combine retainer contracts with a kind of contingency fee – or rather a success sharing fee. Notice the words, success sharing.

I always also require my client to estimate the economic worth in terms of either increased revenue (or profit) or decreased costs of any improvement project (or problem-solving team) that is established as part of my involvement. I have made a matrix they have to fill in when defining an improvement project (to solve a certain problem) with stages

To be more successful, internal problems must be solved using as little energy as possible so that more can be allocated to external opportunities and threats, because that is the only way the client’s needs can be satisfied9.

What you should sell when selling management consulting: Trust (that you really can help and that you understand and share the client’s interest) Respect (in your profession) Decoding complexity – providing simplification Specific results Contribution to overall success

It is about protecting your professional integrity, and in this regard, you should compare yourself to a therapist, doctor, lawyer, teacher or any other professional who needs to maintain strict integrity in relation to clients.

The solution is that we borrowed from the European tradition (via English) and came to use adaptations of the terms “manager” and “consultant”. The English verb “to manage” comes from Latin manus (hand) and agere (to act), via Spanish manejar and Italian maneggiare (both meaning to handle, especially horses but also tools), and the French word for

Success is achieved when your client is satisfied through an optimal cost/benefit equation.

As a matter of fact, it is very difficult to sell management consulting services in any case, especially if we are talking about selling services to the senior executive level in a large corporation. What you are actually selling is trust. The executive has to first of all trust that you will be able to lead the company through a difficult process.

“insult rather than consult”, but you have to do it with warmth and with the client’s best interests in mind.