You don't have to sell like a used car salesman
There's salesmanship in all of this, but traditional sales has no real place in a consulting or fractional business. Talk to successful fractionals and consultants anywhere and they'll tell you they get their business through networking, referrals and introductions, not cold calls, appointment setting, ads or cold emails.
Most of us don't come from a sales or marketing background. I do, but most don't, which means you're probably not great at it anyway. I think you do have to accept that you'll hustle for work forever in some way. That doesn't mean you have to sell to do it.
Get in before the need is fully formed
Timing is the big advantage. Ideally you're talking with a prospect before they've fully decided what they need. Once they've decided, you're more of a commodity, and what they decided often isn't right anyway. Get into the conversation earlier and you may be the only person they talk to, and you can help shape what they actually need.
Introductions are how you get in early. Someone says, I'm not sure Joe actually needs this, but you two should talk. Then Joe tells you he has something coming up in about a year and isn't quite sure what he'll need. That's exactly the conversation you want.
Most buyers are in that early stage most of the time. Professor John Dawes of the Ehrenberg Bass Institute, writing for LinkedIn's B2B Institute in 2021, found that companies change providers of services like banking, legal advice and software about every five years. As Marketing Week reported, that leaves only about 5 percent in the market in a given quarter. The other 95 percent aren't shopping yet.
They are networking partners, not prospects
Never treat the people you network with as clients. That's what makes the conversation authentic. Steer the talk toward your area of expertise so you can actually help, and then just help. Give it away.
If it turns out you can help them directly, they'll bring it up. For me that happens maybe 5 percent of the time. When it does, be ready to shift gears. I've actually had a hard time shifting gears into selling when someone asked what it costs to hire me. If they ask, answer.
People who agree to a call with someone they met on LinkedIn are taking a gamble that you won't be a pushy salesperson. When you show up friendly and helpful instead, they won their bet, and they're happy to share their winnings with introductions.
Build equity instead of renting
I think of networking as buying instead of renting. The relationships usually don't turn into business right away, but they build long term equity that pays off down the road, sometimes in a direction you didn't expect.
That isn't the same as giving your work away forever. Networking is where you're generous. When someone hires you, set clear boundaries on what you'll do and what it costs. To talk about how this could work for you, book a networking chat.