Marketing consultancy services to SMEs

[Sway]

For various reasons, I'm leaving many years of being employed by companies to deliver Lean improvements into their businesses.

I'm offering guaranteed short term ROI for low impact, affordable projects, targeting SME sized businesses across many sectors (I've previously worked in environments as diverse as farming, food production, banking, call centres, manufacturing (both specialist and fmcg)) so am not limiting myself to specific industries. Anywhere that has repeatable processes is ripe for my work. Benefits include reduced cost, increased customer satisfaction and increases in staff engagement to deliver improvements after I've left. Conscious that to those with no exposure to Lean done properly (and I've met a few charlatans in my working life) it can come across as too good to be true...

However, the very reason I'm looking at SMEs - it's typically low exposure to the methods I use (maximising the available delivery), understandably has as a barrier in the form of a healthy degree of scepticism. I've never had to market my services before, so have little experience of doing so.

So, if you are an owner of a small business, what are the things that would turn you on or off the idea of having a chat to see if my work is a good fit? What methods/content of marketing automatically get filed in File B1N?

Existing consultants into SMEs - what's worked for you in the early days? I'm very aware that once I get a few customers, as long as I underpromise and overdeliver, I will benefit from repeat business and recommendations - it's those initial hurdles I need to overcome and demonstrate my value.

Thanks,

Sam