Submitted by: John Parks

Consulting is an excellent field to break into, whether you are seeking supplemental income or you are looking to turn your consulting business into a full time job. Consulting is particularly conducive to those seeking an at home business, as it is work that is flexible and can be conducted in any location.

A consulting career is not limited to one area; in fact, it is only as limiting as your own skills, training, and imagination. With a well thought out business plan, a good marketing strategy, and a lot of hard work, your consulting career can start paying off immediately!

The two biggest questions to ask when starting a consulting career: what type of consulting should you perform and which clients do you target?

Your consulting career should be based on your interests and abilities. If you already have a number of connections, you may find success in marketing, public relations, or sales consulting. Other business minded individuals may choose to provide consulting in customer service and relations. If you have an accounting background, you could become a financial consultant. People with computer science degrees have often found great rewards in providing their own IT consultancy skills.

But what if you don t have a business background? Does that mean that you are not consultant material? Not necessarily. If you are an excellent organizer, you can provide consulting to businesses and individuals alike, helping them to keep their homes and workplaces orderly. If you enjoy party planning, there is a wide audience available, whether it be families who have no time to plan events or companies that need help with their office get-togethers. Basically any place that you see a need, there is an opening for a good, hard working consultant.

Targeting clients for your consulting career can be a much larger challenge than you might expect. You can start by determining the types of clients who may be interested in your consulting work. Decide if you will be geared toward businesses, individuals, or both.

If you want to focus on businesses, it may be wise to start off targeting a specific sector. Choose a type of business with which you are the most comfortable or with which you have the most knowledge, then design your marketing campaign to specifically highlight how you can best lend your services to that type of business. For example, if you are starting a public relations consultancy and wish to focus on the health care industry, you may compile a list of needs that are currently unmet in many health care environments, then show how the proper public relations plan can increase patient confidence, which leads to more business. Once you have established a solid customer base within the industry of your choice, you can then consider expanding into other sectors.

If you are focusing on individuals, your marketing plan will be quite different and can be much more challenging. You are unlikely to have a predetermined list of individuals you can call, either on the telephone or in person, so your marketing plan must include a wider scope. You can start by placing ads in a local newspaper, posting in online forums, or going door-to-door, delivering flyers that advertise your services.

Whichever you choose, if you have a good idea and are wiling to put in the effort, your consulting business can lead to great financial and personal success.

About the Author: For more information on consulting, visit

consultingmicroblog.com

and

consultantsmicroblog.com

Source:

isnare.com

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