On this episode of the Consulting Success Podcast, I’m joined by Dauwn Parker. She founded Precision Partners in 2013 with a focus on helping healthcare and higher education organizations take their fundraising to the next level by streamlining, optimizing, and using the right technology for their operations. Prior to her work at Precision Partners, Dauwn worked for various consulting firms in customer relationship management software. From her work with the financial industry and high tech companies, Dauwn saw that non-profit companies were missing out on some of the benefits of building relationships and using information to strengthen relationships with constituents. At the turn of the century, she made the transition from the private sector to UCLA, where she began to implement the structure and methods into the university space. After her successful time at UCLA, she made an impact with City of Hope, a cancer research center. From there, she realized that she had tools for success that many companies and organizations could benefit from, and Precision Partners was born. On this episode, we talk about ways to find an underserved market, the benefits of a healthy work-life balance, and the question everyone wants answered — how to land a six-figure deal with your dream client. You’ll hear the answers to it all in my conversation with Dauwn Parker. Identify an Underserved Market in NeedAn underserved market is undoubtedly the best market to direct your expertise toward. Dauwn recognized that there was an underserved market in the healthcare and higher education sector, and she wasn’t afraid to take on the challenge of fulfilling that need in a way that others hadn’t done before. She shares how she first recognized the gap and then capitalized on the true catalyst, which was the pull from the industry to share her expertise. Dauwn had already put herself out into the industry and in early 2013 she was contacted by what would become her first client. Having recognized the work she had already done with UCLA and City of Hope, they were requesting her help to best utilize a hard-earned budget. That phone call confirmed what she already suspected — that there was a gap in the industry and that an ideal client would benefit from the skills she had to offer. Taking the Leap into the Consulting WorldI’ve heard it too many times to count — taking the leap into the unknown of the consulting world is a very scary idea. It can be paralyzing to even think about leaving the security of your position with a successful corporate business to venture out and start your own consulting firm. Dauwn describes herself as a conservative person by nature. She’s willing to take risks, but the risks are always calculated ones. The decision to venture out away from the corporate world to start her own business was a very difficult one for her to make. Although it wasn’t an easy decision, Dauwn did her research and found materials that helped her gain confidence in her choice and overcome her fears. Like many consultants, Dauwn found that pricing was one of the most difficult aspects of business to pin down. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The materials you will find at Consulting Success such as the Accelerator Coaching Program and the Consulting Success System 2.0 are available to consultants like Dauwn — and you — to help you learn all about better pricing, what can be charged in the market, and how you can increase your...

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