Firms can use a consulting funnel to create revenue by guiding customers through the buying process. Professionals employ special strategies to guide potential customers down a specific path to the moment of the purchase when they are turned into customers.
Today’s competitive job market and the rise of digital technologies have changed how professionals pursue opportunities for consulting gigs. In the past, individuals would have to rely almost exclusively on their personal networks or local newspaper ads in order to find relevant opportunities.
Today, things are much different. Fortunately, a growing number of websites and social media pages help professionals find great opportunities that suit their skill set and interests.
As a result, professionals can increase their visibility and chances of getting the best consulting gigs by creating a personal website, developing a variety of online profiles, and joining sites like LinkedIn or Behance to upload their resumes as well as creative samples that showcase your abilities.
If you are ready to take these steps towards becoming an independent consultant who gets regularly hired by businesses and organizations for short-term projects, keep reading.
What Are the Four Key Elements in the Funnel?
A consulting funnel is a marketing tool that helps businesses attract and close more clients. The concept of a funnel is used to describe a process by which consumers move from initial awareness of a product/service to interest, desire, and action/purchase. Specifically, the stages in a consulting funnel are as follows: –
- Opportunity – A potential client becomes aware of your existence through online searches, social media, referrals, conferences, etc.
- Engagement – The client expresses interest in working with you.
- Relationship – The client becomes a repeat customer through continued engagement with your offerings.
- Client loyalty – The client becomes so invested in your brand that they can’t imagine working with anyone else.
- Referral – The client becomes an advocate for your services, bringing in new business.
Four fundamental components make up the marketing funnel.
Awareness \Interest \Desire \Action
- Awareness – The most crucial factor in attracting new clients is, of course, awareness. The likelihood is that a search engine, such as Google, was used to discover your business. The next step is to make use of this newfound knowledge by creating engaging, high-quality material and videos.
- Interest -The level of curiosity shown by your consumers is a crucial factor in the sales process. This is the point at which you decide whether or not they will become potential customers.. You must be educational while also making your website easy to use and appealing to your target audience. You may begin by designing your website’s layout to make it easy for your visitors to find what they need.
- Desire – This is where your clients will use the information you’ve given them about your items to satisfy their own unmet desires. “Desire” Video demos, blog posts, and product comparisons are all excellent ways to add value to your website. For example, case studies can be used to help the audience relate to and grasp the effects your products could deliver.
- Action – In order for your customers to complete their purchases, you must design your website with an emphasis on action. Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices so that clients can complete purchases without having to transition from their mobile devices to a desktop. Form fields should be minimized in order to speed up the checkout process.
Sales Funnel for Consultants
It’s one of our favourite consulting funnels since webinars create prospects, enhance your authority, communicate your narrative, and ultimately close sales. For this and many other reasons, we are a big proponent of recording live webinars with automation. As a first step in creating a successful webinar presentation, you must develop an exciting topic.
You can use a survey funnel to screen and segment your consulting clients based on their answers. A follow-up email allows you to learn more about your prospect and tailor your response accordingly. Survey funnels are a fantastic way to collect data. You don’t have to spend time on the phone screening potential clients; instead, you can use a survey funnel to select your best prospects.
In a hero funnel, you get to convey your narrative, highlight customer testimonials, and get personal with your business by putting yourself in the spotlight. Showcase your best work, social media accounts, and branding content in one place. In this approach, your potential consulting client will learn more about you and ideally like you as a result.
The power of a product funnel, such as a book funnel, is enormous. You can insert a call to action into your article in any way you like. Remember that your book’s content can be used to sell your consulting services. In addition, you may use email marketing to keep in touch with your book buyers and promote your consulting services to them. “
With one crucial distinction, a reverse squeeze page funnel is exactly the same as any other standard lead capture page. Pre-qualifying your lead before they sign up is the goal of this strategy. Include a video with an opt-in or a call to action beneath it. Then your video tutorial, video introduction, or even sales pitch can be displayed.
Build Your Personal Brand
While every business should have a brand, not every brand needs to be visual; when building your personal brand, keep in mind that consultants often work on a project-by-project basis. Conditions change from project to project. A single brand, therefore, may not be ideal for every situation.
Instead of having one “go-to brand,” consultants should consider having multiple brands that are tailored to specific types of projects. When thinking about how you want to present yourself as a consultant, you should start by asking yourself a few questions.
What is your expertise? What distinguishes you from your peers in your field? What are your goals? How do you want to be perceived? Once you have answered these questions, creating a personal brand that inspires trust and confidence in potential clients and employers will be easier.
Build Your Online Portfolio
One of the best ways to show potential employers and clients that you are trustworthy and capable is to have an online portfolio showcasing your expertise in various fields and industries. Having an online portfolio can also be incredibly useful when it comes to finding consulting gigs.
An online portfolio can help you show potential clients that you are dependable, consistent, and creative. You can share your portfolio with clients through a variety of social media pages, such as LinkedIn and Behance. If you are just starting out, it may be difficult to identify which projects to include in your portfolio. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
First, you should start by creating a list of your strengths and what you are passionate about. This can include anything from hobbies to skill sets, to subjects you enjoy talking about.
Next, you should consider the industries and fields in which you would like to work. Ideally, the projects you select should relate to your interests and passions while also being relevant to the type of work you want to do.
Finally, you should try to add variety to your portfolio. This will make it easier for potential clients to identify your strengths and interests.
Build Your Network of Professional Contacts H2
The more people you know, the better your chances of finding great consulting funnel gigs. This is especially true if you are looking to find remote or freelance consulting gigs. With that in mind, building relationships with other professionals in your industry is important. Every week, there should be a minimum of one new person made acquaintance.
You can do this by attending conferences, joining professional clubs or groups, reaching out to people who publish articles on websites that you follow or connecting with people through social media. When you meet someone new, try to establish a relationship as opposed to making it purely about business. Keep in mind that having a wide network of contacts can be incredibly valuable.
If you want to become a remote consultant, look for opportunities to provide consulting funnel gigs to people who are already in your network. For example, if you have a friend who owns a business, you can offer to help out with social media posts or marketing materials.
Conclusion
Building your consulting funnel isn’t a quick and easy process. Nor is it a one-time thing. It takes time, patience, and consistent effort. In spite of the fact that you may not see any immediate results, if you persevere, you will achieve your goals. You may even need to change tactics or strategies along the way, but that’s perfectly okay. Consulting is a long-term game, so you don’t want to get frustrated and give up too soon. Simply keep your head up, stay focused, and you will get there. Keep in mind that all of these strategies are meant to work together. You can’t just focus on one strategy and expect it to bring you success on its own. Instead, you should use these strategies together to create a consulting funnel that regularly brings in new clients and consulting gigs.