David A. Fields Consulting Group The secret to Becoming the Obvious Choice when your consulting firm is being considered for a project is very straightforward:
Discovery.
The better you understand your prospect, the more likely you are to close a consulting engagement.
Outstanding discovery conversations don’t just magically unfold, though. They are carefully orchestrated.
That’s why the Context Discussion is at the heart of becoming the obvious choice.
The six parts of the Context Discussion are explained in detail in The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients.
However, the oh-so-important preamble to the Context Discussion isn’t in the book.
Good thing you’re reading this!
The Opening Line
Your opening line depends on how the opportunity arose.
For instance…
| Source of Opportunity | Opening Line |
| Inbound inquiry or RFP | Thanks for your inquiry. In order to deliver the best possible response for you… |
| Relationship-building conversation | You mentioned in our discussion last week that you’d like some help optimizing your pizza with the points on the outside… |
The Context Discussion Preamble
After the opening line, you’ll continue…
You: …I’d like to quickly run through six topic areas that will help me understand your context better. Once we’re 100% on the same page on the context, pulling together an approach that perfectly meets your needs is easy. Does that work for you?
Prospect: Sure.
You: Great. Here are the six topics I’d like to cover:
- Your situation. I think I have a good feel for your situation from what you’ve told me already, and I just want to dig deeper into a couple of things.
- Your desired outcomes from this effort.
- Indicators that show we’re heading in the right direction together.
- Any risks or concerns you have about the project or about working together.
- The value or benefits of this work.
- And any parameters that could affect the scope.
Do those six sound good, or is there anything you’d like to add to the list?
Prospect: Those sound good.
You: Perfect. Before we jump in, I have one, quick logistical question to ask: how will the decision on this project be made?
Prospect: Well, I’m vetting the consultants and making the decision, but my boss, Judy, will have to sign off on it.
You: Great. Thanks for telling me. Let’s walk through the six topics I just mentioned, then I’ll have to have a brief conversation with Judy just to confirm everything before I submit a proposal.
I’m sure you’ll be in sync, and my conversation with her may only be five minutes, but I just wanted to give you a heads up that I’ll want to talk with her.
Let’s dive into the Situation…
The introduction is constructed to accomplish three goals:
- Display a roadmap. Clients are more open and more patient when they know you’re following a robust, well-designed process.
- Offer a preview. When your prospect knows where you’re headed, they’re more comfortable with every turn the conversation takes. It’s the surprise detours that make prospects jittery and suspicious.
- Identify the decision-maker. You can save a lot of time and heartache by knowing the decision process.
Once you’ve started the ball rolling, you continue with the Context Discussion. (Line by line examples of the Context Discussion are Chapters 18 and 19 of this book.)
What other effective phrases have you used to kick off discovery discussions?
Text and images are © 2026 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.
Once I started using this process, I started winning business – over and over again. My clients greatly appreciate receiving, reviewing and tweaking the context document to perfectly align with their desired outcomes. This has been a game changer for me! I am able to turn 90% of my context discussions and subsequent documents into winning proposals! Thank you DAF!
Woo hoo, Molly! Thank you for the wonderful case study, which will encourage many other readers to adopt this proven process. Good on you for incorporating it into your practice.
I’m very glad you shared your experience, Molly.
As they say, the devil is in the details – in this case, it’s this small “preamble” that is brilliant for setting the prospect’s expectations and giving them a taste of your process. I love this! It also sets up a very collaborative relationship with great communication right from the start. Bravo, David. I will definitely be using this going forward.
You’re absolutely right, Gabrielle. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the little nuances that make a big difference. Setting the tone with the preamble is one of those little nuances. And, as you pointed out, creating a collaborative discovery process is the first step in building a collaborative engagement.
Thanks for chiming in today, Gabrielle!
Identifying the « real » decision-maker and then letting the client know you will meet with that person is such a smart point. Sometimes these people are hidden from view, but only if you don’t make it clear that your time is equally valuable in this process. By making sure you meet them, you are also valuing your time investment in this whole process. Leaving things to change makes no sense. Great point, David.
Well said, Diana–you are a peer of your clients, and deserve to be treated with respect. Plus, there’s little point in going through all the work of building a proposal if you haven’t talked with the decision-maker directly. Every step away from the decision-maker halves your likelihood of winning the project.
I appreciate your highlighting that aspect of the article, Diana.
Devil’s advocate. If I’m the gatekeeper and I have several consultants I’m vetting, the only one who gets to my superior, who has to sign off, is the consultant I want to use.
I might date several gals, but if I’m taking one home to meet Mama, it will be the one I plan to ask for her hand. LOL
We’re delving deep into the gatekeeper issue, which is covered in several other articles. However, when you’re faced with a gatekeeper who takes the “I’ll only let one ‘vendor’ through to the decision-maker” stance, you have a strategic decision to make.
Most of the time, the best decision is to politely decline to submit a proposal stage without the decision-maker’s first-hand agreement to the Context. Ideally that agreement comes during a quick check-in meeting; however, a weak second choice is to let the gatekeeper solicit the agreement then report back. You’d be surprised how often a seemingly stubborn gatekeeper capitulates and gives a meeting when the best consulting firm insists on it.
I like that you played devil’s advocate, Don–that opens the door for deeper discussion!
Okay, *new to consulting* here. Need a clarification, David. Is what you are saying for the best option is to decline to submit numbers/proposal until you get agreement from the decision maker on Context? And, can you reexplain your weak second choice – to actually give them the proposal and let them be “the middle man”? Just trying to understand and thanks!
Great question, Heidi. Yes, 100% what I’m saying is that your best option is to decline to submit a proposal until the decision-maker agrees to the Context. That’s one big signal to the client that you’re going to act like a peer-level partner rather than like a vendor. If they want a vendor, and if you want to be a vendor, fine. But if you want the type of clients and projects that are based on partnerships, act like a partner.
Any time there’s a person between you and the decision-maker, your chances of winning the engagement plummet.
Does that answer your questions? You could ask them again on a live Monday Q&A if you want a bit more clarity. (https://davidafields.com/mondaylive)
Yes, that does answer my questions – Super helpful. I so understand so many of my first “crickets” responses to proposals – I never got to the decision makers. Sending that Heidi some grace. thanks, david!
We’re all on the learning curve, Heidi, and all have room to keep improving. Good on you for learning now and for making progress every day!
Okay, I’m starting to understand why we walk away. My first successful business was a Janitorial company. Initially, I responded to and participated in every bid request, alongside 3-4 competitors.
After a couple of years, I decided not to play the bidding game. When I received a call, I would ask if they were taking multiple bids. If they said yes, I told them I don’t work from bids any longer. However, if they were tired of changing janitorial companies one to three times a year, I’d be happy to come over, assess their needs, and negotiate a fair price. In the end, you’ll pay a little more for the service, but you won’t have the headaches you’re experiencing now.
If they turned down that offer, I would wish them well, hang up, and send a follow-up letter (now would be email) letting them know more about my services and give them a few customers to call and check it out. (Mind you, this was BC— before computers.) The point being, one has to have their standards.
Good story, Don. You have to have your standards, and you also have to use your time wisely. Going through an entire proposal process with an underling who, through no fault of their own, will not be 100% aligned with the decision-maker, just adds rework or risks a frustrating project.
Your learning from your janitorial days will help you clean up in the consulting business. (Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard it before.)