How to deal with Consultant clients

Consulting can be a tricky business. The entire model is based upon supplying businesses with expertise which they are lacking by themselves. Understandably, this can result in some rather negative responses by your clients, either because having somebody who isn’t as invested in the business as they are in a position of power makes them uncomfortable, or because they are unsure that the advice that you’re providing is accurate, or worth the money they are spending on you. The first is something which you’ll just have to reverse over time, but the latter can be more difficult to deal with. For instance, although clients are coming to you for advice, they will regularly overrun or ignore your advice and ask you to do something that they consider to be important. In this situation, it is important to remember that your job as a consultant, it is your job to do what’s best for your client, if that means arguing with them about something ill-advised, then that’s what you should do.