What’s the best way to find Fractional consulting work?
As a fractional executive, you bring high-level expertise to businesses, guiding them through transformation, growth, or specific challenges. But finding new consulting work, especially quickly, can be daunting. Traditional methods like direct outreach to your target clients often result in long lead cycles, high effort, and low returns. So, what if I told you there was a more efficient way to attract clients by leveraging the power of strategic relationships?
In this post, I’ll show you how building relationships with the people who advise your target customer can rapidly increase your chances of securing high-conversion consulting leads. This strategy has been a cornerstone of my own business success, and it could be the game-changer you’ve been searching for.
Why Going Direct Can Be a Slow Path to Success
The instinct when trying to generate new leads is often to go straight to your potential clients. It makes sense—you want to solve their problems, so why not approach them directly?
However, direct outreach often leads to what I call the “swing and miss” effect. It’s a low-ROI, high-effort approach that usually takes a lot of time and energy with minimal reward. The sales cycles are long, the conversion rates are low, and the likelihood of building momentum can feel like trying to push a boulder uphill.
Cold messaging and networking directly with CEOs or other top decision-makers can be particularly ineffective. These executives are incredibly busy, inundated with pitches, and often difficult to access. Even if you do get through, the trust-building process is long and arduous. In the end, the return on your investment in time and effort may not be worth it.
A Better Approach: Target the Advisors of Your Target Clients
Here’s where the magic happens. Instead of going straight to the decision-maker, target the people who advise your decision-maker. In other words, build relationships with those who have influence over your ideal client but aren’t in direct competition with you.
In my own business, this approach has been a significant driver of success. When I pivoted my focus from trying to directly engage my customers to building connections with people who love my customers just as much as I do—without competing for their business—I saw my results skyrocket. Over time, I was able to generate nearly 20,000 customers on my coaching platform, compared to industry peers who typically capture just 50-100 leads annually.
This relationship-based strategy isn't just a theory—it's a proven tactic that you can apply in your consulting business.
Case Study: How to Target Advisors Effectively
Let me share a real-life example to illustrate how this works.
I recently worked with a fractional executive who was struggling to connect with CEOs in a specific industry. He had tried cold messaging and outreach, but the results were predictably disappointing. Low response rates, little traction, and, as he put it, a recipe for frustration.
So we switched gears. Instead of continuing down the path of cold outreach, we turned to LinkedIn and conducted a search for industry investors in his area. The idea was simple: Investors are often well-connected to the C-Suite, and they hear about the pain points and challenges these CEOs are facing. If an investor sees you as a potential solution, your introduction to the CEO becomes infinitely warmer.
Within days, my client had more than 300 high-quality connections. Even more surprising, many of these potential leads were already in his network, but he hadn’t considered them as resources. By strategically targeting the right influencers—those who hear about the problems CEOs need solving—he transformed his outreach strategy.
This search process isn’t limited to investors, either. You can extend it to bankers, board members, industry consultants, and other key advisors who are already in conversations with your target clients. They are the ones who have the ear of the decision-makers and are in an ideal position to recommend you as a trusted solution provider.
Why This Approach Works
The beauty of targeting advisors is that it creates a “one-to-many” dynamic instead of a “one-to-one” outreach. When you build relationships with influencers in your target client’s network, you gain access to their broader network of potential clients. This multiplies your lead generation efforts and positions you as a recommended resource, rather than a cold contact.
These advisors are often more accessible than CEOs themselves. They are generally more open to conversations and can become valuable advocates for your expertise. By nurturing these relationships, you can quickly expand your reach and position yourself as a trusted solution provider for your ideal clients.
Steps to Implement This Strategy
Identify Your Target Advisors: Start by identifying who influences the decision-makers in your target market. This could include investors, board members, consultants, bankers, or even lawyers who specialize in the industry.
Leverage LinkedIn’s Search Tools: Use LinkedIn to perform targeted searches. Start with a keyword search for investors, board members, or other key influencers in your industry and geography. Pay attention to your second and third-degree connections—you may be surprised at who is already in your extended network.
Start Building Relationships: Once you’ve identified key influencers, start building relationships. Engage with their content, comment thoughtfully on their posts, and consider sending personalized connection requests explaining how you might be a valuable resource to them or their network.
Offer Value First: Don’t lead with a sales pitch. Instead, offer something of value—a piece of content, an introduction, or insight that could help them or their clients. Building trust takes time, but the payoff is substantial.
Expand Your Reach: As you nurture these relationships, they will naturally expand your reach to decision-makers who are actively seeking solutions like yours. The advisors you target will be more than happy to recommend you as a go-to expert when their clients need help.
The Long-Term Benefits
By shifting your focus from direct outreach to relationship-building with the right influencers, you’ll not only gain high-quality leads but also create a sustainable pipeline for long-term success. Fractional C-Suite leaders who master this approach are better positioned to secure consulting work quickly and efficiently while reducing the time and energy spent on low-return activities.
In the end, the key takeaway is this: One-to-many is always better than one-to-one. When you find the people who advise your target customers, you’ll unlock doors that cold outreach alone could never open.