Skip to content

Mistakes consulting firms make when struggling to grow.

Clive Griffiths
Clive Griffiths
— 1 min read

Mistakes consulting firms make when struggling to grow:


1/ Sheep dip sales training.
2/ Superstar rainmaker + Rolodex.

Both burn time and cash.
The outcome? Predictable.
The experience? Disappointing.

With sheep dipping, remember …
Not everyone wants to sell.

And that senior hire?
Often misaligned, expensive, and gone in 18 months.

Meanwhile, your best bets get ignored.

Invest in bright spots
__________________

Usually, it’s a handful of consultants.
The ones quietly driving most of the revenue.

They’re wired for growth:
– Committed to sales.
– Intentional networkers.
– Insight-based value creators.

Stop training everyone.
Start backing the few.
Pair them with a coach.

Build a pursuit culture
__________________

That said, growth doesn’t happen in isolation.

So, set it up as a shared ambition, that supports the leaders who drive things forward.

- Recognise tag-team efforts.
- Share pursuit stories and lessons.
- Promote the value of BD contributions.

You’ll see sales effort multiply, and every new pursuit will strengthen the team.

You may even identify the next generation of growth leaders!

Bottom line:
__________

Your real lever isn’t the common choices.
You don’t need a sales army, or a savior.

Invest in the growth leaders you have.

And developing a culture that amplifies the support for them.

Do you agree?

LinkedIn PostsLI-2025

Related Posts

Members Public

Why do you write all this stuff?

“Why do you write all this stuff?” She asked. Fair question and a simple answer. I get clearer when I write my thoughts down. I’m not writing to persuade you. I’m writing to persuade myself. I’m writing to see things differently. Sometimes when the writing seems useful

Members Public

Does consultative selling work with public sector clients?

Does consultative selling work with public sector clients? In my last post, I recommended Consultative Selling by Mack Hanan. Reading the book, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s all about commercial business. The language is all about profit improvement. Hanan puts that at the core of client conversations.

Members Public

Want to become a trusted expert? Start with this book.

Want to become a trusted expert? Start with this book. Most sales books are written for people selling products. But you face a different challenge. You need to demonstrate your expertise by adding value, offering insight into your clients’ priority situations and earning their trust. Consultative Selling by Mack Hanan