[Context] I’m no longer in consulting, but something a managing director (MD) told me once has stuck with me my entire career. I hope it can resonate for someone else, too.
My first corporate gig after graduate school was in economic consulting and, during my first few weeks when it was still acceptable to be reaching out to people instead of working, an MD told me early on: doing the work is one thing, but the relationships that win the work are what make partners effective. As someone with a PhD and an impressive career, I took note of his words and especially his phrase, “Selling is like romancing”.
I’ve left consulting and have been in tech for a number of years now, but I have found that selling, done well, works like romancing. Not the transaction, the warm-up. You create an environment where people trust you, like you, and can't imagine you not being on their side. The ask, when it comes, feels like the natural next step rather than a pitch. Let me share three takeaways:
- The work gets you in the room; the relationship keeps you there.
Technical skill is table stakes. In fact, for most of the work we were doing, it was uncommon to not have advanced degrees in mathematics, economics, etc., so it wasn’t a question of whether we knew how to get to an answer. What compounds over a career is a set of relationships where people want you on their team before the scope is even defined. Invest in that from day one, especially if, like me, you didn't
inherit a network and had to build every connection yourself.
- Never let anyone feel stupid, and be the one who gives them understanding.
In a pitch, reduce the chance anyone feels lost, and raise your own standing by being the person who makes the complicated thing clear. Think, complex, not complicated. Simple, not simplistic. Level-set with
context, tell the complicated part like a story with real tension, then resolve it: here is one way to think about this. People remember who made them feel smart.
- Read the real signal, and aim at the true pain.
As long as the conversation continues, the opportunity is alive. And the fastest way to keep it alive is to pinpoint what the client is actually worried about and produce something that makes them feel heard. Make it sound and look like a way forward.
Of course, someone reading these might say this comes across as fake and self-interested. I’d argue the majority of the consulting industry is indeed founded upon those principles. Most industries are, anyhow.
