Free Samples

Whether you're talking about a new flavor of cheese at the grocery store or a test drive of a new car, the fact is that free samples help sell products. They're especially important when the item is very expensive or unfamiliar to the customer. Your consulting is probably a big-ticket item in the customer's mind, and very likely unfamiliar to them. Even with ample references, plenty of articles, and a good public speaking reputation, it's unreasonable to expect people to hire you without some idea what you can specifically do for them.

Now I'm not talking about formal free initial consultations. As far as I'm concerned, that's a given for consultants. That's not generosity, that's just standard operating procedure. What I'm talking about is what to do when friends and family ask for your expert opinion, which will start to happen all the time once word gets around that you're now a consultant.

There's a fine line here. On the one hand, you want to maintain the sense of value of your time, but on the other hand, you need to share enough to demonstrate the value of your time to others. So when people ask you questions, answer them. A few minutes here and there isn't a big investment, but it will have a big payoff in reputation. In terms of drawing the line and finding good ways to remind people that this is what you do for a living, I recommend using humor. For example, let's say you're at a bar and an acquaintance comes up and asks you for your expert opinion. In response, you might try saying, "I usually get paid $60 an hour to answer those questions. Do you just want one drink's worth, or should we set up an appointment for next week?" You'll definitely get a laugh out of them, and maybe even a free drink! Or, depending on their response, you can laugh it off and answer their question, but you've also made your point.

When you do answer their questions, though, don't hold back. The objective here is not to prove how valuable your time is, but rather to show them that you care about helping them. For example, which mechanic are you going to do business with—the one who just says, "You need to change your belts", or the one who takes a bit more time to show you that they're cracked, explain what each belt is and what the consequences would be of it it breaking while you're driving? Become genuinely interested in their situation and make them feel like they're important to you by giving a sincere, well-thought response, and you'll have a great reference and a prospective customer when the time is right for them.

Volunteer

We talked earlier about getting exposure in your religious and social activities. Well, what better way to get exposure than by showing what you do, rather than just telling about it? Help with your church's web site, volunteer your financial planning services to the underprivileged, rearrange a drug treatment center using Feng Shui principles, etc. If you're just starting out as a consultant, you probably have more time than money available to donate. And no matter what your talent, there's someone in worse need than you who could benefit from your services.

When you volunteer of your time and talents, though, be sure not to get over-committed. It's very common to volunteer for a bunch of things when you first start out because you seem to have the time available, but once you start getting customers, or even once you start spending 30-40 hours a week trying to get them, you suddenly find you don't have time for all that volunteer work you committed to. Aside from the moral obligation of keeping the promises you've made, you'll also actually damage your reputation if you don't follow through on those commitments. It's important that you be dependable.