What is a Corporate Consultant?

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The term “corporate consultant” has become a catch-all for countless roles across different industries. So it’s easy to understand why many people don’t even know exactly what a corporate consultant is or what they do. But we’re here to debunk the myths and give you a clearer definition! 

Once you have the info you need, you can determine if your offering falls into the corporate consulting bucket. This not only allows you to accurately market what you have to offer, but will help you more effectively pitch, propose, and build your biz!  land those 5-, 6- and 7–figure B2B deals you’ve been dreaming of!

What is a corporate consultant? 

B2B, or business-to-business, is when a company sells to other businesses instead of directly to consumers.  A corporate consultant is an individual who provides specialized professional services to organizations using a B2B business model. 

Corporate consultants who offer B2B services can be found in any industry—from healthcare to marketing to finance and accounting—but no matter their specialty, they work with their corporations to offer strategic advice and deliver solutions to their client’s problems.

What are some types of corporate clients?

We define corporate clients as any organization with over 100 employees and multiple stakeholders that must agree to purchase services for their organization. Unlike selling to individual consumers who can simply enter their credit card information to pay for products or services, organizations like traditional companies, non-profits, higher ed institutions, schools, foundations, professional associations, and civic agencies follow a different purchasing process. 

Sometimes the person who initially contacts you is not ultimately the key decision maker. This means that rather than checking out in an eCommerce platform, a sale occurs through a series of conversations to ensure that your solution meets the organization’s needs. The good news is that despite the potentially longer sales cycle, organizations regularly allocate budgets to hire outside consultants to help them meet their business goals.

What are some corporate consulting models?

Corporate consulting comes in many shapes and sizes. Almost anyone can leverage their background and expertise and translate it into a consultancy. 

Firm

A firm B2B operating model is your typical agency. This type of B2B biz scales through human capital—they might have a service-based delivery system that centers on billable hours. Some common industries for this approach include:

  • Financial Services
  • Legal Services
  • Health & Wellness
  • Marketing & Communications
Independent

Independent B2B consultants center their business around their social capital. In other words, they are their biz! This approach is made possible through strategic partnerships, joint ventures, and subcontracting relationships.

Independent consultants come in all shapes and sizes. Everyone from social media influencers to T.V. personalities to marketing consultants can leverage this type of corporate consulting to get their offer out there and grow their business. Some independent consultants include:

  • Executive Coaches
  • Authors
  • UX & Customer Experience Designers
  • Brand Strategists
  • Keynote Speakers
  • Leadership Development Facilitators
Solution

Solution-based corporate consulting requires taking your knowledge and know-how and building it up into an offer for your clients.  

Using a proprietary methodology-based model, you can scale your intellectual capital, whether it’s an exclusive method, a course, or a training method. You can take the information you’ve developed and license it. You can also offer certification programs, or even train others to teach it, allowing your biz to exponentially scale. This approach is common for:

  • Research Scientists
  • Organizational Culture Strategists 
  • Digital Product and Course Creators
  • Corporate Trainers
  • Clinicians
  • Data Scientists
  • SaaS Providers and Tech Founders 

How can corporate consultants serve corporate clients?

The firm, independent, and solution-based corporate consulting models can be applied across different industries depending on your needs and the needs of your client. This ensures that, as a B2B professional, you can build your biz in the way that makes the most sense. 

To learn more about landing more B2B deals, crafting your personal brand, or get other B2B biz tips, stay up-to-date with Idem Spark! From our pop-up events to our Swagger School® Mastermind, we’re on a mission to help all B2B ballers put their dreams on center stage! Through our five pillars of Swagger, we’ll help you slay your B2B sales—no matter which corporate consulting methodology you choose!—so you can grow your business by serving organizations.

Join Swagger Spot our no-cost, private community for high level corporate consulting conversations to start your journey with Swagger School® today!

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