Full Transcript for 283. Why Your Consulting Pipeline Problem Isn’t a Consistency Problem

high schooler before he graduates. 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:48.080 It goes by so quickly. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:50.639 But I'm also really happy to be back into the routine. 00:02:50.719 --> 00:03:07.919 So I don't know about you, but I think this is the perfect time to be starting to think about and get really serious about solving these business challenges that you've been having so that they aren't persisting, so that you're not in a position where you feel like, oh, this is not, this is really dicey. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:19.919 I don't want to have to go to back to corporate, but I might need to because I can't figure out how to sustain client over client over client when you're when you're landing them, how to land each one of those clients, right? 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:23.039 That it feels really hard to sustain landing clients. 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:28.400 It it feels hard to juggle running the business and working in the business, all of these things. 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:34.319 But it doesn't have to be so challenging as what we've made it, what most of us have made it. 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:37.360 And it doesn't relate to consistency or discipline. 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:39.199 And that's what we're gonna talk about here today. 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:44.560 So I've got some good news for you, and I've also got some call outs for you. 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:45.840 So get ready. 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:46.800 All right. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:50.080 Let's talk about the agenda and then we'll dive right in. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.280 So, first I'll share with you the companion resource. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:57.360 I can't wait to tell you about that, and then that goes along with today's episode. 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:01.120 Then we'll talk about why this problem seems obvious, right? 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:24.399 Like, why does it seem that the reason why you have a pipeline problem is because of consistency and the actual problem that's preventing a healthy pipeline for you, if it's not consistency, and then the solution that you can put in place to drive that healthy pipeline, and then ultimately recapping this episode so that you could put it into action. 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:28.800 Okay, let's talk about the companion resource. 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:36.240 The companion resource for today's episode is the consultant's lead gen sprint. 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:37.199 It is back. 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:39.439 I'm so excited to report to you. 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:41.839 The lead gen sprint is back. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.639 It's starting up for the fall. 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:46.399 We start in September. 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:56.399 However, I want to highly encourage you to go to consultantsprint.com and sign up for the lead gen sprint now. 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:02.160 Don't wait like many, many, many of the students do to the last day. 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:07.600 Go sign up now so that you can get access to the

lead gen sprint method. 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:11.360 You can start putting the foundational pieces in place. 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:17.360 You give yourself a lot of runway to do that, and you can hit the ground running when we start on September 22nd. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:27.279 So go to consultantsprint.com, the word consultantsprint.com, and you'll find all of the details there and you can enroll. 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:29.600 Would love to have you in the sprints. 00:05:29.839 --> 00:05:40.240 And then also if you're listening to this in the future and it's past September 22nd, go to that page anyway and join the wait list, or it may be even open again when you're listening. 00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:41.839 So go check that out. 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:50.879 This will be an incredible complement to what we're talking about here today and help you to implement and execute what we're talking about today. 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:52.240 So go check that out. 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:53.279 All right, my friend. 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:55.920 Let's now talk about why this problem seems obvious. 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:59.279 And the problem is having an unhealthy pipeline, right? 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:07.920 A problem, a pipeline where you don't have enough leads in there, a pipeline where you get leads, but they don't go anywhere. 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:13.839 They ghost you or they turn into the friend zone, or you're constantly following up and nothing happens. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:19.839 Ultimately, when you don't have a pipeline that supports your revenue goals, you've got a problem. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:21.680 And that's what we're talking about here. 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:24.240 And the problem might seem obvious to you. 00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:26.480 The problem, the source of the problem, right? 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:29.439 The root cause of the problem might seem really obvious. 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:32.240 I hear it all time and time and time again. 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:34.720 And I've said it myself as well. 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.720 My pipeline would be healthier if I were just more consistent. 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:48.639 If I could just balance working on my business with working in my business, with client delivery, with lead generation, I would have a healthier pipeline. 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:51.199 I hear that over and over again. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:07:08.160 Consultants think the solution to their pipeline health is more outreach, more events, more speaking, more follow-up, more networking, more visibility, doing it every day, do, or maybe every week, or at least once a month. 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:12.000 Like we think these things are the key to our success. 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:18.079 And we get so frustrated with ourselves when we neglect our pipeline because we're busy. 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.439 We neglect our pipeline because we're not quite sure what we're doing. 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:27.519 We neglect our pipeline because, quite frankly, it's not really the thing that we love doing, right? 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:33.439 And we think that the solution is to be more disciplined, to be more consistent. 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:45.279 And today I want to tell you that that is not the reason why your pipeline, lack of consistency or lack of discipline is not the reason why your pipeline is unhealthy. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:54.720 And therefore, if you're trying to fix this situation of consistency and becoming more consistent, you're not fixing the right problem for yourself. 00:07:54.879 --> 00:08:06.000 So it's going to feel like you're just scrambling up a mountain of like, you know, of scrambly rock instead of like up an official trail, cultivated trail. 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:10.879 So the question then becomes like when we say to ourselves, well, I need to be more consistent. 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:16.079 If I were just more consistent, if I could just do these things, I would have a healthy pipeline. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.920 I want to ask you, what are you trying to be consistent at? 00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:22.480 What are you trying to be consistent at? 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:28.879 When you say to yourself, I need to be more consistent, for most consultants I talk to, they don't actually know the answer to that question. 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:30.160 It's kind of a stump. 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:32.320 Like, oh, wait a minute. 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:34.080 Well, I think I need to be doing these things. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:35.919 I think I need to be posting on LinkedIn. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:37.600 I think I need to be networking. 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:39.679 I think I need to be attending events. 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.559 Maybe I should join an industry association. 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:44.399 Maybe I should do some speaking. 00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:47.600 Maybe I should do some web, like all of these things, right? 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:52.480 We don't even have a plan of what does it mean to be consistent. 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:57.919 Most of the time, we don't have a really clear plan about what that goal line even is. 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:03.840 But if we were to boil it really down to the point of what are we trying to do? 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:12.320 At the end of the day, what I see consultants doing over and over again is that really what they're saying is they want to find their next project. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:20.159 They want to do the activities, they want to be consistent at doing some activities that they believe will lead to the next project. 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:23.840 And you might be thinking about that it that way also. 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:34.240 I want to do enough activities, the right kind of activities, the consistent activities so I can land my next project, so I can be fully utilized. 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:36.320 That's the problem. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:38.159 That's the problem.

00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:43.519 You're trying to be consistent at finding your next project. 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:49.440 And if your job is finding your next project, of course you're going to put it off. 00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:54.159 Because you're going to deprioritize it naturally when you have plenty of work. 00:09:54.399 --> 00:10:08.320 If your goal is to find the next engagement and you have an engagement right now, then even though you tell yourself logically, I know that can end early, I know that I should, it takes longer than I think to land a client. 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:10.879 At the end of the day, we deprioritize work. 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:16.240 When we think the job we have in business development is to land the next project. 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:22.639 You deprioritize it when you think you don't need another client yet, or the timing doesn't seem right. 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:27.279 Or client delivery feels more urgent, which it does, right? 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:29.919 Or your pipeline just seems good enough. 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:32.159 This is not a discipline problem. 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:33.440 I'll say it again. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:40.159 You're putting it off because you've given yourself the job, some form of the job of I need to land my next project. 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:44.080 I need to land my next client, I need to land my next engagement. 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:49.679 When we give ourselves that job, of course it's going to be something that you put off. 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:51.759 And of course that's a problem, right? 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:53.679 You know what happens from this. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:11:04.159 The engagement ends, a proposal falls through, a client ends early, a client delays the start, the work doesn't materialize when you expect it to. 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:08.960 And finally, you know, and suddenly that finding of the next project becomes urgent. 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:12.000 And that's the point at which you start then engaging, right? 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:24.159 Working on your pipeline, doing business development, then you land the work eventually and you stop the business development because of the reasons we just talked about until you need the work, and then that cycle starts over again. 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:29.279 You've heard me talk about it on this podcast before, about the cycle of reactivity. 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:37.759 And then you regret this and you give yourself a hard time, you criticize yourself and you say to yourself, I just need to be more consistent. 00:11:37.919 --> 00:11:45.679 I need to start earlier, I need to be more consistent, do a little bit each day, do a little bit each week so that I don't get myself into this problem again. 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:49.360 But consistency doesn't fix the underlying problem. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:52.799 And I've said to you already, but I want to dive into it more. 00:11:53.039 --> 00:12:01.679 The underlying problem is that you gave yourself the job of finding your next engagement, finding your next client. 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:08.159 You've equated business development to finding the next engagement. 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:12.480 And that will always take the back burner until it's urgent, right? 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:16.799 And it should if you if you think about it that way. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:28.080 Because when you don't urgently need work and your job is to find the next, and you think your job is to find the next engagement, of course you're going to defer to other things. 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:29.919 That makes sense. 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:34.080 The problem is you gave yourself the wrong job. 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:36.399 So let's talk about what that means. 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:44.080 The wrong job is that you are thinking you need to land that next job. 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:48.480 And you ask yourself, how do I make myself do more business development? 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:50.960 Like that's the question we ask ourselves. 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:53.679 How do I make myself do bit more business development? 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:55.279 How do I be more consistent? 00:12:55.440 --> 00:13:00.159 Those are the types of questions I hear over and over again from independent consultants. 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:05.759 But the job that you want to give yourself is not to land the next project. 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:08.320 It's actually to create demand. 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:10.720 It's for you to be known. 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:15.840 It's for you to be known for what you do as an independent consultant. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:24.320 It's for you to stand out as someone who has expertise in your area, in your domain, in your industry. 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:29.039 And the job you want to be giving yourself is to create demand around that. 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:30.240 How do you stay? 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:38.399 The question is not how do I make myself more do more business development more of the time or more frequently or more consistently. 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:44.159 The question is instead related to the job of creating demand for yourself. 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:45.759 How do I stay known? 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:47.200 How do I stay relevant? 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:51.279 How do I stay connected to the people and the market that I serve? 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:55.360 That's something you do whether you need a project today or not. 00:13:55.600 --> 00:14:15.679 When you give yourself a different job, it unlocks your ability to think about this in a different way and therefore to approach it in a different way versus trying to shove a round peg in the square hole, thinking, I've got to get this business development done, I've got to get this finding my next project done. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:24.320 And you just keep deferring it and keep having that self-criticism of yourself for not being more disciplined,

not being more consistent. 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:27.919 So let's talk a little bit more about what this looks like. 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:38.960 Because it's so con like when I say this to you, that your job is to create demand, not to find your next project, it might feel a little bit elusive. 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:44.639 And you might say, listen, I understand, like my job is to build a reputation around what I do. 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:48.639 My job is to uh uncover opportunities with ideal clients. 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:50.960 My job is, this is a relationship business. 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:52.799 My job is to build relationships. 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:54.879 These things all create demand, right? 00:14:55.120 --> 00:15:00.159 But at the end of the day, Melissa, but Melissa, one of my favorite segments of the podcast, right? 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:02.799 But Melissa, there's not enough time in the week. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:04.799 Doesn't matter what you call this. 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:10.720 The reason why I am having a problem with my pipeline is because I don't have enough time. 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:16.879 Whether you call it finding the next job or you find call it creating demand, I don't have enough time. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:22.080 But what I want to say to you is you do have enough time to create demand. 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:25.360 You might not have enough time to find the next project. 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:27.200 That's intensive, right? 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:29.919 It's almost like looking for a new job. 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:32.799 That can be a full-time job looking for a new job. 00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:33.919 You know that. 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:36.320 You've done it before. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:46.720 You know also what it's like if this has probably happened to you, where someone, where an organization approaches you and says, Listen, we you're doing such a great work over here. 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:49.440 We would love for you to come work over here with us instead. 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:50.799 They're poaching you, right? 00:15:50.960 --> 00:16:07.120 It's the same kind of concept here, where instead of you giving yourself the job of finding your next client, you're giving your job of creating your reputation, creating the relationships that fuel this repute, this relationship-based business. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:10.879 And it doesn't have to take up a lot of your time. 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:12.559 That's what I want to say to you. 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:17.039 When you think I just don't have enough hours in the day, I'm gonna push back on you. 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:20.080 First of all, you have a business, you have to find the time. 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:26.240 And if you're signing clients that are taking up 40, 50, 60 hours of your time, you've got a big problem. 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:31.120 You've got a business model problem that you've created for yourself and you need to fix that. 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:34.399 But you have an hour or two in the week. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:36.720 You have an hour or two in the week. 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:46.240 It doesn't mean that you creating this demand does not mean that you're spending hours upon hours upon hours to land your next project. 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:55.440 What it means is that you're spending that time building your reputation and the projects come from that, building the relationships and the projects come from that. 00:16:55.679 --> 00:17:08.799 But when you're not desperate for driving a certain timeline, because you've been doing this as part of your job function, you don't get yourself into that pinch that's so common for consultants to get themselves into. 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:17.920 So let me give you a tangible example of what this looks like when you are fitting it into your week, even on the busiest of weeks. 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:24.000 I'll give it busiest of weeks, busiest of months, busiest of quarters, busiest of seasons. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:26.319 I'll give you this example of Richard. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:28.720 He's fully utilized. 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:32.480 He never thinks about I need to go land my next client. 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:36.960 He thinks about and operates from I need to, I'm creating demand. 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:38.319 I'm creating demand. 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:39.680 Not even I need to. 00:17:39.759 --> 00:17:42.559 It is just part of how he operates. 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:43.920 I create demand. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:47.119 Just like for you, I go on client calls, right? 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:48.319 That's how you operate. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:50.400 You don't skip a client call. 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:52.960 I create demand, Richard. 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:57.920 So, Richard, what he does to create the demand, super simple. 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:04.319 Two to three strategic conferences a year, three to five speaking engagements a year. 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:14.559 And these aren't big stages, these are low regional conferences, local conferences, local meetings, workshops, like different very simple. 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:15.680 Some are online. 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:18.960 This isn't a huge heavy lift. 00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:22.559 But you're, you know, it's like anything for for all of us. 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:25.039 When we have it booked on our calendar, we do it. 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:32.160 So he goes about putting these pillars into his calendar and keeps those on a rolling basis. 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:40.000 And then he simply stays connected to his network with a handful of emails and zooms a month and sends a monthly newsletter. 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:40.720 That's it. 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:42.960 It's so simple. 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:45.200 It's so simple. 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:52.640 But we make it so complicated because we say to ourselves, I need to be consistent, and we build out this

huge plan. 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:58.240 If we even have a plan, sometimes, like I said earlier, maybe we just say to ourselves, I need to be consistent. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:01.920 We don't even know what that is, what kind of consistency we're talking about. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:07.200 Or we build something so involved that it's no, there's no way we would ever do it. 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:15.680 And even if we had the time to do it, we have that blocker of I don't actually, I'm gonna, I should be doing this, but I don't actually need a project right now. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:19.599 Richard is not trying to quote unquote stay consistent. 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:32.480 He's given him each of those activities a job for himself for that they need to accomplish the speaking, the going to events, the association, the maintaining of relationships. 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:42.720 The jobs are build relationships, stay top of mind, strengthen relationships, generate inbound opportunities, uncover opportunities, maintain demand. 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:43.680 That's it. 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:51.039 Consistency is a byproduct of having a reason to do the work beyond I need another client, right? 00:19:51.279 --> 00:20:01.680 He does these things because they're a natural way of operating, not because he's telling himself I have to be consistent in order to generate a pipeline. 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:04.480 And now let's have another butt Melissa. 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:09.599 I don't know if I've ever had two butt Melissa's in one episode, maybe, but it's pretty rare. 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:12.319 But Melissa, I'm not there yet. 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:21.200 I'm brand new at this, or I'm not, you know, I'm just getting to the place where I'm starting to figure out how to generate my own business. 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:24.799 I've been relying on my warm, you know, warm network. 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:26.960 I've been relying on word of mouth. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:31.920 I'm not where you are talking about right now of quote unquote creating demand. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:36.720 I need to land the first client, the next client first, and then I'll deal with this. 00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:40.000 Or I need to figure out X, Y, or Z, and then I'll figure this out. 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.279 Or I'll worry about creating demand when I'm more established. 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:44.400 I need clients now. 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:46.400 This is something I'll build later. 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:51.519 What I want to say to you is creating demand is not an advanced stage business problem. 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:52.960 It's foundational. 00:20:53.599 --> 00:21:02.400 And it starts with changing about changing exactly how you're thinking about the job of business development and your role in that. 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:04.400 Think about it for yourself. 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:05.759 Pause this episode. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:18.000 What would shift for you if you started thinking about, let's say you're brand new, you don't even have an engagement right now, or maybe you're partially utilized and you need another engagement and you need it quickly. 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:22.720 Or maybe you're fully utilized and you don't want to get back into feast or famine. 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:25.920 Pause this and this episode and answer for yourself. 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:36.480 What would change about the way you're thinking about your business development, the way you're prioritizing it, the way you're executing it, what your strategy is, what your targets are? 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:55.119 What would change about all of that if you thought about this as my job is to create demand and trust that demand turns into engagements, fulfilling engagements, high quality engagements versus I need to go land my next project, very transactional. 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:59.759 What would change if you approached it in the creating demand? 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:00.880 Way. 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:03.359 Answer that question for yourself. 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:04.880 This is foundational. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:08.799 And I will tell you, you can tell, you can say to me, like, oh, I'm brand new at this. 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:10.400 I don't need to worry about this yet. 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:14.240 But what I will say back to you is you're just kicking the can down the road. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:18.799 You're actually making your problem bigger and bigger every time you ignore this. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:35.039 Because you're going to get pretty good at acquiring projects at some point, but then you're going to be really frustrated that they're underpaying or that they treat you more like an extra pair of hands than as a trusted advisor, or that you don't have control over your schedule. 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:39.359 They tell you when and where to be and when to be on Teams, all of that. 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:41.680 You don't have to settle for any of that. 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:51.680 But it starts with thinking about this differently and not thinking that the goal of creating or the key to creating a pipeline is consistency. 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:52.640 It's just not. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:23:02.240 The key to creating a pipeline, a healthy pipeline, is knowing exactly what your targets are and how to create demand toward them. 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:05.759 Stop solving the wrong problem. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:11.440 Instead of asking, how can I make myself more consistent in my business development? 00:23:11.599 --> 00:23:25.839 You want to start asking yourself, how do I take ongoing responsibility for creating demand for my business and knowing that that demand turns into engagements, high-quality engagements, that's a much bigger question. 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:28.880 That's a much more valuable question to be asking yourself. 00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:32.480 And it leads to a very different type of

consulting business. 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:50.480 I want to encourage you as you think about your own business and the types of clients you've been landing, the gaps in revenue you've been having, the challenge that it feels like to sustain acquiring clients and continuing cash flow. 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:53.039 There's a better way to do this. 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:55.279 There's a better way to do this. 00:23:55.440 --> 00:24:00.160 Your job is not to go land a string of engagements that add up to your revenue goal. 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:13.440 Your job is to create demand for yourself so you can pick and choose ultimately what clients you take on and what you charge them and how you work and how you engage and what the scope is. 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:14.720 You decide. 00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:28.000 And you get to whether this is something you need immediately, a new client, or something you need to address in and have a new client in six months or 12 months because right now you're fully utilized. 00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:32.480 This is an emergency because this is what fuels your business. 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:38.880 You want to stop treating business development as something you turn on when you need a client. 00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:45.039 Instead, you want to build the capacity to create demand intentionally. 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:49.519 That's what the Lead Gen Sprint is designed to help you do. 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:55.680 And I would love to have you join this fall cohort so you can look at business development differently. 00:24:55.839 --> 00:24:58.880 So you can approach business development differently. 00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:07.359 And so ultimately you're setting yourself up to create demand instead of just to find that next project and keep yourself utilized. 00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:14.400 Go to consultantsprint.com as your next step to put this episode into action. 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:21.279 Uh, you'll see all the details there about what the sprint includes and entails and results in. 00:25:21.519 --> 00:25:23.359 And I would love to have you join us. 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:32.000 And again, I encourage you to enroll early so you can get access to this lead gen sprint method and get yourself started right away. 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:38.480 There's absolutely no reason for you to have to keep waiting and enduring this problem. 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:42.559 There's a solution to it, and I would love to help you put it in place. 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:43.920 I'll see you there. 00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:46.319 Thanks for tuning in, and I'll see you next week. 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:47.200 Bye bye. 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:52.880 Thanks for joining me this week on the Grow Your Independent Consulting Business Podcast. 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:57.119 If you like today's episode, I have three quick next steps for you. 00:25:57.359 --> 00:26:04.160 First, click subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to make sure you don't miss future episodes. 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:10.880 Next, leave me a review in your podcast app so other independent consultants can find and benefit too. 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:26.480 And finally, to put the ideas from today's episode into action, head over to Melissa Lieberman.com for the show notes and more resources to help you grow your consulting practice from your first few projects into a full fledged business. 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:28.240 See you next week.