Category: 
February 18, 2010I spoke recently with the MD of Mindbench, a recruitment consultancy for freelance consultants and he told me that one of the determinants for the success for freelance management consultants was their soft skills rather than how good they were technically.
So what are some of these soft skills and how can you develop them?
Interpersonal/Communication Skills
The key to being a freelancer is dealing with many different people on a day to day basis. Chances are you probably had to do this as a full-time consultant but it is these social skills which should have nothing to do with your actual expertise, but which could prove critical to you getting a job. How much people like working with and interacting with you is another intangible factor. Often it is well worth trying to talk to everyone. I remember once working for Ernst & Young. They have many divisions and sections which are often placed side by side perhaps due to that being the only space available. However, I found that no-one talks to each other outside of their own division. After a while, after weeks and months go by, it is just too much and too long to break down that barrier and system which has gone up.
So, one tip is to learn how to or just start initiating conversations with people throughout the organisation. Obviously this must not detract from your job but you can have a quick friendly word with people. This can often lead to future work especially if there are several directors or potential hirers of you in the company.
If you are struggling in this area, it is worth looking at a book called How To Talk To Anyone by Leil Lowndes, which has many quick and easy to use tips in order to do just this. If you are seriously shy, then it might be worth working on your social anxiety and what others think of you through cognitive therapy or something like that.
Sales Skills
This is something which has been mentioned to me a couple of times by Business Link and also a meeting I had with someone I shall call a mentor. I contacted a more experienced consultant to ask him for some advice about how to proceed and develop my career.
He recommended a book called ‘Spin Selling’ by Neal Rackham as being an important and also classic book to read. I had a meeting with Business Link, about which I will talk more in a future blog post. They recommended I take some sales training and recommended a company for me to look at. Sales training is important in learning how to both sell yourself and also pitch for projects and tenders. I think one of the key things is to get into the frame of mind of a potential employer of your freelance consultancy work.
Why would they want to use you? What services and value add can you provide? What is the most effective way of your working with their organisation? How do they tend to select consulting service providers? Who do they currently use and what is the tender/purchase process etc? Your sales skills will come in answering these questions and providing a solution and answering any objections based on this. Plus of course, a lot of purchases are emotional decisions as much as rational, logic decisions.
Public Speaking
This is a difficult one for me because I am both scared of it and also quite good at it or so I am told. Whatever, it can be nerve-wracking getting up in front of people or even just expressing your own opinion in front of others. The two things I have learnt is to know your content inside out and get as much practice public speaking as possible. There are also come visualisation and relaxation exercises you can use.
The things I can recommend are joining your local Toastmasters organisation. This is a not for profit group which focuses on developing your public speaking skills. They have a specific structure of speeches and impromptu talks you can give in front of their members and you soon learn to develop your skills. It is also a good way of networking with other people in senior positions. It is also a good way to practice in a low pressure environment:
I gave a presentation earlier this year and the feedback from a lot of people was that I came across as quite nervous. So someone recommended I attend the following day workshop The Body Talk Express Show although the website does not appear to have been updated in a while:
So these are some of the soft skills – communication skills, sales skills and public speaking which may have nothing to do with your expertise and delivery but could make the difference between getting freelance consulting jobs or not.
Sorry, no comments yet.