What do you do when you’re new to consulting and nobody seems to want what you’re selling yet?
Here are two ideas to consider:
1. Make sure demand exists already for the category of thing you sell in the market you sell it to
There’s no point in trying to sell ice to a penguin.
If nobody wants it, check to make sure demand for that thing already exists in the market you’re trying to sell it to.
Do some research.
Ideally, you want see your ideal clients buying similar things from other people. It means there’s a market.
Or, you’ll overhear people’s pains and problems either directly or via online communities where they hang out.
If you can’t point to existing demand in the market, there might not be enough of it.
Validate it with research if you can, then move to the next point.
2. Give away as much value as you can for free
One of the best ways to gain interest in your consulting services—especially in the beginning—is to give away as much as you can for free.
Since you’re in the business of selling your expertise, it makes sense you’ll be finding ways to share it free in various formats to give people immense value up front.
Whether you do daily writing, email newsletters, videos, webinars, or social media posts, your goal is simply to be useful and over-deliver on the free stuff.
Once people are hanging around your ecosystem and getting an abundance of value for free, it will be a lot easier to sell something.
If you can get both of these right, you’ll be in a good place to sell whatever you want.
If you aren’t there yet, these ideas are what I’d start first.