8 Tips for Successful Consultants
Know your Elevator Pitch
Elevator pitches are meant to grab a prospect or friend of a prospect's attention in less than a minute. What can you possibly say in such a short time that will make anyone want to hear more? Read on:
What is an "Elevator Pitch"?
An Elevator Pitch is a concise, carefully planned, and well-practiced description about your consulting practice that your 90-year old grandmother should be able to understand in the time it would take to ride up an elevator.
Creating the "Elevator Pitch"
4 questions your Elevator Pitch must answer:
- Communicate the type of practice: HR Consulting Services
- Briefly describe your HR services. Don't go into excruciating detail.
- Who are your clients?
- Who are you?
What is your competitive advantage?
You need to effectively communicate how your HR services are different and why you have an advantage over other consultants.
- Do you have experience in a particular industry?
- Do you have a plug-and-play HR toolkit?
- Are you an expert in small business HR?
- Do you have strong experience in bringing start up's to IPO?
- Is your value-add international HR experience?
What your "Elevator Pitch" should contain
A "hook"
Open your pitch by beginning with a statement or question that piques their interest to want to hear more.
About 150-225 words
Your pitch should go no longer than 30 seconds.
Passion
Think: a cross between late-night infomercials and the real you.
Call to Action
Ask for something. Business card? LinkedIn invite? Schedule a meeting? Ask for a referral?
Who's the Real Client?
When making decisions or recommendations to your client, you're not making them for the good of your primary liaison or the top dog in the company. Your client is that intangible thing, the entity - the company as a whole. It's not the shareholders because they're often looking for short term gains, and it's not the employees. Think of yourself as the perfect politician who makes decisions based on what's best 5-10 years down the line, and not for short term popularity or to please any one person.
You're Switzerland. Neutral, logical, and holistically-focused. You're not serving a personality. You're serving an intangible entity.
Bad Cop | Good cop
Chances are that when you're hired as an HR consultant, you'll quickly find out which role is best for the success of the company.
Good cop is the role you play when the company is run by a dictator or your client has little respect for employment standards or employees. (Of course, you're only working for this client because if they respect you, you can actually convince them to work differently)
Bad cop is the role you play when the client runs the company like a laissez-faire with very little to almost no regulations and employees are left to define their own rules.
Whichever role you ultimately take on, increase your chances for success by treating all employees with respect and building credibility and trust early on upon joining. This is crucial when implementing tough and unpopular decisions.
Adapting to Various Industries
Unless you are carving a niche in a specific industry, chances are you will have clients across various industries. Some industries are deemed “less sophisticated” such as manufacturing, warehousing and construction and some "sophisticated industry" such as high tech, consulting and health care.
Your communication and relationship-building style, the HR programs you implement, and sometimes even your dress may need to be adapted. You always have the choice to present yourself as you are without adaptation - particularly in the age of diversity and acceptance of individuality. But it may fast track your blending into the workforce if you understand the client and industry, and adapt your approach. Wearing stilettos or an Armani suit to a construction zone may not match your safety helmet. Alternatively, your birkenstocks and socks may not be appropriate for a banking client boardroom.
The key message here is to pay attention, know your clients and how to work with them so you can be as influential as you can and consider adapting your approach to the industry you're serving. Each industry and sector have their particularities that are worth paying attention to.
Working with a CEO
The CEO is a busy person. Use their time wisely. It's important to get the CEO's buy in to ensure a higher chance for the project's success. Agree on a schedule with the CEO for project feedback. You want to hear from the CEO timely feedback as well as to communicate your accomplishments! CEOs are big picture people, so refrain from inundating their mental space with the nuts and bolts, unless it's absolutely necessary. If giving negative feedback/communicating roadblocks, come to the meeting prepared with solutions. As a consultant, always think how your solutions will help improve the business and thereby, increase bottom line. This is important because the number one responsibility of a CEO is to create value and profit for the company and you will need to work with them to achieve that goal. If you're able to do that, the CEO will begin to see the value you bring to the company. And you have just written yourself a second gig with the company!
Provide Value, Value, Value
Perhaps the most serious challenge facing consultants is client skepticism. In a study by business analysis firm Ross McManus, only 35% of clients are satisfied with their consultants.
Your clearest path to a new client is your network of former employers and others who can make introductions to get that first project kicked off. Keep in mind, though, that consulting begins and ends with results.
To succeed, you must offer and deliver undisputed value to your clients and everyone else in your network. Value is also the foundation on which you must build your marketing. Your network of colleagues won’t support you, or your business, if your value is questioned anywhere along the way.
Organizational | Multi-tasking Skills Rule
The reality is HR Consultant are constantly interrupted when working in the client's office. This is especially true if your client never had an HR professional on board, and you're their first. Suddenly they have a go-to person for anything remotely related to people, including all things that fall into the gray zone in an organization. Think "lost and found", "social activities", "organizing holiday parties".
Although some people bask in their ability to multi task, research has repeatedly shown that multi tasking can hurt more than help. Suffice to say multi-tasking lowers productivity and quality of work. If there are too many distractions in the office, it's a good idea to work remotely. Otherwise, how else are you going to focus on the big piece of strategic work?
To be effective and productive though, you must be highly organized. As you will be working with numerous documents, ensure you have an effective filing system in place. Otherwise, you will be spending unnecessary time looking for misplaced items. If you can use some tips on organizing your work, check out this article.
Another advantage of being organized is it creates a positive first impression which is formed within the first 3 - 5 seconds of a meeting. Most first impressions are formed by what someone has seen or heard. So, make it count and in your favour! Still not convinced on how being organized will add value? Check this out.
How much Chit Chat is Acceptable?
You're human. Your client is human. Your client's staff are human. You are not robots and you'll have chit chat interactions with your client and their staff.
But how much chit chat is too much? There isn't a fix number to this question. However, it is best to limit your social moments on your client's premises. If you run into a chatty employee, have the skills to avoid a lengthy chit chatting session. Always keep in mind that your client is probably paying attention to how your time is spent - especially if you've just joined and are still justifying your invoices!