Here’s what the US govt said in a letter to consulting firms including Accenture, Booz Allen and Deloitte:
In a letter to the ten highest-paid consulting firms serving the government, the General Services Administration’s new chief procurement officer requested extensive information about the billions of dollars these companies receive through government contracts.
The procurement officer didn’t shy away from calling out consultants. He said:
🤡 “A 15-year-old should be able to understand what service you provide and why it is important – no consultative jargon or gobbledygook.”
Unfortunately, consultants are not known for simple communication. Everyone – including the giants – struggles to clearly explain what they actually do.
Now, I get it.
Big consulting firms have a… complicated reputation.
Many of them roll in with an army of analysts, leave behind 200-slide decks, charge sky-high fees, and leave everyone confused about what they actually get done.
Sadly, independent consultants and boutique firms often get lumped into the same bucket – even though many of them deliver exceptional value and hands-on support to their clients.
It’s a real tragedy that they fail to communicate how they bring value.
Independents and boutiques bring a wealth of experience, insight, and proprietary methods to the table. No two are exactly alike.
But when they talk about their work?
Most use jargon and gobbledygook.
They say things like:
💬 “I have 15 years of experience delivering enterprise-grade optimization via adaptive, intelligence-driven enablement models.”
💬 “I specialize in leveraging cross-functional synergies to improve enterprise-wide efficiency.”
💬 “We deliver holistic, future-ready transformation strategies that align mission-critical KPIs with stakeholder value creation.”
It’s all a blur of buzzwords.
Nobody cares how long you’ve worked, or how broad your service categories are.
What prospects care about is simple:
✅ What pains can you help them solve?
✅ What specific outcomes can you help them achieve?
✅ Why should they choose you over other options?
If your messaging doesn’t clearly express your unique value and the outcomes you deliver, you’ll keep getting overlooked.
Let’s fix that.
If you’d like to learn how to communicate your value in a way that gets the right prospects to notice – and want to talk to you – reach out to me on LinkedIn
🖥️ I’ll send you a 60-minute training called “How to Nail Your Consulting Message,” where I coach two consultants live. You’ll see the process in action and walk away ready to craft a message that lands.
🖥️ I’ll send you a 60-minute training called “How to Nail Your Consulting Message,” where I coach two consultants live. You’ll see the process in action and walk away ready to craft a message that lands.
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
