Clever Counsel #17 - The Desperation Cycle
Lately I’ve been thinking about the desperation cycle.
It’s this depressing, demoralizing loop that too many consultants fall into. They reach a point where the pipeline dries up, and they start to become fearful, worried and desperate to find their next project.
That desperation starts to feed into their new business attempts - prospective clients can see it and feel it in their outreach and positioning. They can hear it in the way these consultants speak about themselves. The confidence just isn’t there. And then, as these consultants fail to secure new opportunities, the desperation deepens. The fear takes over. Insecurity reigns.
With every rejection, that core inner belief becomes more and more pronounced - I’m not good enough. I can’t do this.
I have a tip for avoiding this cycle in the first place. I also have a tip for getting out of this cycle once you’re in it.
To prevent yourself from falling into the desperation cycle, you have to learn to become a consultant who is always doing business development. This starts with reframing your thinking around BD - it isn’t just something you do when you’re low on work, or when a client project is starting to wrap up. In fact, one of the most powerful times to double down on your BD is when you’ve just won a new client project, or when your plate is completely full with client work. People are universally attracted to confidence and perceived demand. When they see and hear that others are flocking to work with you, they’ll be even more motivated to reach out.
Playing on this psychological phenomenon can help you build a consultancy that doesn’t just stay booked - it runs a wait list.
Now let’s talk about what to do if you’re already caught in that trap of desperation, self-doubt and fear. I have a recommendation that you may balk at, but I promise you it works.
If your confidence is at an all-time low, and you can’t seem to pull in client projects no matter what you do, I want you to go offer a set amount of pro-bono hours to a charitable cause dear to your heart.
Find an organization supporting that mission, and reach out to their leadership offering your professional consulting services for X number of hours to help them grow. In virtually all cases, these nonprofit leaders will enthusiastically agree, and they’ll welcome you with open arms.
Over the years I’ve had the honor of offering pro-bono communications consulting to the American Cancer Society, the ASPCA, and a number of community-based literacy organizations. In every case, I was able to quickly make a highly valued impact for their teams - while also refreshing my confidence in my abilities.
When you offer hours pro-bono, you get a chance to remind yourself that you are great at your craft, and you do have significant value to offer.
Bonus - it also becomes a terrific messaging opportunity for your public positioning, and one-to-one outreach. You’ll have a fresh project to talk about, with fresh results to share. You don’t even need to mention that you did it for free. 😉
