In both life and business, mistakes are sadly inevitable. Whether you’re a new consultant looking for advice or an experienced one looking for a laugh, here are five of the most common mistakes that consultants make.
Taking things personally
Your job as a consultant should be to help the client do what’s best for them. Sometimes though, what you think is best for them and what they think is best for them are two different things. If a client doesn’t take your recommendations, don’t take it personally. Just do your best to make their choices work for them. After all, the customer is always right.
Stop networking
You got a contract. Great! Now you can stop all that schmoozing and boozing you did to get the contract. If that’s what you think, you’re thinking about it all wrong. Just because you got a contract doesn’t mean it’s time to stop growing your business. Continue to network and get more clients even as you are working with one.
Categorizing clients
Clients should be helped on a case-by-case basis, not by what “category” they fit into. Avoid coming up with “programs” to assign to clients. Take the time to figure out what they need individually and how you can help them get what they need. “One-size-fits-all” should only be used for clothing, not people.
Only having one income stream
This goes back to the second mistake, but only having one client at a time may seem like it’s you taking the time to focus on them, but you’re just reducing your income. While the reverse of taking on too many clients can be true, it’s essential to have multiple sources of income in case one of them decides they don’t need a consultant anymore and drops you.
Not learning to learn
You should constantly be improving yourself, not just in your personal life but in your professional life as well. Mastering one thing is not the sign of a master; it’s mastering many things. So take the time to keep up with the latest technologies and ways of doing things. Doing anything else ensures that you fall behind in life.