How do I get started with selling?

I’ve set myself up as a self-employed consultant but the phone is dead and I don’t know where to start in selling myself.

Many people move into consultancy from functional roles where they are valued for their expertise, but have no real need to sell themselves or their services, the work just keeps piling in. Even experienced sales and business development people can find themselves struggling without the backing of a well known brand and the support of a well-established marketing organisation. You get a very different response from potential clients when you call up as ‘John from John Smith Associates’ than if you announce yourself as ‘John from IBM’ and the sudden change can take people by surprise. If you have no experience of sales or marketing you’ll probably find the whole idea daunting.

The good news is that selling consultancy is quite different from other forms of selling because it depends heavily on personal relationships – so don’t feel you have to suddenly become a pushy salesperson. Assuming that you have clear idea of the services you offer and your target clients there are plenty of relatively easy ways to get yourself in front of potential clients without resorting to the dreaded ‘cold call’.

Keep in touch with former colleagues and clients.
You already have a relationship with these people and a simple call to arrange lunch is an easy thing to do. Don’t feel you need to actively sell to these people, just use the opportunity to let them know you’re in the market and talk over business issues of common interest, but do ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in your services and get an introduction if you can.

Get in contact with other consultants in your area of expertise
These are people who will be talking to the kind of clients you want to reach and most will find themselves looking for extra help from time to time. As well as getting an insight into how other consultants work and find clients you may well pick up work as an associate or be able to team up with other consultants to bid for projects.

Network intelligently with people and businesses in your target market
There are networking meetings of one kind or another almost every day, but it’s important to make sure you network with the right kind of people. If your targets are large corporate business then you’re unlikely to meet a prospective client at a local breakfast meeting – but if your targets are micro-businesses then you probably will.

Use on-line avenues for business
The internet has transformed many aspects of business and it is both easier and harder to contact people because of it. As with face to face networking you need to be selective and choose you’re online networks carefully. You probably won’t find clients on Bebo or Facebook but you will find SMEs on small business forums, consultants on Skillfair and senior managers on Linked In. Make sure though that you monitor your online time so you don’t waste it – and make the effort to meet interesting people face to face to build a genuine business relationship.

None of these activities sounds very ‘sales’ like, but provided you can articulate your message clearly, meet the right people and put time and effort into keeping up with and helping your contacts you will start to generate business. This is a critical area for the success of your business though, so if you don’t think you have a clear message or are finding it hard to get started you’d be well advised to look for a marketing or business professional with experience of selling services to help you identify exactly the right approach for you.