Why does selling consulting feel harder than ever for boutiques and independents? Here’s what I’m seeing in the market today.
Selling consulting has never been easy, but it was different 5 to 7 years ago.
Here are four shifts I’ve been noticing, patterns that come up again and again in conversations with other consultants. These are my observations. I’m curious if they match what you’re seeing out there.
🔴 1. Choice overload is creating decision fatigue:
Post-COVID, many executives are comfortable sourcing talent remotely. That’s led to a flood of supply: full-time hires, boutiques, independents, fractional experts. With that many options, risk-averse executives often choose the safest path – doing nothing. If your pipeline is full of “circle back next quarter” responses, you’re not alone.
🔴 2. Too many voices are slowing deals:
Gartner says most consulting decisions now involve 6–7 stakeholders. In larger organizations, it’s even more. Project sponsors often don’t have deep technical knowledge, so they bring in others for input. The result? Delays, rising uncertainty, and budget conversations that drag on for months. Unless someone takes the lead and simplifies the process, things stall.
🔴 3. “We do everything” messaging turns you into a commodity:
Sensing market trouble, many firms widen their offerings. The thinking goes: “If strategy dries up, pitch project management. If PM slows, go after operations.” But this flexibility often comes at the cost of clarity. Buyers struggle to see where you’re strongest, and that usually means more price pressure or no deal at all. Specializing might feel like a risk, but in reality, it’s the clearest way to stand out.
🔴 4. Founders stepping back from sales are starving their pipeline:
Some boutique owners hope referrals will carry them through. Others bet on outsourced lead-gen, casual networking or partnerships instead of building their own pipeline. But in a noisy market, that’s a dangerous move. Founders need to be visible, sharing a clear point of view and leading from the front. Waiting for work to show up isn’t leadership. It’s a slow way to lose momentum.
If any of the above resonates, consider these questions to pressure-test your own strategy:
👉 Do you solve costly and urgent problems, or do you have a nice-to-have service?
👉 Out of your multiple services, which two services have driven the most revenue and profit in the past two years? What if you focused only on those?
👉 Are you, as founder, spending at least 20 percent of your week on revenue-driving activities that get you results?
You can wait for the market to settle – or shape how you respond to it. Which one are you choosing?
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Image credit: Dalle-3
