David A. Fields Consulting Group Your consulting firm’s messaging may be very good, but if it’s missing one critical component, you’re drastically lowering your odds of winning new clients.
Let’s examine the case of Mimi Manilow at Yummycakes Corp. Mimi is casting about for a consulting firm to help her improve customer satisfaction with Yummycake’s rugelach.
Mimi considers three consultants:
- Tinkerton International—a global consultancy her company has used previously;
- Mochenbach Consulting—a firm her new COO recommends;
- Charleston Group—ChatGPT recommended them to Mimi in a quick chat.
Mimi checks the three consulting firms’ websites, and here’s what she sees:
Tinkerton International
We’re experts in food manufacturing. Our process is best-in-class and uses proven approaches to maximize profitable production of delicious goodies.
Mochenbach Consulting
Our consultants have more than 9,000 years of experience working in baked goods. Our clients include Hostess, Cinnabon, Dunkin Donuts and the original Betty Crocker—back before she started milling flour, she was a client of ours.
Charleston Group
Our consulting staff is a unique blend of food scientists, jujitsu manufacturing masters and a specially trained dachshund. Tell us a bit more about your challenges and we’ll work together to surpass your goals.
Those statements sound like innumerable consulting firms’ marketing language.
They may even sound a lot like the messaging on your consulting firm’s website and in your materials.
Did you notice a pattern?
Every one of those firms is striving to establish credibility, and every one of those credibility statements is upside down.
Those credibility statements are about the consulting firm, not about the clients!
As a result, Mimi’s not impressed.
She, like most prospects, is seeking a consulting firm that talks specifically about her problem and, importantly, instills confidence that they can solve her challenge.
However, the three contenders (and quite possibly your firm) left out the one argument that would most buttress their reputations.
Your wellspring of credibility doesn’t flow from your years of experience, marquee clients or even your unwavering interest in building a relationship.
Those are all important, but they miss the most important factor that reassures clients you can deliver the goods:
Outcome Evidence
You must be able to articulate the outcomes your interventions produce, with evidence.
In other words, your credibility statements must highlight your contributions to your previous clients and how those clients became better off thanks to your consulting firm’s excellent work.
Load your marketing with case studies and testimonials oozing tangible results.
If you want to win Mimi’s business, your marketing—whether on your website, sprinkled in your speeches, or mentioned during your conversations with her—should sound like the following messaging:
Serra Leigh Consulting
We’re experts in creating tastier treats.
When Cricket Crumpets wanted to increase market share, we analyzed the gustatory profile of their dough and their seasonings supply chain.
Because of our work, they switched from stale additives to fresh Zanzibarian spices.
As a result, Cricket Crumpets has dramatically increased the flavor impact of their products.
Serra Leigh’s statement incorporates some “us” language; however, it primarily reflects a client’s problem and the tangible, valuable results the client received.
Would a claim about market share gains have boosted the power of that case study? You bet.
However, even without a quantitative benefit, Serra Leigh’s marketing instills more confidence (and Trust) than the marketing from the three consulting firms at the top of this article.
Similarly, while your firm’s outcome evidence doesn’t have to be quantitative (though it helps), it does have to be tangible.
One way or another, you should concretely, explicitly demonstrate that your past clients live a better existence thanks to your work together.
Does your marketing drip with outcome evidence?
This is your chance to brag. Literally, right now I’m asking you to show off a bit.
In the comments, share an example of a specific, tangible result you’ve created for a client.
Text and images are © 2026 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.
Love it! Will try this out immediately and keep you posted on impact…so simple and obvious yet overlooked.
Terrific, Frank. Your business has so many years of client results that you should a broad range of compelling case studies to choose from. Definitely let me know how you fare.
I have a free Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt training course and QI Macros software to automate the hard stuff. Last year, one of my students came up and told me his story. I immediately put it on my signup page:
“Colin took this Yellow Belt Certification and used QI Macros to help his company save $5 million in one year.”
Not bad for a free training and $379 software.
I’ve had a least one other student say the same thing.
I’m going to reach out to our YB students and see if I can find more case studies.
Congratulations on the excellent results and testimonial, Jay. Absolutely reach out to your other students to get more proof of results. Well done, and thanks for contributing your case study!
Thank you – I have created and posted my recent case studies but I haven’t translated their outcomes into my pitch and or website. As always your Wed. blog is my weekly inspiration. Thank you –
Good on you for posting your case studies, Molly. Having them handy when a prospect asks will serve you well.
Thanks for your kind words and for jumping into the conversation today!
Great tips as always, David, going to get my assistant on this this afternoon!
Perfect, John. Using your team to pull together your case studies is a smart idea–and I think your comment is going to inspire many other firm leaders to take the same action. Well done!
We’re going to make some AI videos to illustrate them, excited to show you. Stay tuned!
Oh, that is VERY exciting, John. We were looking into that this week too, but ended up feeling like the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. I’ll be very interested in seeing yours.
Interesting and very helpful David. FYI, I was going to quibble that reputation and previous experience is still important because the corporate buyer also needs to defend their choice to their organization. So I looked up McKinsey as an example since their biggest asset seems to be their reputation. But surprise (to me – not you) – their website is packed full of case studies, outcomes, etc. as you advise.
Even so, I’m struggling to believe that for small boutique firms, reputation isn’t incredibly important for buyers. Can you clarify?
Good question, Gwen. As mentioned in the article, your years of experience, marquee clients, etc. are all important.
Case studies and outcomes evidence don’t replace all the other pieces that contribute to your firm’s a right to win. Rather, outcomes evidence is a particularly strong part of the credibility mix that most firms underutilize.
Thanks for the question, Gwen. Good on you for doing the research and let me know if this clarification helps.
Yes, your clarification is very helpful David: We shouldn’t omit our credentials and experience, but make sure to also emphasize the outcome benefits evidence for the client.
Exactly!