You have tackled the technicalities; certifications, licenses, experience…all that is left to do is set up shop and land those clients! Easy enough? Yes and no. Going into freelance/ independent consulting may seem like you have your work cut out for you, but with the right tools, you are well on your way to seamlessly starting up. From automation tools to time management tools, these 12 online helpers are the oil that will keep your consulting business engine running.

12 online tools for Independent Consulting Work

 

1. Salesforce

As an independent consultant, CRM is on the top of the agenda. Salesforce is a CRM platform you’re your employees can easily access over the internet without the need for downloading software. Salesforce allows you to keep a record of customer payment history and navigate each customer’s transition through the sales funnel. This makes it easy for you as a consultant to understand the buyer behavior and connect with them individually.

 

 

Pricing:

• Salesforce IQ CRM Starter (upto 5 users): $25 per user per month
• Lightning Professional (for any team): $75 per user per month
• Lightning enterprise (customizable CRM for your business): $150 per user per month
• Lightning Unlimited (unlimited CRM power and support): $300 per user per month

All allow free trials.

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2. Asana

Asana allows team members to track their work and get things done. Simple. Teams can assign tasks and set due dates, detail out what each task entails and manage and track the progression of their projects. The website is intuitive and they have solutions for marketing, project management and managers.

 

 

Pricing:

• Free (up to 15 members and basic dashboards)
• Premium (unlimited members among other features): $8.33 per member per month

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3. GoToWebinar

GoToWebinar is a conferencing software used for webinars, presentations, tutorials etc. The software is downloadable and you can invite guest speakers, have polls and surveys, and generate a list of your attendees. This list can help you convert them into sales. GoToWebinar boasts 25% more qualified leads for its customers.

 

 

Pricing:

• Starter (100 participants): $89 per month
• Pro (500 participants): $199 per month
• Plus (2000 participants): $429 per month
• Enterprise (5000 participants): Contact sales team

Free trial for 30 days.

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4. Acuity Scheduling

Clients are able to view your calendar and book the time slots that are available. They can also pay for their own appointments in advance. The calendars auto-adjust to different time zones and you have the ability of managing the calendars that you only want clients to see. It has several integrations, including but not limited to Google Analytics, MailChimp, WordPress, PayPal and Zapier.

 

 

Pricing:

• Freebie: Free
• Emerging Entrepreneur (1 staff/location): $10 per month
• Growing Business (6 staff/locations): $19 per month
• Powerhouse Player (36 staff/locations): $34 per month

14-day free trial available for the paid options.

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5. Feedly

As a consultant, you have to keep yourself updated on industry knowledge and that involves seeking out information, most of which you find online. Feedly helps gather these sources in one place, where you can categorize your ‘must-reads’ and organize different content into different groups. Instead of visiting 20 different sites, you are able to find articles and posts about your interest area, all under one roof. Their blog site gives advice on the best way to use Feedly here.

 

 

Pricing:

• Free plan
• Pro Plan: $65 per year
• Team Plan: $145 per year

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6. 9Lenses

9Lenses combines and digitizes the data collecting and management activities of your consulting process. You can manage your consulting framework, build on your knowledge of customers and business problems and deliver insight that is presentation-ready. It allows you to collect client data and automate benchmarking elements of your framework. Digital consulting has never been this easy.

 

 

Pricing:

Request demo and receive a quote.

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7. SlideShare

SlideShare is a slide-hosting website that allows users to upload files which can also be embedded into your consulting website. Sharing presentations with your collaborators is made easy. You can share your insights and increase awareness of your services, not to mention heighten your credibility as an expert. Top your slide information with high ranking keywords and you are good to go.

 

 

Pricing:

Free and hosted on LinkedIn.

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8. Dropbox

Dropbox is a file-sharing and file-hosting repository. You are able to send and receive files (documents, photos, videos, audio) and can access them from anywhere. Folders are synchronized across devices and Dropbox has both website and mobile apps.

 

 

Pricing:

• Dropbox Basic (2GB space): Free
• Dropbox Pro (1TB space): $9.99 per month/ $99 per year
• Dropbox Business: Depends on size of team and billing country

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9. Upwork

Upwork allows you to find freelancers in various fields. Professionals can connect and collaborate remotely and payment is done securely on their system. The freelancers are able to provide you with information about their experience, skills and portfolios, and each one has a success rating based off of their previous work.

 

 

Pricing:

You pay the freelancer you hire at their rate.

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10. Cognito Forms

Cognito Forms is an online form builder that integrates to your website. Features include document merging (with PDF and Word), forms that perform calculations, file uploads, data encryption, and much more.

 

 

Pricing:

• Individual (1 user & 500 entries a month): Free
• Pro (2 users & 2000 entries a month): $10 per month
• Team (5 users and 10,000 entries a month): $24 per month
• Enterprise (50 users and unlimited entries): $99 per month

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11. Leadpages

Leadpages is a landing page builder that allows you to generates leads and sales for your business on the web, in emails, via text messaging, and on social media. With mobile-friendly templates, customization, pop-ups, opt-ins and 1 click sign-ups, Leadpages has enough features to transform your website into a lead generation machine.

 

 

Pricing:

• Standard (home businesses and solopreneurs): $25 per month
• Pro (small businesses and professional marketers): $49 per month
• Advanced (marketing teams and agencies): $199 per month

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12. MailChimp

MailChimp allows users to send better email with features such as automated messaging, advanced analytics to help you monitor sales and your website activity, purchase data, revenue reports, and integration with most popular apps and social networks.

 

 

Pricing:

• New business: Free forever
• Growing business: Starts at $10 per month
• Pro-Marketer: Additional $199 per month

 

Starting out in independent consulting just got a whole lot easier! Trying to use these simple online tools and many others in your business? Not sure how to go about using the complex ones? We are here to help. Schedule a free consultation and we’ll help you navigate online lead generation for your coaching/consulting business.

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We also have an Online Lead Generation Course for you, with a practical approach. Click here to learn more about the Course.