Quick Answer:
Networking for learning and development consultants doesn’t have to mean constantly promoting yourself or searching for new contacts. Maintaining relationships with former clients, colleagues, fellow consultants, and industry professionals can create valuable connections throughout your career. Partnering with an L&D staffing company like TrainingPros can extend your reach even further by connecting you with potential clients through relationships the company has already established.
Why Does Networking Matter for
Independent L&D Consultants?
When you’re an independent Learning and Development (L&D) consultant, your professional relationships can be just as important as your technical skills. You might be an exceptional instructional designer, eLearning developer, facilitator, or learning strategist. But if the people who need your expertise don’t know you’re available, finding your next assignment can be challenging.
Networking helps you stay connected to opportunities, learn what’s happening in the industry, and build relationships with people who understand your work. And there’s another benefit that often gets overlooked: professional relationships can make consulting less isolating. Having colleagues you can exchange ideas with, ask for advice, or collaborate with can be especially valuable when you work independently.
The good news? Effective networking doesn’t require attending endless events or sending dozens of LinkedIn messages. A few meaningful relationships, maintained consistently, can be far more valuable than hundreds of superficial connections.
Who Should Be in Your Professional Network?
Many consultants focus their networking efforts on people who might hire them. That’s certainly important, but a strong professional network includes several types of relationships.
Former clients and colleagues.
People who have worked with you already know what you bring to a project. Staying in touch makes it easier for them to think of you when a new need arises.
Fellow L&D consultants.
Other consultants may hear about projects that aren’t right for them but would be a great fit for you. They can also share insights about tools, industry trends, and client expectations.
L&D leaders.
Connecting with learning managers, directors, and other decision-makers helps you understand the challenges organizations are facing, even when they don’t have an immediate need.
Professional associations and communities.
Organizations such as the Association for Talent Development (ATD) provide opportunities to meet professionals with shared interests and develop relationships over time. And don’t ignore your local chapter of ATD for frequent in-person meetings.
Specialized staffing partners.
Companies that focus on L&D contract staffing can introduce your expertise to organizations you might never reach independently.
Each of these relationships serves a different purpose. Together, they create a professional network that supports your consulting career in multiple ways.
How Can You Network Without
Feeling Like You're Selling Yourself?
One reason consultants dislike networking is that it can feel transactional. Every conversation seems to carry an expectation that someone will eventually ask for something. Instead of focusing on making a sale, try approaching networking as an opportunity to exchange ideas and maintain relationships. For example, suppose you worked with a learning manager on a successful leadership development project two years ago. You recently read an article about changes in leadership training that reminded you of your work together. Sending that article with a short personal note is a perfectly reasonable way to reconnect. You aren’t asking for a project. You’re sharing something relevant with someone whose work you know.
The same approach works with fellow consultants. If you discover a useful resource, learn something interesting about an authoring tool, or hear about an upcoming industry event, consider sharing it with someone who might benefit.
Networking becomes much easier when there’s a genuine reason to connect.
How Can LinkedIn Help You Stay Visible?
LinkedIn is particularly useful for independent L&D consultants because it allows you to maintain professional visibility without constantly initiating new conversations. You don’t have to publish original articles every week to benefit from the platform. Consider leaving thoughtful comments on posts from L&D leaders and colleagues. Share a lesson from a recent project, participate in discussions about emerging technologies, or offer a perspective based on your experience.
For example, if someone posts about using AI to develop training materials, you might contribute an observation about the importance of subject matter expertise or quality review. These contributions help others understand what you know and how you think.
It’s also worth reviewing your LinkedIn profile periodically. Does it clearly communicate the types of L&D projects you specialize in? Would someone unfamiliar with your background understand the value you bring to an organization? Your profile should make it easy for potential clients and professional contacts to recognize your expertise.
Why Should You Network with Other L&D Consultants?
Other consultants can be some of the most valuable people in your professional network. They understand the realities of contract work, including changing client expectations, tight deadlines, evolving technologies, and the uncertainty that sometimes comes between assignments. They also bring different experiences and perspectives.
An instructional designer who specializes in leadership development might benefit from knowing a consultant experienced in learning technology strategy. An eLearning developer might build a valuable relationship with a facilitator who specializes in sales enablement. These connections can lead to referrals, collaboration, professional advice, and a broader understanding of the industry.
Participating in ATD chapter activities, consultant communities, and peer discussions can help you develop these relationships naturally.
Can a Staffing Partner Do
Some of Your Networking for You?
Absolutely. And for independent consultants who would rather spend their time working on interesting projects than continually looking for the next one, this can be especially valuable. When you build a relationship with an L&D staffing partner like TrainingPros, you’re connecting with an organization that already has established relationships with learning leaders across the country.
Our Relationship Managers continually build and maintain client relationships, learn about upcoming initiatives, and identify organizations that need additional L&D expertise. That means you may be considered for assignments with organizations you’ve never contacted or even heard of.
There’s another advantage. At TrainingPros, our Relationship Managers are experienced L&D practitioners. They understand the skills, experience, and responsibilities involved in instructional design, eLearning development, facilitation, learning technology, and other learning disciplines. When a client describes a project, our team can recognize which consultants may be well suited for the work.
We also help manage the client relationship, coordinate the selection process, and handle contracting and administrative details associated with assignments through TrainingPros. Of course, joining our consultant network doesn’t guarantee an assignment. Client needs, timing, availability, and specialized requirements all affect which consultants are considered. But it does give you another way to become visible to prospective clients, supported by relationships we’ve spent years developing.
How Do You Maintain Your Network When You're Busy?
One of the biggest networking mistakes consultants make is waiting until their current assignment is ending before reconnecting with people. When you’re busy meeting deadlines, networking understandably falls to the bottom of your priority list. But maintaining relationships doesn’t have to consume much time.
You might reconnect with a former colleague once a month, comment on a few LinkedIn discussions, participate in an occasional professional event, or update your staffing partners about your availability. The goal is to remain engaged with your professional community even when you’re fully booked. That way, when your current project ends, you’re continuing relationships rather than starting over.
Your Network Can Work for You
Successful independent consulting requires more than delivering excellent work. It also means making sure the right people know what you do and remember you when opportunities arise.
Fortunately, networking doesn’t have to become another full-time job. Stay connected with people you’ve worked with. Build relationships with other L&D consultants. Participate in professional conversations that interest you. And consider working with specialized staffing partners who can extend your reach.
At TrainingPros, we believe talented L&D consultants should be able to focus on the work they do best. Our job is to build client relationships, understand their needs, and connect them with professionals who have the right expertise.
Let us find the clients. You focus on the work you love.
Join the TrainingPros Talent Pool and let us get to know your experience, expertise, and the types of projects you’d like to pursue.
What to Read Next:
Would you like to learn more about building your consulting business? These articles explore the topic further.
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We work with experienced L&D consultants on projects with organizations across the country. If you’re an instructional design professional who takes pride in delivering great work and building lasting client relationships, we’d love to connect.
TrainingPros is a learning and development company that connects organizations with experienced instructional designers, eLearning developers, and performance consultants. We’ve been named a Top 20 Staffing Company by Training Industry and a Champion of Learning by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), recognition that reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, tailored learning solutions. To hear ongoing conversations with senior learning leaders, listen to our Learning Leader Spotlight podcast: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
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