The headline and subheader tells us what you're offering, and the form header closes the deal. Over here you can explain why your offer is so great it's worth filling out a form for.
Remember:
Consultancy websites is one of the most discussed topics in my work with consultants and consultancies. I receive 2-3 questions about it every week. So I thought I'd compile a list of some of the patterns I've noticed when reviewing consultancies' websites and share that list with you. Fasten your seatbelts.
Yes, they suck. Big time. Sorry to say. I am struggling with such poor professionalism. And to be honest, most of you are underestimating the criticalness of a website to succeed in consulting. What do you think buyers of consultancy services do when evaluating candidate consultancies (or their consultants)?
Exactly, they check out the consultancy or the consultant/advisor. And hopefully, the consultancy's website shows an abundance of expert evidence. Without easy-to-find social proof and immediate evidence of profound knowledge, the risk-averse and impatient buyer will skip to your digitally savvy competitor. No mercy.
If your website isn’t your most effective source of pipeline & revenue, then something is wrong. (Chris Walker, B2B Marketing Expert and CEO at Refine Labs)
Consulting is a competitive, trust-based business. You need to have a darn good website with the proper structure, unparalleled proof of expertise, and influential educational content. And most of all, it should organically generate demand for the (focused and publicly announced) expertise.
Here's what I see in, say, 97% of the cases when I evaluate consultancies and their websites. I see ‘the old', and you should get rid of it quickly.
Recommended reading: As A Consultant, You Always Attract What You Are, Not What You Want
Here are just a few of the things that 'the old' websites have in common:
As David C. Baker puts it from the perspective of the client:
Will I see myself uniquely in your web presence? Will it eerily feel like you have a camera in my office? Will it be obvious that you've worked for many other companies just like mine who have unique needs? (David C. Baker)
So, what are you waiting for? Delete your old-school website. Tomorrow. Nobody cares anyway. And Google doesn’t know you.
By the way, interested in understanding how your website is doing versus these 'new school' principles? I have a special service to help you assessing the quality of your consulting website. Have a look at the service page.
Recommended reading: Consulting USPs need to die a brutal death. Here’s why.
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Hello, I’m Luk Smeyers and I’m guiding consultants through the journey of growing their business by helping them transform into visible authorities. I have been in consulting businesses for almost 20 years, in very different roles: as European CHRO in a global consultancy, as a startup founder in an analytics consultancy, and as a leader in a 'Big 4' consultancy, post-acquisition of the startup. I had the privilege of achieving global visibility as a consultant and I never had to sell, persuade, or negotiate as a result. I have now bundled all those experiences, expertise, know-how, research, reading, successes, struggles, and failures from managing and growing that visibility in the past years.
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The Visible Authority is a brand of:
Luk Smeyers BVBA
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