Explaining your role as an engineering consultant

Have you ever been met with confusion when you tell someone what you do for a living? As a consultant, it can be a somewhat common occurrence. While the impact we can make in our industry and for our clients is astounding, the actual ROI can be hard to quantify for a skeptical potential client.

According to study.com, the definition of a consultant is someone who is “paid to share their expertise and knowledge to help businesses attain goals and solve problems.” An engineering consultant specifically solves problems related to things like roadwork, buildings, and general infrastructure. This means that our impact has the potential to affect millions of people, whether they realize it or not.

The work of an engineering consultant is intellectual and often creative. That makes it really hard to put down on paper what your clients will get for their investment. It is best to have an open, honest conversation with clients about the problems they need to solve and the goals they want to achieve. Then you have a way to quantify how the work you perform helps to achieve these objectives.

Sometimes it is good idea to provide clients and potential partners with a list of the tasks you are able to perform for them. Seeing things in writing helps people to conceptualize the tangible assistance you can provide and the immense value of your services. Consulting can be a fuzzy, abstract word for some people, and whatever you can do to help clients see your specific strengths, skills, and contributions will help you increase your value in their mind. Here’s to a prosperous 2017!