“It comes down to listening to the market. Whether you’re starting up a new business or in a business and trying to stay current, it’s all about listening to the people in your market and what their challenges and needs are.”

Today’s guest is Tony Restell. Tony is co-founder of Top-Consultant, the industry’s leading career website, and founder of Social-Hire, a social media marketing agency that counts many consulting firms amongst its client base and helps Partners in those firms to generate client leads for their practices.

If you work in the UK Consulting industry then you will know Top-Consultant. It is a site that everyone I know in the industry uses, me included. In my case, Top-Consultant has led me to apply for roles that have turned in to friendships with some of the people who have appeared on this podcast.

 In a world where businesses are being disrupted and challenged almost every day I’ve always admired how Top-Consultant has been able to keep such a dominant market position for so long and Tony was kind enough to share his secrets for this in today’s interview.

 We cover so much ground in this conversation including:

How Top-Consultant started and the unusual tactics Tony used to grow the business in its early days.

 How Top-Consultant grew over the years and how Tony and his co-founder were able to stay receptive to changing industry demands to keep their offering front and centre in the market.

 Tony’s advice for other entrepreneurs or those thinking of launching their own business, in tech, consulting or any other field.

And the importance of understanding and leveraging social media like LinkedIn when it comes to building your career or your business.

Tony shares so much great advice in this episode and it was fantastic to speak with someone whose business has been such an important part of the Consulting Industry for so long.

If you’re considering launching your own business or want to understand how you can grow your current business then this episode is a must listen.

You can find out more about Tony on his Linkedin page – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyrestell/

You can find out more about Top-Consultant at https://www.top-consultant.com

You can find out more about Social Hire at https://www.social-hire.com/

 Specific things we discuss in this show:

 Roland Berger – https://www.rolandberger.com

Top-Consultant ‘Art of Selling’ training course – https://events.top-consultant.com/uk/careerconference/423/The-Art-Of-Selling-Consulting-Services/

 The 4 hour work week by Tim Ferriss – https://amzn.eu/d/5QUWzpd

 Dot Com Secrets by Russell Brunson – https://amzn.eu/d/ilGFqsU

 What we talk about:

00:02:40 – Tony’s background and how he got to where he is today.

00:04:04 – How Tony met his co-founder in Top-Consultant.

00:06:26 – How Tony decided to leave his Consulting job to start Top-Consultant and the steps he put in place to ensure he could do so.

00:08:58 – How Tony and his Co-Founder developed their understanding of the recruitment industry when starting Top-Consulting and how they identified the market need for their business.

00:12:52 – How Top-Consultant overcame the challenge of being the first in the industry doing what they were doing and how the they grew the business in the early days.

00:19:32 – How Top-Consultant defended its position in the market against copy cat businesses looking to emulate their success.

00:21:17 – How Top-Consultant grew from an online job board in to a careers business with multiple offerings.

00:27:28 – The common challenges Consultants have when it comes to sales and how to overcome them.

00:33:59 – The impact LinkedIn has had when it comes to sales and marketing in Consulting.

00:37:20 – The common blockers that stop Consultants embracing social media like LinkedIn for business.

00:40:40 – How Tony built his massive LinkedIn Network.

00:43:58 – Tony’s advice on how you can use Social Media to help find your next role.

00:51:55 – How Top-Consultant has been able to stay relevant and keep its dominant market position for such a long time and what you can learn from their success.

00:55:29 – The importance of listening and how to assess the market demand for your product.

00:58:48 – The common traits Tony sees in successful entrepreneurs he works with.

01:07:15 – What you should consider when developing your ‘minimum viable product’ for the Consulting industry.

01:13:02 – What Tony would do differently if he was building Top-Consultant today.

01:16:17 – Tony’s book recommendations…these won’t be what you’re expecting!

01:21:30 – Tony’s closing advice for you whether you’re just starting out in Consulting, In the middle grades or approaching Partner level.

01:29:30- How to get in touch with Tony.