How to Book Your First International Consulting Gig

There are many types of companies that hire consultants on a wide variety of topics. Companies paid outside consultants $39 billion dollars last year. You can book gigs at companies locally, nationally, and internationally.

Traveling to countries on your bucket list. Having the travel expenses covered and getting a generous consulting fee. Bringing your family and/or significant other on the consulting trips. All of these perks (and more) make international consulting very appealing.

One question I get asked often is, “How can I book my first international consulting gig?” There are six strategies that I’ve used to book consulting gigs at companies in 58 countries over the last three years. The first strategy is the easiest and the most natural place to start.

You can pitch companies in other countries, but the smoothest transition into international consulting is to find and book gigs with multinational companies. Essentially, you look for a company in your country that has offices in other countries.

When you book a gig at the main office in your country, you then have the leverage to give the same training and/or a variety of trainings at their other offices in other countries.

When I was on a six-country European consulting tour earlier this year, it was for a large multinational corporation. I traveled Europe giving presentations at six of their offices. When I booked the first gig, I went back and negotiated five more gigs at their other offices.

When you think of multinational companies, you’re probably thinking of some huge corporation. You can pitch those companies but they’ll require a lot of social proof before they hire you. Think a tad smaller.

Here are some examples of multinational companies you can pitch:

If you are a Health & Fitness Consultant. Clifford Chance International LLP in London is a great company to target. They have 144 employees, they do about £53 million pounds a year in business, they’re a financial services company so their employees aren’t physically active (financial services companies are great targets for health & fitness consultants), and they have offices in 32 countries. They don’t have a health & wellness program set up at most of their offices for their employees, which makes a HUGE opportunity for you to pitch them on. Start by pitching their main office in London and negotiate to consult on wellness at their other offices.

If you are a Digital Marketing/Podcast/Social Media/Website Consultant. FEO Media AB in Stockholm, Sweden is a great company to target. They have 60 employees, they do about €13 million euros a year in business, they have offices in three countries, and they’re a software/gaming company–they have to sell online. They have no company blog, no company podcast, they have NO kind of social media presence (their Facebook page has 437 likes), they don’t offer digital information products, their website needs a lot of work to be optimized, they’re not building an email list, and there are a ton of other areas that you can consult on. Start by pitching their main office in Sweden and negotiate to consult at their other offices.

If you are a Personal Development Consultant. Avaya Inc. in Santa Clara, California is an awesome target. They have over 10,000 employees, they do about $4 billion dollars a year in business, they have offices in over 90 countries, and they don’t have any official personal development programs set up. With that many employees, you can consult on leadership, communication, mindset, entrepreneurial mindset, productive, stress management, sales, and a bunch of other personal development topics. Start by pitching their main office in California and negotiate to consult at their other offices all over the world.

These are just a FEW examples of small to midsize multinational companies that you can target to pitch and book your first (or more) international consulting gig. There are SO many more opportunities. I hope it gives you a little clarity and a place to start. Here’s to you and getting booked this year!

How to Book Consulting Gigs

In case you missed it, here is all the content that I’ve put out that teaches someone about paid national/international consulting. It covers how to book gigs, license your online courses to companies, and sell companies large, comprehensive training programs. I hope it helps you book gigs and make more money while doing a gig. 

Why you should consult at companies: https://kconstable.com/why-you-should-consider-paid-consulting/

Mindset struggles consultant’s need to overcome: https://kconstable.com/four-mindset-struggles-every-speaker-and-consultant-needs-to-overcome/

The hard parts of being a consultant: https://kconstable.com/the-ugly-side-of-consulting-at-companies-worldwide/

How to get started in consulting: https://kconstable.com/how-to-get-started-as-a-paid-consultant-to-companies/

What companies are looking for in a consultant: https://kconstable.com/4-essentials-that-persuade-companies-youre-the-expert-they-should-hire/

Topics that companies will hire you to consult them on: https://kconstable.com/companies-will-hire-you-to-consult-on-these-topics/

What you should have in a consulting contract: https://kconstable.com/4-things-besides-pay-consultants-need-to-negotiate-in-contracts/

Step-by-step how to book your first consulting gig: http://www.clientenrollmentacademy.com/blog/how-to-build-an-international-consulting-business-with-kimanzi-constable/

How I use my six-person consulting team: https://kconstable.com/behind-the-scenes-of-my-consulting-team/

Specific questions about consulting answered: https://www.facebook.com/kimanzic/videos/1341424425942991/?l=7120463601961101434 

Specific questions about consulting answered: https://www.facebook.com/kimanzic/videos/1382818315136935/?l=257398292901765079

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Photo Credit: Flickr/ Travis Olbrich