Many believe that within the span
of the next few decades, engineers will take over the world. The notion is
supported by the large number of people opting for engineering every year as
their preferred choice as a career.
Despite the large influx,
however, the market still lacks in engineering consultants. What is an
engineering consult? It is someone who likes to analyse problems, come up with
a perfect solution and work with all kinds of people. An engineering consultant
is someone who is in demand for the expertise he/she brings on the table but
may end up going way beyond that. Nowadays, cloud-based collaborative tools and
low cost communication methods allow many aspiring consultants to start a
one-man operation in the blink of an eyelid.
Why choose to be a consultant?
Engineers who shift to consulting
have cited a host of reasons-many
have stated ownership and autonomy over the projects as a major reason. Others
enjoy interacting with the clients throughout the course of the project or the
increased accountability consultancy provides.
A major worrying fact is that
initially revenue might be shaky but on the flip-side, once established, you
will not be limited to a certain pay grade.
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Quick tips to success!
As an engineering consultant,
you’ll be expected to master certain tricks of the trade and have a host of
skill sets that may not even be related to your degree. Here are five tips that will aid
you to achieve success as an engineering consultant,
1. Market
yourself: Unless you make yourself noticeable to clients, either face to
face or online, they would not be able to find you. Make efforts to market
yourself whether it be through attending conferences and trade shows, creating
a stellar presentation with the help of a marketing expert if need be,
expanding your network and faithfully following up on the people in the
network. Building a good online presence is also important-get a user friendly
and responsive website for your business, use social media platforms and blog
regularly. Invest in SEO by getting the help of digital marketing
professionals.
2. Having
proper tools in place: In order to impress clients or get good referrals,
it is necessary to have equipment or tools that will create an elevated image
of your services. Don’t hesitate to invest in a good computer system with high
processing speed. Get the best internet connection as possible, utilise
cloud-based collaborative tools for project management and get 3-D printers to
print all kinds of prototypes.
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4. Offer
a strong point of view: People come to consultants when they themselves are
unsure about an important decision they need to take. Stuart
B. Brown, who has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, says, “You have to form an opinion, defend it, and
deliver it competently so that people will act on it and come back to you. Why
would you want to hire someone who says, 'I don't know. Maybe this is something
you should do'"?
5. Be
better at “something” than anyone else: Brown also talks about the
importance of thinking “intelligibly” and determining what a person would need
or want in the future. This creates an opportunity to make them come to you, if
you can learn everything that is possible about that particular issue
beforehand.
Finally, it is of
great value to your business as a consultant to ensure that your clients are as
happy as possible. As cliched as it may sound, it is only by ensuring that your
clients are happy and satisfied by the services you are offering that they will
come back to you. Sustaining your clients and network is an invaluable practice
in the field of consulting.
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