Top 10 Ways to Grow Your Consulting Business

I’ve been consulting full-time for over 13 years and a member of Women in Consulting (WIC) for close to 10 years. And during that time, I’ve learned a thing or two from my fellow consultants—many of whom are tops in their field—and test drove a few other ideas.

Below are my top-10 favorite ways to grow a consulting business. They follow no particular order, other than the way they came to me. All of them will benefit you—just don’t try to do them all at once. It’ll kill you!

1. Outsource: Outsourcing is like purchasing time to do what you do best. You’re the revenue engine for your business. Spend as much time as possible on your bread and butter and outsource what isn’t to those who do that task for a living.
2. Build a virtual team: Work with other consultants that you can bring onto projects as needed. There’s only so much you can do yourself. So if you want to bring in more business, if you want to win bigger projects of which your expertise is a part of, you’ll need others to help you do the work. Tip: EchoSign is a nice tool for managing the paperwork that needs to be signed.
3. Get a business coach—or at least consider it: One of the best things I did for my business in the last two years is hiring a coach. Coaching isn’t just for the stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain. It’s for anyone who wants take their business to the next level.
4. Make yourself known: How can you grow your business if no one knows you exist? Build your website. Network. Join associations. Get out there.
5. Get involved: This is one of my personal favorites for running a successful consulting business. In fact, I’d have no business without it. Pick one of your favorite organizations and become part of the team that keeps it going. You’d be amazed at what it can do for your business.
6. Strut your stuff: Write articles, blog posts, white papers, a book. Hire an editor or a ghost writer or coach if you feel uneasy about writing. Or speak at events—start small and work your way up. Teach a class. Bottom line: make it clear you know your stuff.
7. Go social: Social media is another great way to strut your stuff and get found. I’ve talked to several consultants who don’t see the point. Bottom line, it doesn’t matter if you like social media or not; if you audience does, you need to consider it—seriously. But start small. Don’t jump into Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and blogging all at once—especially if you’re doing none right now. Assess your audience, your business, you—and pick the best one. Get it up. And then turn your attention to other tools.
8. Don’t shoot from the hip: Develop a business strategy/plan. Nuff said.
9. Reframe: When facing a challenge, ask yourself, “How can I reframe the situation, look at it in a different way, approach it in a different way, feel about it in a different way?”
10. Get a board: Not a formal board of advisors or directors, but a small group of trusted colleagues whose opinions and experience you value. Set up regular times where you get together and discuss your businesses, gather input on ideas, and brainstorm on new concepts and solutions to problems.

What’s worked for you? Do you have any to add to the list? Any you’d remove? I’m always looking for good strategies and practices, so please share!