46. Building Your Consulting Sales Pipeline with Paul Bakker

In this episode, Paul Bakker joins The Evaluation Couch to share his insights on how a sales pipeline can support an evaluator's independent consulting business. Paul explains how he tracks different types of leads—open RFPs, vendor-of-record opportunities, and sole-source contracts—assigning the likelihood of these materializing into contracts. He shares how he has used a sales pipeline to project his income and guide business development efforts. He emphasizes the importance of networking, building relationships, and diversifying sources of work to maintain income stability and mitigate the risks associated with consulting. Resources Learn about Paul's consulting business Social Impact Squared The AI tools referenced in this episode can be found here: Logical Outcomes Nonprofit AI Workspace Access the American Evaluation Association's Independent Consulting Topical Interest Group videos here Learn more about the Canadian Evaluation Society's Independent Consulting Community of Interest (ICCI) here.  Learn about the book Paul referenced by Gail Barrington here.  Download your free workbook to become a confident evaluator who attracts top opportunities in 4 steps here.  www.mariamontenegro.ca | www.linkedin.com/in/mariamontenegro