“Pointing out the Benefits of Your Consulting Services Shouldn’t Be the Centerpiece of Your Dialogue”

That tweet received a lot of attention when I tweeted it, so I thought I’d expand on it slightly, and invite the community to comment.

As savvy consultants, we’ve reached the stage where we know we should be talking about the results, benefits and value we generate. Talking about processes and methodologies are important, but take a back seat. And somebody kick us if we start talking about time or effort involved.

But should our dialogues with prospects revolve around the value or benefits we deliver?

No. We should focus on a prospect’s problem or aspiration; the implications of being where they are (a.k.a. the pain); the benefit of achieving their goal.  In other words, the conversation should revolve around them, not us. Sometimes this is as obvious as a ham sandwich, but sometimes it’s more subtle.

For instance, compare these two statements: “We provide absolute clarity, and pave the way for growth” vs. “You’ll know exactly what steps to take to grow and feel extremely confident in your plan.” Those sound the same, but the former is about the consultant and the latter is about the prospect. Should you connect their results to hiring you? Of course. But first entrance them with the vision of themselves in a better place.

Text and images are © 2025 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.