“People don’t buy goods and services. They buy relationships, stories and magic”
- Seth Godin
Most consultants have a flair for storytelling. They'll recall the remarkable the journey they've taken a client on. Or regale you with how they quit corporate life and set out on their own.
And yet most consulting firms struggle to tell their brand story.
Their websites are chaotic and confusing.
Their pitch decks over-complicate and over-elaborate.
Their leaders each give their own, customised pitch.
The impact of this messaging muddle isn’t exactly minor, either. We’re talking fewer enquiries, fewer tender invitations, fewer wins.
And all because the story doesn’t connect and convert.
The seven brand story holes
We recently analysed over 100 websites of UK-based consulting & coaching firms. We combined those insights with our 25+ years’ experience in this space. Not surprisingly, some clear patterns began to emerge.
Much like a Netflix Christmas B-movie, there are holes. They appear with frustrating regularity. They leave you scratching your head, tearing out your hair, and reaching for the remote.
Here they are, in full technicolour, along with a suggested 'filler'...
#1: The audience hole 🕳️
We all want to be the centre of our universe – yet most consulting brands make themselves the hero of the story. They wax lyrical about what they do, how great they are. The audience simply doesn’t feel the glow of their gaze. Instead, they're left wondering: “Is this really for me?”
The filler? Be clear on your positioning – know the answer to the question: “Who are we really here for?” Because without that clarity, you’ll continue to lose people down the audience hole.
#2: The pain point hole 🕳️
Most consulting brands are too in love with the solution. They give an abundance of airtime to their service offering (in all its glory), with little to no acknowledgement of the pain their audience is feeling. It canl leave even the most purchase-ready prospects questioning: “Do I really need this?”
The filler? Fall in love with the problem – what it is, where it shows up, why. it persists. Help your audience see their situation more clearly than they ever have before. Only then can they appreciate the value of your solution.
#3: The category hole 🕳️
Too many consulting brands have a category problem. They either avoid the category question altogether (by saying nothing) or come up with some newfangled label (“we are a transformation enabler”) that raises eyebrows, but provides little clarity. It can leave the audience wondering: “Am I in the right place?”
The filler? Stop dodging the category question – or pretending you can create a new one. Find the most relevant (existing) category for your business, and adopt it. Your audience will thank you for it.
#4: The specificity hole 🕳️
Specificity is kryptonite for many consultants. It can feel reductionist (“we’re about so much more”). It can be exposing (“you promised X would happen if we did Y”). It requires buy-in (in a way that generic buzzwords don’t). In the end, most consulting brands end up framing their services in broad and vague terms, aping the meaningless jargon of their peers, and sounding just like everyone else.
The filler? Have the courage to be specific – about your audience, your expertise, and the impact you have. Because being vague will only drive prospects into the arms of your specific competitors.
#5: The methodology hole 🕳️
Differentiation is tough in the consulting world. The categories tend to be broad (i.e. “change management”), the audiences can be difficult to define (i.e. “leaders of fast-growing businesses). The trick that too many leaders miss is the power of a clearly articulated methodology – the secret sauce that answers the question: “What’s different about these guys?”
The filler? Do the hard work of defining an ownable methodology, and bringing it to life. Make it something your audience will remember when it comes to making their choice.
#6: The humanity hole 🕳️
Experts are often more comfortable talking logic than communicating emotion. They also prefer to project ‘big, corporate’ authority as opposed to channelling the ‘plucky, small guy’ vibe. Couple those traits with recent pressure to show how they are using AI, and the result is a brand that can feel pretty cold – not overly human. And that leaves the actual humans needing to get face-to-face to answer the question: “What kind of people are they?”
The filler? Reach into the core of your business – the ‘hearts and smarts’ of your people – and find ways to bring those into your brand story.
#7: The impact hole 🕳️
Never a show a gun in scene 1 that doesn’t get fired in scene 3. The problem statement is that gun – your impact messaging is the gun being fired. Too many consulting brands point to a problem (or a promise of what they will deliver), without providing proof of the outcome. And it leaves the whole story unresolved.
The filler? Don’t be afraid to make a promise of what willl change – and show where you’ve fulfilled it. It will answer one of the most pressing questions your audience will have: “Can I trust you to deliver?”
Finding a winning story
The cause of all these holes? We can blame the ‘bottle effect’ (it’s hard to read the label from the inside). Or the ‘curse of knowledge’ (where we forget that others don’t know what we know). Or even ‘complexity bias’ (where we assume the more complex we make it, the smarter we appear).
Whatever the cause, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Your consulting brand can tell a powerful story – one your audience gets sucked into and swept along with. A story guided by powerful insight and a clear strategy. A story that leaves your audience certain that you are the one they want.
But it starts with acknowledging that – right now at least – there might just be some holes to fill.
The Brand Story Clinic
Start filling the holes - and uncovering a story that connects and converts - at The Brand Story Clinic for consulting & coaching firms on Tues Dec 16th (11am).
👉 Find out more & book your place
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