How to Sell Yourself and Find Business as an Independent Procurement Consultant
Whilst this comes naturally to some people, it doesn’t to all. One of the biggest fears of anyone going independent, or anyone already independent but has found their pipeline of opportunities drying up, is how to find new clients.
So, you need to sell yourself and your services as a consultant, which involves a shift to marketing yourself and promoting your profile in a manner that you may not be used to. To add to the issue, the capital cost to you can be huge, as it means you’re not working or focusing on project work. Business development can be a minefield and to do this effectively, you have to learn to sell – it’s all well and good having a website or LinkedIn profile but if you aren’t actively promoting this in front of your target network, it simply won’t be enough.
At Choix we help you do this – we enable our clients to find you quickly, so it is much easier to choose the business and type of project you want and need, that fits around how you operate. We will give you the access to opportunities but you still need to position yourself well to land the role and stand out from the crowd.
It isn’t about pushing yourself on people – but instead increasing your visibility and trust amongst businesses and peers.
Share your Expertise
As an independent procurement consultant, you have a certain niche of expertise already; so share that. Whether it be with businesses, your peers or on platforms such as LinkedIn. Sharing your expertise will help you appear a trusted authority figure and a go-to source of knowledge. Not only does this build authority but it shows that you are not afraid to reveal what you know to help others.
Being open and sharing your knowledge shows confidence and that you have more to offer. At Choix however, we want to help you with this. If you have something to say or want to share your thoughts, let us know and we’ll promote you directly to our clients and our wider followers through our own social media channels. We want you to succeed and any way in which we can promote you can only be a good thing for everyone.
Procurement clients want delivery, period. It is vital you demonstrate straight away that you are a ‘doer’ and have personally delivered results, run projects or led the team.
Be Consistent
The key thing to attracting businesses and finding work as an independent consultant is to be consistent. This goes for any freelancer across industries.
Your potential clients and businesses need to see you consistently – whether this means being active on LinkedIn or indeed Choix, sharing blog posts, or general expertise to your peers. Being consistent builds trust. It shows you are not only knowledgeable but also reliable.
Use your Portfolio
It is always better to show rather than tell to grow your value within your work niche.
- Collect case studies or testimonials from past roles that you can share with potential clients.
- Display these on your LinkedIn or Choix profile, so your recommendations are visible to your network.
- Reach out for testimonials from previous clients which will help to enhance your trust and authority.
Make sure you have permission to use any case studies and testimonials before you share them!
Engage with Your Peers
Engaging with your peers not only shows authority amongst your community but also shows you are a team player and willing to engage with and learn from others. You never know who they know or what they know.
Word of mouth marketing is still one of the best drivers of new opportunities so consistently engaging with others in your field of expertise also helps to make referrals and build your connections in the industry.
How Choix Can Help
By signing up to Choix you are already one step ahead, as we can help you do all the above. We have built our platform with you in mind – so you can be a part of a community, share your expertise, learn new skills and gain access to a range of potential clients.