Topic: Build Industry Relationships

If you are thinking about setting up your independent consultant practice a year or two from now, but you’re currently in a corporate role, you’re in a fantastic position. It’s far easier to build relationships with your peers now than when you become an independent consultant and you’re in the position of trying to build relationships with potential clients.

So let’s say that you are the head of business analytics at a company. Well, reach out to a head of business analytics at another firm that’s not in the same industry, perhaps, not necessarily competitive with you, and ask for some advice. Say, “Hey, I’d love to connect with you. I’m struggling with X. Would love to get your advice.”

Not every single person will accept that request. But if you reach out to 10 people per week on LinkedIn, two or three will accept and one of them will be happy to have a conversation with you. And if you have one conversation like that per week for the next two years, you’ve built up relationships with 100 potential clients.

If you want to follow up with more than just that one call, perhaps try to touch that person every six months by phone, maybe every two to three months via an email, try to build those relationships over time. So build relationships with peers now. Find some reason to connect.

Perhaps if there’s an industry association in your field, which obviously, there must be, volunteer to join the membership committee of that industry association. That will give you an opportunity to reach out to your peers at other firms and invite them to join and get to know them.

What I suggest is you hire someone in Upwork to come up with a list for you of 500 to 1,000 names of people that are either in a similar role at other firms or in other industries.

Then, reach out to 30 to 40 of them per week on LinkedIn. Send a LinkedIn connection request and customize it. Say, “Hey, I noticed that you are also head of supply chain. I’m head of supply chain. I would love to connect and share notes. I’m struggling with something right now. You know, you might be able to give me a useful perspective on it.”

My experience is, if you send out 40 LinkedIn requests, at least 10 to 15, probably 20, will accept that request if you’ve customized the request and look like a legit person who’s not just trying to sell them something.

Out of those 15 to 20, if you reach out to them, probably at least two or three of them will be happy to get on the phone with you. And think, if you do one phone call per week for the next two years, you’ll have built relationships with 100 executives who could be clients for your firm. That gives you a very big advantage when you actually make the transition.