10 Ways to Get New Consulting Clients Fast

Landing clients is one of the most intimidating aspects of going independent and starting your own business. Even after you’ve gotten your first contract, you need to continue winning new business. 

This can seem overwhelming and sometimes you may not know where to start.  The good news is that there are some ways to naturally incorporate marketing efforts into your work and win new clients along the way. Here are 10 of them.

1. Network in Your Own Way

There’s no way around it. Networking is a necessary part of landing clients as an independent professional. networking can mean many different things other than attending early morning networking breakfasts to hand out business cards. While attending events designed for meeting people is one avenue, you could also join a professional association or volunteer for a good cause. Networking simply means getting to know others who could be potential clients—it doesn’t matter how you go about doing it. 

Try this: Networking Tips to Boost Small Business Growth 

2. Grow Your Social Networks

There are only so many hours in a day for networking and only so many people you can meet in person. Social networks are a great way to interact with followers and potential clients online. Establish a social media presence to reach your online audience and get creative about marketing your services. Use videos, webinars, interactive polls, and more to share valuable knowledge, tips, and industry information. Evaluate how people engage with your content and adjust accordingly. 

And remember: you don’t always need to create your own content to use social media. You can also comment, like, and share other people’s work.

3. Create a Professional Website

A website is a good way to provide information about your business that prospective clients need to know. A basic website only needs three to five pages of information and it’s easy to create a website using simple platform such as Wix, Shopify, and Squarespace.

With a little SEO magic, search engines should be able to easily find your website. This means that clients will be able to find it as well when they search for keywords related to the services you offer.  You can also use your website as a place to showcase your expertise and knowledge through a personal blog. This gives you content to share on social media and gives you thought leadership credentials. 

Check out: 5 Reasons Consultants Need a Website to Be Competitive 

4. Join a Marketplace

Joining an online marketplace is also a great way to let potential clients know you are available for work. Marketplaces like MBO’s allow you to find projects you’re interested in or match with projects based on your skill set. Building out a profile on a marketplace also allows hiring managers to match your experience with available projects.

5. Partner with Other Independent Professionals

When you first start out as an independent contractor, you may not yet have your own audience to market to. However, to get clients, you can borrow someone else’s. Find another independent who is not a direct competitor, but whose audience has interests that intersect with the interests of your ideal audience. Ask them if you can write a guest blog for their website, or if you can set up a display in their store. 

The fact that an established business thinks highly enough of you to partner with you will give their customers the sense that they can trust you, and the partnership will help boost your prospecting efforts. By partnering with an influential independent, you can also gain valuable advice and you’ll likely learn a lot from someone who has an established business.

6. Ask for a Referral

Referrals are a great way to get introduced to a new client. A potential client is much more likely to take advice from someone they know and trust rather than trying their luck on someone entirely new. To ask for a referral, approach a client you’ve successfully worked with before. Be sure to ask at the right time—generally near the end of a project—be sure to thank them and offer a referral or incentive in return. 

Here’s how: How to Get Client Referrals 

7. Try Content Marketing

Content marketing can be a very helpful strategy to attract new clients. Publishing content can show that you are a thought leader in your industry and show potential clients that you are knowledgeable. Content can range from posting a weekly blog post on your website to creating a series of instructional reels on Instagram to hosting a webinar. You can also offer to write blog posts for websites that have content you enjoy and that target your industry and audience. 

8. Price Your Services Right

Making sure your services are priced appropriately will help ensure you are competitive within your industry. Research your competitors to see what they are offering and what their bill rates are. How do these numbers compare to how you are pricing your services? The right bill rate should find a balance between being more than a client is willing to pay and underselling your services.  

Try this: 3 Ways to Calculate Your Billing Rate for Consulting Services 

9. Tap into Your Local Community

Yes, you can work from anywhere as an independent professional but seeking out clients in your local community can also be a helpful strategy. Put an ad in the local paper or offer to write a Q&A or advice column. Meet new people by offering to teach a free class or workshop, or volunteer somewhere local where your services might be needed.

10. Be Patient, and Keep Trying

One of the worst—but also most common—mistakes that new independent consultants make is to give up too soon. Finding those first clients takes time. Part of the prospecting process is being patient and waiting for the fruits of your efforts to appear. 

Think of every hour you spend networking, building your online presence, and partnering with influencers as an investment in your business. Just as every ‘no’ brings you closer to your first ‘yes,’ every ounce of effort you put into marketing yourself will eventually pay off. Have the patience to see it through. 

Learn More: 5 Creative Client Engagement Strategies