This week’s Help This Hound question is from Bonnie Boots of Tampa Bay, Fla.:
“I’m working with a client who offers training for business consultants through a membership site, Consultants Gold.
“The faculty is made up of top-shelf experts who’ve successfully transitioned from business executive to independent business consultant. The ideal member for Consultants Gold is a business executive close to retirement age who wants to transition to a second career as a self-employed consultant.
“I’m finding it a real challenge to locate this target market. Extensive keyword research has turned up very little. Can your readers suggest some ways we can connect with age 50+ executives?”
Bonnie,
I would try LinkedIn groups. They offer groups geared towards consultants, some have over 23,,000 members, executive and people who are looking to start their own business groups, that you can join. Then try promoting your services to the members of the groups.
Good luck,
Jenn
Try searching on job titles and invidual ages, like Corporate Vice President 53 or Chief Information Officer 51. Avoid acronyms. Add in Company or Corporate or Enterprise if the title is also a political one, like President.
Also, you might present at Institute of Management Consultants and American Society for Training and Development chapter meetings, because people checking out the management consulting world attend as non-members before they take the leap.
Good luck!
Patty Newbold
Management consultant since 1974
Marriage educator since 2006
Bonnie,
You can use the discussion feature in LinkedIn groups to start a dialogue with members of the group first, rather than going for a hard sell to the group as a whole. I have “met” people who I now do business with through discussions.