The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom

by David A. Fields

This deeply insightful guide to understanding what clients really want is “an indispensable resource for consultants” (Keith Ferrazzi, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Never Eat Alone). Independent consulting is a potentially lucrative enterprise—but the reality seldom matches the dream. Most solo consultants and boutique consulting firms are perpetually within six months of bankruptcy due to the sputtering unreliability of their new business engines. The problem, according to international consulting expert David A. Fields, is 1) lack of a consistent, proven plan, and 2) fundamental misunderstanding about what clients want in a consultant. Fields, who has helped hundreds of consultants and boutique firms worldwide build profitable, sustainable practices, replaces the typical consultant’s mindset of emphasizing expertise and differentiated processes with a focus on building relationships, engendering trust, and solving clients’ existing problems. In The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients, Fields synthesizes his decades of experience into a step-by-step approach to winning more projects from more clients at higher fees. From nuts-and-bolts business advice and tactics to a deeply insightful breakdown of the human side of a very human profession, Fields, named one of Advertising Age magazine’s “Marketing Top 100,” delivers a comprehensive guidebook that is at once highly approachable and satisfyingly detailed. “If I could have just one book on client strategy, this book would be it.” —Marshall Goldsmith, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Triggers

Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Nonfiction, Professional Development

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2017

Reviews

[Scott Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be a must-read for anyone thinking of going into consulting or already in consulting, especially if they are an individual consultant. It is certainly a bargain for the $3 Kindle edition. There are tons of practical ideas proven out from experience in this book. I posted a few highlights, and I am sure anyone could find a lot more that pertains to their situation.

[Ninoslav Rupić · Rating 4 out of 5]

On-point, accessible, good and practical advice from personal and professional experience.

[Nick Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this book

[Harshal Patil · Rating 5 out of 5]

An experienced consultant recommended this book to me, so I felt good about it even before reading it. I have a positive bias towards it. It was also the first book I read on how to consult by myself. I found it very useful. The book is both instructional and practical. However, I haven't yet gained unlimited clients or financial freedom. This is due to the actions I've taken, not because the book has problems. I'm working on improving my approach. I'll share a summary of what I've learned and taken away from the book. For more details, you can read the first part of my series on my blog through the link below.
https://www.harshal-patil.com/post/la...
Here's what stood out to me and how I applied these lessons to my consulting venture:
1 - Client-First Mentality: Emphasizing "Right Side Up Thinking," Field advocates for prioritizing client needs over business-centric thoughts. This approach, reminiscent of Amazon's customer obsession, shifted my perspective from what I wanted to do to what my clients needed. This changed how I engage with prospects.
2 - Identifying My Niche: I spent a lot of time here. By focusing on urgent, recognized problems within my target market, I need to position myself where demand already exists, aligning my skills with client priorities. This step was challenging but pivotal in defining my consulting focus. This is a continued pain point for me.
3 - Building Visibility and Relationships: Through various marketing channels, especially writing and networking, I worked on increasing my visibility. But, it was through fostering relationships, even without immediate business prospects, that I truly began to understand the value of connectivity in consulting. Now I know relationships. Next, I need to know how to ask them for help.
4 - Engagement and Conversion Strategies: From conducting context discussions to smoothly transitioning conversations towards business opportunities, I applied Field's strategies to deepen engagement with prospects. The nuanced approach of proposing solutions, negotiating, and closing, especially offering multiple pricing options, enhanced my consultancy's appeal.
Books like "Obviously Awesome" and "Fanatical Prospecting" further supplemented my understanding of positioning and outreach.

[Alex Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than enough to take action

I’m not a consultant in the traditional sense, however this book has plenty of strategies to land big clients, design proposals and answer any objections that come up along the way. There’s an emphasis to always building relationships even when you have projects going. Many shifts in thinking having you go from starting out or minimal clients to many clients. Recommend this for any consultants who want to boost their business and credibility.

[Robert Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A resource for every consultant

This is not just for the new consultant, but also for veterans in the profession. It provides a step by step guide to successfully finding and signing clients.

[anshul agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very to-the-point book. It pinpoints the exact problems that consultants face and mistakes that they make and offers simple, straightforward solutions. I loved this book and am already implementing many of their recommendations.

[Rachael Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great step-by-step approach

This book gives valuable insights, specific steps, and examples on how to attract quality consulting customers.

I really appreciate the customer focused approach, so selling doesn’t sound so sleazy. The pictures we always good for a chuckle, too!

[Dieter Van Den Broeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

I would highly recommend for any consultant or aspiring consultant. The book gives great advice and let's you think in a way you put the clients needs first. You'll learn the whole process from finding an idea to closing clients.

[James Considine · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a pragmatic and insightful book on growing a consulting practice

Hard pressed to find a better resource for consultants looking to win more projects, charge higher fees, and make a big impact for clients.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 65% was mostly consulting 101, great reminders. However, the last 35% was pure gold! Learned exactly what to ask in a discovery meeting, how to turn that conversation into a winning proposal, and how to address concerns and objections.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book on winning consulting clients. Emphasises the importance of building/maintaining relationships, keeping a disciplined focus on their interests and issues - not on proving abilities, insights or experience.

[Matthew E Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of the best

Best consulting book I’ve read in 25 years as a consultant. Full of great gems you won’t find elsewhere in such a succinct and enjoyable read.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and actionable. Excited to put these lessons to use.

[Cairo Cananea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um dos melhores livros sobre atrair clientes para projetos de consultoria

[Benjamin Wann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent advice, practical and entertaining

David delivers an outstanding book on how to win consultant clients. Each step is clear, actionable, and insightful. Highly recommend.

[Pedrom Rejai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good framework to help you think through quite a few parts of consulting. A bit cheesy in parts and not a ton of evidence shared as backup, other than the author's experience.

[Rasmus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. Found lot of it quite relevant especially the sections on wining new work

[V Narayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Inspiring and insightful

[Mila Fairfax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Putting processes into context

Even having been a consultant for quite some time, I found this content really useful. I gleaned some new ideas, but more importantly, Fields shows how and why things tend to work in real-world practice. There may be tactics or habits that we’ve picked up along the way, but this explains them in context.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Irresistible Consultants Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom by David A Fields is a non-fiction book that falls into the money and business genre. It is a book that would appeal most to an audience of adults who are considering becoming consultants. The Irresistible Consultants Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom by David A Fields is a book that gives all the nitty gritty facts of becoming a consultant from the fact that consultants tend to live about six months from bankruptcy at all times to the realistic struggle in finding, gaining, and keeping clients.

The Irresistible Consultants Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom by David A Fields was a book that I desired to read because of the pact that I have been considering a career as a psychology consultant. Prior to reading, this book I was wearing rose tinted glasses I thought it would be easy to get into the consultant business and that I would quickly have plenty of money and the ability to be my own boss. This book truly showed me how wrong I was and how my approach could have ended with me declaring bankruptcy. The material was well organized and presented in a very upfront and frank manner. I found the book to be rather harsh in nature and I do think it could have taken a less harsh approach, but then it might not have been as effective. If you are considering going into the consulting business this is a necessary read for you!

[Romuald Dzemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Irresistible Consultants Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom by David A Fields is a powerful marketing tool that consultants will find very useful. In this book the author discusses one of the most essential aspects of every business: attracting clients. Without clients, no business survives. The million dollar question is: How can a consultant attract customers that are worth having? In this book, the author takes readers on a step-by-step guide on winning clients.

I enjoyed the way the author talks about building visibility, but what was stunning is the shift in focus. Consultants who make a difference are those who are client focus and who craft their sales pitches from the point of view of their clients. David A Fields, a highly successful consultant shares his secrets to winning businesses in this book that is packed with groundbreaking advices. This is the book every consultant should read before starting their business.