David A. Fields Consulting Group You’re a happy camper because your consulting firm is on the brink of signing a doozy of an engagement with PlumCo.
Then, outta nowhere, PlumCo’s sales nosedive and your decision-maker, Professor Plum, informs you, “Sorry. We can’t move forward right now – all discretionary spending has been cut.”
Ouch. Apparently Plum views your consulting firm’s project as discretionary.
Now what? You roll with the punches.
Don’t Do This:
“You’re in luck, Professor Plum, because we can take care of your sales problem. I’ll pull together a new proposal.”
Approaches like that come across as insensitive and opportunistic at a time when your prospect is super stressed and probably a bit embarrassed.
3 Steps to Win Consulting Projects
When Circumstances Change
Step 1: Empathize
“Gosh, Professor, that’s a bummer. You must be really frustrated with the downturn in sales.”
Step 2: Establish a Restart Trigger
“Clearly the current circumstances don’t support the project we’ve been discussing. Fortunately, the crisis is likely to pass sooner or later.
Let’s set up a concrete trigger so that when the time is right, we can flip the switch and kick off the project immediately.
How will you know that the sales slump is over? What’s the signal that we can dive back in?”
That simple statement accomplishes three goals:
- By implicitly dismissing all objections other than the current circumstances, you increase the odds that the project will sign when circumstances permit;
- Working with your prospect to paint a picture of a brighter future creates a strong, positive connection;
- You’re anchoring your project to a well-defined, future moment. Without that, the urgency to tackle your project may drift away permanently.
Step 3: Help With the Current Problem
“Professor Plum, having set our project aside, let’s spend a few minutes brainstorming solutions to your immediate challenge—nothing to do with whether my firm can help or not.”
Be a “friend in need” who shows you care first and foremost about your prospect’s success, not your consulting firm’s revenue stream.
That’s the surest path to being regarded as a trustworthy, valuable resource when PlumCo’s fortunes improve.
Plus, it’s possible a new project will emerge as you collectively develop solutions to help Plum out of his sticky situation.
The example above revolves around a sales slump; however, there are myriad reasons your high-priority project might unexpectedly drop off the radar.
No matter what the cause, the winning approach is: empathize, establish a restart trigger, help with the current problem.
How else do you respond when your consulting project is deprioritized?
Text and images are © 2026 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.
Thanks David, this is fantastic and reemphasizes the right-side up thinking.
I had a similar situation with a client a while back and we indeed lost the opportunity. In the end, offered a no-obligation 1-hour session to review the situation closer to build a plan that she can take it forward without me. Although, the client appreciated it, she regretfully informed that the problem has been deprioritised and she will definitely get in touch because no one went the extra mile to support her.
Its been a few months, is it worth getting in touch (1:1:1 messaging) or ask directly about the problem, which am sure would not have gone away.
Smart question, Ram. Yes, it’s absolutely worth following up. You can reference the original issue, but keep your conversation above that—you don’t want to be pigeonholed as only relevant to a problem that was deprioritized.
Let me know how your outreach goes, Ram, and thanks for sharing your specific case.
EXCELLENT advice on every…single…level! Thank you!
Wow, Bob. That’s very high praise, especially coming from you. Thank you for sharing your reaction, which is reaffirming and heartwarming. (Also a reminder that it’s been too long since we’ve caught up over breakfast!)
David, do you have our phones tapped? 🙂 One of our clients implemented a global consulting freeze last week, just as we were finalizing signatures on a large transformation project. Frustrating. As per your article, we rolled with the punches and we have time booked in the new year to see if there might be an opportunity to start the project then.
Oh no, David, that bites! Makes you think, “Couldn’t you have waited just one more week to do your darn freeze?!” Congratulations, though, on being on the cusp of a(nother) big deal. Shows you’re on the right track with your target and your offering. Also good on you for calendaring the follow-up meeting. Let me know how it goes!
(Separately, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of our firm’s telepathic surveillance initiative. ????)
Sorry to hear your news, David, but glad you shared it — other readers will realize they’re not alone in their experience.
So aligned with the philosophy of putting the person first, not the projects first.
Exactly, Shankar. We are in a human, people-oriented business even if the focus of our particular efforts is very technical. Also, consulting is a long-term game. You’re building a career and/or an ongoing firm, not a point-in-time transaction.
Thanks for chiming in on this article, Shankar!
Very timely as I had this happen this week and you reaffirmed the approach I was planning on taking
Sorry to hear you had an opportunity canceled, Michael. That part of consulting isn’t fun at all. On the other hand, kudos to you for already having the right steps in mind. Well done!
I appreciate your sharing your situation — reading about it will reassure many other readers that their situation is not unique.