflow the team supports the tenants so they can make it happen. With a dynamic profile of tenants, in IT, finance freelancing and more, there is a network ready to be tapped in to. If you want to drop in and see if we are the space to help you grow your business, fill out the form below and arrange a free tour.