Refusing to own the entire sales process because you are a “trusted advisor” is how consulting firms quietly bleed out.
I like the term “trusted advisor.” I believe it originated with David Maister, but I am not sure. In his book The Trusted Advisor, Maister argues that technical expertise is not enough. You must be the first person a client turns to when they need help, confident you will use sound judgment and put their interests first.
I agree completely. Who can argue with that? Yet this definition has led many consultants to hide behind the label “trusted advisor” and assume it means they should serve only their clients’ interests, not their own.
And so, these “trusted advisors” neglect sales. They see their primary role as leading client delivery and being available whenever clients need them. When it comes to driving sales for their own firm, prospecting and building a pipeline, they look for shortcuts:
👉 Depend on inbound referrals and hope they arrive when needed
👉 Lean on loosely defined partnerships that rarely produce qualified leads
👉 Hand off sales entirely to an agency without a guiding strategy
👉 Publish scattered case studies or blog posts instead of a consistent, value-driven thought-leadership plan
👉 Hire a salesperson but hand over half-baked positioning and fuzzy targets that leave them guessing
If you are a consulting founder and you do not own the sales process, from creating solutions to prospecting to closing, you will struggle to achieve the strong growth you want. Because here’s the naked truth:
No one will ever care about your firm’s success more than you.
To achieve strong growth in this hyper-competitive, technically complex world, take charge of your sales engine. Do not hide behind the noble term “trusted advisor” while waiting for prospects to come to you. Drive sales yourself. Learn it, own it and optimize it. It is the best insurance against your business bleeding out and fading away.
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