We all know that consulting is a vast industry. In 2018, more than $155 billion was spent by the companies with consultants and consulting firms. So, undoubtedly investing your money and time in a consultancy firm is not wrong at all.

Running a successful consultancy business can be challenging, but with the right advice and strategies, you can embark on your path to success.

Are you also running any consultancy firm and looking for ways to grow your business? If yes, you are not alone.

This blog post will reveal eight secrets to running a successful consultancy business. Whether you are just starting or have been consulting for years, these secrets will help you increase your business’s success and maximize your revenue.

 We will discuss the importance of building client relationships, flexibility, leveraging technology to streamline processes, and more. 

So, let’s get started!

How to Start a Consulting Business?

Starting a consulting company can be rewarding for entrepreneurs with the right skills and experience. Here are some steps to consider when launching your consulting business: 

  1. Choose a niche or area of expertise you feel confident in and know about.
  1. Develop an online presence by creating a website, joining professional networks, and optimizing search engine rankings.
  1. Research potential clients and create a list of prospective customers. 
  1. Create marketing materials such as brochures and presentations to present to potential customers. 
  1. Set up pricing plans for different services you offer, keeping in mind the market rates for similar services competitors offer. 
  1. Get all necessary legal documents, such as registering your business, getting insurance coverage, and other legal forms required for your particular state or region. 
  1. Network with other businesses related to your field and attend trade shows to showcase your products and services to more customers. 
  1. Keep up with trends in the industry to ensure that you’re providing top-notch services at competitive prices so you remain relevant in the marketplace.

Understanding the Various Phases of Consulting

Any consulting process has five phases which are very well depicted:

  1. Discovery Phase: During this phase, the consultant gathers all the necessary information to analyze the problem and define an appropriate solution.
  1. Analysis Phase: In this phase, the consultant performs a detailed analysis to know the real cause of the problem and its potential solutions.
  1. Design Phase: During this phase, the consultant designs a custom solution that best fits the situation and creates a detailed implementation plan for execution.
  1. Implementation Phase: In this phase, the consultant works with stakeholders to execute the plan and put it into practice.
  1. Evaluation Phase: During this phase, the consultant evaluates and monitors performance metrics to measure the effectiveness of implemented solutions and make changes as necessary.

So, it is vital for every consulting company to pay close attention to each of these steps to make their business grow and succeed in this cut-throat competition.

Now let’s spill the beans-

Top 8 Secrets to Run a Successful Consultancy Business

1. Automate shift planning 

Automated shift planning reduces the amount of manual work required, such as setting schedules, tracking shifts, creating reports, and scheduling shifts for employees. It allows consultants to quickly find gaps in the current system and suggest improvements to help streamline communication between consultants, clients, and staff. Having all the data in one place makes it easier for everyone to stay informed about changes and stay organized.

It enables managers to more accurately identify available consultants, helping to ensure that they are not over-scheduled or underutilized. Additionally, automated shift planning systems like Workstatus can provide valuable data and insights to help make effective consulting business plans and workforce management decisions.

Furthermore, automating shift planning eliminates manual errors and inconsistencies, reducing time spent on scheduling, allowing for more accurate forecasts and budgeting, and improving visibility into staff availability. It also increases communication efficiency and simplifies compliance with local labor regulations.

2. Optimize your Invoicing process

Optimizing the Invoicing process can help consultants streamline their workflow and improve the efficiency of their operations. It can enable consultants to track all billable hours accurately and generate invoices quickly. It can help save time to focus on providing clients with higher quality services and maximizing their revenues. 

Additionally, automated Invoicing processes can help you in the following ways:

  • Increased accuracy in billing calculations
  • Streamlined payment processing
  • Faster billing to customers
  • Reduced errors and paperwork
  • Improved cash flow management

Get increased visibility into client's spending habits, making it easier to analyze how clients are using your services. It also allows you to more accurately track and forecast revenue and profitability, helping you better manage your resources. 

Ultimately, an advanced invoicing system can make consulting operations more efficient and profitable.

3. Track and manage hours you spend consulting

Tracking and managing hours is crucial to maintaining an accurate record of the time spent on tasks. It ensures that your consultants are being compensated appropriately for their work and allows them to track clients’ work in real time. Additionally, it enables them to bill clients easily, monitor their productivity, and ensure deadlines are met.

It also allows consultants to quickly identify any discrepancies or issues with their time entries that need to be resolved promptly. Furthermore, you can also avoid the following inappropriate activities at your consulting firm:

  • Time thefts
  • Errors due to manual calculation
  • Wrong time entries
  • Buddy punching

Ultimately, tracking and managing hours helps ensure that consultants have a clear view of how much time they spend on each project, so they can get paid for their hard work.

4. Be responsive and flexible

Responsiveness, and flexibility are important traits for any consultancy firm. By being responsive to their clients’ needs and adapting to changing circumstances, consultants can help their clients quickly achieve the desired results. 

Flexibility also allows consultants to customize solutions to best fit the unique challenges faced by their clients, providing them with greater value. Ultimately, these two qualities allow consultants to better serve their clients and deliver results that exceed expectations.

5. Increase your expertise

Increasing your expertise can help you gain a better knowledge of the problem you are trying to solve and allow you to develop innovative solutions more quickly. It can also provide you with increased confidence in the ability to handle complex problems and open up new business development opportunities. Additionally, consultants who are seen as experts in their field will often be more trusted by clients than those with less experience.

Consultants can also use their enhanced understanding of specific industries, processes, or technologies to create strategies and solutions that deliver successful outcomes for clients. By having a deeper understanding of their client's needs and goals, consultants are better equipped to develop innovative solutions that will benefit both parties.

Having a deep understanding of your services and being well-versed in industry trends can help consultants build credibility and authority with potential clients. With this expertise, consultants can increase their earning potential by offering more specialized services and positioning themselves as experts in their field. Additionally, having greater expertise gives consultants a competitive edge in finding new clients and winning projects.

6. Never overprice your services

Overpricing can also make competing with other service providers in the same industry difficult.

Fair prices ensure that customers will have a good impression of the consultant's services, which could result in repeat business. Finally, never overpricing services can increase customer satisfaction by providing them with high-quality services at fair prices.

Furthermore, it will make you more competitive and win more business while still making a fair profit. It also builds trust with clients, who will recognize the value they are getting and want to work with your teams again in the future. Additionally, it increases the chance that consultants will get good word-of-mouth reviews and referrals, leading to even more business opportunities.

7. Keep healthy communication with your clients

Keeping healthy communication with clients is essential for consulting companies looking to grow their business. Good communication helps to create and maintain strong relationships, which can result in repeat customers and referrals from satisfied clients. Keeping in contact with clients regularly helps build trust and makes them more likely to continue using your services or recommend you to others. Additionally, it helps provide an opportunity to understand their needs better, enabling you to tailor your services accordingly and keep up with changes in the market.

Also, consultants can use the feedback they receive from their clients to refine and improve their services over time. Open communication with clients helps them better understand the consultant's skills and abilities, giving them confidence that their project will be handled effectively.

In summary, effective communication with clients can result in increased customer satisfaction, higher customer retention rates, and increased profits for consulting companies.

8. Be smart. Think ahead

It’s the right time for you to think ahead by utilizing workforce management & analytics software such as Workstatus. It enables consulting companies to accurately track the time employees are working on various tasks, view real-time reports to make informed decisions quickly, identify opportunities for improved efficiency and productivity, as well as understand which areas are lagging or could benefit from further optimization. 

By having access to data-driven insights, consultants can make smarter decisions about how to manage and scale their operations. With this information, consultants can make decisions about the best allocation of resources and optimize the performance of their teams. They can also use this data to identify potential new business opportunities and develop strategies for growth.

Additionally, Workstatus offers time tracking tools that can be used to ensure team members stay focused on completing tasks as efficiently as possible while staying within budget. By understanding where their time is going and how efficiently their teams are working, they can prioritize tasks that lead to the greatest return on investment and maximize profits. In short, Workstatus helps consultants use their resources in the most effective way possible and create successful, sustainable businesses.

Major Overview:

  • Automated shift scheduling
  • Billable hours tracker
  • Invoice management
  • Absenteeism tracking
  • Integrated reporting system
  • Download apps for iOS and Android

Key Benefits:

  • Develop strategies for growth
  • Set benchmarks to track improvement
  • Automate and optimize processes to make them more efficient
  • Better ROI

Get started now with your 7-day free trial here>>

FAQs

Ques. What are the 3 characteristics a consultant should have to become successful?

Ans. The following 3 characteristics will make you a successful consultant:

  1. Professionalism: A successful consultant should demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of their job, including being reliable, respectful, and courteous. 
  1. Problem Solving: A successful consultant should possess strong problem-solving skills to develop innovative solutions for their clients. 
  1. Communication: An effective consultant must have excellent communication skills to convey ideas and instructions to their clients.

Ques. How do I make my consulting successful?

Ans. You can make your consulting successful with the help of the following ways:

  1. Create a consulting business plan that clearly outlines your objectives and desired outcomes for your consulting services.
  2. Identify the needs and preferences of potential clients to promote and market your services effectively.
  3. Utilize various forms of advertising, such as digital media, radio, print, and direct mail to reach your target market.
  4. Develop relationships with industry professionals who can refer clients or introduce you to potential leads.
  5. Set realistic goals for yourself and strive to achieve them while also staying flexible and adapting to changes in the marketplace.
  6. Deliver high-quality service that keeps clients satisfied and encourages them to spread positive word-of-mouth about your services.
  7. Monitor feedback from existing customers, adjust plans if necessary, and continuously strive for improvement.

Ques. How to track the time of consultants effectively?

Ans.  An effective way to track consultants' time is to use employee monitoring software like Workstatus. It will allow consultants to easily log their hours worked and provide an efficient way to generate reports on the total hours worked and project timelines.