In my last post, I introduced you to an overview of what I call the Consulting Business Blueprint.
The overall point of that post was that, while every consultant’s business is unique in its particulars (and the more unique, the better–more on that in a moment), the “bones” beneath all successful expert-based businesses are the same.
And in coming posts, I want to break down for you what those “bones” (basic elements) consist of, so that you can chart a course that will lead to maximum success for your own consultancy.
But today, I’m going to start at the beginning (what better place to start?) and take a few posts to talk about some of the key elements of Phase One, which is Positioning.
Consultants who nail all of the elements of Positioning set the foundation upon which they can build a successful consulting business, so these first few posts in this series are perfect for consultants still in the start-up phase.
“But,” I can hear you say, “I’m not a start-up. I’ve been in business for some years now. Is this information about positioning of any use to me?”
To which I reply, “Absolutely!”
In fact, I’ll let you in on a little secret…
I’ve yet to find a consulting business–whether it’s in its first year of operation or it’s been in existence for 20 years–which couldn’t benefit from revisiting and (almost always) revising its positioning.
The truth is, very few consultants even know about these basic business concepts when they launch their businesses.
Which means they kind of just throw up a website that talks about the topics on which they want to present and hope that the right people will find them and hire them.
Unfortunately, most of these consultants soon find out that hope isn’t a strategy.
What works, instead, is a well-researched, well thought-out approach to establishing themselves as a “category of one”–the only person offering exactly the perfect offer for exactly the perfect audience that the consultant wants to serve.
So, how do you research and plan your business in such a way that you become a category of one?
The best place to start is by nailing down the three elements I’ll talk about today.
Three Core Consulting Business Elements
Let’s go over these three elements one at a time so you can see why each of them is so important.
Element #1: Your Ideal Client Avatar–Ask yourself, “Who do I want to serve?” And not just in general. Who, very specifically, do you want to serve?
So, if you’re an expert in elementary level reading instruction, you don’t just serve “reading teachers.” You don’t just serve “primary grades reading teachers.”
If you think about who most needs the exact expertise you have to share, you might come up with something more like “first and second grade reading teachers who wish to learn a more science-based approach to reading instruction, while also emphasizing a strong writing program at the same time.”
Even that’s not good enough. But it’s getting closer.
Next, think about this group as people–not just a specific kind of teacher. What problems are they dealing with in their roles? What keeps them up at night? What would they like their teaching days to look like if they could solve all of their challenges? And what solutions can you offer them to their problems?
Answer those questions and write it all up as a profile of the ideal person you’d like to work with. That’s your Ideal Client Avatar.
Element #2: Your Persuasive Persona–Now, let’s talk about you. Yes, you, the person running your consulting business.
How do you need to present yourself in your consulting business in order to attract your Ideal Client Avatar?
That might seem like a strange question. You might say, “Well, I’m ME. I just need to be myself.”
Sorry, it’s not that simple.
First of all, who are YOU? I mean, we all play various roles in our lives, and we are, in effect, different people depending on what role we’re playing.
You’re not the same person when you’re with your parents as you are when you’re with your friends, are you? You’re not the same person when you’re out on date with your significant other as you are when you’re at home in your Mom or Dad role with your kids, are you?
Of course not.
So, the question is, “What role should you play when you’re speaking to your Ideal Client Avatar? What version of you do you need to bring to the table that will help them achieve the transformation they wish to achieve?
Do you need to play the role of the Leader, the knowledgeable expert come to share your expertise with your clients?
Would it work better to present yourself as the Explorer, someone who is knowledgeable, but maybe just a couple of steps ahead of where your Ideal Clients are themselves, figuring it out as you go?
Maybe you feel that the Reporter role suits you best, where you interview other people, read books, etc. and tell your audience what you learned.
Or maybe you want to position yourself as the Reluctant Hero–someone who is maybe a bit introverted, someone who would love to just do their own thing, but who feels compelled to help out your Ideal Client because no one else is stepping up?
One role or another might be a more natural fit for you, but remember, the key is “Who is the person that my Ideal Clients need to help them overcome their challenges?” If at all possible, that’s the role you need to play.
And if you consistently present yourself as the kind of person your Ideal Clients need, they will be attracted to you and wish to do business with you.
Element #3: Your Competitive Niche–Here’s where you need to do some research on your market.
Who are your main competitors in your field? What products and services do they offer? What problems are they offering solutions to?
Now, like I say, this takes some work. There’s no room in this post to lay out the whole process I teach my coaching clients for doing competitive analysis.
But basically, the goal is to look at what others in your field are doing and look for…
- Gaps–When you look at what your competitors are offering, are there gaps where your Ideal Clients aren’t being served? Can you offer a product or service that addresses one or more of these gaps?
- Inadequacies and Inefficiencies–Are there places where your competitors offer solutions that aren’t so great? Places where you feel you could do a much better job? How would you do it better?
- Process, Approach, Systems–Look at the way your competitors deliver their solutions. Is there a better approach? Again, let your Ideal Client be the guide. How would they like to have the solutions delivered to them?
Of the three, Gaps are by far the best solution. Because if you can find a Gap that no one else is filling, you can offer a solution that’s fundamentally different from what anyone else in your field is doing. That’s how you become a “category of one.”
If you can’t identify one or more Gaps to fill, you’ll have to settle for being better than your competitors, either by offering better solutions or by delivering your solutions through a better process.
OK, those are the three big elements of your positioning. But the descriptive walkthrough I’ve just provided is really inadequate. That’s because it’s the interaction of the three that’s crucial to establishing your positioning.
And that will be the topic of my next post.
Till then…
To Your Success,
Willy
P.S.–I wrote a much more detailed series of posts about all of this some months ago, but for our current purposes, I’m not diving that deeply into it for this series.
That said, if you want to know more about any of this, I’ll happily go into more detail with you individually.
Just let me know what questions you have and I’ll get right back to you with an answer. I might even link to one or more of those “deep dive” posts from a few months back in my reply.
So, just hit me up in the Comments and run those questions by me. I’ll get right back to you.
