How to Boost Your Credibility as an Independent Consultant
In this episode of The Consultant School, Genysys CEO and podcast host, Andrea Nunez, shares her top three best practices for new – and not so new – consultants can boost their credibility.
Credibility = Authority
The first thing to understand about boosting your credibility is what credibility actually means in the context of consulting. Your credibility is your reputation, of course, but it’s more than that when it comes to capturing the interest of prospective clients.
It is also about establishing yourself as an authority with your particular target market. They must get to know you and what you stand for. They must believe you understand them and what their challenges are. And they must trust you. This is what it takes for people to feel comfortable hiring you.
You must believe in yourself.
The most essential credibility booster is being confident that you have the skills, experience, and tools to support your clients with the challenges they are facing.
But how do you actually get there? One tried and true way is through self-reflection. Spend some time reflecting on what you have to offer that you enjoy and know you’re good at, and where you know you can help produce positive outcomes.
Then, take the bold step of talking to others who know you in a work context – colleagues, clients, even bosses or managers – and ask them what they believe your strengths are and what their experience of working with you has been.
Gathering this information and getting grounded in it will help you to see the value you can bring – and the results you can help clients achieve – as you begin talking to prospects.
This is the essential best practice because when you’re sitting across from a prospect, they have to believe that YOU believe you can deliver before they will ever agree to hire you.
Use Content Marketing to boost your authority.
Content marketing is any type of content you publish for public consumption: blog posts, social media posts, videos, podcasts, articles, white papers, case studies, etc.
The key to doing content marketing correctly is establishing your particular point of view and sharing it using language that speaks directly to the pain points, wants, and needs of your target market. And doing it consistently.
The more content you have, the more consistent you are, the more credible and authoritative you will be – not only because of publishing but because you will be learning and growing your expertise in areas that matter to your target market.
Relevant testimonials can help a prospect get past hesitations.
Gathering and sharing testimonials is a great way to boost your credibility – in your own eyes as well as in your prospective clients.
One of the best ways to provide some peace of mind in this area is for your prospects to hear from a previous client with the same or similar challenge who you have helped.
Ask current or former clients if they would be willing to talk about your work together. Then ask them open ended questions such as:
- What was happening before we started working together?
- What changed for you after working with me?
- What results did you get?
The answers to these questions will often speak directly to some of the hesitations a potential client has about working with you and whether or not they will get results.
Knowing that you were able to get results for others boosts your credibility in their eyes – and in your own! You can use this feedback to remind yourself of the value you bring whenever necessary.
If you are just starting out and don’t have any clients you can ask for a testimonial, a solid tactic to get some is to offer your services in exchange for feedback or a testimonial. You can tell people that you’re starting on a new career path and ask if they would be willing to work with you as a value exchange.
We all know of an organization that could use help but probably can’t afford to pay too much for it. Approach them and make an offer. Not only will you get valuable feedback to help you learn and grow as a consultant, but assuming you deliver, you’ll get a solid testimonial – and maybe even referrals out of the deal.
No matter where you are in your consulting career, establishing, boosting, and maintaining your credibility and authority is a key factor in being able to attract prospects and convert them into clients. Use these best practices to help you get there!
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