How to Start a Consulting Business: Get Ready to Launch

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Every day when I walk to my office in Brooklyn, the majority of people are walking in the other direction towards the subway. I assume many of them are heading to their jobs in Manhattan, and by the looks on their faces, that a good number of them are completely miserable. Mind you, it’s 8 am and they’re about to get on a crowded subway train, but I’m sure it runs deeper than that for some people.

It is my assumption and my experience that they’re marching towards a job that doesn’t inspire them or doesn’t pay them enough or doesn’t express who they are beyond what they do. This is one reason why we’re seeing so many professionals consider starting a consulting business. They want to operate in their zone of genius and do so on their own terms. 

I daydream about standing near the subway entrance yelling, “Turn around, come to my office, let me help you!” However, ignoring all the insane things you encounter on a daily basis is a base level coping mechanism for most people who live in NYC, so I don’t think that would work too well. This series of articles will have to do the trick. 

I help consultants monetize their knowledge so they can grow their business without sacrificing their health, family or personal interests. But it all starts with them knowing what they want to do. I know there are all sorts of tests you can take to find your true calling, but I’ll assume you already have an idea of the services you can offer based on your previous experiences. Besides, I took one of those “ideal career” tests in junior high and it said I should be a forest ranger. Ever since then, I’ve somewhat lost faith in a standardized test being able to determine your career. 

Assuming you have a general idea of what you’d like to do or are already offering consulting services, I’m going to detail how you can start or scale your business over a series of articles. Here are the first two steps. 

Do deep research on your target audience

I’m sure you have a target audience in mind, but you’ll need to perform extensive research to make sure you fully understand who they are and how you can help them. This goes beyond a user persona — you’ll need to develop a deep understanding of their psychographics as well.  I strongly suggest creating an Empathy Map. As per HubSpot, “Empathy maps visualize customer needs, condense customer data into a brief chat, and help you consider what customers want — not what you think they want.” You can view an example and a complete guide on how to build one on their website. If this sounds hard, that’s a good thing. Most people will skip this step so it provides you with an opportunity to separate yourself from the pack. 

As the name suggests, an empathy map will help you better connect with your audience. For example, let’s say you’re a sleep consultant. Sure, you know your target audience includes people who have trouble sleeping. You may even have some other basic demographics. Creating an empathy map will allow you to uncover how their lack of sleep impacts their life, how they’ve already tried to solve the problem, where they get information and other nuggets of valuable information. You can then say “I understand what it’s like when people think you’re moody or withdrawn, but the truth is, you’re just under-recovered. I’ll assess your sleep challenges and design a custom plan to help you get a sufficient night’s rest, so you can be the best version of yourself the next day.” That sounds a heck of a lot better than “I’ll help you get more sleep.”

When you do this research, it’s beneficial to focus on people who have already paid money to address the challenges or aspirations you help with. You want to take your cues from people who see the value in the services you offer. This is your audience, not just people who have a need for what you provide. 

If at all possible, you’ll want to get this information directly from these individuals through surveys and individuals. I understand this may not be an option for everyone, so I suggest performing social listening as well. As per Sprout Social: “Social listening refers to analyzing the conversations and trends happening not just around your brand, but around your industry as a whole, and using those insights to make better marketing decisions.” Let’s go back to the sleep consultant. She could follow #insomnia on Twitter and Instagram to research her target audience. For you, it might be #newparent or #relocating. Just find the hashtags that make sense for your audience. Seekmetrics.com is a free tool that will help you discover popular hashtags based on the keywords you enter.  

Define their problems and develop a solution

Now that you have a better understanding of your audience, you can craft a solution that addresses their specific challenges or aspirations. This is where being an expert can actually hinder you. It’s vitally important to craft this solution from your audience’s perspective. Minor details that seem obvious to you may be a critical step on their journey. If you fail to mention it, they may not think you understand them or are capable of helping them. 

Since I’m not a sleep consultant, I’ll talk about the clients that I do help: other consultants. 

Although every situation is unique, there are general themes I hear in regard to their challenges.

  • How much should I charge?
  • How do I get more clients?
  • How do I present myself?
  • How do I create proposals and contracts?
 

The questions you hear will inform the solution you create. When creating this solution it’s extremely beneficial to map things out in a way that is easy for your audience to understand, while also deploying empathy. This is the solution I offer clients in my consultant training program. 

Clarity: We’ll nail down the services you offer, how much to charge, who you offer them to, and why you’re their obvious choice

Process: Focus on doing what you love by implementing routines, apps and services to streamline your business process

Branding and marketing: You’ll learn how to position yourself, provide value to your audience and perform “passive prospecting” through in-person events, media mentions and podcasts

Pitching and proposals: I’ll supply you with training and templates to make this part simple, pain-free and predictable

Fulfillment: From onboarding to relationship management, I’ll teach you how to deliver on the promises you’ve made with a systematic approach

My goal is to demonstrate an understanding of their challenges, and a defined path towards resolution. Often, a prospect will say “I don’t need help with that, but I really need help with this part you mentioned.” That’s totally fine, my goal is to reflect the journey then refine it based on their needs. 

Back to you. What journey will you take your clients on? Developing this narrative is extremely important. Unfortunately, I see many consultants exhaust themselves trying to develop and reinforce a unique differentiator. Your audience doesn’t want unique, they want to be understood. Once you prove you understand their challenges, they’ll want to hear about your plan to solve them. That’s it.

Packaging your solution in a concise and understandable way also makes it much easier to navigate sales or prospecting calls. You won’t say, “Um well, it kinda depends on, let’s see here…” You’ll simply say, “I have a process to address your situation. Now, I know every situation is unique, but this process is aligned with the outcomes you’re seeking. So long as we follow the process, we can be as creative as we’d like while still reaching the goals we’ve established.” From there, you can walk through your process and address their unique situation as you go along. 

 

Next Steps:

Perform audience research. If possible, connect with people who have paid for the service you offer, or something similar in the past. As a bonus, this will also help you determine pricing, which we’ll address in the next article.

Develop your solution. Based on your research, and your area of expertise, determine how you can help. It’s perfectly fine if you can’t address every challenge they have. You want to operate in your zone of genius and not overstate what you’re capable of.

A Consultant’s View On Getting Comfortable With The Uncomfortable!

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Between two trapezes – The Transition Zone!

Don’t you feel like life is a series of trapeze swings? You either hanging on to a trapeze bar swinging along or, for a few moments in life, hurtling across space in between trapeze bars, hanging on for dear life to the trapeze-bar-of-the-moment. Today the moment is Covid-19. Six months into the pandemic, it’s carrying us along at a certain steady rate of swing with the feeling that ‘I’m in control of my life.’ I now think I know most of the right questions and even some of the answers.

As I move from one point to another, it’s that in-between, uncertain time of letting go and waiting to grab the next thing – a new trapeze bar, that’s the most challenging at the best of times and for some, even debilitating.

I know that this new trapeze is my next step, my growth, my aliveness coming to get me. In my heart, I know that for me to grow, I must release my grip on this present, well-known bar or old world and move to the new one, the world ahead.

We really do not like change, so part of me hopes that I won’t have to let go of my old bar completely before I grab the new one. But I know that I must totally release my grasp on my old bar, and, for some moment in time, I must hurtle across space before I can grab onto the new bar. In that transition, the uncertainty & unknown, I am filled with terror. It doesn’t matter that in the past, I have previously made it. I am afraid that I will miss, that I will be crushed on unseen rocks between bars. I do it anyway and leap ahead. Perhaps this is the essence of what the mystics call the faith experience. No guarantees, no net, no insurance policy, but you do it anyway because somehow to keep hanging on to that old bar is no longer on the list of alternatives. So, I soar across the dark void of “the past is gone, the future is not yet here.”

It’s called “transition.” I have come to believe that this transition is the only place that real change occurs. I have noticed that this transition zone is looked upon as a “no-thing,” a no-place between places. Sure, the old trapeze bar was real, and that new one coming toward me, I hope that’s real, too. But the void in between? Is that just a scary, confusing, disorienting nowhere that must be gotten through as fast and as unconsciously as possible?

NO! What a wasted opportunity that would be. I have a sneaking suspicion that the transition zone is the only real thing and the bars are illusions we dream up to avoid the void where the real change, the real growth, occurs for us. Whether or not my hunch is true, it remains that the transition zones in our lives are incredibly rich places. They should be honored, even savored. Yes, with all the pain and fear and feelings of being out of control that can accompany transitions, they are still the most alive, most growth-filled, passionate, expansive moments in our lives. But we can only experience it by being fully present in it!

We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

Anonymous        

True transformation is about giving ourselves permission to “hang out” in the transition between trapezes. Transforming our need to grab that new bar, any bar, allows ourselves to dwell in the only place where change really happens. It can be terrifying. It can also be enlightening in the true sense of the word. In the transition, we just may learn how to fly. 

As Covid’s dizzying spin starts to slow, leaders steel themselves for the long road to recovery. An essential early step will be effectively addressing the anxieties of millions of workers worried about the future of their work and their health. Given the pain of this moment, leaders are urged to handle the journey’s challenges mindfully with resilience, authenticity, and connection.

With the ringing injunction to “normalize the new” and get back on the treadmill.  If leaders want to use this moment to do more than return worried, distracted employees to old jobs they once knew, we need to still the maelstrom in our minds; most of all, we need to break the semi-automated responses that continue to chain us to the old trapeze. If we don’t, we will find ourselves frantically doing the same things yet expecting a different result. We must become comfortable with the uncomfortable and embrace the suck.

To embrace the suck means to have discipline. Having that mental toughness to see the hard work through to the end. You continue with the hard-charging attitude of being able to keep moving forward and never give up.

We are wired for survival and staying in comfort – every fiber in our being wants to hold on to the old trapeze and not let go, but nothing will come of staying put; we have to keep moving. “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you are not going to stay where you are,” JP Morgan

According to a Green Beret, Jason Van Camp, there are 7 ways to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

1. Start.

The first step is always the most uncomfortable. All you have to do is show up. The battle is half won if you just show up.

2. Don’t quit.

You’ve decided to start. You do not see the results. It’s difficult. You want to quit. It’s OK. Just keep pushing forward. That voice in your head is going to make you think of a way out. Don’t do it. Don’t give yourself an out.

3. Push yourself past your comfort zone.

At some point, you are going to say to yourself, “I’ve never done this before” or “I don’t know what I’m doing.” We’ve all been there. Here’s a trick: Just pretend to be confident. Fake it till you make it.

4. Embrace “the suck.”

The situation is bad–deal with it. And don’t just deal with it–open your arms and welcome it as you would an old friend. You know him well. You are building your mental and physical toughness.

5. Be around like-minded people.

Create a support network. Talk about your experiences. The worse the experience it is to you, the better the story it is to everyone else.

6. Recognize your improvements.

Track your progress. Revel in it. You are now a changed person. You know it because you see it. Build your confidence by going back to what before was uncomfortable and go through the experience again.

7. Rinse. Repeat.

“repetition is the mother of learning.”

The more you perform the same activity, the more confident you become. Confidence is a tangible thing–it comes from practice and repetition.

 

Perhaps the most difficult part of this pandemic is the uncertainty we are all facing.  Uncertainty about how contagious and deadly Coronavirus is.  Uncertainty about the travel that we have planned.  Uncertainty about the economy. Uncertainty about our jobs. But the real world is highly uncertain, and that can be uncomfortable. So, to succeed, we must keep moving, take that next step in faith, and welcome in the discomfort of the transition zone as you reach for your new trapeze of growth.

 

-Priyal Ramdass

How to Use Your Expertise to Start a Consulting Business

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We all reach a point in our careers when we start getting questions about our experience or expertise. Perhaps you’ve been asked if you can do someone a favor and “look something over.” Or maybe someone has even asked if they can pay you for a consulting session. Perhaps you tapped into a new way to create marketing campaigns or conduct market research that you know other people would want to know about. Whatever your expertise is, it’s likely you’ve felt the tug at one time or another to offer consulting services. 

Here’s how to get started marketing your expertise to do just that.

1. Understand your unique expertise, then offer it for free.

Of course, the first step to starting a consulting side hustle is to know what it is you have to offer. This could be based on experiences you’ve had or an area of specialty you’ve studied at length. Depending on your reputation in your industry, you could go out there and immediately start selling sessions. But, you’ll have more luck on sales calls and in marketing yourself if you have clear deliverables on what you’ve done for companies and individuals in the past. 

So, commit to working for 2-3 companies for free at first. This will give you a good sense of your consulting style, and there’s a clear difference between being able to say, “I can help you increase your profit margin” and “I helped two companies triple their profit margin.” Potential clients want to hear about clients you’ve worked in the past. The Ambition Plan writes that offering to work for free is also a great way to “meet and spend time with influential people in your industry.” Get out there and show them what you have to offer!

2. Craft an offer and a payment plan. 

Once you get some experience under your belt, craft an offer that makes sense. Choosing a price is also why it’s so important to know what exactly you can do for companies or individuals. If you help companies hit six figures in their first six months, it’s reasonable to charge at a higher price tag than if you just “help companies become profitable quickly.” Cory Jean, a credit and receivables consultant, noted to this end that, “Clients respond well to numbers. Telling potential clients exact percentages in sales growth helps them understand the full picture of what their investment in you is, and what it will reward them with.” 

Then, figure out if you’ll offer consulting on a retainer or just on one-off sessions. Both serve different purposes. If you have one core branding strategy session for startups, perhaps it will just be a two-hour immersive meeting at one set price. But, if you help with a longer-term strategy and go into the trenches with them, a retainer would be more appropriate. Consulting services usually go on retainer.

3. Create materials promoting your consulting business. 

It’s important that all numbers associated with your consulting promises are listed somewhere; ideally on a funnel or a landing page. Create the exact specifications of what your consulting services entail, including hours spent in 1:1 meetings, materials included, and what the potential client can expect to learn and get from you. The more specific you can be, the better. Make sure to write to their pain points and rely heavily on past experiences for credibility.

Then, brand strategist Erin Feree recommends marketing through a blog, a newsletter, and a small website. Create more succinct versions of your sales script, such as small paragraphs that can be used as a bio on blogs or in the “about” section on a newsletter.

4. Engage in content marketing.

Finally, remember that the best way to demonstrate your expertise to your audiences online is to release content associated with what you consult on. This type of content is often referred to as “top of the funnel content,” and will give potential clients a taste for your style and insights, thus establishing trust. They need to be able to see your obvious expertise in order to want to hire you. 

Do you offer social media consulting? Post a few social media tips a week. Do you offer HR consulting? Post a few HR tips or stories a week. Over time, this will begin to equate with your brand and appeal to your audience. If you feel like you’re running out of content, Tsavo Neil recommends asking your audience what they’re struggling with. The more you can start to solve their problems, the more they’ll see you as the industry leader. 

Over time, as you continue to land clients and help them, you’ll have enough case studies and numerical evidence to expand your consulting business beyond a side hustle. You have something to share and a way to help entrepreneurs or businesses; get out there and show them!

4 Things You Should Change About Your Email Marketing

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More than 306 billion. That’s how many emails were expected to be sent and received each day in 2020, according to Statista. With millions of companies switching to remote work and brands sending more emails, the number may well exceed Statista’s prediction this year.

Email marketing is performing better than it has in a long time. There’s been a spike of 200 percent in engagement since March, writes Ray Schultz of MediaPost, a clear sign that people are spending a lot more time in their inboxes.

What are they looking for, and how can your business respond? Moreover, how can you anticipate your customers’ needs and expectations? Being quick to adapt is vital. Let’s take a look at four things you should consider changing in using email for marketing.

1. Prune your lists more often

If you used to clean your email lists of bad contacts every quarter, email hygiene involves more initiative right now. Think about the massive loss of jobs across almost all continents and industries. In the U.S., the unemployment rate is 11.1 percent. Although that’s a decline compared to March and April, millions of business-to-business (B2B) email addresses are now invalid.

“We’ve gotten feedback from customers that many of their B2B email addresses are bouncing,” ZeroBounce COO Brian Minick told me. No surprise there. Many businesses have had to reduce their staff or shut down permanently. That’s awful for the people involved, and it also poses a risk to email marketers. “To avoid deliverability issues, we recommend keeping an eye on your bounce rate,” Minick added. “If it’s above the industry benchmark of 2 percent, you know it’s time to validate your contacts again.”

2. Be empathetic and offer practical help

Your message and the way you convey it can make the difference between choosing your business or cutting you out of their lives for good. “People can be very sensitive, especially during a crisis. Some of your customers may be facing countless challenges right now,” says InvoiceBerry founder and CEO Uwe Dreissigacker. How is your business there for them?

“You don’t have to mention the pandemic in every email you send,” Dreissigacker elaborates. “Rather, ask yourself: Is this helpful to my audience? How can I show more clearly that I care? Make sure to run your content by your PR department and all the executives/ There may be nuances you fail to catch. More eyeballs looking at your emails means fewer risks.”

Expressing empathy during difficult times is common sense, but words are not enough. Back them up with practical, immediate assistance. Make the crisis easier to bear with offers that help your customers the most. Can’t figure out what that is? Use email to encourage conversations and run a survey if you can. The sooner you get to the bottom of your customers’ problems, the more prompt and relevant your response will be.

3. Be more aware of spam complaints

Here’s a cliché. No matter how good your intentions are, someone is going to be unhappy. It applies to email, too.

It could be that your newsletter or marketing offer came at a bad time. Or perhaps the person feels you shouldn’t be running any promotions during the crisis. By labeling you as spam, these subscribers are telling inbox providers that your content is bothering them.

More than one spam complaint about every 1,000 emails is worrisome. Abuse emails — accounts that belong to frequent complainers — will taint your sender reputation and cause your future campaigns to land in spam or be blocked altogether. You can’t afford that, especially if you’re hardly keeping your business afloat. To secure your spot in the inbox, be more diligent about removing complainers.

Apart from weeding them out from your list, you can also prevent them from getting there in the first place. An email verification API checks every subscriber’s email address in real-time and rejects the bad ones — including abuse emails.

4. Stick to a consistent sending schedule

Speaking of spam complaints, a simple way to keep them under control is by following a consistent sending schedule. Being punctual fosters familiarity, so your subscribers are less likely to feel your messages are spam.

Emily Ryan, an email strategist and co-founder of Westfield Creative, confirms, “When you stay consistent, your readers stay engaged. If you send one email and then don’t show up for two months, you risk getting unsubscribers the next time you email.”

Nervous about emailing people too often? “Just remember they want and expect to hear from you,” Ryan continues. “Whether you send something once a month or once a week, showing up for your subscribers is so important. One of the biggest things we do for our clients is to help them stay consistent with their email campaigns. After determining a frequency that aligns with their overall marketing goals, we make sure to stick to an email campaign calendar. A simple spreadsheet works. Also, we constantly monitor the need to increase or decrease the consistency if there are too many unsubscribes happening.”

So, create your own calendar, fill it up with content ideas, and stick to it. “Even if it’s a short, simple email,” Ryan concludes, “show up for your people.”

5 Questions Every Consultant Must Ask During a Sales Call

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What’s the easiest way for a consultant to completely flop on a sales call? Talking about yourself the whole time. I help consultants efficiently scale their business, and this is one of the most common mistakes I see them make. I know it can be challenging. You may have been taught to perfect your elevator pitch or to speak about some magical proprietary process you developed. Unfortunately, your prospects don’t want to hear your sales pitch or about your unique approach — they want to be understood. And once you prove you understand their challenges, they’ll want to hear about your plan to solve them. That’s it.

You shouldn’t even think of it as a sales call, it’s an enrollment conversation. At the end, you want them to be excited about the potential of partnering with you. You never want to feel like you talked them into doing something they didn’t fully understand, or aren’t completely committed to. 

That dreaded “sales-y” feeling

If you’re not overly “sales-y,” the selling part of your consulting business can be terrifying. Fortunately, you don’t need to be sales-y. You just need to have a genuine desire to help your clients. Beyond that, with the right process in place, you’ll most likely never need to do any cold calling. Instead, you can connect with prospects through referrals or a lead magnet on your website.

A lead magnet is content you provide in exchange for a prospect’s contact information such as a guide or checklist. A good lead magnet solves a real problem and is specific to your intended audience. Mine is an eBook “The 10 Biggest Mistakes Entrepreneurs make on Social Media and What You Should Do Instead”. If you don’t already have something like this in place, you should make a plan to do so. These conversations go much easier when you’ve already proven your value and expertise. 

When chatting with a prospect you should be listening more than you talk, but you’ll need to make sure you’re receiving the right information. These are the five questions you must ask during any enrollment conversation.

1. What’s going on and how is it affecting your business/personal life?

 

You most likely have some information before entering this conversation. You can use that to tee things up, but you’ll still want them to essentially start from scratch. The more information you can get about their specific need, the better you’ll be able to explain how you can help them, assuming that you can. If you can’t help them, this is the time to make that known. Maybe you have a colleague who can, or you have some resources that might help, but the whole “fake it till you make it” approach is a good way to damage your reputation and it’s not right to waste someone’s time and money. Hopefully, you’re still in a position to help them, and you can continue asking probing questions. 

If you’re able to quantify revenue impact, this will make it easier for you to explain your fees later on. You’ll be able to show them a clear ROI from the partnership. If you can help someone make $80,000 and your fee is $10,000, it’s clearly a good investment. However, some challenges aren’t associated with revenue, such as the inability to get a sufficient night’s sleep. In this case, you’ll want to better understand how this problem is affecting their personal life. 

Take notes, and ask them to pause if necessary. It’s not rude, you’re proving that you have a genuine need to understand their challenge. 

2. What have you already tried to address this problem?

Again, you don’t want to start talking about yourself until you have a better understanding of their challenge. Their response will help you in a few ways:

  • You won’t recommend solutions that have already failed for a legitimate reason.
  • You’ll be able to course-correct solutions that could have been successful with the proper guidance.

Beyond that, you’ll get a better insight into how important it is for them to solve for this challenge, and the pain associated with this resolution. This is also your time to show genuine empathy by paraphrasing and hypothesizing.

For example: “It sounds like you’ve been working on this for a while, I imagine it’s been a drain on morale and productivity implementing one solution after another.”

3. What are some approaches or resources you haven’t explored yet?

This can easily be one of the most unselfish questions you ask. Together, you may both determine there’s another internal resource or someone they could hire full-time to solve this challenge. You may be able to assist or reengage if the problem persists after they attempt to solve it on their own. Your goal is to help them resolve their problem, even if they don’t need you to do it. 

Again, this is an unselfish approach, but it will go a long way in boosting your reputation for being trustworthy and solutions-oriented. I’ve consulted myself out of job opportunity during this phase, only to receive a referral from the same prospect months later. 

4. What would need to happen in order for you to feel good about our results? What outcomes are you looking for?

This is a paraphrased version of an approach developed by Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach. Get ready to take notes on their response. They’ll tell you exactly what they want from you, and — inadvertently — exactly what would earn you a referral or testimonial. You’ll also hear more about their vision. Just talking about this vision will make it more tangible for them, and you can position yourself as the person who will help them get there.

Paraphrase this response back to them, reinforce any poignant or mission-critical aspects of what they said. Once this part is complete, you can start talking more about how you can help achieve this vision. Again, only move forward if you’re certain you can help them achieve their goals. 

5. Would you like my help?

This is a simple but powerful question I began using based on the advice by Mike Koenigs, Advisor and CEO of MikeKoenigs.com. 

Always ask this question during the conversation, overtly. This can lead to a no, yes or they’ll ask more probing questions. Don’t say, “Well, I can send you some more information.” Or ”Would you like to think about it and set up another time to call?” Just ask. If they want more information or to think about it, they’ll tell you. 

Of course, you should only ask this question if you actually want to work with the client. You want to be a friend of their future, not just a service provider. 

This can be a challenging question, but you’ll have a more immediate understanding of how things are going and can start planning any necessary next steps. Hopefully, things go well. If not, you’ll be able to better focus on the next opportunity. 

Final thoughts on consulting sales calls

It’s important to remember that the prospect wants this call to go well. They have a problem and believe you may be able to assist. This isn’t a contentious situation, so you should be relaxed. Focus on being who you are, listening to their needs and enjoying the conversation. The best version of yourself is all you need to be, and you can’t do that if you’re trying to be someone you’re not.

Memo to Expert Service Providers: Carve Yourself a Unique Niche

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When you ask an average business audience to name the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic, most people know it was Charles Lindbergh. Most can also name Amelia Earhart as the first woman to achieve that feat.

But silence usually prevails when people are asked to name the second or third aviator to do it. The fact that the third person was Earhart reveals an important facet of human psychology, namely that we tend to remember people and things based on their category rather than as part of the broader whole. If you are the first or the best, that tends to stick.

Consultants and professional service providers would do well to heed this lesson at a time when they’re swimming in an ever-expanding pond of similar firms. There are an estimated 700,000 business consulting firms globally, and many of their services are fast becoming commodities.

Whether it’s getting help on an audit or installing Salesforce, customers know they’re going to get similar types of people and services from the industry.

Figure out what makes you special

Rather than keep fishing in these vast waters, expert service providers need to shrink their pond by honing in on what they do best. So you can’t be the best barbecue restaurant in town? Fine. But maybe instead of being the second or third best maybe you can position yourself as the premier dry-rib joint.

Carving out a niche for your practice — whether you are self-employed or running a practice inside a bigger company — takes on even greater importance when you consider how technology has dispersed an industry’s clientele across the globe. It’s harder for these far-flung clients to differentiate between one provider and another. The way to cut through this absence of signal is to be the worldwide expert at one particular thing.

The simplest way to position yourself as a niche expert is to focus on your most successful case studies. Where have you achieved the best results and added the most value to clients?

Build on your successes to create a niche

 

Your practice may have the ability to help any kind of management team, but perhaps, for instance, it’s worked closely with several mining companies and achieved strong improvements to their supply chain. Backed by this record, maybe you should try to build a niche as the world’s only practice that helps mining sector COOs to drive down costs and control their supply chains.

I know one law firm with a regulatory practice that was maybe good enough to make the top 200 firms in the country based on reputation. But it happened to be based in Colorado and California where those states have legalized cannabis and hemp in recent years.

The firm has leveraged that geographical advantage to build a practice around helping cannabis and hemp companies navigate regulations and is now fast on its way to becoming the number-one law firm in the country in that niche.

Create channels to put your expertise on display

After deciding what pond you want to dominate, you can start taking steps to cement your ownership of it. You might publish articles on it or create a regular newsletter highlighting recent trends in order to achieve name recognition among those who matter.

You might seek speaking engagements or fund cocktail parties at relevant events. The aim is to narrowcast, not broadcast. We know that it only takes a small collection of select clients to build a successful practice so focus on the 200-300 executives globally who can make this happen.

Once you’ve dominated a niche, you can extend that success by entering adjacent niches. You’ve done great work with North American mining companies, so maybe an expansion to South American mining firms would work. Or perhaps you could expand into supply-chain solutions for agricultural commodities and hire people accordingly.

Resist the urge to be multi-faceted

None of this is rocket science but there can be hurdles. Perhaps the most common objection heard from providers is not wanting to downplay or give up on all the other wonderful things they can do. This misses the point. It can be fine to do other things, as long as you have a clean, crisp go-to-market strategy in your chosen niche.

Your niche practice should have its own microsite that occupies a relevant URL and features 2 to 3 illustrated case studies explaining how you helped people. If you’re part of a larger family of companies, it’s fine to point that out on the site; just don’t throw everything on this particular website with drop-down menus for each specialty.

If your mining sector expertise, for instance, is displayed alongside your achievements in crypto-currency accounting, it’s going to dilute your credibility as a specialist and erode your target customer’s trust in your ability to get the job done.

Keep things simple and direct and that focus can bring surprising results.

Actualizing Dreams of a Consulting Career

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Consulting is a Dream Come True for many B-School Graduates

Many management graduates and professionals “dream” of getting into consulting jobs during their placement season or afterwards. The allure of the glamorous consulting profession is so intense that many management graduates enter the business schools with the sole intention of being recruited by the consulting firms. What makes this career option such an attractive one and what do consultants perform professionally that they are coveted by industry and the corporates? Moreover, what is it that sets apart consultants from other professionals who can perform similar activities? These are some of the questions that would be addressed in this article.

What do Consultants Do?

To start with, management consultants are professionals who advise the corporates on restructuring, reorganization, rejuvenation, and revitalization of their companies. A simple question as to why cannot the organizations do this themselves by their own employees yields the answer that consultants bring to the table their deep expertise, wide experience, their familiarity with similar companies and industries, and above all, a perspective about how companies should be managed that is invaluable and indeed, worth the money that is paid to them. Mind you, the reason why consultants get paid astronomical sums in salaries and benefits is that their clients likewise do so for their services.

In addition, consultants are often called in when companies are going through a rough patch and their leadership wants an unbiased and objective analysis of the situation along with recommendations to improve their situation. In many cases, the internal resources often have vested interests in pushing for a particular strategy which means that more often than not, there is a need for a third party to evaluate what is wrong with the company. Moreover, many employees who contribute to the feedback that consultants receive as part of their consultations and deliberations within the organizations find it easier to talk to someone from outside of the organization rather than open up to their peers in the organization. Therefore, this is one of the reasons why organizations prefer consultants to advise them when things are going wrong.

Having said that, it must be noted that consultants do not merely perform the role of objective observers. Because they are trained in the best business schools on management theory and practice, they have knowledge of the corporate world that other professionals do not have since the latter work in niches whereas the former straddle a wide spectrum of activities. Apart from this, consultants mature with age when they consult with a wide variety of organizations across industries and sectors and this experience provides them with the insights that they can use when consulting.

Consultants and Investment Bankers

A key point to note about the consulting profession is that they are in direct completion with the investment bankers since both these professionals are essentially aiming for the mind space of the senior leadership in the organizations. Having said that, it must be noted that whereas investment bankers are concerned about financial aspects, consultants encompass a broad swath as they deal with operational, strategic, and organizational aspects. In short, investment bankers suggest the external components and the internal restructuring in financial terms whereas consultants take a broader view in addition to a deeper analysis. However, it must be noted that in recent years, consultants have specialized and branched out in niches according to the sector, the industry, area of management, span of control, and other aspects. This progression from being generalists to specialists within specialists has been mainly due to the increasingly complex internal and external environments in which organizations operate.

The Big Five Firms and How Professionals can Develop Consulting Skills

Finally, consultants such as those from the Big Five Firms, McKinsey, Booze Allen, Boston Consulting Group, Anderson Consulting, Price Waterhouse, and to some extent Deloitte are the pick of the lot among the entire consulting industry. It is no wonder that these firms form the Day Zero and the Day One in the placements seasons in business schools. Before concluding this article, we would like to remind you that while there has been much criticism about consulting and consultants as well as much praise and adulation that they receive, the bottom line for any management graduate or professional is to develop a perspective on how the business world and in general, the world works and evolve as professionals who practice values, follow the industry trends, spot and anticipate future changes, and more importantly evolve as visionaries ought to make a difference to their clients as well as themselves.

Hоw Dо Consultants Ѕurvivе In Thiѕ Nеw Nоrmаl?

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Hоw Dо Consultants Ѕurvivе In Thiѕ Nеw Nоrmаl?

Thе COVID-19 раndеmiс hаѕ diѕruрtеd thе Glоbаl есоnоmу likе nеvеr bеfоrе. Frоm thе trаvеl induѕtrу to ѕmаll еntеrрriѕеѕ, аll buѕinеѕѕеѕ аrе lоѕing rеvеnuе аѕ dауѕ of соnfinеmеnt inсrеаѕе, and the spending power of the consumer decreases. While the full impact on the consulting industry is still unknown, we have an idea of the most impacted sectors. According to research dоnе bу Cоnѕultаnсу.оrg, thе Glоbаl consulting induѕtrу соuld lоѕе uр tо $30 billion in rеvеnuе in 2020. Since thе 2008 financial сriѕiѕ, the соnѕulting induѕtrу hаѕ seen еxроnеntiаl grоwth. Thе mаrkеt vаluе оf соnѕulting iѕ estimated at $160 Billiоn. As a result of COVID-19, сliеntѕ are delaying thеir рrоjесtѕ аѕ wеll аѕ canceling futurе рlаnѕ as a result of diminishing rеvеnuеѕ.

Additional Insights from the Consultancy.org research:

  • The most significantly impacted are independent consultants.
  • Rоughlу 30% оf independent соnѕultаntѕ ѕаid their running and/or рlаnnеd рrоjесt was postponed.
  • 12% оf rеѕроndеntѕ ѕаid that a running рrоjесt wаѕ саnсеllеd, while 19% said that a planned рrоjесt wаѕ саnсеllеd.
  • Onlу 22% оf those ѕurvеуеd ѕаid thаt thеir рrоjесt work wаѕ not imрасtеd.
  • Furthеrmоrе, mаnу bеliеvе thаt thеir inсоmе will continue to decline fоr thе fоrеѕееаblе future, with 73% ѕауing thаt their earnings will bе nеgаtivеlу imрасtеd оvеr the nеxt 3-4 mоnthѕ. Thiѕ iѕ similar to thе situation fасеd bу consulting firmѕ.

According to оnе еѕtimаtе, frоm Sоurсе Glоbаl Rеѕеаrсh, thе соnѕulting industry ѕtаndѕ tо tаkе a ѕizеаblе hit frоm thе COVID-19 сriѕiѕ, аnd will be worth around 18% lower at the еnd оf 2020 as a rеѕult. Mоrе wоrrуinglу, however, the next most significant decrease in earnings will соmе frоm thе construction ѕесtоr. A lull in building activity is оftеn a sign of a ѕuѕtаinеd есоnоmiс downturn bеing оn thе саrdѕ, as such, the соnѕtruсtiоn ѕесtоr iѕ expected to fаll bу 46%, indiсаting that a lаrgе number оf сliеntѕ are ѕсаling back or роѕtроning рrоjесtѕ in order tо weather a likely recession.

Likе other buѕinеѕѕеѕ, indереndеnt соnѕultаntѕ hаvе tо аdарt rарidlу tо thе ‘new nоrmаl’. Arоund 77% оf survey rеѕроndеntѕ tоld Cоmаtсh thаt thеу will mаkе changes tо аdарt tо thе nеw еnvirоnmеnt, аnd 43% of thоѕе ѕаid they wоuld uрdаtе thеir professional оffеrings tо аttrасt new clients. On tор оf this, 33% ѕаid they will pursue рrоjесtѕ оutѕidе оf thеir usual fiеld оf еxреrtiѕе. Interestingly, hоwеvеr, in just undеr half оf all саѕеѕ, independents ѕее a silver lining аrоund the сlоud of lоѕing wоrk. Pоinting toward thе often busy lifestyle thаt comes with bеing your оwn boss, 45% соnfirmеd they will “еnjоу” their nеwfоund frее time whilе thеу can.

Despite this upbeat аttitudе to ԛuiеtеr times, finаnсiаllу, mоѕt indереndеntѕ fееl thеу need mоrе ѕuрроrt from the ѕtаtе in weathering the storm. Aѕ mоѕt wоuld fall оutѕidе оf thе UK Gоvеrnmеnt’ѕ COVID-19 support schemes, Comatch fоund thаt lеѕѕ thаn 20% bеliеvе еnоugh is being dоnе to help thеm. Even among those rесеiving ѕuрроrt, this wаѕ fоund to bе the саѕе, with 30% stating the current measures wеrе not еnоugh. Thiѕ iѕ bесаuѕе fundаmеntаllу, most соnѕultаntѕ are hарру with сhоiсе for indереndеnсе. Aѕ indереndеntѕ, 74% оf UK rеѕроndеntѕ ѕаid thеу hаd more аbilitу to сhооѕе what tорiсѕ thеу work on – whilе 77% said they had mоrе frее time, аnd 95% said they hаd mоrе flеxibilitу in tеrmѕ of when аnd hоw thеу wоrk. Thiѕ backs uр рriоr rеѕеаrсh ѕuggеѕting that thе imрrоvеd wоrk-lifе balance and соntrоl оvеr workload, generally ѕее indереndеnt соnѕultаntѕ hаррiеr than thеir ѕаlаriеd counterparts.

So, Now What?

Thе сurrеnt ѕituаtiоn hаѕ nоt оnlу аffесtеd the соnѕulting induѕtrу but also thе соnѕultаntѕ. Remote working fоr соnѕultаntѕ iѕ nоt nеw. Cоnѕulting iѕ thе firѕt industry to рiоnееr rеmоtе wоrking across various business classes, аѕ соnѕultаntѕ nееd tо wоrk frоm diffеrеnt раrtѕ оf thе wоrld fоr thеir рrоjесtѕ. Thе сurrеnt digitizаtiоn trеnd аnd аdорtiоn оf tесhnоlоgiеѕ hаѕ bесоmе kеу in hеlрing buѕinеѕѕеѕ ѕurvivе during thеѕе сhаllеnging timеѕ.

At thе ѕаmе timе thеѕе identified business software hаvе made the jоb оf соnѕultаntѕ еаѕiеr bу bringing thеir сliеntѕ аnd wоrk closer tо thеm.

Cоmраniеѕ аrоund thе wоrld are lооking fоr аnѕwеrѕ оn hоw to dеаl with thiѕ ѕituаtiоn, аnd thеу аrе lооking fоr соnѕultаntѕ tо gеt thеѕе аnѕwеrѕ. Firmѕ muѕt rеѕtruсturе manage cost reductions to minimize lоѕѕеѕ, whiсh iѕ ѕоmеthing соnѕulting firmѕ hаvе bееn dоing fоr a long timе. COVID-19 hаѕ аlѕо сrеаtеd ѕtrаinѕ in humаn сарitаl for buѕinеѕѕеѕ. HR соnѕultаntѕ аrе in high dеmаnd tо tасklе thеѕе есоnоmiс соnѕеԛuеnсеѕ.

Exесutivе ѕеаrсh аnd ѕtаffing соnѕultаntѕ have needed to rethink their business development models with the drop in rесruitmеnt асtivitу. The few placements still being made аrе реrfоrmеd rеmоtеlу. Tо mаkе it роѕѕiblе, mаnаgеmеnt соnѕultаntѕ аrе сrеаting оn-linе аѕѕеѕѕmеnt аnd рѕусhоmеtriс tеѕtѕ tо provide in-dерth аnаlуѕiѕ tо thеir сliеntѕ аbоut thе саndidаtе. Sоmе еxесutivе ѕеаrсh соnѕultаntѕ аrе аlѕо utilizing thiѕ timе tо build nеw talent рiреlinеѕ. It iѕ сurrеntlу muсh еаѕiеr fоr ѕеаrсh соnѕultаntѕ to ѕреаk with thеir роtеntiаl futurе tаlеntѕ. Emрlоуеrѕ аrе аlѕо mоrе flеxiblе with thеir timе аnd аgrее tо intеrасt with thеir futurе talents thrоugh vidео саllѕ.

With ѕо muсh unсеrtаintу duе to COVID-19, thеrе аrе twо thingѕ thаt wоrrу еvеrу соnѕultаnt:

  • Hоw dо wе ѕuрроrt оur сliеntѕ?
  • Hоw dо wе ѕuрроrt оur wоrkеrѕ and ensure a sustainable consulting business?

Cоnѕultаntѕ are wоrking hаrd tо hеlр thеir сliеntѕ idеntifу ѕоlutiоnѕ tо complex рrоblеmѕ аnd thеу hаvе idеntifiеd this nеw tорiс аѕ аn opportunity to аdd vаluе during thе сriѕiѕ. With the E-соmmеrсе bооm, consultants are able to identify differentiation opportunities for themselves by helping firmѕ find a new way of working.

Is being available and affordable enough?

Tо survive аѕ a соnѕultаnt in any induѕtrу, whether established or starting, уоu nееd tо charge fееѕ that will enable уоu tо stay in buѕinеѕѕ; at the ѕаmе timе, bоth уоu and your clients nееd tо fееl that уоur fееѕ аrе fаir and equitable. Sо hоw dо уоu find thе middle ground thаt ѕееmѕ fair tо еvеrуоnе involved? Now, more than ever, given the economic environment, it would be advisable to remain flеxiblе. Sоmеtimеѕ, you may find a client rеаllу wаntѕ to hire уоu but саn’t pay your еntirе fее. Dереnding оn thе ѕituаtiоn, уоu can consider rеduсing уоur fee, еithеr to gеt some muсh-nееdеd еxреriеnсе оr bесаuѕе уоu bеliеvе уоu can ѕеt уоurѕеlf uр for more wоrk in thе future bу wоrking сhеареr nоw. But don’t ѕеll уоurѕеlf ѕhоrt; mаkе ѕurе уоu’rе раid whаt you’re worth, ѕinсе thаt fee sets the tоnе fоr future fее nеgоtiаtiоnѕ.

At the ѕаmе timе, dоn’t trу tо wring out thе highеѕt роѕѕiblе fее frоm your clients. You wаnt tо be fаirlу compensated, but if your fее is too high, уоu run thе risk of losing thе buѕinеѕѕ соmрlеtеlу. Whеn ѕеtting уоur rаtеѕ, уоu hаvе ѕеvеrаl орtiоnѕ, inсluding hourly rаtеѕ, реr-рrоjесt fees аnd working оn a retainer basis.

  • Hоurlу fееѕ. Cоnѕultаntѕ оftеn саlсulаtе a рrоjесt соѕt bаѕеd оn the numbеr оf hours thеу еxресt tо ѕреnd on it. Tо figurе оut аn аррrорriаtе hourly rаtе, уоu саn еithеr use a source likе thе Cаrееrѕ in Buѕinеѕѕ wеbѕitе tо see what соnѕultаntѕ earn in уоur area, оr dесidе hоw muсh уоu’d like to earn in a уеаr аnd dо the mаth tо turn thаt figurе intо an hourly rаtе. Experienced соnѕultаntѕ оftеn double оr triple thе resulting figurе tо соvеr оvеrhеаd, bеnеfitѕ and оthеr еxреnѕеѕ; It’ѕ reasonable fоr a nеw соnѕultаnt to assume billаblе timе аrоund 50 percent, some dоublе their rаtеs to meet their еxреnѕеѕ.
  • Prоjесt rаtеѕ. When working оn a project rate bаѕiѕ, a соnѕultаnt nоrmаllу gets a fixed аmоunt of money fоr a predetermined реriоd оf timе (а situation knоwn as “wоrk fоr hirе”). It саn bе a littlе triсkу to determine a рrоjесt rate whеn уоu firѕt ѕtаrt consulting bесаuѕе уоu dоn’t have hiѕtоriсаl information оn whiсh tо bаѕе уоur hоurlу еѕtimаtе. But once уоu figurе out hоw mаnу hours уоu think the job will tаkе, ѕimрlу multiply thаt figure bу уоur hоurlу rate, thеn add 10 percent оr ѕо tо соvеr unexpected contingencies.
  • Retainer bаѕiѕ. Wоrking оn a retainer bаѕiѕ givеѕ уоu a ѕеt mоnthlу fее fоr whiсh you agree to bе аvаilаblе fоr wоrk for аn аgrееd-оn numbеr оf hоurѕ fоr уоur client. This kind оf fее аrrаngеmеnt iѕ соmmоn fоr соmрutеr соnѕultаntѕ and оthеr providers of оngоing ѕеrviсеѕ. Whilе in thе idеаl wоrld you’d hаvе a dоzеn оr so сliеntѕ who hirе уоu аnd рау уоu a hefty ѕum each mоnth, dоn’t get уоur hореѕ up. Mоѕt companies thаt hirе a consultant оn a retainer bаѕiѕ have a сlаuѕе in thеir соntrасt that рrоhibitѕ thеm from wоrking fоr thеir competition.
  • Bоnuѕ options. It’s common for consultants to hаvе some tуре оf bonus option in their сliеnt contract оr lеttеr оf аgrееmеnt. A bоnuѕ mау bе a percentage оf аn аmоunt thаt thе consultant saves a client (if thе соnѕultаnt’ѕ bееn hired tо rеоrgаnizе a dераrtmеnt оr division, for еxаmрlе) or thе amount оf mоnеу acquired fоr a сliеnt (аѕ in the саѕе оf fundraising, соllесtiоnѕ or grаnt writing). Althоugh it’ѕ nоt аlwауѕ possible tо wоrk оut thiѕ kind of bоnuѕ dеаl, it nеvеr hurts to nеgоtiаtе. If you dо, keep in mind thаt the аvеrаgе bоnuѕ is 15 tо 20 percent оf thе fundѕ ѕаvеd fоr the сliеnt оr obtained for thе organization.

While ѕаfеtу аnd соntinuоuѕ еngаgеmеnt remain thе рriоritу, Consultants who can provide solutions for their clients to pivot in the changing environment will be called upon. Are you, as a consultant, able to:

  • Rеѕhарe buѕinеѕѕ ѕtrаtеgу for your clients?
  • Identify and integrate new operating practices in your and your client’s business operations?
  • Cоmmuniсаtе the necessary change management practices with ѕtаkеhоldеrѕ?
  • Maximize thе uѕе оf gоvеrnmеnt ѕuрроrt роliсiеѕ for your clients?
  • Support your clients in building resilience in their operations and supply chains?

 

 

Five ways to design a better mental-health future for a stressed-out workforce

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By Liz Hilton Segel
We know that mental health occurs along a continuum, with thriving and positive mental health at one end and serious mental illnesses or addictions at the other. In between, however, there are many shades of substance use, anxiety, depression, and other conditions that vary in intensity and impact. Every leader must ask, “What are we doing to help our employees stay physically and emotionally healthy?”
 

Far from being a soft issue, there is an economic cost to this humanitarian clarion call. For the global economy, the loss of productivity because of poor mental health can be as high as $1 trillion per year.2 The pandemic has also created a disproportionate mental toll on women in the workplace, causing one in four senior-level women to consider leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Businesses need to do more to help employees cope during these turbulent times. Consider the following actions, where we’re beginning to see impact based on feedback from our clients’ employees and our own colleagues at McKinsey.

Open the lines of communication

Demonstrate commitment from the top and lead by example, communicating that during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, it is important to address stress, mental illness, and substance use.

This can start with “pulse checks”—emails sent to employees that ask two or three short questions about their work, life, mentorship, and health. Or it could be as simple as, “How are you feeling?” and “What’s giving you the greatest stress this week?” Always provide a reminder on how to access mental-health resources and professional help for those in immediate crisis.

Understand and meet the need

Understand the impact of psychological distress, mental illnesses, and substance-use disorders on the workforce. This includes using employee surveys, benefits reports, disability claims, and productivity assessments.

While anecdotes can illustrate the human impact of mental illness, at McKinsey, we also look at metrics and data, all of which are anonymized and confidential. This aggregate information can pinpoint which departments have employees with higher rates of distress. Further, an analysis of disability claims and benefit reports can allow insights into whether we are meeting employees’ needs.

Know the signs of distress

Invest in training to equip leaders with the skills, language, and norms to support your colleagues.

Twenty years ago, when someone on my team told me he had to take leave to address his mental health, I was crushed: I completely missed the distress signals and wasn’t there to support him when he needed it most. It is a deep regret and learning moment I hold with me to this day. It is also why I’m so committed to the mental-health training we are rolling out for our leaders.

Consider a short training for team leaders that focuses on recognizing signs of distress, making clear that it’s driven by a genuine desire to connect employees with the right support and resources. When companies make mental health a priority, teams can, in turn, offer greater value to their customers or clients. For example, one of our recent projects at McKinsey involved helping interested members of a medical staff receive 90-minute training sessions on building team resilience and deepening relationships.

Make help available

Embrace strategies to address key stressors, improve behavioral-health literacy, promote mental wellness, and prevent substance misuse.

Make it easy to access help, ensuring that everything from self-help tools to high-quality treatment providers are visible, affordable, and available virtually as well as in person. Be clear about which options for mental health are available via telehealth services.

Embrace and encourage self-care

Create an inclusive culture where those seeking treatment and self-care are supported, recovery is celebrated, and social connectivity is a priority.

Maintain an open dialogue. Ask if your colleagues are taking regular breaks, prioritizing sleep, and checking in on one another. My teams make it a point to discuss what we’re doing over the weekend, how we’re staying healthy, and whether we’re all getting enough rest.

As the lines of our personal and work spaces blur, I remind my team to take extra care for renewal and try to lead by example. That means unplugging and finding family or individual activities that restore the spirit. Recently, in my house, that has meant bringing a journal to the dinner table each night so that my husband, daughter, and I can write a line of gratitude—no repeats! Whether it’s reflection, reading, exercise, or spending time with our family, it is up to us to practice self-care and show vulnerability by admitting our own struggles.

This isn’t going to be easy, and there’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. It will require us to learn an entire new vocabulary on mental health, and many organizations will have to undertake large structural and cultural transformations. But even when the challenges seem great, I know we can lift each other up. Every day, I draw inspiration from my colleagues. I know you do, too. It’s up to us to harness that inspiration into tangible change that can address mental health across the workforce.

This article was published by Fast Company on October 27, 2020.

What Business Can Learn from Supermarkets’ Pandemic Playbooks

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Jennifer Spencer
ENTREPRENEUR LEADERSHIP NETWORK VIP
 

Businesses across the board are struggling to meet the new demands put forth due to Covid. Increasing sales while decreasing operational costs is not an easy feat. However, the country’s nearly 40,000 grocery stores, classified an essential service during the pandemic, have had to adapt quickly without any downtime. 

Only about 3 to 4 percent of grocery spending in the U.S. was online before the pandemic, but that’s surged to 10 to 15 percent, according to research by consulting firm Bain & Company. And in some cases, it’s much greater than that. 

“Early on during the pandemic, we saw a 300 percent increase, on average, in online grocery sales among our clients compared to the same time period last year. Some of our clients successfully handled much larger online sales spikes. A single location gourmet market in Brooklyn, New York, for example, went from $53,000 to $388,000 weekly online sales at the height of the pandemic,” says Dan Dashevsky, COO of My Cloud Grocer, an ecommerce software platform for supermarket chains. The company offers a robust, customizable virtual storefront with a white-label platform that powers and integrates the full shopping experience.

As the current pandemic dramatically changes the landscape of retail around the world, smart grocers are utilizing technology to grow their sales while safeguarding their customers. Let’s look at the technology and tactics businesses are using, not only to stay afloat during these troubled times but to thrive. 

Customer needs and their experience must come first 

The customer experience should always be the driving force that determines how a website operates or which policies a company will enforce, but unfortunately. that is not always the case. During the pandemic, customers have complained that they’ve had to wait days or even weeks to receive grocery deliveries — not an ideal scenario when supplies are low and the need is greater. 

“Many online grocery platforms are only showing available delivery times at checkout — after customers have spent 20-40 minutes filling their carts with products — causing additional frustration for customers when they realize they can’t get their groceries within a reasonable time and on top of that, they’ve also wasted their time,” says Dashevsky. “We made sure that our clients’ platforms display the available delivery and pickup times as soon as shoppers add the first item to their cart.”