Consulting Firms Must Gear Up for Stronger 2006

Can consulting firms sit back and breathe a sigh of relief now that the worst market slump in thirty-five years appears to be history? Not if they want to grow and succeed, advises Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants co-author, Michael W. McLaughlin.

The challenges may even be greater than before. “In today’s market, a rising tide won’t float all boats,” points out McLaughlin. “Instead, the rewards will follow those who lead in their markets. Expect the gap between the winners and everyone else to widen as clients become choosier about where they spend their consulting dollars.”

Indeed, consulting firms need to remember the basics if they want to rise to the top. McLaughlin advises consultants to follow four tips:

1.Take your own advice – create a marketing plan, if you haven’t already. Your plan should spell out the fundamentals of your marketing strategy, but it doesn’t have to be long and cumbersome. For an example, see http://www.guerrillaconsulting.com/downloads/guerrilla_marketing_plan_and_roadmap_sample.pdf

2.Walk in your client’s shoes – get a good understanding of how they really perceive your firm. Ask them to assess their experiences with your firm.

3.Conduct your project “orchestra” with finesse – strengthen your consulting process skills (such as scope management, client interviewing, and client relationship management) to ensure that projects are completed profitably.

4.Thrive on uncertainty – you can’t predict what’s going to happen in 2006, so learn how to adapt and be comfortable in a changing environment.

The complete article, called “Get Your Practice on the Right Track for 2006,” can be found in the January 2006 issue of The Guerrilla Consultant, available at http://www.guerrillaconsulting.com/newsletter/issue15-jan-06.html.

About The Guerrilla Consultant – a complementary, online newsletter dedicated to applying the principles of Guerrilla Marketing to the work and lives of professional consultants. Editor Michael W. McLaughlin is coauthor, with Jay Conrad Levinson, of the book Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants (Wiley, 2005). For more information, see http://www.guerrillaconsulting.com.