One of the beauties of being a marketing consultant from home -- besides the money, time freedom and almost non-existent start-up costs -- is the fact you can choose exactly who you want to work with.

In other words, there are enough clients to go around and the supply -- even in your home town -- is not likely to ever be exhausted.

And that's why one of the biggest challenges of being a marketing consultant -- or any kind of consultant -- from home isn't how to get started or make money...but choosing who to work with and who NOT to work with.

You see, in this business, time is your biggest asset. If you waste your time courting the wrong clients and working for people who are not serious about their business, you will be wasting your biggest asset.

So how do you make sure you don't waste time on the wrong clients? How do you avoid the losers and tire kickers and find the businesses who want and need your help -- and are willing to pay you for it?

Simple: When you first meet with a prospective client for the first time do NOT meet at a coffee shop, your office or anywhere but your lead's place of business.

This is so vitally important it can literally mean the difference between having a consulting business go smoothly and profitably...or rough and barely making any money at all.

Why do I say this?

Because, while meeting at other places can work if there's no other way to do it, it's critical that you, the consultant, actually see the place of business you will be helping.

What does it look like? What kind of people work there? Is it clean or dirty? Does it look like the owner skimps on important things (like advertising and marketing) and wastes money on non-important things (like fancy furniture)?

You have to see what you're in for before working with someone. You can tell a LOT about a business and its owner simply by stopping by and making simple observations. You can see what they're up against and what their strengths and weaknesses are.

And if you find just by looking around it's not someone you want to work with, or someone you don't trust, then you can walk away before any papers are signed and any deals are made.

When one door closes a better one opens. By visiting the business office, store or plant, you'll know whether you should move on to something better before wasting any of your time on people you shouldn't be working with.

It sounds strange, but because of this fact about the consulting business, you can actually make more money by NOT taking on certain clients.