It is critical that you choose the right niche for your consulting business and also identify your ideal client. A lot of consultants just jump into a niche that they think will be profitable, only to find that they have made the wrong choice, and finding the right client is very difficult.
Be Specific about your Niche and Clients
You cannot be all things to all people. The idea of a general consultant is a big myth that you need to avoid. Let’s say that you were in the market for a consultant to help you with your digital marketing. If you began to search for “marketing consultants,” then it is unlikely that you will find someone with the specific skills you are looking for.
Let’s say that you have been experimenting with paid traffic and you want to expand on this. A general marketing consultant will probably not have the skills you need as it is a specialized area. You need to find a consultant that is an expert in paid traffic online.
When you find a consultant who has the right skills and experience, you will know it because they will speak your language. They will have a much better understanding of the problems you are facing and the results that you want to achieve.
Brainstorm Niche Ideas
Time to get out a pen and paper and think about the niches that you could choose. Some people will have a couple or more niches that they believe they have the right skills and experience for. If this is the case for you then you need a way to identify which will be the best niche.
If you are struggling to come up with any niche ideas then think about the work that you have performed in the past. Who have you helped and what have you done really well? What results were you able to achieve?
We recommend that you use a scoring system to assess a niche. Give the following a score out of five for each niche idea:
- How much experience do you have in this niche?
- Can you achieve good results in this niche?
- Does the niche offer good potential for consulting assignments?
- Is the niche growing?
- How interested are you in the niche?
Assign a score for all of the different niches that you are considering. Being interested in a particular niche is a crucial factor, as it will be easier for you to work in a niche that interests you. Always think about how you can find clients in the niche.
Niche Validation
Once you have chosen your niche you will need to validate it. This is a process that will give you confidence that the niche has potential and some clients will be willing to pay high prices for the right consultancy service.
The best way to validate a niche is to speak directly to potential clients who are in it. You need to identify some ideal clients in the niche and then contact them. One way that you can do this is to use the Sales Navigator tool provided by LinkedIn.
When you are talking with the clients you need to find out what is going on in their world. What are they looking to achieve and would they consider hiring a consultant to help them out? It will take courage to do this but it is certainly worth it.
