Read the underlined text in the image – it’s hilarious š¤£
It’s a well-known secret in our industry: hiring a Big Four consulting firm is often more about security than innovation.
As you can see in this excerpt from FT about the Saudi Arabian government’s use of consultantsā¦
The adage, “No one got fired for hiring McKinsey” is alive and well.
In large organisations (including governments), hiring consulting firms is insurance against losing your job over botched up large-scale decisions. Executives simply don’t want to be accountable, so they hire Big 4 consultants to tell them what to do. If the initiative fails, they’ll blame the consultants.
This is not funny for the millions of independent consultants and small firms the world over. It makes it incredible difficult to compete with Big 4 firms, even for relatively small engagements. š
But here’s the thing:
Not every consulting buyer or executive in a large organisation is looking to cover their backsides. There are many senior executives who value outside perspectives and expertise specialists bring.
Also, many large organisations hire Big 4, small boutiques and independents at the same time. It’s not a zero sum game. I’ve seen this over and over again for close to two decades.
Just rememberā¦to increase your perceived value among senior buyers at large organisations, it helps to:
ā Get introduced through a trusted source.
ā Share your deep expertise freely (write, speak and build a community of prospects) and build new relationships.
ā Create proof points (demos, case studies, detailed testimonials).
ā Embrace a top seller’s mentality (get in front of buyers, do great discovery, follow through when necessary, and pick yourself up if you get rejected).
š Here’s the Financial Times article:
https://www.ft.com/content/908b1883-f4de-4d53-bfee-acdc01602223
Ready to add $100k-$500k revenue to your consulting business in 12 months or less without burning out? Schedule a call and let me show you how.
Image credit: Dalle-3
