Hi Anon,
I can only comment on my own experience. When I talk to other independent consultants I often hear quite different stories about how their businesses evolved.
I was employed by a medical device company and was a casualty of a large layoff. We had been using a consulting company to provide supplemental services and within a couple of days of the layoff they reached out to me and within a week I was on my first consulting assignment. After that my personal network became my primary source of new opportunities. Sometimes the assignments would be 3-6 months long and sometimes they would last for years. Under most circumstances it is very difficult for a medium to large company to bring you on as a single independent consultant. They will normally have a small number of consulting companies with whom they have existing agreements and they will try to get the staff they need from one of those companies. If you have a special skill and come to their attention independently or possibly you were a former employee who they know can help them then they will frequently ask one of their established consulting companies to bring you on for them. Most consulting companies are accustomed to bring staff on as sub-contractors. A few may want you to be an employee.
I know people who left employers and went right back to work for the employer as a consultant. The employer considered them to be important contributors, but for internal reasons could not offer them a competitive salary. The consultants used those opportunities to build successful consulting companies providing advice and supplemental services to their former employer initially and then expanding to new companies who were often referred to them by their former employer.
I have always found RAPS meetings and the annual Convergence conference to be excellent networking opportunities. Positive recommendations from previous clients is critical.
Good luck,
Roy O'Kelly
------------------------------
Roy O'Kelly RAC
President
Hoffman Estates IL
United States
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 01-Dec-2023 12:19
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: RA/QA Consultants where do you get your leads?
This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
Hello everyone,
I am somewhat "new" to consulting and would like to pick your brains on the best places to find new leads? I see a lot of consultants comment in the RegEx community, others use LinkedIn or volunteer for organizations like RAPS.
Q1: In your experience, who is the ideal client for a Solo RA/QA Consultant in Medical Devices?
-An in-house sr. RA professionals in organizations
-CxOs of small and medium MD manufacturers
-Someone else
Q2: Where do you find most of your new leads?
-Referrals
-Your website /Google search
-LinkedIn
-Volunteering
-Writing papers
-Free webinars
-Cold calls
-Recruiting agencies like Alku
-Others, if yes please share.
Q3: In your experience, what do ideal clients struggle with most when seeking to hire an RA/QA consultant?
-Cost
-Finding the right talent
-Trust
Your help is much appreciated.