2024: The Dawn of a Golden Era for Boutique Consulting

Unpack the future trends shaping a lucrative year for independent consulting powerhouses

2024 has all the signs to become the best year yet for solo consultants and boutique consulting firms. The year is going to be filled with more opportunities than ever. There will also be challenges for some, especially if you have a small client base and can’t seem to grow it any further or you are trying all of the marketing tactics that seem to work for all of the other businesses but don’t work for you.

The big picture

US businesses will continue to grapple with increasingly complex challenges. While there are many, I keep my eye on these top three to look at for consultants:

E-commerce and Digital Marketing

Brands will be focusing on this despite economic uncertainties, with a spotlight on adapting strategies, experimenting, and honing in on profitable avenues. An essential part of this growth will be managing privacy correctly.

Trends suggest a push by consumers for...

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How to Get More Control Over Your Business - The Good Kind

 

Control is an important topic for high-performing consultants, because if you feel out of control, or you control the wrong things, you can end up feeling uncertain, disappointed, or unfulfilled.  

We can only control so many things in our lives, right? But what things should we focus on that will make us feel MOST happy, alive and fulfilled? We'll try three... 

- Control Your Outlook and Character 

- Control for New 

- Control for Fulfillment  

Many people don’t feel fulfilled with what they are doing because they (a) don’t choose to do it in the first place, or (b) don’t get to be involved in the full process of creating something—they aren’t involved beginning to end so they never experience the joy of completion or accomplishment. 

We begin changing this here.

 

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The Business Review Advantageā„¢

 

Here is the single most powerful strategy that enables you to upsell and cross-sell your services. But most consultants overlook that opportunity. It has been a core strategy for my consultancy to grow small projects to six- and seven-figure accounts.

It’s the Business Review Advantage.

Most service providers are afraid of it. They feel that reviewing the business relationship with #clients could expose them and could bring all the mistakes, flaws, and grievances from the past back to the present.

But the opposite is true. Clients appreciate transparency, accountability, and our leadership in managing the relationship. The more mature the client, the more they value the Business Review Advantage - and as a result, will often increase work with you or refer you to their colleagues and peers.

It might already be too late. If you have not done it yet, do it now: Pre-plan 2023 with your clients.

For Corporate Clients: Budget planning season is on. You want to make sure you are a...

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3 Strategies Consultants Need Now

I just got a bill from my accountant with charges for preparing and filing my taxes. They charge $250 per hour.

That leaves me with two questions:

Why $250 per hour?

Why so many hours?

Every time my accountant bills me, I am near having a fit.

I always, always have that undercurrent feeling of uncertainty. For some reason, it costs $4,000 every year to do my taxes. Why?

I have no idea if all these hours are justified, if all deductions and exceptions were applied to the max, or how accurate my tax report is.

I trust them, but …. that subtle discomfort and doubt are always there when I need to fork over .

And that is how a lot of #consulting work is being done these days.

I have news for you. It’s changing.

In times of uncertainty, that subtle discomfort starts turning into a heightened state of aggravation.

The old model of charging dollars for hours is no longer bearable. Consulting #clients want to:

Achieve specific results within a short period,

Get those...

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5 Business Motivators To Avoid Overwhelm

 

If you feel overwhelm. If it's hard for you to get everything in your consutling business done.

When your company and team are 100% dependent on your being in the business.

When you fear your business is plateauing because of too many competing priorities.

Then maybe it's time for you to get clarity on your business motivators.

They are called the 5 Ps:

- Product
- Positioning
- Prospects
- Profits
- Processes

You need to be aware of all five, but usually only one or two need attention right now.

Or one or two get you the most results.

Focus on these two and have the discipline to blend out the rest.

That means:

- Unsubscribe from all newsletters that do not pertain to the one or two business motivators that you have picked.

- Cancel all meetings that have nothing to do with your top two Ps.

- Be clear on what you want to achieve for the top two Ps by the end of the week. Review them every day.

- Make a list of all the activities that you absolutely MUST do to move a project forward (not...

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Can't scale, stuck small

 

If you have clients who haggle and squeeze every ounce of energy out of you ...
When you experience scope creep without more billing ...
When you feel exposed because one client takes most of your time and selling falls by the wayside ...
Consider that maybe it is time to upgrade your clients.
When it comes to finding high value clients, most consultants and business coaches market to prospects in terms of the pains they help their clients alleviate.
That is absolutely the WRONG approach.
Such messaging resonates with business owners and executives who are struggling or even flat out failing.
They are in a scarcity mindset: Not enough money. Out of time. Insufficient resources. Broken processes. Limited budget.
Prime Target Clients have a growth mindset.
Here is how to communicate differently in your social media and marketing to upgrade your clients.

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Be an Authority in Your Industry in Three Months

 

When it comes to building your authority, most consultants believe that they need to write a book to attract a following – and paying clients.

This is absolutely the WRONG approach.

I wrote a best-selling book. I paid a book coach an insane amount of money. It made bestseller status. 

When I approached publishers and publicists, their first question was: ‘What’s your platform?’

You see, the publishing industry has changed. They produce, print, and distribute your book – but YOU will need to do the marketing.

You already need to be an authority with a following to get published.

If you aren’t already, publishers may even ask YOU to buy a few thousand books so that at least their costs are covered.

So, don’t waste your money and build your authority first – and faster than you can with any book.

Building your authority is a process.

It’s all about knowing …

  • Whether or not there is demand for your service
  • If there are...
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1,000 Ideas for Handraiser Posts That Get Engagement

 
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How to sell on social media at no cost

 
Generate a daily flow of new leads without spending hours a day hustling on social media. I will share the three best strategies to find new potential clients. Every. Single. Day.
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5 Steps to Getting More Clients Without Chasing

 

I am not building a business.

I am creating a community.

That's why I have never done cold calling or messaging.

I know it works very well for some people. But for me? I'd rather grow my community in congruence with my values.

The way I look at it: You don't walk over to an attractive person at the bar and make a move. You can get laid that way, but nothing good ever comes out of it long-term. It's the same when selling.

It takes time. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.

The three main mistakes that most small business owners make are:

- They pitch their service too early

- They are awkward in sales conversations

- They don't have a process to close a deal with ease

In this mini-class, I teach a 5-step process that helps you...

- Create the right time to make an offer

- Be your natural authentic self in sales conversations

- Sell with ease

If you want to know the finer points, schedule a FREE Accelerator Audit with me.

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