David A. Fields Consulting Group As a consulting firm leader, you’ve probably wondered more than once how you can increase the Need for the services you offer potential clients.
So, how do you?
That’s a trick question.
Your consulting firm doesn’t create or increase needs; you discover or reveal them.
If not enough potential clients suffer from the problem you solve, then choose a different problem to solve!
More likely, though, your universe of sufferers is sufficient, but…
…you’re not talking to enough of them (“Untouched Sufferers”), or
…they aren’t aware of their suffering (“Clueless Sufferers”), or
…they’re not motivated to ease their pain (“Silent Sufferers”).
Untouched Sufferers
Targeting prospects who are already aware of their Need and urgently Want to address it, is what I call Fishing Where the Fish Are.
Fishing Where the Fish Are is a much more profitable (and fun) approach than trying to manufacture Need where none exists.
The challenge is, of course, to find those hungry fish.
You meet that challenge through networking, outreach and other visibility-building tactics.
Without a doubt, the most effective, reliable path to locating prospects who Need and Want what your consulting firm offers is simply to talk with more prospects.
In other words, create and nurture relationships.
Set yourself a goal of establishing 60 new A1 relationships over the next year.
That’s only five new relationships each month!
Action Step: Your first step is to introduce yourself to new prospects. That’s a task you can kick off today!
Clueless Sufferers
You’ve undoubtedly encountered people who assume they’ve got it all figured out, and who disdain guidance from anyone wiser and better informed.*
Is there anything more frustrating than watching a prospective consulting client race down the wrong track when, if they only hired your firm, you could set them straight?
Unfortunately, awakening your consulting firm’s prospects to their sorry state of affairs requires effort and persistence that rarely pays out.
However, if you’re determined to sound the alarm, then invest in butt-kicking diagnostics.
Diagnostics are the best approach for enlightening your prospects about their issues, below-par performance, or impending disaster.
Ideally, your diagnostic can be self-administered so that you’re not cast as the bearer of bad news.
Also, be prepared for denial.
Like teenagers, consulting clients are prone to ignore evidence they have a problem and need help.
Action Step: Step one in creating a great diagnostic is identifying the difference between your clients’ success and failure.
If you don’t know that already, embark on a couple of weeks of research among your clients and prospects.
Silent Sufferers
Finally, consider the consulting prospects who know they need your help, but aren’t interested enough or don’t see it as a high enough priority to hire your consulting firm.
They’re just like you when you admit you’re addicted to chocolate but don’t want to kick the habit.
Oh, maybe that was me.
Either way, the problem your consulting firm solves doesn’t create enough of an emotional burden to motivate Silent Sufferers into action.
You need to tap into your prospect’s deep-seated desires, aspirations, and fears in order to fan their flames of Want.
You can paint mouth-watering images of successful outcomes, and relate frightening tales of clients who failed to act.
However, those tactics yield mixed results, because consulting isn’t an impulse purchase.
Action Step: Uncover your prospects’ highest priorities, their most inspiring dreams and their most worrisome concerns.
How? Ask questions, pay attention, be interested, empathize, and resist your urge to pitch your services.
From there you can bridge the gap between your project and higher Want if it’s in the best interest of your client.
Bottom line: you will touch more prospects when you employ outreach, a diagnostic, and connection to their core desires.
Which of these approaches do you think could work for your consulting firm?
Text and images are © 2025 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.
Our discovery process is usually very long, sometimes 4 or 5 meetings as we find often times our potential clients don’t know exactly what the highest priorities, their most inspiring dreams and their most worrisome concerns are. We ask lots of questions and then send them back to discuss with their teams, then do it again three or four more times.
Hi David! I’m a fellow chocolate addict (dark chocolate specifically – addict might be a strong word)… Any way I appreciate your action steps and wanted to know if you had any specific recommendations for the Untouched Sufferer relationship development. Five a month doesn’t seem bad, but maybe I manage to do that when I go to a conference but I only go to those once or twice a year. Where do you recommend finding the Untouched sufferers so as to begin the conversation?
Wonderful advice. Once again you describe my world so clearly.
Love the 3×2 diagnostic tool. Too often I have been frustrated with silent sufferers but not given them the metrics to awaken their sense of urgency.
Have a great day!