watered-down

Something surprises me every time I talk to consulting firm executives.
They all have proprietary frameworks refined over years of client work.
Their clients are impressed by their expertise.
But none of that comes through their content.
So there is a disconnect between what prospects see and these firms' real expertise.
Why does this happen?
Why can't all these consulting firms full of deep expertise seem to convey it?
From what I see, there are three main reasons:
1. Intellectual Property Fear
Yes, some consulting firms are afraid of sharing their real thinking.
Because they worry about giving away too much and getting copied.
Or sometimes they even think buyers can implement those ideas themselves.
So they only share watered-down ideas publicly.
But it's a guaranteed way to make growth harder for your firm.
Look, I get it.
It's annoying to see your competitors steal your ideas.
I've seen my articles getting copied almost word by word, translated into other languages, or inspire social media posts without any reference.
And it's easier than ever for these people to steal your intellectual property thanks to AI tools.
But there is no other way.
You have to share some of the secret sauce to convey your expertise.
You have to be known as a firm that creates original thinking in your field.
So you have to give away some for free.
Yes, it'll cost you here and there.
You'll get copied.
But once you start sharing the true expertise your firm has, you gain much more than that.
Your prospects start coming to your calls saying: "We've been following your work."
Your firm becomes an authority in their eyes.
And you build influence at scale.
Plus, even if you share as much as you can, there are still thousands of details that they'll get only by working with your firm. People know that.
2. The "Obvious" Problem
This is an interesting one.
A lot of consultants believe the knowledge they have in their field is common.
Because they are thinking about that topic day in and day out.
So the insights they gained over the years feel obvious to them.
They hesitate to share because "Everyone already knows this."
But they are wrong.
Because once you have true expertise, you get close to the edge of knowledge in your field.
Almost everything feels obvious to you.
But your prospects are nowhere near there, even if they work in the same field.
So the ideas that feel obvious to you can be invaluable to them.
They might change how prospects see their own problems.
And that's exactly what makes them want to work with you.
3. Articulation Gap
This one is more about skill.
Even when a consulting firm overcomes the previous two points, some still struggle to translate their expertise into content.
Because they can't put the expertise into a narrative and style that's attractive to the prospects.
Three common causes behind this:

The in-house consultants who create the content lack the skills (copywriting, storytelling, etc.) to make it work. So they create too technical content that fails to capture and keep attention. Or worse, they use AI for writing and damage their reputation.
The consultants who create the content have the skills but lack the time to dedicate to content. They get dragged from one client work to another, and content always comes last on their to-do list. So it's always rushed.
The marketers who create content on behalf of the firm are too tactic-focused and lack the know-how for marketing expertise. So even though they have certain skills, they produce cheesy "content" instead of doing thought leadership.

These different causes end up with the same problem.
Prospects can't see the firm's real expertise through content.
The solution to this?
To make a decision.
If you are going to do it in-house with your firm's experts, invest the time to improve those skills, experiment, and produce content worthy of your expertise regularly.
Half-baked efforts won't be enough.
It has to be part of those consultants' role.
And if you are going to hire help, hire experts in marketing high-value, B2B consulting services with long sales cycles.
Agencies that work with everybody from consumer apps to coffee chains won't do the job.
Because consulting is different by its nature.
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The moral of the story?
Most consulting firms do have the expertise to influence prospects.
But they never let them see it.
Sometimes intentionally.
Sometimes without knowing.
The thing is, consulting firms sell expertise.
And before hiring a firm, content is the only way a stranger can get a taste of it.

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Your firm does exceptional work. So why does growth still feel like a grind?
It usually comes down to three things:
Prospects can't find you or hear from you consistently (distribution).
They don't understand your expertise and value through your content (messaging).
They can't tell what makes your firm different (positioning).
We help consulting firms solve all three. Following our engagement, you end up with:

A positioning that makes "why you?" easy to answer
Homepage copy that turns visitors into leads
Done-for-you thought leadership content that translates your expertise to prospects
A go-to-market system to get in front of the right people without depending on referrals

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1. Intellectual Property Fear

2. The "Obvious" Problem

3. Articulation Gap

​Your firm does exceptional work. So why does growth still feel like a grind?

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Your firm does exceptional work. So why does growth still feel like a grind?

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