By Dr. Chris Downs

This is the fourth in a series of blogs on reasons why people open consulting practices.

#4 – Consulting Because You are Special or Unique

Do you have a special talent, skill set, or background that sets you apart in your line of work? Do you plan to open a consulting business, or have you already opened one because of your unique qualities?

I’ve known several consultants who launched their practice because they were convinced they had unique skills, experiences, knowledge, or credentials that made them “one of a kind” in their field.

I knew one young man who told me that he was convinced he was as unique as a snowflake, no two of which are ever alike. Poor guy, his consulting practice lasted only as long as his accumulated savings held out after which time he closed his business and worked for a large agency.

If you do, in fact, have unique qualities that make you stand out in your field, by all means make them work for you. Congratulations!!!

Sadly, I’ve also known a couple consultants who struggled after opening practices based on notions that they were special, and their marketplace would naturally gravitate to them because of their specialization. One of them, I’ll call her JoEllen, was one of these consultants.

JoEllen was a rare person. She had relevant life experience in her field, had achieved advanced degrees and had other impressive credentials. She was well-liked by most who met her. Her audience presentation and interpersonal styles were impressive, and she seemed to like the fact that, at age 30, she’d already achieved more than most others in her field.

But after two years she had only a few, low-paying client engagements to show for her efforts. Plus, none of those clients engaged her beyond the first contract.

JoEllen asked me to coach her on how she might improve her consulting outcomes. I went over the standard keys to consulting success, such as timed- and ongoing marketing, an effective social media presence, and attendance at the right national conferences. At first blush, I couldn’t identify anything significant that she seemed to be doing wrong.

I asked JoEllen if she would like me to approach her former clients, even a few of her unsuccessful prospects, on her behalf to solicit feedback about her style, business acumen, and so on. She eagerly agreed.

After talking with three former clients and two prospects, it was obvious to me why JoEllen was struggling. It boiled down to

· She was convinced that she knew every answer, to every problem, for every client.

· The clients and prospects found no way to get her to understand the issues they had from their own points of view instead of her own point of view. One of her former clients said, “I loved working with her until we had any real difference of opinion. When we disagreed, she was unwilling, or perhaps unable, to see problems from my side. It seemed like her ego got in the way. That was a big problem for me as her client.”

· JoEllen hadn’t searched for what she didn’t already know or examine points of view different from her own. For clients, this is rarely tolerable.

I met with JoEllen and shared what I’d learned from the interviews. Some of the feedback was hard for her. She continued to cling to the view that she was correct in what she knew and how she approached clients’ problems. She struggled with the idea that clients might see problems and solutions differently than she did.

I urged her to take a couple weeks and contact every mentor she had, including me, to help her reshape her “sole authority” thinking, embrace a client-centered, collaborative consulting practice, and set up a regular self-evaluation process for herself.

Within 18 months, JoEllen turned things around and was far more successful. She realized that she had to be vigilant so that her own biases didn’t come in and overwhelm her clients’ views or biases. She began to retain clients and got repeat business.

Did you enter consulting because you have unique skills or experiences that set you apart? Have you achieved mastery in your field? How successful has your consulting practice been? Do your uniqueness, credentials, and expertise work in your favor? Might you need to reflect more on others, such as clients’ points of view?

“Solo Consulting: Insider Tips for Success!” offers insights on consultants who set up practices because they believe they are special and unique. You can purchase the book here.

Notice: This blog wholly reflects the views and suggestions of Dr. Chris Downs. Readers’ use of his views or suggestions are wholly the responsibility of the reader as reflected by their actions, reactions thoughts, statements, and behaviors. Dr. Downs accepts no responsibility for readers’ use of his words. Further, this blog contains no intentional or structured therapeutic intent nor is the content designed to harm or improve the psychological state of the reader. Readers are responsible for their own reactions to and/or use of any and all suggestions or advice.