The Complete Guide to Starting a Consulting Business

您是否听过这句话：“您欠我多年，而不是待会的时间”？

当您想到顾问时，可能会想到的第一个想法是繁忙的日程安排，备受瞩目的客户和有利可图的薪水。但是，为什么这些公司要向顾问支付这么多钱寻求建议，甚至在短短几分钟内就可以完成的任务呢？

该短语正是原因。顾问将自己的职业生涯致力于为需要专业知识的企业和企业家提供多年的经验。

如果您热衷于通过提供多年的教育，经验和技能发展所磨练的利基专业知识来帮助他人成功，那么咨询职业可能适合您。

我们已经编辑了本指南，以深入研究咨询的有利可图和充实的世界，以及如何开始和销售自己的咨询业务。

什么是咨询？

咨询是为收费提供专家建议，意见和/或策略的过程。顾问（无论是基于个人还是公司）专门从事利基行业或贸易。

让我们磨练上述定义的重要方面：expert。Consultants areexperts在他们的领域。他们拥有如此有价值的知识，以至于其他人（个人，部门或整个组织）愿意为此付出代价。

咨询大约不仅提供建议，，，，though. Consulting can include a wide range of activities, including problem diagnosis, data collection, feedback, strategy-building, and implementation.

顾问和咨询公司受到高度追捧，因为他们可以为紧迫的业务问题或挑战带来独特而新鲜的视角。有时，企业主和领导者在处理问题时需要一组新的眼睛。作为顾问，您可以提供这种公正的观点。

简而言之，顾问努力使客户更成功。这可能需要大量工作，这就是为什么咨询业务如此有利可图的原因。

Consultant vs. Contractor

You may have heard the wordsconsultant，，，，承包商， 乃至自由职业者互换使用。

如果您要开设自己的咨询业务实践，您将站在哪里？

尽管所有这些政党都与企业合作（与他们使用的企业一起使用），但这就是他们的相似之处的结局。

Contractors (including自由职业者s）是由公司签约提供服务的自雇工人。

Consultants, as we’ve defined above, primarily provide an assessment and expert advice. They can be self-employed or employed by a consulting firm.

但是，如果作为顾问，您被要求提供服务或可交付的服务，则可能会被雇用承包商- 型角色。

例如，假设您被雇用来评估销售团队的绩效。经初步评估，您建议新的销售策略和培训计划。如果您被要求制定并提供此书面策略和培训计划，则将被视为承包商（除了顾问之外）。

顾问实际上存在于每个领域。让我们讨论您可以在其中专门研究的不同类型的咨询。

咨询是指几乎无限行业的各种专家。

在本节中，我们将解开一些最受欢迎的咨询实践类型，属于他们的任何相关利基机会以及您在这些各自的交易中的职业可能会是什么样。

1. Management Consulting

管理咨询是最常见的咨询类型，包括许多不同的利基咨询职业。麦肯锡，贝恩公司和德勤等公司主要从事管理咨询。bob全站app它是2500亿美元的行业- 至少，截至2021年。

作为一个management consultant, you would work with business leaders to help their companies run smoothly. This typically involves assessing certain processes and providing advice on how to improve or implement new ones.

并非所有管理顾问都是相同的 - 有些人遵循通才的方法并评估每个组织的整体，有些人专门研究更具体的部门或领域。

2. Strategy Consulting

战略咨询是管理咨询的重要子集。的目的strategy consulting是审查关键业务策略，并提供有关如何改善或开发新业务的专家建议。战略顾问通常是某个行业或领域的专家，并就公司愿景，资源和投资等高级，战略业务决策提供建议。bob体育苹果系统下载安装bob全站app

3.运营咨询

While strategy consultants primarily work with the “why”, operations consulting addresses the “how”. These consultants address operational processes including procurement, outsourcing, supply chain management, and more. Also, operations consultants often do more for businesses than give advice — sometimes they also offer implementation and deployment services to help clients put their new processes to work.

4. Financial Strategy Consulting

财务顾问或顾问帮助企业做出明智，客观和法律财务决策以提高收益。该管理咨询部门在公司财务，财务重组，风险管理甚至房地产。所有财务顾问必须满足某些要求，并且obtain a license提供财务建议。

5.人力资源咨询bob体育苹果系统下载安装

的目的human resources (HR) consulting is to help companies hire and retain remarkable employees. These specialists address HR processes including training and development, conflict resolution, management philosophies, benefits and pensions, and employee satisfaction. HR consultants also ensure businesses are following legal and ethical personnel practices.

6.咨询

信息技术（IT）顾问实施和管理新技术，例如系统集成，软件开发和管理以及企业体系结构。bob电竞官方下载

作为一个IT consultant，，，，你might help businesses figure out what software to invest in and how to use it to meet goals, solve challenges, and implement important changes. This consulting division is a highly specialized and lucrative industry, worth almost double the management consulting industry —$460 billion。

7.业务咨询

业务咨询是一个广义的术语，是指与企业合作从事从财务建议到培训再到裁员的任何事情的专家。（您会看到此类别与此列表中的其他人重叠。）

作为一个business consultant，，，，你’d typically work with small to mid-size businesses (SMBs) — as opposed to management consulting, where you’d work with enterprise-level businesses — to objectively assess challenges and provide solutions.

8. Sales Consulting

销售量consultants work to improve the performance of sales teams, regardless of size or industry.

作为一个sales consultant, you’d typically work in sales training and development, but you could also be brought on for other purposes, such as choosing aCRM，改善销售流程或提高团队士气。由于销售被认为是企业中最重要的部分之一，因此在财务上，质量销售顾问是高度评价和受到追捧的。

9. Marketing Consulting

营销咨询的目的是评估企业的营销工作，并提供有关如何改善目标并带来收入的指导。

作为一个营销顾问,你可能专攻a certain field of marketing, such as content marketing, PR, or social media marketing. Or, you might focus on a niche marketing process, such as defining target audiences,customer acquisition， 或者品牌意识。

10.环境咨询

Are you passionate about environmental laws and regulations? Environmental consulting may be for you. As an environmental consultant, you may advise businesses on how their practices affect the environment around them and often work with industries like construction, waste management, real estate, and energy (but can be hired by any type of company).

Environmental consulting is particularly important as companies work to reduce their permanent impact on the environment.

11. Financial Consulting

财务咨询与我们在上面讨论的财务战略咨询。但是，主要区别是此类别还包括独立的financial consultants that work with individuals, families, and entrepreneurs.

作为财务顾问，您可以帮助您完成从日常支出，投资和税收到现金流问题，保险和财务合法性的一切。

12.职业咨询

个人和企业都使用职业咨询来装备自己或员工的工作成长。作为职业顾问，您可以帮助客户进行技能开发，恢复建设，工作应用，访谈以及整个就业市场的了解。如果您有人力资源或招聘背景，那么职业咨询可能适合您。

13.医疗保健咨询

的目的医疗保健咨询is to maximize the impact and output of healthcare organizations. Healthcare consultants are basically management consultants that work in the healthcare industry. They analyze the personnel, profits, and processes in an organization and provide advice on how to improve and solve pressing challenges.

14.多样性，公平和包容咨询

It's not uncommon for companies of any size and industry to find themselves lacking the specific skillset that diversity and inclusion consultants bring. Hiring an HR consultant is simply not enough to overcome implicit and explicit bias in an organization and that's what makes DEI consultants one of the most sought-after professionals in this market.

作为DEI顾问，您将为商业权益问题带来客观的观点，尤其是那些涉及人员和文化的问题。如果您具有人力资源，心理学，社会学或非营利性管理的背景，您可能会发现，通过特定的培训和教育，DEI咨询可能是您的下一个职业发展。

15. Public Relations Consulting

虽然公共关系可能是企业中的主食，但该功能通常与较小公司的营销和传播相结合。但是，公共关系是一项本身的纪律，不幸的是，这一事实通常是在危机中间实现的。

作为公关顾问，您可能会处理固定器，以帮助计划危机之前，或者在危机中可能会带入危机，以确定公司与公众和媒体合作的最佳行动方案。bob全站app

16.品牌咨询

作为一个brand consultant, you'll be responsible for assessing where a brand currently stands in the market. Competitor analyses, research, and design may fall under the scope of work, but if you prefer to specialize in one area, that's certainly an option.

Brand consultants may work closely with marketing and sales consultants to bring products to market, adjust prices, and offer creative expertise to position a company a certain way in the minds of consumers.

您是否专门从事某个领域或利基行业，并相信您可以为他人提供高质量的建议？您可以考虑开设自己的咨询业务。

以下是六个步骤，开始一家咨询业务，可以帮助您和您的客户取得成功。

1. Assess your skills and strengths to choose your niche.

Before anything else, brainstorm and define what skills and strengths you believe would make you a good consultant. Remember — consultants areexperts在某个利基市场中。他们的知识很高，以至于他们得到了分享的报酬。

更重要的是，优秀的顾问不是专家一切。

What makes you an expert? What do you love to do and talk about? If you had to stand in front of a classroom and teach on any subject, what would that be? What do your friends, family, and coworkers ask your advice on?

这些只是问自己开始思考哪些技能和优势会让您成为顾问的几个问题。在前进之前记下您的答案。

如果我自己回答，我会说我是写作和内容营销方面的专家。我在整个职业生涯中都在这个领域工作，真正喜欢创建内容并帮助他人也这样做。

2.分析您的市场需求和痛点。

建立咨询利基市场后，您应该更好地了解自己将要定位的行业和市场。按照上面的个人示例，我将针对营销行业，并专门研究内容营销和创建。

Narrowing your market as a consultant allows you to understand the needs, challenges, and pain points your potential clients face, which can help clarify how you can use your skills to provide solutions.

For example, let’s say my target audience as a content marketing consultant struggles with consistent content creation, SEO, and tracking published content.

定义这些因素使我可以准确地知道我如何帮助客户（例如写作，SEO和指标），而不是简单地说：“嘿，我可以用文字帮助您！”。

Just as you specialize in a certain skill set as a consultant, you should also specify what services you provide for your clients. This information can also help you better market to clients, which we’ll talk about below.

3. Develop your brand, website, and service offerings.

The next step in getting started as a consultant is creating the external-facing components of your business. This includes your website, branding, and service offerings. These resources can help clients identify you and can help your business stand out among competitors.

Whether you identify your business with your name (e.g.Allie Decker LLC）或其他名称（例如内容营销咨询有限责任公司），您应该给它一个正式名称，并且website启动。

此步骤的另一个重要部分是概述您如何与客户合作以及您的咨询成本多少。

Whether you organize your services into clear-cut packages and prices or simply list your services and request that clients call you for more information, you should at least give visitors an idea of what you specialize in and how you can help them (hence what we defined in步骤1和2）。

4. Open your business.

您知道自己的技能是什么，您的技能如何帮助他人，以及潜在的客户如何发现和了解有关您的更多信息 - 是时候开业了。此步骤比从Closedto打开。

First, consider the legal structure of your business. Legitimizing your business gives it credibility and gives you direction when it comes to taxes, staffing, and other legal details.

Next, think about what tools you may need to conduct business and connect with clients. These might include tools to help find new clients and jobs — like a LinkedIn membership — and video conferencing software like Zoom or Skype.

At this stage, you should also open a business bank account, invest in anaccountant(and eventually an assistant), and order business cards with your branding and information.

下载完整顾问的成功套件，以访问8个免费模板，用于计划，研究和客户入职。

5.推销您的业务以吸引新客户。

现在你已经打开了你的生意,是时候grow.

A consulting business isn’t a business without clients.出售您的咨询服务isn’t like selling a car, a house, or software. Sometimes, you may find yourself selling your services to people who aren’t even aware they need them.

咨询营销可以采用各种营销方法：

• bob app下载
• Webinars
• 播客
• Speakingand teaching
• Social media marketing
• 印刷或数字广告
• 推荐
• Cold calling和电子邮件

无论您如何促进咨询业务，都可以投资咨询营销方法，这些方法将使您直接与潜在客户联系。

Methods like blogging, podcasting, and social media marketing don’t necessarily draw a direct line to new revenue, but they are powerful for growing awareness and establishing expertise.

A healthy mix of direct marketing and awareness marketing will help your consulting business succeed.

Once you get in front of potential clients, have an established elevator pitch andclient proposal templateready to go. Half the consulting “battle” is providing advice; the other half is selling your advice in the first place.

当您成长客户群时，请使用像HubSpot的多合一CRM平台(这是一个中小型的免费版本businesses or a paid version for enterprise businesses). It can help you keep track of client information as well as the context of your relationship with each client.

6. Stay organized and scale.

As you grow and master your consulting business, stay organized and consistent. High-quality results are the best way to incite referrals from previous clients — and推荐可能是您最好的新销售来源。

In fact, as you build successful relationships with clients, don't be afraid to ask for referrals for new leads.

Once a month or so, sit down and analyze your consulting business. Look at your client list, software tools, and other business practices; analyze what’s working and what’s not.

了解您可以在哪里削减额外的精力和资源以最终节​​省资金。bob体育苹果系统下载安装最后，订阅行业趋势，因此您可以使您的业务与客户面临的挑战和趋势有关。

开展咨询业务是一项了不起的壮举，但这并不是工作停止的地方。这六个活动也将帮助您发展咨询业务。

1.进行竞争分析。

Examining your competition can be intimidating, but with the right mindset, you can learn a lot from them about how to grow and improve your consulting business. Moreover, you can identify gaps in the market and find new ways to improve upon their strategies.

If you haven't done so already,进行竞争分析在您的利基和地区的任何其他顾问或咨询公司中。

How do they market their business? What consulting services do they offer, and how do they describe and bundle them? What are their prices and fees?

When you study what's working for your competitors, you learn more about your clients' customer journeys and how you can improve your chances of being hired over your competition.

2. Start a blog.

博客ging is a uniquely effective way to market your business, establish authority in your niche, and help your business organically rank online. Many people — professionals, too — hesitate to start a blog because they don't know how to manage a blog or what to write about. Well, we've compiled a helpful guide to help you past that roadblock.

Download our free guide to starting a successful blog and receive an 8-part planner to get your blog up and running.

出色的博客内容的另一个来源是您的客户群。请注意客户面对哪些问题或质疑哪些信息，并收集有关哪些信息的编写和分享信息。同样，博客内容也可以用作销售支持内容 - 与潜在客户共享一两个受欢迎的博客文章可以帮助他们了解为什么要雇用您以及与您合作的知识。

3. Share thought leadership content.

与启动博客类似，发布思想领导内容的过程可以帮助您建立权威并吸引新客户。考虑类似的平台Mediumthat already have an audience; publish your most authoritative, data-driven, opinion-based content on there to potentially boost your brand awareness.

您也可以使用诸如HARO与新闻记者和博客作者联系，以寻找专家的报价，轶事和故事的故事。回应查询，以使您的声音成为您的咨询利基市场中的思想领袖。

4. Explore new consulting verticals.

窥视您的竞争分析（如果您运行的话）：您的发现是否产生了竞争对手提供的任何垂直或专业，而您却没有？考虑将新的垂直行业添加到您的服务中，以进一步区分自己并发展业务。

例如，如果您是内容营销顾问，则可以考虑引入电子邮件营销和社交媒体营销的咨询服务。如果您扩展，请确保您拥有相关的经验和专业知识 - 不要为新业务而添加新服务。

5.网络并建立新的连接。

联网in person is pretty straightforward. But networking online ... well, that's a different story. Thankfully, with today's technology, there are countless ways to network and make new connections.

Between social media, dedicated Slack channels, and online masterminds, the only thing standing in your way of making new connections and friends online is你。我最喜欢的网络景点之一是在Twitter上 - 这是与人们互动并开始有趣的对话的最简单平台，这很好地提醒了我可以通过短推文或电子邮件复兴的旧连接。

Test a few platforms and programs and see which one helps you get connected, attract clients, and build a community.

立即开始咨询

咨询可能是一个令人着迷，有利可图的职业，但这也是一种心态。成功的咨询业务始于一群知识渊博的专家团队，他们热衷于帮助他人。

Regardless of how big your firm becomes or how long your client list gets, keep your passion and expertise centered and you’ll always find success — for yourself and your clients.

Top consultants are great at planning, presenting, and marketing their services. Get started with your consulting business plan by downloading our free consulting templates below.

编者注：该帖子最初于2019年12月发表，并已更新以进行全面性。