If you’re like me, you’re not interested in hiring employees, leasing office space, and spending a ton on fancy promotional materials. It’s all about delivering the highest quality services to help clients achieve their goals.
3 Problems I Could Solve With Partners
After many years of going-it-alone consulting, I finally realized I’ve got a problem, three problems actually.
1. I can’t be in two places at once
It never fails. A prospective client calls with a request to lead a meeting or deliver training. It has to be a certain time because the event has already been scheduled. Unfortunately, another client has already booked the slot.
Why can’t it be the day before or after? They are both open. Ugh.
To help the client, I’d like to be able to say, “Thanks so much for asking. Another client has already booked the day. I do have this terrific partner I could work with to plan your event and that person would deliver it onsite.”
Of course that means knowing those people and feeling comfortable that they can meet the client’s needs.
2. I can’t solve every problem for my clients
Over the years, I’ve learned a lot. Once a workshop participant who had seen me deliver at least a half-dozen other topics asked, “Is there any topic you don’t do?”
The answer is obviously, “Yes.”
I’d like my clients to come to me with every problem they think I might be able to solve, and then I can make the decision about who would be best. It might be someone with a specific certification that I don’t have. It could someone with specialized skills or experiences. It could be someone who might be a better style fit for the client than me.
3. Sometimes prospective clients in other states don’t want to pay travel expenses
When prospective clients make a web inquiry they often aren’t located into the Twin Cities, where I live.
For larger projects, they are looking nationwide for just the right person. They expect travel expenses are part of their investment.
But when they are searching for someone to deliver on a small project, and don’t know where I’m located when they write, the travel can be a big deal. Maybe they need someone to facilitate a two hour planning session or deliver a three hour workshop on providing performance feedback.
In those cases, the travel expenses would likely be more than the consulting fees. It would be much better for them to work with someone locally. That’s what I tell them. I would love to be able to refer them to one of my partners.
Let’s Get to Know Each Other
If this is something that interests you, it begins with a relationship. We need to meet each other, find out what we each do, and talk about out expectations for what a successful partnership might look like.
Here’s how to get the ball rolling. Contact me to set up a meeting. I’d also suggest you check out my LinkedIn profile, and send me an invite to connect. LinkedIn has been my go-to hub for staying up to speed with people in my network.