The APEX of a consulting career is when your clients see you as a trusted advisor! Are you there?
We live in an exciting time of technical innovation, but there is a wide gap between high-quality technology consultants and those who hold the title but do not provide the best solutions to their clients. Companies need trusted sources for those technical individuals, so they typically pick a brand company such as #Pariveda, #Credera, #Allata or #Headstorm to fill the need. These types of companies have enough critical mass and experience in various marketplaces and have developed executive trust. Let’s explore the gig economy.
What if you are an independent consultant? How do you become a trusted advisor?
How do you become a trusted advisor?
The first thing you have to get through is the jungle of tech speak and complicated jargon. People will trust you because you think straight and talk straight. You buyer will realize you can be the trusted advisor and not work for the “brand” company. If you can bring quality talent to a company because of your relationships, they will trust you. More and more “gig economy” participants are become independent consultants.
Try these 5 things:
*Develop relationships with other independent consultants and software providers. Pick leaders.
*Ensure those relationships are across a wide range of non-competing solutions. They cannot compete.
*Engage those people in your regular “ConnectPoint” process in the market. You have to stay engaged even when you are busy.
*Establish trust in your network first before talking to your clients. You must pay it forward to your network in order to establish trust.
*Never ever suggest someone or something that you are not sure about. You can’t let them fail. Look them in the eye and know that you can trust them to deliver.
Developing a trusted network
We operate in an increasingly networked economy. You can deliver the same type of value as a branded company through the relationships developed and maintained. There is a premium value on developing a trusted network and deploying those resources to your customers without having to directly employ those resources.
Remember, your customer trusts you. Don’t ever take that for granted. If you make a recommendation or bring an independent consultant on board, the client trusts that you will make sure the project succeeds.
Go get ‘um!