David A. Fields Consulting Group A Small Shift That Tilts Competitive Opportunities Toward Your Consulting Firm
Fielding inbound inquiries is a great situation for your consulting firm.
However, sometimes other consulting firms are also hearing about the exact same opportunities.
That’s when you should deploy a particular form of verbal judo to massively increase your odds of coming out on top.
Let’s say Charlemagne (“Charmy”) Sachsoff, CMO of Barefoot Enterprises, reaches out to a handful of consulting firms, including yours.
Consultants at the other firms are saying something like this:
Thanks for contacting us. Let me tell you all the reasons we’re the ideal partner for your project…
Those consultants are bragging.
Regular ol’ bragging rarely lands well with buyers, and makes the braggart look like a heel.
You, however, have mastered the Right-Side Up Brag
The Right-Side Up Brag rocks.
It also wins clients.
A Right-Side Up Brag affirms the buyer’s smarts in a way that spotlights your firm’s strengths—without ever making it about you.
For example, Charmy mentioned that your knowledge of the podiatry market landed you on the shortlist of potential partners.
You also suspect that your consulting firm’s experience in lower-body apparel could set you apart from competitors.
Your Right-Side Up Brag would sound like this:
Part 1 – Affirmation
“It makes sense that you reached out to a podiatric expert—that knowledge is table stakes for this type of project.”
Part 2 – Obvious Choice Compliment
“And I think you were really smart to look for hosiery experience too. Deep understanding of that market is going to vastly improve your odds of success.”
You haven’t pitched. You haven’t bragged. You’ve offered a compliment.
It sounds like you’re applauding Charmy’s insight—which you are.
You’re also nudging Charmy’s decision criteria toward the unique characteristics that make your consulting firm the obvious choice.
How to Use the Right-Side Up Brag
Catalog Your Firm’s Strengths
You need a broad compendium of your consulting firm’s valuable assets.
- In what ways is your staff’s background particularly strong?
- Where do you have deep experience?
For example, if your firm excels at moving fast without stepping on toes, add that to your catalog.
Affirm, Then Offer an Obvious Choice Compliment
Charmy already made one great decision by calling you.
Say so.
Then extend that logic into a space that only your firm naturally occupies.
When you’re talking with a prospect like Charmy, don’t bust out every attribute in your catalog.
Just pick one or two attributes that apply and make your consulting firm special.
You’re not boasting, “We’re great, and here’s why.”
You’re offering, “You’re great for choosing a path that (gosh, what a coinkydink) leads straight to us.”
The Right-Side Up Brag is the art of making your client feel brilliant for choosing you.
Even a Right-Side Up Brag takes practice.
So, start here by bragging in the comments.
Is there a particular strength that you’d like to include in your Right-Side Up Brag?
Text and images are © 2026 David A. Fields, all rights reserved.
David, a clever and useful little framework.
Thanks for your feedback, Lisa–your reaction is very much appreciated!
This article is great in that it emphasizes listening to what is not being said. At TransformXperience we listen to what is causing you pain and assist you in solving the problem. Being heard without amplifying the issue takes you one step closer to solving the problem. Thanks for this article
That was a great example, Michelle, especially if you remove the “At my firm we…” part, which makes it upside down. If, instead, you said to a client, “It’s really smart that you’re looking for a firm that will listen to the symptoms you’re experiencing carefully. Being heard…”
Thanks so much for contributing your brag, Michelle!
I love the feedback! You are correct, that does sound better! I will ensure I incorporate this moving forward!!
Perfect, Michelle. Let me know how it works for you.
David! I want to write about your helpful content but I find myself delighted by your comical drawings and humor. Fanboy and restraining order – hilarious! I have not intentionally tried this out but wish I had seen this post about 2 weeks ago.
And aren’t you glad you saw the post now rather than two weeks from now?! ???? Try out the Right-Side Up Brag the next time you’re in a conversation with a prospect, then let me know how you fared. It sometimes takes a bit of practice.
Thank you also for your nice words about the illustrations, Diana. Sometimes they’re pretty obscure, but I’m always hopeful at least a few readers will get a good chuckle.
Thanks for this, David. You clearly understand the art of business development! Your expertise in addressing the challenges facing independent consultants in this area is particularly irresistible for experienced financial sector consultants.
Outstanding that the concepts apply for you, Lisa. This particular technique does work well for independent consultants in firms up to about $50M. My guess is it works well for consultants in mid-size and large firms too. Feels pretty universal.
Thanks for chiming in with your reaction, Lisa–I very much appreciate hearing from you.
David, your light-hearted, reliable, and efficient communication is truly a big juicy worm on your Fishing Hook that helps us new fish know we are capable of landing our own lunkers! (also, not sure how to put my deep expertise of Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in there…)
Bonus gold stars for going all-in on the fishing metaphor, Heidi! You are absolutely capable of landing tasty engagements yourself.
Your deep expertise will naturally apply if you focus on clients and listen to what they need. Someone says, “My chips factory is broken” and one consultant might (at the appropriate time) talk about operations changes that are needed, whereas someone in your shoes may talk about the ripple effect the broken factory is having on the business and how some mindset work with the team could prevent small problems from affecting every other part of the business. You’d know better, of course–the point is, each of us will respond to what we hear through the lens of our own experience. Just make sure you’re responding from experience, not leading from it.
Thanks for jumping into the discussion, Heidi.