Four mistakes new consultants make

“Long time, where have you been busy lady?” I had met Hardik Shah earlier. Senior general manager of an MNC, he was very popular in the organisation and one of the top performers to reckon with. “What's up with you? How come you are here?” My response had a surprised tone for sure. This event was a high profile learning share dinner available only to coaches and consultants, and organisers had never entertained employees of any company. Hardik had this faint smile. He was on his own now. He moved out of his previous company after his then-current boss left for greener pastures. New boss did not understand Hardik that well. A shining past record of sales targets achieved was enough for him to jump in to consulting career. However, he was not able to make any mark in the past six months. Frustration at work and bills at home were piling up.

Why the dynamics differ when you are revered, looked up to professional but the struggle of being a newbie starts as soon as you jump in to any kind of consulting area?

In my long career as a consultant, I have seen many bigwigs and have learned from observations. In the same time loop, many consultants debut, work hard to make their mark and faded into oblivion. Here are common mistakes that new consultants make.

Not knowing one's strength: A very high performing employee is somewhat like a good actor. To give a blockbuster, they need a good role, not worry about budget and a director to create masterpiece scenes. The moment you walk into the consulting arena, you become that director to a few. If the core strength lies in number crunching, do not opt to be in MSME productivity enhancement. The deliverables differ considerably and the stakeholders or people involved behave distinctively too. Be aware of what is your strongest playground. 

Learn to say no: The moment news spreads of your availability, a lot of freeloaders walk into your life. No pay but a magical Midas touch is expected of you. I would be very careful if I were you. Is taking free work is so bad? No, not really if it is getting you a big networking platform and bringing you to the limelight. It is equally good to work free for people who deserve but cannot afford you so you can ask them to make you famous. But people who can afford and not willing to pay because they would like to see results first should be refused upfront. Working for free or minuscules makes one look needy and takes away all bargaining power even if there are big results. 

Learn brand building: Putting each client or highly placed acquaintance's meeting's picture on LinkedIn in the hope to be noticed? The only thing is being noticed here is a desperation to make a mark. That's not branding. One of the easiest way is to begin summarizing books or articles on social media. Of course, that means you have to read a lot too. Double advantage here. In every summary please do mention that what is your take as a consultant. Emphasise upon problem solving and getting a solution. People love to read short summaries. Remember, in childhood we all loved hearing stories with morale? 

Not selling what people want to buy: I have always attracted a lot of flak when I advise newbies to peddle what everyone wants to buy. “Does that mean there should be no innovation? Because many times they have no idea what they want ? How can you bring a new product in the market if no one evolves.?” Hardik and a few others picked up another plate of caramel custard over this heated discussion. I would suggest that listen to each client peacefully and make your website which speaks of Metier' work. Do not focus on what is your favourite work. Instead, sell the solutions to their problems. 

No one cares if you have been to Everest as a mountaineer. How did you bring previous company to reach seven figures sales target is a better climb to show. 

The writer is a strategic advisor and premium educator with Harvard Business Publishing