Why 'sales' shouldn't be a dirty word in consulting

If you ask a room of consultants what they think about business development, you'll get at best polite awkwardness, and at worst, outright dread.

The word 'sales' tends to conjure up images of cold calls and cheesy pitches - a far cry from delivering for clients.

But sales in consulting isn't just about selling in the traditional sense. In fact, it's a lot more closely aligned to the work consultants are good at (and comfortable with): building relationships and solving problems.

And it's something every firm should get better at.

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What 'selling' actually means for consultants

Consultants don't tend to go into the industry to becomes salespeople; they thrive on complex challenges and delivering impact, not KPIs and commision plans.

(And that's not helped by the fact that people tend to learn about sales through negative experiences.)

So, the real problem is a fundamental misunderstanding of what selling in consulting means.

It doesn't mean being pushy down the phone or awkward conversations on people's lunch breaks.

It means uncovering genuine client solutions and offering a way forward. Being constructive, strategic and collabartive.

All things consultants thrive at - although not necessarily something that comes naturally in the beginning.

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Confidence comes from clarity

Getting good at selling in a consulting context is a bit of a learning curve. Mindset is just as important as training.

What firms shouldn't do is just bring in 'sales experts' to paper the gaps - it's a quick fix, but won't have the impact on the wider business needed for long-term success.

Instead, firms need to invest in changing that mindset - for everyone involved in touching a client.

The training doesn't need to be complex, but it should be thoughtful. Focus on:

• Listening with intent - Try not to fill the silence and instead focus on what clients are really saying.
• Identifying problems - Don't rush to a solution; spend time defining what's actually wrong.
• Framing conversations - Use tools like discussion documents to shape thinking and build alignment.

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Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce

Firm A keeps sales skills siloed. Firm B makes them part of their cultural fabric.

Guess which one wins?

In the best-performing firms, everyone knows what great client conversations sound like. They know exactly what to listen for. And they know business development is a team sport.

This takes deliberate training - and, more importantly, constant reinforcement. With enough of it (and plenty of encouragement), you'll start to see the payoff: people gain confidence and start spotting opportunities.

Sales can't be scaled if it's outsourced, so you need to build both belief and capability across your whole team.

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Remember - you can do this!

As soon as selling begins to feel like something your team can actually see themselves doing, it becomes a lot less scary.

With the right support, space, and mindset, you might be surprised by just how many natural relationship-builders you have in your team.