How to Sell Highly Profitable Consulting Services (9 steps)

Know how to sell your consulting services?

If not, it’s time to find out.

Because no matter how amazing your offer is, it won’t be profitable if you don’t know how to sell.

Today, we’ll cover the nine key steps to sell consulting services the right way.

Ready to learn more?

Let’s dive in!

Biggest takeaways:

• Highlight the transformation your clients will experience to sell your consulting services.
• Testimonials build trust and showcase the outcomes you’ve achieved. Use them to close sales faster.
• Lead with value and expand your client base by focusing on one client at a time instead of taking on too much too soon.

How to sell consulting services

So, you’ve started a consulting business and want to learn how to sell your services.

Great!

Knowing how to sell is a HUGE part of running a successful business. (And no, that doesn’t mean becoming salesy or pushy…)

In fact, the process is simpler than you might think. 

Here below, I’ve broken the process down to nine key steps. 

Now, let’s go over them together.

1. Identify your target audience 

Step number one? Defining your target audience. 

That means finding your WHO.

To do this, ask yourself who you specifically want to help.

This is a great start, but it isn’t enough on its own…

That’s because you also need a WHAT. In other words, what are you going to help them with?

Combined, you get: 

Who do you help with (solving) what?

This is your niche. 

For instance, in my case:

• My WHO are busy entrepreneurs
• My WHAT is helping my clients create a thriving freedom business

To figure out your ‘what’, look at your skills.

There are some typical skills any successful consultant needs, such as:

• Problem-solving
• Project management
• Strategic planning

But to set yourself apart, you also need unique skills.

These are the ones you’ve learned from your day job, life experiences, and hobbies.

In other words:

They’re the skills you already have right now.

In fact, this is one of the amazing perks of creating a consulting business.

Depending on your industry, you generally don’t need any specific certifications. Instead, you can get started right away with what you already know.

However, one thing you do need is experience in your niche.

That’s what helps you deliver real results.

Now, before you pick a niche, keep in mind that not all niches are equal…

To make sure yours is profitable, you’ll need to do market research.

Let’s cover that next.

Action steps: 

✅ Identify your WHO by figuring out who you want to help

✅ Identify your WHAT by looking at your current skills

2. Conduct market research

Market research lets you combine your expertise with actual market demand.

That’s how you create a profitable niche.

The good news?

Because you solve someone’s problems directly, consulting is a high-value service. This means there’s demand in many consulting niches.

That said, not every consulting niche brings in lots of money.

I learned this the hard way…

A decade ago, I decided I wanted to quit my corporate job. So, I used what I had learned there to create three different businesses on the side. (Not all at the same time, of course.)

My first side hustle was in Excel consulting.

How did it do?

Well, it never quite took off…

And it wasn’t that there was no demand. Rather, the problem was that I hadn’t done any market research. So, I had no idea:

• Who my target audience was
• How to reach them
• What they wanted

In other words, I didn’t have a clue.

Luckily, I have an engineering background and love to fix things.

I saw my “failure” as a learning opportunity and eventually got into digital advertising consulting.

This time, I did my market research and saw awesome results. The business grew to six figures in just four months and allowed me to quit my 9-5.

Today, I run a thriving eight-figure business where I help busy entrepreneurs do the same thing I did:

Create a freedom business that lets them replace their 9-5 salary.

Why am I sharing this?

Because I know firsthand how important market research is.

With that in mind, what exactly should you include in your market research?

You’ll want to research two main things:

• Your competitors: Who else is doing something similar? What makes your offer better?
• Your audience: What does your target audience want? What problems do they face? How can you help them? And what’s the best way to reach them?

In this video, I dive deeper into how to do market research for your business:

When your market research is ready, it’s time to define what makes your offer unique.

Action steps: 

✅ Check what competitors are offering

✅ Get to know your target audience’s needs, challenges, and whereabouts

3. Find your unique selling proposition

The global consulting market is worth more than one trillion dollars — and it keeps growing every year.

What does this mean for you?

Well, there’s clearly a ton of demand…but also a lot of competition.

So, you’ll need to find a way to stand out.

How?

By figuring out your unique selling proposition (USP).

Your USP is made up of your:

• Personality
• Experiences
• Skills
• Methodology

All four are important, but it’s your methodology that you should highlight.

Your methodology is the blueprint of how you help clients achieve their goals.

Does this blueprint need to be the best in the world?

Not necessarily.

But it does need to be the best for your specific client.

In fact, refining your methodology is key to setting yourself apart.

You see, as a consultant, you use your expertise to figure out the best strategies to help your clients achieve their goals.

That’s what clients pay you for — the results you help them achieve.

Sure, your personality, experiences, and skills draw them in.

But it’s your methodology that has a direct link to their success.

Take my student Mara Freilich from Top Law School Consulting. She’s a former lawyer who runs a thriving law school admissions consulting business.

Her methodology?

She has created a step-by-step roadmap to improve anyone’s law school application. That’s how she gets her clients into their dream universities — even without a perfect GAP.

Of course, you can’t highlight your method until you know what the final results and transformation will be.

In other words: What are you working toward with your client?

That’s what we’ll cover in the next step.

Action steps: 

✅ Figure out your USP

✅ Refine your methodology to help clients get the results they’re after

4. Define your service offering

To define your offer, ask yourself:

What transformation can clients expect from working with you?

Then, you can choose the best model to deliver this result. 

Here are your options:

• One-off services
• Subscriptions
• Project-based
• Done for you
• Done with you

My advice?

Whatever model you pick, always work with packages — not hourly rates.

Here’s why:

People are willing to pay for the TRANSFORMATION you offer. And packages place the focus on exactly that.

Instead of highlighting the time you put in, you focus on the result your clients will achieve.

With this approach, clients see exactly what they get.

Plus, you can charge more too.

So how much should your consulting package cost?

I recommend starting with $1,500 for a three-month package.

This price is:

• High enough to make a good income right away
• Low enough to attract clients while you build your social proof and collect testimonials

I’ll share how to build your social proof in a bit. But for now, a powerful tool you’ll want to use is the “Taster Technique.”

Look: 

I’m all for a good taster.

That’s just what the Taster Technique is about – offering free 15 to 20-minute consulting calls to potential clients. 

Put simply: You give them a “taster” of your offer. 

Why for free? Because showing your value upfront wins trust fast.

It’s how you get clients to say “YES” when you’re just starting out.

Not sure who you can offer your tasters to?

Well, your network is a great starting point. Let’s tackle that next.

Action steps: 

✅ Create your consulting packages

✅ Use the Taster Technique to attract your first clients

5. Reach out to your network

The easiest way to sell consulting services is by tapping into your network.

After all, they already know and trust you.

Take my experience, for example.

At my previous job, I often gave my colleagues free career advice.

So when I created my career coaching business — my second side hustle — I reached out to those same colleagues.

And because they trusted my advice, they were happy to dive deeper into what I could offer them.

You see, without even realizing it, I had already given them several free “tasters.”

Now, why does this ‘tap-into-your-network’ approach work so well?

It’s because you’re focusing on warm leads — people who already have some interest in what you offer.

Put simply: You’re not starting from zero with these potential clients. They know you, and there’s a basic level of trust that cold leads simply don’t have. 

And guess what?

You’d be surprised how many people in your circle are ready to say “yes” to working with you.

But… YOU have to take that first step.

The same is true for building relationships with thought leaders…

Action steps: 

✅ Make a list of people in your network to reach out to

✅ Send them a personalized message saying why you thought of them and how you can help them

6. Build relationships with thought leadership

As the world’s biggest professional networking platform, LinkedIn is a goldmine for consultants.

Why?

Because it’s packed with professionals who might need your expertise.

That said, don’t start spamming strangers with sales pitches.

Just like reaching out to your network, the trick is to focus on offering value before anything else.

So how do you bring value to a platform like LinkedIn?

Here’s what you can do:

• Grow your network: Start with who you know and expand from there. The goal is to make real connections, not just add numbers.
• Share posts: Keep your network in the loop with short updates and valuable posts. This keeps you top-of-mind.
• Create LinkedIn videos: Videos are much more engaging and stand out on people’s feeds.
• Write LinkedIn articles: Long-form posts are great for sharing in-depth knowledge.
• Join groups: Join groups to exchange ideas on niche-specific topics. 

In a sense, you’ll be a LinkedIn content creator.

But instead of your content being your main source of income, you use it to:

• Connect with like-minded others
• Grow your consulting business

How often should you post?

Well, LinkedIn revealed that people who post every week get 5.6 times more followers than those posting monthly.

So, use that as your guideline.

If your goal isn’t to grow a big following, you don’t need to post that often. But you do need to stay on people’s radar.

That’s why I recommend touching base monthly with your connections.

This way, when someone needs a consultant, you’re the first person they think of.

Action steps: 

✅ Share content that’s valuable for others

✅ Check in with your connections monthly — keep it casual, no sales pitches

7. Identify the decision-maker and reach out

With one billion people on LinkedIn, how do you know who to reach out to?

Simple:

Aim for the decision-makers.

Who they are depends on your niche. For example, if you offer HR consulting, people you’ll want to reach out to might be HR or People Ops managers or CPOs.

Here’s a straightforward strategy to connect with the right people on LinkedIn:

• Use advanced search options: LinkedIn lets you filter searches by job title, company size, and more. Use these tools to find the top people, like managers and executives.
• Check for mutual friends: Check if you share any connections. A common contact can help with opening doors.
• Engage before connecting: Don’t ask to connect out of the blue. Engage beforehand by liking and commenting on their posts.
• Send a personal connection request: When you reach out, make your message personal. Mention what you share in common, why you’re interested in them, and how you can be of service. You can use a template, but make sure it’s personalized!

Action steps: 

✅ Create a list of potential decision-makers in your field

✅ Engage and connect using the steps outlined above

8. Create partnerships

Business partnerships can be an effective way to grow your your client base. That’s because you tap into each other’s audiences.

Ultimately, a partnership only makes sense if you share a similar audience.

That said, partnering up with a competitor wouldn’t be good for sales for obvious reasons…

So, how do you create a partnership that grows your consulting business?

Here’s a straightforward plan:

• Pick the right partners: Find someone who targets a similar audience without being your direct competitor. For example, if you offer business consulting services, you could partner with a HR consultant. 
• Plan your collaboration: You could organize webinars, joint social media posts, or even a shared campaign.
• Focus on mutual benefits: A partnership is a two-way street, so find some mutual benefits and present them in a personalized message to your ideal partner.

Partnerships are a great way to expose yourself to new audiences, but referrals can connect you directly.

Let’s explore that next.

Action steps: 

✅ Identify potential partners with similar target audiences and no direct competition

✅ Reach out with a personalized message that highlights the mutual benefits

9. Ask for referrals

Asking for referrals is another way to get clients by tapping into your network

But instead of asking if they want to work with you, you see if they can refer you to anyone else.

A survey found that 84% of people trust recommendations from people they know.

So, while referral marketing might seem simple, it’s also powerful.

Want the best results? Then combine it with the taster technique (see step #4).

Because even though referrals open doors, potential clients still need to experience your value firsthand.

In this guide, I share five templates to ask for referrals from your:

• Current network
• Existing clients
• Followers
• And so on

Action steps: 

✅ Ask for referrals from your network and clients

✅ Offer a “taster” to showcase your value

These were the nine steps to sell your consulting services.

But remember, it’s only a sale if you actually close the deal…

We’ll look at how to do that next.

How to close the sale

Closing a sale is all about building trust and showing value. Let’s explore how you can master this skill.

Get testimonials

Social proof helps you get more clients at higher rates. 

So, your first priority when starting out?

To build your social proof FAST.

I recommend you do that through testimonials.

Testimonials are powerful tools for your business.

They’re proof that you’ve already delivered value to others. And this makes it easier for potential clients to say “yes” to you.

After all, if you’ve helped others, chances are you’ll do the same for them.

The key is to start collecting testimonials ASAP.

And no, you don’t need to wait until you’ve had your first paying client.

That’s because testimonials are all about the value you’ve given others.

So, if you’ve helped someone in any way that’s relevant to your business (regardless of whether you got paid), that counts.

To build your social proof fast, take a look at this video:

Want the biggest impact? Then use your testimonials to highlight the exact results you’ve helped clients achieve.

Focus on results

Many new entrepreneurs make the mistake of focusing on features like:

• Number of calls
• Templates
• Worksheets

But guess what?

Clients are not paying for your tools or time. They’re paying for the results you offer them — the transformation.

Your tools are what help you deliver this.

But they’re not what set you apart.

Instead, put the spotlight on the changes your client will experience – that’s what they’re willing to pay for.

Next up? Putting your systems in place.

Set up a sales system

Knowing how to sell consulting services is one thing.

But for long-lasting success, you also need the right systems.

When you know your numbers and have a system, your business becomes predictable – which helps you plan and scale better.

But which systems should you have in place?

These five systems are key:

• Lead generation system
• Sales mechanism system
• Delivery system
• Money collection system
• Finance tracking system

For a deep dive into setting up these systems for your business, check out this video:

Now, you don’t have to set up all five systems right from the get-go, but you do need a seamless payment system.

After all, you don’t want to be chasing payments each month…

Instead, set up an automated invoice and charge your clients automatically.

The two systems I recommend for this are PayPal and Stripe.

You’ll notice running your business becomes much easier with effective systems.

But of course, a system means nothing without clients…

How do consultants get their first clients?

Landing your first clients may seem intimidating.

So, let’s dive deeper into how exactly you can achieve this.

We’ve already discussed tapping into your network, LinkedIn, and using referrals.

But those aren’t your only options. (They’re super powerful, though! So, don’t skip them.)

Finding clients comes down to knowing:

• Where they are
• How to reach them

This is where your market research from step #2 comes in.

For instance, when I did advertising consulting, my market research showed my target audience was in Facebook groups.

So, I joined them there.

And what did I do?

You can probably already guess:

I didn’t try to sell myself. Instead, I led with value — consistently.

For the next four weeks, I showed up in the group every day and offered free advice.

That’s how I landed my first client.

Now, a common pitfall is wanting to take on too many clients too soon.

But that only leads to burnout.

Instead, focus on one client at a time, and follow these steps:

1. Deliver an amazing service
2. Use their feedback to improve your offer
3. Use their testimonial to attract your next client
4. Repeat until you’ve had your first few clients

This approach is much more manageable. Plus, it helps you improve your consulting services early on.

That’s how you can eventually charge the kind of rates that let you leave your 9-5 for good.

How do I know this is possible?

Because I did it myself. And so have thousands of my students.

You see, running a thriving business isn’t just for the lucky few.

It all comes down to the right strategy — that’s your real blueprint to long-lasting success.

What’s next?

And that’s how you sell consulting services!

Selling your services is super important, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle.

Want to know what else goes into running a successful business?

Then grab my free guide on creating a six-figure online business.

It shows you the exact steps to grow your business from the ground up.

Read more:

How to Finally Go from Employee to Entrepreneur

How to Build an Evergreen Sales Funnel

How to Market Your Business Without Ads