David A. Fields Consulting Group The Advantage That Actually Wins Consulting Projects (It’s Not Quality)
You’re undoubtedly familiar with the classic triangle of trade-offs: “There’s Faster, Better, and Cheaper. Choose any two out of the three.”
For consulting firms, one point on the triangle of trade-offs can drive enormous business gains.
Which one may surprise you.
Most consultants crow proudly about their exemplary work.
The combination of their unique, breakthrough processes, genius IQs, and millennia of experience guarantees unparalleled results for their clients.
And virtually every consultant responsible for landing new business will eagerly grab the megaphone and blare the myriad reasons their consulting firm is better than competitors.
Unfortunately, Better is not the most important point on the triangle of trade-offs.
Contrary to what you might expect (or want), clients typically aren’t looking for the “best” consulting firm!
Of course, there are cases when slight differences in performance are magnified in the final result.
However, more clients view your consulting firm’s superiority claims as:
- Irrelevant – Many clients perceive their project value as binary. You either solve the problem or you don’t. More solved carries little benefit.
- Indeterminate – Unless your project directly affects the client’s revenue or costs, the value of your project is a bit fuzzy, and the incremental value of your exceptional wonderfulness is even fuzzier.
- Suspect – Clients heavily discount the gap between you and competitors. When they factor in the likelihood of anyone succeeding, your performance advantage shrinks further.
If clients aren’t fixated on buying Better, then what bangs their gongs?
Faster.
In particular, one manifestation of Faster:
Responsiveness.
Sure, promising a superior solution is terrific, and offering a fee advantage vs. other firms may sway some prospects.
However, responding promptly and empathetically, from the very first moment of inquiry through closing the project (and beyond), outshines the other two points on the triangle.
Why?
Because, while Better might possibly happen in the future and Cheaper could serve the organization, Faster, in the form of responsiveness, definitely benefits your prospect now!
Example
Take as a case study the consulting firm we worked with whose revenue per consultant is sky high.
Sky high in this example is six-to-eight times the national average for consulting firms.
(For the record, that means this firm’s revenue is near $2 million per consultant.)
The CEO’s inbox fills every week with inquiries from prospective clients.
They reach out, in large part, because of the firm’s reputation for extraordinary responsiveness.
This particular firm wins on other fronts too: by being easy-to-do-business-with (they always say, “yes”) and leveraging an unusual pricing strategy.
However, their core advantage is responsiveness.
Responsiveness Best Practices
Keep in mind responsiveness is far, far more than responding quickly to an inquiry or client phone call.
Responsiveness also encompasses how you deal with perceived changes in scope, changes in circumstances, project delays, market events, personnel shifts, and more.
I could trot out my firm’s list of responsiveness best practices, but where’s the fun in that?
Let’s work together as a community to build a responsiveness protocol for your consulting firm.
How are you making your consulting firm responsive to prospects and clients?
Post your thoughts below.
Text and images are © 2026 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.
It is possible to be better, faster AND cheaper.
As a quality improvement junkie, I know this to be true.
However, Speed is the healing app.
How long does it take you to answer the phone? Respond to email? Crunch the data?
Amazon, Apple and Google have taught everyone that they can get anything they want Free, Perfect and Now. NOW beats later every time.
I actually wrote a book about this a decade ago: Money Belt Manifesto.
Speed is the healing app.
Love the pushback on the premise that the triangle of tradeoff even exists. As you suggest, speed (when applied correctly) can give you the opportunity to deliver better with lower cost.
Great add to the conversation, Jay!
Hi David, how do you rate cheaper and faster (or on time) as a Revenue building tactic to win the first of, hopefully, several jobs? Dilemma post COVID with some clients is they want cheaper delivered on time. Agree, you can rarely have the three and BETTER doesn’ mean diddly squat, as often the procurement person or Project Manager doesn’t understand the topic. Nice when they do, but in an ever-dumbed down world, many don’t rate VALUE as they don’t know what it looks like!
Interesting question, Simon. While there are some exceptions based on the particular type of consulting, our research suggests 80% of consulting buyers do not select their consultant primarily on price. Cheaper rarely wins consulting projects.
In this article, I was specifically talking about responsiveness, which will definitely help you win more business. Faster in terms of turnaround time on a project can also win you plenty of business. If other firms will take 6 months to deliver results and your firm can deliver in 3 months, then you’re likely to be the front-runner (if timing of results is important). For your speedy results you can charge a premium.
I’d push back a bit on your statement about the dumb-downed world. Clients always know what value looks like because, by definition, they (not you) are the ones who determine value. You may not like their definition of value, but disputing it is counterproductive and generally futile. Consulting is about them, not you!
Thanks for the provocative question and comments, Simon.
Many thanks David, for your insightful reply. A light in a dark place! I guess the post-COVID market had got to me. You’re spot on with your reply and comment about the Client always determines value and this helps me to better understand their need and sharpen up the value proposition accordingly. Thank you!
Thank you, Simon, for being open to feedback. That speaks volumes about your willingness to prioritize value-creation for your clients.
Great article David as always. I feel the #1 protocol is 4 parts
1. validate/acknowledge their email, text, call and what they asked for even if you do not have time to solve it. It is about letting them know you are on top of it.
2. evaluate- clarify the focus/need and impact/implications where warranted
3. Communicate- either with a recommendation, solution, or what you will do and time you will get back in touch with them with the disclaimer, if needed, that if they need to talk sooner please let you know and we will work to make that happen.
4. Follow up- checking back on how that need or request went even ahead of your next touch point is key to ensure response shows real care.
Letting people know they are important, they were heard, and you will have this taken care of and by when is what provides the level of certainty clients need. Amazon packages you can track. DoorDash deliveries you can see by the minute. Hyper responsive.
Terrific protocol, Jack, especially if you execute it quickly. It’s great that you’ve added the fourth step of follow-up, extending responsiveness beyond the initial communication.
I appreciate your sharing a concrete best practice, Jack!
Hi David,
This article made my morning better because it reinforces a core principle of my practice. In the last 30+ years I take phone calls as they come in or almost always respond in less than an hour. If someone trusts me enough to share an important event in their lives, I don’t want to keep them waiting. Thanks, and Happy New Year!
Congratulations on embedding responsiveness so deeply into your practice, Doc, and thank you for the inspiring example.
Your expression of why you are so responsive is inspiring, and I bet a number of other readers are going to adopt your viewpoint. Well done!
I could not agree with this more. For us, this has meant being responsive to what the project needs in the moment and willing to pivot gracefully if something is going to make the work better. Our clients are often not sophisticated buyers and frequently don’t know what to ask for. Being open to going off-piste with them, if that’s the right approach, makes for great work and delighted clients. I know it is consulting heresy, but one of our guiding principles here is “the outcome is more important than the income” (within reason). Our mission-driven clients feel that from us all the time, and I am sure that’s one reason some of our client relationships have lasted for decades.
Wow, Chris, that’s a very inspiring philosophy. (Also, I’m absolutely going to “borrow” your income/outcome line!) You’re exemplifying a Right-Side Up approach–making your consulting engagements about your clients, not you, which naturally leads to a high level of responsiveness.
Thank you so much for sharing your approach with me and other readers.
Hi David. Thanks for this! So relevant to our company. Will share with my team. (Ties up with your previous article, where this can be made into a habit).
Outstanding, Kumaran. You’re smart to point out that responsiveness can be a habit, and you can build responsiveness into the DNA of your consulting firm.