What We Look For In Coaching Clients (Client Selection Criteria)

At Consulting Success, we believe in creating our vision.

As a consultant, building your dream business isn’t just working with “good” clients — it’s being intentional about who your “ideal” client is, and attracting only them.

Imagine having a roster of clients who align perfectly with your expertise and values.

Right now, that may sound like a pipe dream.

However, if you understand specifically who your ideal consulting clients are — and set clear criteria to identify them — you can continually attract the types of clients you love working with.

We practice what we preach.

In our Clarity Coaching Program, we teach consultants how to identify and attract their ideal clients.

We’re selective with who we take on because we understand the power of the right partnership. Every day, we receive many applications eager to join our program…but not everyone meets our criteria.

And here’s why that matters: when we partner with the right clients, the results are exponentially better.

Our coaching becomes more effective, and the entire experience is more enjoyable and fulfilling for everyone involved.

In this article, I’ll reveal the 4-part criteria we use to select our clients.

I encourage you to take these insights and tailor them to your consulting business. Use it to build your own criteria so you can attract your dream clients.

Let’s dive in.

QUICK LINKS

• 1. You’re A Subject Matter Expert
• 2. You Align With Our Core Values
• 3. You’re Biased Towards Taking Action
• 4. You Want To Grow Your Consulting Business
• Apply To Join Clarity Coaching

1. You’re A Subject Matter Expert

Expertise is the cornerstone of a successful consulting business.

Our clients are seasoned professionals in their fields.

Whether it’s financial, manufacturing, marketing, or software, your deep knowledge and passion for your work are what set you apart.

You’re not just good at what you do; you’re an expert.

But here’s the truth: being a successful consulting business owner isn’t just about your expertise.

Our clients are motivated, committed, and hungry for growth. They understand that while they’re masters in their respective fields, there’s always room for improvement in terms of the skills needed to grow and scale a consulting business.

Let’s take Vince Rath, a seasoned retail consultant. He knew the ins and outs of the retail fashion business like nobody else.

But when it came to structuring his consulting fees and creating profitable offers, he realized he needed help.

This humility and openness to learning made Vince an ideal client for our coaching program — and helped him to add $600K in revenue to his business over the time he worked with us inside Clarity Coaching.

Without the ability to market their expertise, even the brightest consultants will struggle to find clients, structure profitable pricing, and delegate their tasks.

And our goal is to bridge that gap.

We help teach you everything outside of your area of expertise to build your business so you can attract high-value clients.

Our ideal clients understand that acknowledging they need help in areas like branding, marketing, and pricing doesn’t diminish their expertise. It amplifies it.

By working with a coach who can make you strong in the areas you’re weak, you’re investing in a more efficient path to growing your consulting business.

2. You Align With Our Core Values

Our commitment to excellence is not just a phrase — it’s one of our core values.

From our world-class blog and podcast to our books, courses, and Clarity Coaching Program, we strive for the highest standards.

We approach business like a five-star hotel. But not just in terms of our marketing or service — but also the clients we choose to work with.

Why a five-star hotel? Because it represents the pinnacle of quality, service, and experience.

That’s what we aim for both in what we offer and expect from you.

Life is too short to work with clients you don’t resonate with. We invest immense time, energy, and heart into each client.

So we seek clients who are not just good in their field, but good people: individuals we enjoy working and collaborating with.

When we talk about a world-class approach, we’re not just referring to our output. We’re talking about a shared journey with our clients where each step reflects a commitment to the highest standards.

It’s about being part of a consulting community that doesn’t settle for ‘good enough’ but strives for ‘exceptional’ in every aspect.

Aligning with our values means valuing family, entrepreneurship, health, and diversity of experience and thought. And it’s about sharing our dedication to world-class excellence.

You expect the best from us, and we expect the best from you.

3. You’re Biased Towards Taking Action

In today’s world, where success stories flood our social media feeds, it’s easy to get caught up in the dream of success.

We see glimpses of it everywhere: on Instagram, Facebook, TV, and in magazines.

“Wantrepreneurs” often talk about their aspirations, like becoming a digital nomad, traveling the world, or living a life of luxury.

But talking and dreaming about success is just one side of the coin.

At Consulting Success, we believe that a commitment to success is marked not just by aspirations — but by actions.

Our most successful clients are those who don’t just fantasize about what could be; they are the ones who roll up their sleeves, invest in themselves, and do the necessary work.

They understand that achieving their goals requires more than just wishful thinking. It requires a real investment in coaching, mentoring, and self-development.

Sam and I, the founders of Consulting Success, have personally invested hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years in coaching, mentorship, and masterminds.

We’re not strangers to the concept of dreaming big. In fact, we love it.

But more importantly, we’ve always been committed to turning our dreams into reality through decisive and imperfect action.

This commitment often means investing hard-earned money or finding creative ways to finance our growth.

For the last 15 years, we’ve consistently prioritized investing in our personal development, surrounding ourselves with top-notch experts and coaches to help us take our business to the next level.

So when we talk about being ‘biased towards taking action,’ we’re talking about a mindset that goes beyond mere planning.

It’s about being someone who overcomes fears, embraces the leap of faith, and dedicates themselves to following through.

Our most successful clients are action-takers. They are open to feedback, follow the plan, take action, and invest in their development.

And by doing so, they reach their goals faster than their competitors.

4. You Truly Want To Grow Your Consulting Business

We primarily work with entrepreneurial consultants: founders of consulting businesses.

This choice is a key aspect of our business.

They come to us at different stages of their journey. Some are transitioning from corporate or contracting roles into running their full-time consulting businesses.

Others are already running a consulting firm and are looking to scale and elevate their operations.

But they all recognize that achieving the next level in their business requires strategic advice, support, and community — which is exactly what we offer.

When we engage with potential clients, our focus is on ensuring a fit that benefits both parties.

If we’re speaking with a potential client who meets all our criteria and we’re confident in our ability to help them, we’ll tell them directly.

And if we believe we’re not the best fit for a potential client’s goals, focus, specialization, or level of experience, we’re upfront about it.

Having a clear set of criteria for accepting clients ensures intentionality in our partnerships.

It’s about creating and nurturing successful relationships with clients who are as committed to their growth as we are to supporting it.

In our experience, this intentional approach leads to a more successful consulting practice — one where you work with clients you truly value and who value what you bring to the table.

In summary, our ideal coaching clients are consulting business founders who are truly committed to growth (not just talk about it) and become true entrepreneurial consulting founders.

They are individuals ready to transition successfully from corporate to consulting — or scale their existing consulting business.

And they understand the value of expert guidance in navigating their journey to success.

Apply To Join Clarity (& Take Your Consulting Business To New Heights)

Are you ready to transform your consulting business?

Do you want to move from dreaming up your consulting business and lifestyle — to achieving it?

If you’ve found yourself nodding along as you read our criteria, we want to work with you.

And if you’re a dedicated consulting founder seeking to scale your business — or transition from corporate to full-time consulting — Clarity Coaching is your next step.

In our Clarity Coaching program, our coaches have helped over 1000 consultants to build a more strategic, profitable, and scalable, consulting business.

Learn More About Clarity Coaching

We’ll work hands-on with you to develop a strategic plan and then dive deep and work through your ideal client clarity, strategic messaging, consulting offers, fees and pricing, business model optimization, and help you to set up your marketing engine and lead generation system to consistently attract ideal clients.

You’ll learn how to generate more profit with every project you take on — and how to land more clients than ever before. Learn more about Clarity Coaching and get in touch to talk about your situation and goals.