October 16, 2024 • 20 mins
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Are you making the mistake of assuming a Are you positioning yourself as a consultant, or are you falling into the contractor trap? It’s easy to assume they’re the same, but the distinction between these two roles can make or break the way clients perceive your value—and impact your revenue. In this episode, we break down the subtle but critical differences between consultants and contractors, uncovering why many consultants unintentionally sell themselves short. Learn how to confidently articulate your expertise, educate your clients, and position yourself as a strategic leader who guides clients to success—rather than just doing the work for them.
Join us as we explore practical strategies to help you shift from filling gaps to leading the charge, ensuring your business vision aligns with the services you offer. This conversation will change the way you think about your role, your client relationships, and your ability to thrive in a competitive consulting landscape. role over one of a consultant? Surprisingly to many, the two are not exactly the same although both uniquely contribute to the business landscape. Our discussion promises to provide you with the tools to articulate your expertise, strategically position yourself, and ensure your services truly align with your business vision.
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For more information on how to start, grow, or scale your consulting business, visit https://excelatconsulting.com/
Let's Connect! I'd love to continue this conversation with you.
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LinkedIn: @drangelinadavis
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, hello, hello.
Welcome to the Black GirlsComfort Tube podcast.
I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and today I want us to have a
very basic conversation, and oneof the reasons why I want to
have this conversation isbecause I feel like we often
confuse a lot of titles anddefinitions surrounding
(00:21):
consulting and how that comparesto other types of expert-based
services.
So I want to make sure that weare on the same page when it
comes to how we are talkingabout our services, what we're
offering to our clients and howwe're showing up in the
marketplace, Because sometimeswe may advertise our services
(00:42):
and market our services in a waythat confuses our clients, and
then sometimes our clients haveno idea how to decipher between
the two.
I feel like the biggestconfusion comes about when we
talk about being a consultantversus a contractor, and
(01:02):
although there is some overlapbetween these two, they are
definitely very, very different.
So today we're going to breakthat all down and you, hopefully
, will have a clearunderstanding as to how to
better position yourself as aconsultant in your space and
reap all the wonderful benefitsas a result.
(01:22):
All right, let's get startedand reap all the wonderful
benefits as a result, all rightlet's get started, they say.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
The odds are stacked against us as women, especially
women of color, trying to thrivein the consulting world.
But rather than wait for a seatat the table that may never
come, what if we build our owntables?
What if we channeled ourtalents into guiding each other
towards the success we deserve?
Welcome to the Black GirlsConsole 2 podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and I've walked the path
(01:50):
from healthcare consultant to amentor for women like you,
ambitious, unstoppable and readyto make waves in the consulting
world, this podcast is yourgo-to spot for all things
entrepreneurial consulting.
For us as women, especiallywomen of color, think of it as
your weekly coffee date with afriend who's here to dish out
real talk on building a solidbusiness, elevating your thought
(02:13):
leadership and mastering thatall important mindset.
And let's not forget, we'redoing all of this while
balancing day jobs, family lifeand running teams.
Yes, we can do it all.
So if you're ready to dive intohow you can grow a thriving
consultancy or get strategiesand insights that actually fit
your busy lifestyle, then you'rein the right place.
(02:35):
Grab your coffee, tea or, hey,even a glass of wine, I won't
judge and let's get started.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Okay, first things first.
Many times, businesses, evencorporate clients, don't
necessarily know whether or notthey need a consultant or they
need a contractor, meaning theyput out these RFPs and they want
someone to come in and actuallydo work that they have already
(03:07):
outlined and specified.
Now, if you are a contractor,that's right up your alley
because you are filling in a gapthat they may have in their
particular organization.
But when you're a consultant,this doesn't quite match, and
because there is not a lot ofconversation as to how these
things differ, many times asconsultants we end up doing the
(03:31):
work of a contractor, and thatcan actually be to our detriment
in the long run.
So I think it's very importantfor us to understand what the
difference actually is and thenuse that as an opportunity to
educate many of the clients orthe prospects that we may run
into.
They don't seem to know thedifference, and this is not
(03:51):
about consulting being betterthan being a contractor.
That's not what I'm trying tosay at all.
It's all based upon what youdesire and what you want from
your business, but when you arelooking to use your expertise
and your thought leadership in acertain way, then many times
being a contractor is just notgoing to cut it, and so I want
(04:11):
us to understand the subtledifferences and nonsense between
the two, so that we know whatwe're looking for.
If you do decide to submit aresponse to a request for
proposal, or if you are justreaching out to others and
building your referrals and yourreferral list, I want you to be
able to do that in the rightway that aligns with the type of
(04:32):
business that you actuallyenvisioned of building.
So let's start first.
What is the difference betweena contractor and a consultant?
Now, usually with a contractor,this is someone who's coming in
to do the work for the team.
Often, this is an individual oran organization or a business
(04:56):
that is going to fill in gaps,meaning that there is something
that needs to be done thattypically could be fulfilled by
an employee.
But because there is that lackand sometimes it may be because
they can't find the rightindividual maybe it's a
temporary project and they don'tfeel the need to hire for the
long term for that particularposition they're looking for
(05:18):
someone else who can come in anddo that work without having to
be trained, without having to betold what to do, and to be able
to do it better than someonewho will be brand new at the
task, and this is when a lot oforganizations may be looking for
contractor help.
So I want you to think of beinga contractor as being more of
(05:40):
someone who is working to fillin the gaps, to complete the
tasks that's already beenoutlined by the client so many
times.
Contractors may go through sometype of third-party service.
Even if they are receivingreferrals, they are receiving
them to do a specific task.
(06:01):
Their function is more in thedoing.
Now, that is actually vastlydifferent from a consultant.
The thing about consulting isthat, yes, you are bridging the
gap between where someone iscurrently and where they want to
be, but you are not alwaysdoing the work, unless you just
choose to do that piece.
(06:22):
Most often, a consultant isactually laying out the strategy
, providing their knowledge,their expertise, their lived
experience to help that clientfigure out exactly what do they
need in order to get to thatnext level.
If you don't do that work oryou may be facilitating them
finding the necessary employeesand other resources that they
(06:51):
need in order to bring thosethings to life you are taking
your knowledge and your abilityto advise that client, and that
is what you're packaging as theservice that you offer.
So I want you to think moreglobally when you think about
the consulting services that youoffer.
So I want you to think moreglobally when you think about
the consulting services thatyou're offering.
They're not always going to behands-on unless, like I stated
(07:15):
before, you want them to.
When it comes to consulting, ittruly is a business of expertise
, where what you are marketing,what you're selling, what you're
providing the clients, surreilswhat you know and what you can
help them achieve through whatyou know.
And that is one of the biggestdifferences between being a
(07:35):
contractor and being aconsultant.
Now I will say that sometimes,when you're doing work as a
contractor, it can be somewhateasier to find jobs, because
most often people are lookingfor something to be done right
away.
They may not fully understandthe benefit of having a
consultant in that space and maynot know how a consultant can
(07:57):
help them.
But one of the things that youcan do as a consultant that a
contractor oftentimes cannot isyou can develop the strategy and
the plans for them to executenot just what they want to do,
but actually execute in a moreefficient and effective manner
so they achieve outcomes thatare far greater than what they
originally imagined, and that issomething that they are not
(08:19):
aware of at the time.
This is why it can be moredifficult, at least initially,
for us as consultants to landbusiness, because what we have
to pursue is ensure that theclient has a complete
understanding as to what ourrole is and how we can benefit
them.
That's all about us being ableto articulate our value and to
(08:42):
speak to what makes our offersvery much well-suited and fitted
for their needs.
So this is something that oftencan slow that process down just
a little bit for us asconsultants, whereas with
contractors, someone is goingout into the marketplace and
they're looking for someone todo the work, and that may be a
(09:04):
lot of times seen and feels like, for instance, it, where you
may have a client that needssomething built out for them in
the IT realm and they knowexactly what they want done, and
so they're finding a contractorwho can facilitate them being
able to do that work, andalthough that contractor has
(09:24):
immense knowledge themselves,they are expert-based services.
Most often they're notdirecting the project, they're
not taking that project from theground up and bringing it to
life.
They're usually coming in andperforming that work and maybe
giving some advice as they movealong as to which direction may
be better, but they are notmasterminding the initial
(09:47):
concepts, they're not developingthose initial strategies, and
that is one very, very bigdifference between the two and
something that we, asconsultants, have to be able to
explain so that we can speak tosome of the pitfalls, that we
can help them avoid some of thecosts that we can be responsible
for facilitating them, saving,being able to show them how we
(10:11):
can be their right hand andreally advise them through the
entire process and show themthings that they may not have
ever imagined was difficult orwas a problem or something that
could be a challenge that couldundermine what they are actually
doing.
So many times, clients don'tnecessarily know that they need
a consultant, and sometimes theygo out and they search for a
(10:32):
consultant because maybe that'swhat they've been told they need
from someone else, but they'regoing and they're asking for
work that very much aligns witha contractor's role.
So we just have to know thatand be able to speak to that and
understand that sometimes, as aconsultant, it may be a little
bit more challenging to landbusiness initially.
(10:53):
However, there is one maindifference in terms of how we're
able to capitalize on the workthat we do from the standpoint
of value, and what we aretypically able to charge or
command in terms of pricing.
Most often contractor roles maypay less than a consultant role
(11:17):
, because what you're paying forfrom the contractor is for the
work to be done and often thatis not viewed as high level or
premium as you being aconsultant who is actually doing
most of the advisement and thestrategic planning.
So when you're billing in inthat consulting role, you're
(11:41):
typically undervaluing yourservices number one and because
you're undervaluing yourservices of what you have to
offer, you often end upundercharging.
So while, yes, it can be easyto drum up contractor business
and it can be easy for you topotentially get your foot in the
door that way, it does somewhatconfuse your role to how
(12:05):
someone sees you in thatposition.
And also when it comes to thecontractor roles that are
currently in the marketplace,most clients look at those as
being interchangeable, meaningthat they often are shopping for
the person who can either do itcheaply, or maybe they're
looking for someone who has aspecialty in that particular
(12:26):
area, but they know that thereare other people typically that
could fill in in that capacity.
They also know that they canhire somebody to do that work
because, keep in mind, they arefocused on what they want to
accomplish and what they'vealready designed and strategized
themselves, and they are notnecessarily aware of the
pitfalls.
They're not looking for someoneto do that higher level
(12:49):
advisement when they aresearching for that need.
Sometimes they go and theyrequest the services of a
consultant but then attempt toposition them as a contractor.
So we have to be aware of thatand know the difference and not
just get fixated on the type ofcontract that we may be landing,
because, especially if this isfrom a corporate entity, we may
(13:13):
feel as if, oh my gosh, this isa wonderful, lucrative contract.
I need to take it.
And I'm not saying don't takeit.
That is something that youtruly need, that will build your
business.
But what I'm trying to expressis that you want to make sure
that, if you do take it, thatyou're making it clear what you
are capable of doing and how youtruly are able to serve them.
(13:35):
But what I would actually sayis that, even if they're coming
to you for that need, this iswhen our sales skills need to
kick in, because now it's timefor you to do the education so
that they better understand whatyou bring to the plate and then
shift their perspective andtheir mindset so that they're
able to reimburse you for thetrue value that you're bringing
(13:57):
and not under charge in thatcapacity, so that you're not
just accepting this work for thesake of accepting it, that you
truly are taking thisopportunity and making sure that
the client understands yourvalue and are willing to pay for
those services appropriately.
So this is not just a challenge, I would say, for the client,
(14:21):
but it's also a challenge for usas consultants, to speak to how
we're able to serve them, howwe're able to drive changes and
outcomes that are far greaterthan what a typical contractor
can actually do.
Let's be sure that we are ableto differentiate between the two
.
(14:41):
One of the things that I want usto not get caught up in is the
fact that it may sound difficultto sell yourself as consultants
.
That's not hard at all.
What is more difficult is justbeing consistent with educating
your target audience.
(15:02):
They're vastly aware of how youare different from a contractor
that you may hire, so the moreyou are doing in terms of
education, in terms of content,marketing, in terms of your
thought leaderships, to sharewhat you do, how your
perspectives are different, howyour values are different, how
(15:22):
your way of approaching theproblem is different and unique,
and how that difference canlead to better outcomes.
That then helps to positionthat organization or that client
at a higher level, to bettercompete against their
competition, and the more thatyou can do to better position
yourself as a consultant insteadof as a contractor, you are
(15:44):
going to, number one, win ahigher quality client and level
of business, but then, two, itis going to be more lucrative to
you and your company in the end.
So the thing that I want us toknow is that, yes, we can do
(16:05):
contractor work, as a matter offact, as a consultant, if you
want to do some of theimplementation, which I often
recommend that we have someelements in there that help us
ensure that implementation goeswell, because if the client
doesn't implement successfully,then they'll walk away thinking
that your strategy didn't workas a whole conversation for
another day.
But although we may do some work, all the contractor will.
(16:27):
We fill in and perform sometasks.
That is at your discretion.
Your value still lies in theexpertise that you're bringing
to the table, and I want us toreally understand that
difference, because this is howyou are going to elevate
yourself in your expertise sothat you're in more of a
(16:47):
leadership role.
Instead of following along withwhat the client has laid out,
we are usually following theirdirection.
They are the leader of theproject and we tend to be
following that path.
However, what I teach myclients to do is that you're
going to collaborate veryclosely with the client and you
are going to help, guide andadvise them through the process
(17:11):
so that they're making the bestdecisions.
So this puts you in a seat ofleadership.
These are very different things,and the more that we can better
understand how they aredifferent, then it's going to
help us to shift the way that weare approaching the jobs that
we're taking on, the clientsthat we're working with, and how
we're going to approach how weare marketing and selling our
(17:34):
services in general, because wewant to sell from a position of
leadership.
We want to promote our servicesfrom a position of advisement.
We want to focus on how we'reable to help them more
effectively solve the problemand how we can guide them to the
outcome that they desire andthat they need.
So I want you to shift awayfrom thinking of yourself as
(17:59):
just being able to do work for aclient, do work for a corporate
entity.
I want you to think about howyou're going to show up as that
expert in the room, how you'regoing to show up as an
consultant that is ready to leadthe team.
That is vastly different fromyou being a contractor and, like
I stated before, one is notbetter than the other.
(18:20):
It depends on what you desirefor your business and for the
work that you do.
But if you do desire to be aconsultant, there's a need for
us to show up that way, and themore that we're showing up that
way, the better it's going to befor our business, for our
longevity and for the amount ofrevenue that we can bring in.
That makes our businesses moreprofitable, and we have to
(18:42):
become profitable so that we aresustainable, and that's one of
the reasons why I wanted to havethis conversation.
So if you have been focused ondoing more work that aligns with
being a contractor and youdesire to be a consultant and
excel in the consulting industry, I want you to focus on the
shifts that you can make tobetter position yourself as a
(19:04):
consultant.
I want you to think about howyou're able to educate your
client about the differencesbetween being a consultant and
being a contractor.
I want you to be able to betterarticulate your value so that
you can speak to the type ofoutcomes that you can help them
achieve through your expertise,through your lived experience.
And then I also want you to beable to lead, lead and show them
(19:29):
how you are able to take thempoint A to point B so that they
have the comfort and reassurancethat they can trust you with
their biggest problems.
And when you do this, theneverything is going to work out
and align, with you having themost amazing consulting business
that you have ever dreamt up.
Remember position yourself as aconsultant, not as a contractor
(19:52):
.
Sell your expertise, what youknow and what you can do through
the knowledge you have.
All right, guys, take care.
Bye-bye.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Thank you for tuning in to the Black Girls Consulting
Podcast.
If you enjoyed today's episode,be sure to leave your review on
Apple Podcasts, subscribe andshare it with a friend.
We're on a mission to increasethe success and longevity of
women in consulting, and you canhelp us do just that.
Also, I'd love to hear from you, so let's connect at Dr
(20:23):
Angelina Davis on Instagram orLinkedIn, and don't forget to
visit ExcelAtConsultingcom formore information to support your
consulting journey.
Until next time, keep breakingglass ceiling.
All right, take care.
Bye.
Hello, hello, hello.
Welcome to the Black GirlsComfort Tube podcast.
I'm your host, dr Angelina Davis, and today I want us to have a
very basic conversation, and oneof the reasons why I want to
have this conversation isbecause I feel like we often
confuse a lot of titles anddefinitions surrounding
(00:21):
consulting and how that comparesto other types of expert-based
services.
So I want to make sure that weare on the same page when it
comes to how we are talkingabout our services, what we're
offering to our clients and howwe're showing up in the
marketplace, Because sometimeswe may advertise our services
(00:42):
and market our services in a waythat confuses our clients, and
then sometimes our clients haveno idea how to decipher between
the two.
I feel like the biggestconfusion comes about when we
talk about being a consultantversus a contractor, and
(01:02):
although there is some overlapbetween these two, they are
definitely very, very different.
So today we're going to breakthat all down and you, hopefully
, will have a clearunderstanding as to how to
better position yourself as aconsultant in your space and
reap all the wonderful benefitsas a result.
(01:22):
All right, let's get startedand reap all the wonderful
benefits as a result, all rightlet's get started, they say.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
The odds are stacked against us as women, especially
women of color, trying to thrivein the consulting world.
But rather than wait for a seatat the table that may never
come, what if we build our owntables?
What if we channeled ourtalents into guiding each other
towards the success we deserve?
Welcome to the Black GirlsConsole 2 podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and I've walked the path
(01:50):
from healthcare consultant to amentor for women like you,
ambitious, unstoppable and readyto make waves in the consulting
world, this podcast is yourgo-to spot for all things
entrepreneurial consulting.
For us as women, especiallywomen of color, think of it as
your weekly coffee date with afriend who's here to dish out
real talk on building a solidbusiness, elevating your thought
(02:13):
leadership and mastering thatall important mindset.
And let's not forget, we'redoing all of this while
balancing day jobs, family lifeand running teams.
Yes, we can do it all.
So if you're ready to dive intohow you can grow a thriving
consultancy or get strategiesand insights that actually fit
your busy lifestyle, then you'rein the right place.
(02:35):
Grab your coffee, tea or, hey,even a glass of wine, I won't
judge and let's get started.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Okay, first things first.
Many times, businesses, evencorporate clients, don't
necessarily know whether or notthey need a consultant or they
need a contractor, meaning theyput out these RFPs and they want
someone to come in and actuallydo work that they have already
(03:07):
outlined and specified.
Now, if you are a contractor,that's right up your alley
because you are filling in a gapthat they may have in their
particular organization.
But when you're a consultant,this doesn't quite match, and
because there is not a lot ofconversation as to how these
things differ, many times asconsultants we end up doing the
(03:31):
work of a contractor, and thatcan actually be to our detriment
in the long run.
So I think it's very importantfor us to understand what the
difference actually is and thenuse that as an opportunity to
educate many of the clients orthe prospects that we may run
into.
They don't seem to know thedifference, and this is not
(03:51):
about consulting being betterthan being a contractor.
That's not what I'm trying tosay at all.
It's all based upon what youdesire and what you want from
your business, but when you arelooking to use your expertise
and your thought leadership in acertain way, then many times
being a contractor is just notgoing to cut it, and so I want
(04:11):
us to understand the subtledifferences and nonsense between
the two, so that we know whatwe're looking for.
If you do decide to submit aresponse to a request for
proposal, or if you are justreaching out to others and
building your referrals and yourreferral list, I want you to be
able to do that in the rightway that aligns with the type of
(04:32):
business that you actuallyenvisioned of building.
So let's start first.
What is the difference betweena contractor and a consultant?
Now, usually with a contractor,this is someone who's coming in
to do the work for the team.
Often, this is an individual oran organization or a business
(04:56):
that is going to fill in gaps,meaning that there is something
that needs to be done thattypically could be fulfilled by
an employee.
But because there is that lackand sometimes it may be because
they can't find the rightindividual maybe it's a
temporary project and they don'tfeel the need to hire for the
long term for that particularposition they're looking for
(05:18):
someone else who can come in anddo that work without having to
be trained, without having to betold what to do, and to be able
to do it better than someonewho will be brand new at the
task, and this is when a lot oforganizations may be looking for
contractor help.
So I want you to think of beinga contractor as being more of
(05:40):
someone who is working to fillin the gaps, to complete the
tasks that's already beenoutlined by the client so many
times.
Contractors may go through sometype of third-party service.
Even if they are receivingreferrals, they are receiving
them to do a specific task.
(06:01):
Their function is more in thedoing.
Now, that is actually vastlydifferent from a consultant.
The thing about consulting isthat, yes, you are bridging the
gap between where someone iscurrently and where they want to
be, but you are not alwaysdoing the work, unless you just
choose to do that piece.
(06:22):
Most often, a consultant isactually laying out the strategy
, providing their knowledge,their expertise, their lived
experience to help that clientfigure out exactly what do they
need in order to get to thatnext level.
If you don't do that work oryou may be facilitating them
finding the necessary employeesand other resources that they
(06:51):
need in order to bring thosethings to life you are taking
your knowledge and your abilityto advise that client, and that
is what you're packaging as theservice that you offer.
So I want you to think moreglobally when you think about
the consulting services that youoffer.
So I want you to think moreglobally when you think about
the consulting services thatyou're offering.
They're not always going to behands-on unless, like I stated
(07:15):
before, you want them to.
When it comes to consulting, ittruly is a business of expertise
, where what you are marketing,what you're selling, what you're
providing the clients, surreilswhat you know and what you can
help them achieve through whatyou know.
And that is one of the biggestdifferences between being a
(07:35):
contractor and being aconsultant.
Now I will say that sometimes,when you're doing work as a
contractor, it can be somewhateasier to find jobs, because
most often people are lookingfor something to be done right
away.
They may not fully understandthe benefit of having a
consultant in that space and maynot know how a consultant can
(07:57):
help them.
But one of the things that youcan do as a consultant that a
contractor oftentimes cannot isyou can develop the strategy and
the plans for them to executenot just what they want to do,
but actually execute in a moreefficient and effective manner
so they achieve outcomes thatare far greater than what they
originally imagined, and that issomething that they are not
(08:19):
aware of at the time.
This is why it can be moredifficult, at least initially,
for us as consultants to landbusiness, because what we have
to pursue is ensure that theclient has a complete
understanding as to what ourrole is and how we can benefit
them.
That's all about us being ableto articulate our value and to
(08:42):
speak to what makes our offersvery much well-suited and fitted
for their needs.
So this is something that oftencan slow that process down just
a little bit for us asconsultants, whereas with
contractors, someone is goingout into the marketplace and
they're looking for someone todo the work, and that may be a
(09:04):
lot of times seen and feels like, for instance, it, where you
may have a client that needssomething built out for them in
the IT realm and they knowexactly what they want done, and
so they're finding a contractorwho can facilitate them being
able to do that work, andalthough that contractor has
(09:24):
immense knowledge themselves,they are expert-based services.
Most often they're notdirecting the project, they're
not taking that project from theground up and bringing it to
life.
They're usually coming in andperforming that work and maybe
giving some advice as they movealong as to which direction may
be better, but they are notmasterminding the initial
(09:47):
concepts, they're not developingthose initial strategies, and
that is one very, very bigdifference between the two and
something that we, asconsultants, have to be able to
explain so that we can speak tosome of the pitfalls, that we
can help them avoid some of thecosts that we can be responsible
for facilitating them, saving,being able to show them how we
(10:11):
can be their right hand andreally advise them through the
entire process and show themthings that they may not have
ever imagined was difficult orwas a problem or something that
could be a challenge that couldundermine what they are actually
doing.
So many times, clients don'tnecessarily know that they need
a consultant, and sometimes theygo out and they search for a
(10:32):
consultant because maybe that'swhat they've been told they need
from someone else, but they'regoing and they're asking for
work that very much aligns witha contractor's role.
So we just have to know thatand be able to speak to that and
understand that sometimes, as aconsultant, it may be a little
bit more challenging to landbusiness initially.
(10:53):
However, there is one maindifference in terms of how we're
able to capitalize on the workthat we do from the standpoint
of value, and what we aretypically able to charge or
command in terms of pricing.
Most often contractor roles maypay less than a consultant role
(11:17):
, because what you're paying forfrom the contractor is for the
work to be done and often thatis not viewed as high level or
premium as you being aconsultant who is actually doing
most of the advisement and thestrategic planning.
So when you're billing in inthat consulting role, you're
(11:41):
typically undervaluing yourservices number one and because
you're undervaluing yourservices of what you have to
offer, you often end upundercharging.
So while, yes, it can be easyto drum up contractor business
and it can be easy for you topotentially get your foot in the
door that way, it does somewhatconfuse your role to how
(12:05):
someone sees you in thatposition.
And also when it comes to thecontractor roles that are
currently in the marketplace,most clients look at those as
being interchangeable, meaningthat they often are shopping for
the person who can either do itcheaply, or maybe they're
looking for someone who has aspecialty in that particular
(12:26):
area, but they know that thereare other people typically that
could fill in in that capacity.
They also know that they canhire somebody to do that work
because, keep in mind, they arefocused on what they want to
accomplish and what they'vealready designed and strategized
themselves, and they are notnecessarily aware of the
pitfalls.
They're not looking for someoneto do that higher level
(12:49):
advisement when they aresearching for that need.
Sometimes they go and theyrequest the services of a
consultant but then attempt toposition them as a contractor.
So we have to be aware of thatand know the difference and not
just get fixated on the type ofcontract that we may be landing,
because, especially if this isfrom a corporate entity, we may
(13:13):
feel as if, oh my gosh, this isa wonderful, lucrative contract.
I need to take it.
And I'm not saying don't takeit.
That is something that youtruly need, that will build your
business.
But what I'm trying to expressis that you want to make sure
that, if you do take it, thatyou're making it clear what you
are capable of doing and how youtruly are able to serve them.
(13:35):
But what I would actually sayis that, even if they're coming
to you for that need, this iswhen our sales skills need to
kick in, because now it's timefor you to do the education so
that they better understand whatyou bring to the plate and then
shift their perspective andtheir mindset so that they're
able to reimburse you for thetrue value that you're bringing
(13:57):
and not under charge in thatcapacity, so that you're not
just accepting this work for thesake of accepting it, that you
truly are taking thisopportunity and making sure that
the client understands yourvalue and are willing to pay for
those services appropriately.
So this is not just a challenge, I would say, for the client,
(14:21):
but it's also a challenge for usas consultants, to speak to how
we're able to serve them, howwe're able to drive changes and
outcomes that are far greaterthan what a typical contractor
can actually do.
Let's be sure that we are ableto differentiate between the two
.
(14:41):
One of the things that I want usto not get caught up in is the
fact that it may sound difficultto sell yourself as consultants
.
That's not hard at all.
What is more difficult is justbeing consistent with educating
your target audience.
(15:02):
They're vastly aware of how youare different from a contractor
that you may hire, so the moreyou are doing in terms of
education, in terms of content,marketing, in terms of your
thought leaderships, to sharewhat you do, how your
perspectives are different, howyour values are different, how
(15:22):
your way of approaching theproblem is different and unique,
and how that difference canlead to better outcomes.
That then helps to positionthat organization or that client
at a higher level, to bettercompete against their
competition, and the more thatyou can do to better position
yourself as a consultant insteadof as a contractor, you are
(15:44):
going to, number one, win ahigher quality client and level
of business, but then, two, itis going to be more lucrative to
you and your company in the end.
So the thing that I want us toknow is that, yes, we can do
(16:05):
contractor work, as a matter offact, as a consultant, if you
want to do some of theimplementation, which I often
recommend that we have someelements in there that help us
ensure that implementation goeswell, because if the client
doesn't implement successfully,then they'll walk away thinking
that your strategy didn't workas a whole conversation for
another day.
But although we may do some work, all the contractor will.
(16:27):
We fill in and perform sometasks.
That is at your discretion.
Your value still lies in theexpertise that you're bringing
to the table, and I want us toreally understand that
difference, because this is howyou are going to elevate
yourself in your expertise sothat you're in more of a
(16:47):
leadership role.
Instead of following along withwhat the client has laid out,
we are usually following theirdirection.
They are the leader of theproject and we tend to be
following that path.
However, what I teach myclients to do is that you're
going to collaborate veryclosely with the client and you
are going to help, guide andadvise them through the process
(17:11):
so that they're making the bestdecisions.
So this puts you in a seat ofleadership.
These are very different things,and the more that we can better
understand how they aredifferent, then it's going to
help us to shift the way that weare approaching the jobs that
we're taking on, the clientsthat we're working with, and how
we're going to approach how weare marketing and selling our
(17:34):
services in general, because wewant to sell from a position of
leadership.
We want to promote our servicesfrom a position of advisement.
We want to focus on how we'reable to help them more
effectively solve the problemand how we can guide them to the
outcome that they desire andthat they need.
So I want you to shift awayfrom thinking of yourself as
(17:59):
just being able to do work for aclient, do work for a corporate
entity.
I want you to think about howyou're going to show up as that
expert in the room, how you'regoing to show up as an
consultant that is ready to leadthe team.
That is vastly different fromyou being a contractor and, like
I stated before, one is notbetter than the other.
(18:20):
It depends on what you desirefor your business and for the
work that you do.
But if you do desire to be aconsultant, there's a need for
us to show up that way, and themore that we're showing up that
way, the better it's going to befor our business, for our
longevity and for the amount ofrevenue that we can bring in.
That makes our businesses moreprofitable, and we have to
(18:42):
become profitable so that we aresustainable, and that's one of
the reasons why I wanted to havethis conversation.
So if you have been focused ondoing more work that aligns with
being a contractor and youdesire to be a consultant and
excel in the consulting industry, I want you to focus on the
shifts that you can make tobetter position yourself as a
(19:04):
consultant.
I want you to think about howyou're able to educate your
client about the differencesbetween being a consultant and
being a contractor.
I want you to be able to betterarticulate your value so that
you can speak to the type ofoutcomes that you can help them
achieve through your expertise,through your lived experience.
And then I also want you to beable to lead, lead and show them
(19:29):
how you are able to take thempoint A to point B so that they
have the comfort and reassurancethat they can trust you with
their biggest problems.
And when you do this, theneverything is going to work out
and align, with you having themost amazing consulting business
that you have ever dreamt up.
Remember position yourself as aconsultant, not as a contractor
(19:52):
.
Sell your expertise, what youknow and what you can do through
the knowledge you have.
All right, guys, take care.
Bye-bye.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Thank you for tuning in to the Black Girls Consulting
Podcast.
If you enjoyed today's episode,be sure to leave your review on
Apple Podcasts, subscribe andshare it with a friend.
We're on a mission to increasethe success and longevity of
women in consulting, and you canhelp us do just that.
Also, I'd love to hear from you, so let's connect at Dr
(20:23):
Angelina Davis on Instagram orLinkedIn, and don't forget to
visit ExcelAtConsultingcom formore information to support your
consulting journey.
Until next time, keep breakingglass ceiling.
All right, take care.
Bye.
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