Competing with a larger firm can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. The truth is that you are not alone. There are many small consulting firms and independent consultants who have felt this way too, but there are also many of them who have found ways to win the project anyway.

For any company, hiring a consultant is not an easy decision. It’s a long and difficult process that requires them to choose from many different options—and this includes picking the consulting firm as well as individual consultants. Large businesses often have reps who are responsible for researching companies before they make their decisions, which means your proposal needs to be stellar in order for them to want to work with you instead of someone else! In this blog post, we will explore some winning strategies for winning projects without being a large firm.

Value Proposition

What do clients want? They want value! A consultant who is able to provide a high level of ROI with their services would be an ideal candidate for any project. Your goal should not only be winning projects but also helping companies in ways that improve their operations in every way possible. It could be through offering novel or creative insights about how they can change or improving processes within the business—and when it comes to getting hired, demonstrating these qualities are what separates one from when competing for projects against other firms.

Experience

This should be obvious—the more experience, expertise, and skills that your team has, the better! Clients love working with people who have been there before because it means less time explaining project requirements and offering guidance on best practices.

Proven Track Record 

The client wants someone whose solutions won’t just work in theory but actually works well in practice. If you haven’t worked on projects similar to theirs before then they probably won’t consider hiring you. A proven track record means that you’ve worked on similar problems before and the solutions have been successful. If you can show this, then they will know better of your ability to get things done for them.

Well-defined project proposal 

That will make the client want to work with you. This should include a list of all your proposed deliverables, milestones, and timing for each one as well as an estimated budget. Your proposal should also include how you plan on measuring success at the end of the engagement, which is often done by using KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

Customized Solutions

It’s very important to be able to offer customized solutions for each project and your clients want you to do this! This is what separates consultants from technicians, and it’s also one of the reasons why many companies hire consultants — they need a new approach on how they can solve their business problems. If you are unable to provide customizable solutions then perhaps another company might be more suitable instead?

Price Competitiveness 

You should always aim to have great value in projects but not at an expensive price—you don’t want them hiring someone else because they were cheaper! Instead, consider offering different pricing options or discounts if given enough time before the proposal deadline closes. Even though there may be other factors that contribute when winning projects, prices are still very important to companies because they do not want to overspend on projects.

For any company, hiring a consultant is not an easy decision. It’s a long and difficult process that requires you to choose from many different options—and this includes picking the consulting firm as well as individual consultants within it. Large businesses often have reps who are responsible for researching companies before they make their decisions, which means your proposal needs to be stellar in order for them to want to work with you instead of someone else!

A Final Word …

At the end of the day, winning consulting projects boils down to a few key things: providing value upfront by sharing unique insights or explaining why their problems are important before creating solutions; not being afraid about asking questions if something isn’t clear; demonstrating evidence that you understand what they care about most (proof of concept); having good communication skills since clients need support too; and, building a strong referral network since this is how you get referred to other companies looking for help too.

After reading this piece, you may feel less intimidated about competing with a larger firm for the next project. There are many small consulting firms out there who have felt just as overwhelmed and under-resourced in their business endeavors before finding success. ConsultXperts is a Consulting marketplace that helps consultants to get access to exciting projects that fit your interest and expertise.