Your Consulting Business Podcast

Should you start a consulting business? https://calendly.com/russellpearson/strategic-conversation-brief Consulting can be an incredibly profitable and flexible business model — with low overheads, the potential for very high margins, and the freedom to decide how, where and with whom you work. But there are drawbacks too. In this episode of Your Consulting Business, Russell Pearson breaks down the real pros and cons of building a consulting practice — particularly if you're an experienced expert looking to turn what you know into a business. We cover: • Why consulting businesses can achieve extremely high profit margins  • The limitations of a solo consulting model  • How consultants can charge $1,000–$10,000+ per hour  • Why consulting is different from contracting  • The flexibility of designing your own consulting model  • Why great consulting isn't simply telling clients what to do  • How deep experience becomes a commercial advantage  • The shift from doing the work to enabling clients to get results  • How to design a consulting business around the life you actually want If you've spent 10, 20 or 30 years developing expertise and you're wondering whether consulting could be your next move, this episode will help you understand both the opportunity and the trade-offs. Want help creating your own consulting practice? Use the link below to book a conversation with us about where you're starting, what you want to build, and the path to getting there. Subscribe to Your Consulting Business for practical advice on building and growing a profitable consulting practice. More about Russell, Visit: https://russellpearson.com

Not every marketing strategy deserves your time. In this episode of Your Consulting Business, Russell Pearson draws on 30 years of experience to rank the marketing activities consultants commonly use — including LinkedIn, websites, SEO, podcasting, YouTube, email, referrals, networking, paid advertising and sponsorships. You'll hear why some popular channels rank much lower than you might expect, why relying on referrals can leave a consulting business vulnerable, and how niche networking can become one of the strongest ways to create new client conversations. Russell also explores where paid advertising fits when your time is your most valuable resource, and how SEO is changing as generative AI becomes part of the way clients search for expertise. If you want to spend less time on marketing that looks productive and more time on activities that can actually support a consulting business, this episode will help you decide where to focus. Free Consulting Resources available at: https://russellpearsonprograms.com Get the Book: https://businessofexpertise.com/book More about Russell, Visit: https://russellpearson.com SUBSCRIBE for more videos like this one. ▶️ Secret Workshop: For those ready for the next step, this is the fastest way, I know, to build a highly profitable consulting business in just 4 days a week. https://youtu.be/4dUzyjkMgrw

What if you could read your consulting clients' minds? Not literally, but you can get remarkably close when you understand what they want, the problems they're already aware of, the language they use to describe them, and what's happening in their world right now. In this episode, Russell Pearson breaks down how consultants can stop guessing and start understanding their market well enough to influence better decisions. You'll learn: • The three stages behind a buying decision: awareness, consideration and decision • Why market statistics only get you so far • How to find the "mayors of the town" who can open up a market • Why consultants should talk about the symptoms clients recognise—not just the deeper cause • How to capture the exact language your prospects use • Why context and timing can completely change a buying decision • When to customise an offer instead of packaging it too early • How consultative conversations help prospects make better decisions   If you're building or growing a consulting business, the goal isn't to become better at guessing what the market wants. It's to understand your clients so well that your marketing, offers and sales conversations become far more relevant. Subscribe for more practical ideas on building and growing a successful consulting business. More about Russell, Visit: https://russellpearson.com Free Consulting Resources available at: https://russellpearsonprograms.com Get the Book: https://businessofexpertise.com/book ▶️ Secret Workshop: For those ready for the next step, this is the fastest way, I know, to build a highly profitable consulting business in just 4 days a week. https://youtu.be/4dUzyjkMgrw   0:00 The Art of Client Mind Reading 0:29 A Quick Exercise in Predictive Patterns 3:14 The Ice Cream Shop Lesson on Preferences 5:28 The Three Pillars of Influential Decisions 11:20 Finding the Mayors of Your Market 17:25 Contextual Relevance and the Closing Phase

Get Your Tickets: https://influencers2026.com.au Discover more about Anthony Perl AND Podcasts Done For You https://podcastsdoneforyou.com.au/ Influence can win clients, open doors and create opportunities. But where does influence end and manipulation begin? In this episode, Russell Pearson and I get into the darker side of influence: how persuasion works, how other people and systems are influencing you, and how to become more influential without crossing the line into manipulation. Russell's argument is that real influence isn't about follower counts or becoming some kind of social-media "influencer". It's about being trusted, being invited into the right rooms, being considered when you're not there, and being able to help people move toward better outcomes. We get into: How influence differs from manipulation Why intention matters when you're persuading someone How advertising, social media, algorithms and AI influence your thinking Why conviction and communication matter more than tricks How influence creates access to clients, opportunities and stronger networks Why consultants shouldn't simply "do the work" for clients How to help clients build confidence and capability instead Why real influence has very little to do with audience size   For consultants, advisors, founders and leaders, this is really a conversation about how you move people without becoming manipulative — and how you protect yourself from the influence being directed at you. Russell also shares the thinking behind the upcoming Influences event in Sydney and why he and Kirryn Zerna have become slightly obsessed with pulling apart communication, persuasion and influence. 00:00 — How context changes the way you position yourself 03:05 — What do you actually want influence to achieve? 04:56 — Real influence has nothing to do with TikTok followers 07:51 — How influence creates clients, opportunities and access 09:52 — Influence vs leadership 12:01 — Competition, strategy and the levers of influence 16:26 — The dark side: influence vs manipulation 20:17 — Persuasion, reciprocity and ethical influence 23:14 — Using influence with consulting clients 27:44 — Why Russell and Kieran created Influences 29:52 — How to apply influence to a specific busines More about Russell, Visit: https://russellpearson.com SUBSCRIBE for more videos like this one. ▶️ Secret Workshop: For those ready for the next step, this is the fastest way, I know, to build a highly profitable consulting business in just 4 days a week. https://youtu.be/4dUzyjkMgrw

Free Consulting Resources available at: https://russellpearsonprograms.com Get the Book: https://businessofexpertise.com/book What does a consultant actually do, and why will clients pay significant money for their advice? If you're moving from contracting, freelancing, done-for-you services or employment into consulting, mentoring or advisory work, the blank canvas can be surprisingly difficult. You know your area of expertise. But what are you actually supposed to do with a client? In this episode of Your Consulting Business, Russell Pearson breaks down the three essential parts of a successful consulting business: getting into the right prospects' "brain space," diagnosing rather than pitching, and delivering your expertise at the moments where it creates the greatest value. You'll discover how to: Become known for a specific problem or outcome rather than chasing attention Sell consulting by diagnosing like a doctor instead of pitching a packaged solution Map the journey from where a client is today to the outcome they want Identify the "ignition points" where your expertise creates maximum value Decide which parts of the client journey you actually want to own Stop becoming the person who simply does the work inside the client's business Use workshops, conversations, reports, research and frameworks more intentionally Help clients take good advice — rather than simply giving them more information   And in a world where AI can provide almost unlimited answers, that last point matters more than ever. The consultant's value isn't simply knowing more. It's helping clients diagnose what matters, make better decisions and take the actions that create an outcome. If you're building a consulting, advisory, mentoring or expertise-based business, subscribe for more practical episodes on creating a business that lets you work with better clients, create stronger outcomes and make your expertise work harder for you. More about Russell, Visit: https://russellpearson.com SUBSCRIBE for more videos like this one. ▶️ Secret Workshop: For those ready for the next step, this is the fastest way, I know, to build a highly profitable consulting business in just 4 days a week. https://youtu.be/4dUzyjkMgrw 0:00 What Consultants Actually Do 2:15 Three Steps to a Successful Business 3:14 Mastering Client Positioning 6:04 Diagnosing Like a Doctor 9:33 The Power of Ignition Points 16:41 Working Backwards from Outcomes