Consulting Mastery

We get this request constantly: "Hey, I'd love for you to look at my positioning statement." As if us agreeing with the words is somehow consequential. We're not your client. We're not writing you a check. But the bigger problem is what the request reveals: the belief that positioning is a wordsmithing exercise. That if we just arrange the right words in the right order, the work is done. In this episode, we break down why your positioning statement is probably gathering dust on Google Drive, what it actually takes to enter your prospect's cognitive frame, and the three layers of positioning most consultants completely ignore.Show Notes:The request that makes us cringe: Why asking someone to review your positioning statement misses the entire point of positioningThe Mad Men fantasy: What Don Draper's creative team had that most consultants don't, and why it matters more than the words you chooseYour prospect has a box around their brain: How cognitive frames determine what information gets in and what bounces off, no matter how clever your messaging isThe Thanksgiving dinner problem: Why arguing with Uncle Joe about politics teaches you everything you need to know about selling to prospectsThe temptation that ruins your marketing: Most consultants try to drag prospects into their frame instead of stepping into the prospect's world firstThree layers of positioning: Why most consultants obsess over the top layer (the words) while ignoring the foundation that makes words actually workWhy understanding your prospect goes beyond sales: The consultants who get this don't just market better, they deliver better, partner better, and get results clients talk aboutThe cost of skipping the work: Where you'll be in ten years if you keep refining statements instead of entering minds

In this episode, Erica Lee Garcia shares how she went from charging $10-15K and feeling uncomfortable asking for more, to landing a near seven-figure engagement with a single client—beating out a major consulting firm in the process. The transformation wasn't about better sales tactics or fancier proposals. It was about committing to a lane, going deep instead of broad, and becoming the person clients lean on when everything's on the line. If you've been afraid that specializing will limit your opportunities, this conversation will change how you think about focus.Show Notes:Why Erica spent her first six years saying yes to everything in the "arena"—and the moment she realized that flexibility was actually capping her incomeThe fear that keeps most consultants from narrowing their focus (and why the scarcity is almost always imaginary)How she landed a client in Spain within months of committing to her specializationThe belief shift that took her from a $15K mental ceiling to closing the largest solo consulting deal we've ever seenWhy the mining company chose her over a major consulting house (and what big firms often get wrong)The difference between being an "extra pair of hands" and becoming a transformation partner clients can lean onWhy going deeper feels like freedom, not restriction—and the relationship analogy that captures it perfectlyThe question every consultant avoiding commitment needs to answer: can you afford another ten years of unrealized potential?

I keep hearing the same thing from consultants: "I get it, I should specialize. But how do I get there without blowing up what I already have?" The fear is that narrowing down means immediately turning away all other work and starving to death. That's not how it works. The consultants who successfully make this transition don't leap. They build. They narrow incrementally while still taking the network deals, still earning, still delivering. Then one day they look back and realize the last six months of work has all been exactly what they wanted to do at the rates they wanted to charge. In this episode, we break down the three-stage transition from generalist to specialist, including real examples of consultants who made the move and what actually happened along the way.Show Notes:The CTO resume test: Why we intuitively understand that relevant experience gets you promoted in a job, but completely ignore that logic when it comes to our own consulting businessesThe fear that keeps consultants stuck: You don't have to starve your way into specialization, and that's not what this transition requiresStage one, deciding to narrow: Why going from zero to 20 matters more than trying to define the perfect niche before you'll take a stepThe client who thought she had to turn everything away: Permission granted to keep earning while you build the new specialtyThe branding agency that doubled down: How focusing on the market that already represented 80% of his business didn't shrink his pipeline, it grew everythingCompounding expertise: What happens to fees, margins, and business development when you spend 100% of your time in one focus area instead of 30%The question that used to make you panic: How specialists answer "have you done this before?" versus how generalists scramble through mental gymnasticsOne to three years: The realistic timeline for full transition, and what ten years of generalist work leaves you with instead

I keep having the same conversation with consultants who are terrified to specialize. They think staying broad protects their opportunities. The opposite is true. In this episode, we break down exactly why generalist consultants are going extinct, how pricing dynamics work against them, and why the fear of narrowing down is actually keeping them stuck with a fixed network that will never grow.Show Notes:The market flip that killed generalism: How clients went from two options to two hundred, and why that changes everything about how they chooseWhy referrals don't save you anymore: Even with an introduction, you're competing against specialists they can find in secondsThe pricing trap: Generalists race to the bottom while specialists see margins expand over timeThe counterintuitive opportunity problem: Why staying broad guarantees your network stays exactly the same sizeThe Toronto consultant who walked into a NYC boardroom: What happens when your reputation precedes youAI as the new competitor: Why the $20/month machine is taking generalist workThe real fear behind the objection: It's not about wanting variety, it's about questioning whether enough business exists in your focus area

I keep having the same conversation with consultants lately. Different industries, different experience levels, same story: "My network's not giving me deals anymore." These aren't struggling consultants. These are people who built successful practices over ten, fifteen, twenty years on referrals and relationships. The phone stopped ringing. The introductions dried up. And most of them don't understand why. In this episode, I'm breaking down what's actually happening in the market right now, why the conditions that made network-dependent consulting work have permanently changed, and what the consultants who are still growing have figured out that everyone else hasn't.Show NotesThe conversation I keep having: Why consultants who built successful practices on referrals are suddenly watching their pipeline go quiet, and what's actually driving itTwo things happened at once: How constrained demand collided with a flood of new consultants to create the most competitive market I've ever seenThe scrutiny shift buyers won't tell you about: The questions decision-makers are now asking that most network-dependent consultants have never had to answerWhere AI actually hit consulting: It's not what you think. The real impact isn't replacement, it's raising the bar on what counts as work worth paying forWhat the consultants who are growing figured out: They stopped treating their network as the plan and started treating it as a bonus. The difference matters more than you'd expectWhy your network isn't coming back: The conditions that made referral-based consulting work have changed. I don't see them changing back. What to build instead

Consultants face two mindsets as they approach 2026: the 'waiting posture' and the 'pivoter camp.' While many wait for their networks to reactivate, a proactive few are testing new offers and building relationships. The discussion highlights how waiting is a losing strategy and illustrates this with lessons drawn from COVID-era restaurants. Listeners learn that embracing change isn't just necessary—it's crucial for survival and success. The importance of making small pivots now to see significant benefits later is emphasized.

Consultants often become trapped by embedding with clients, leading to diminishing value over time. Discover the crucial distinction between contractors and consultants that influences growth. Learn how structured, outcome-based projects can enhance pricing and reputation, allowing for more fulfilling work. Ahmad shares insights on the value decay curve and why true expertise thrives on diversity in client engagements. Embrace pattern recognition to elevate your consulting practice and avoid the pitfalls of client dependency.

Discover why being seen as a 'nice-to-have' is detrimental to consulting success. Learn the costly implications of vague client interest and how to break through to must-have positioning. Explore three essential bridges: shifting client mental models for significant improvements, uncovering unseen patterns, and prioritizing the impactful 20% of your proposals. This insightful discussion reveals strategies to elevate your offerings from mere interest to urgent necessity, ensuring clients see the value immediately.

You're waiting for referrals that never come—checking your inbox, hoping a past client remembers you exist. Meanwhile, there's a massive network of people in your orbit who would happily refer you tomorrow, except they can't explain what you do. I've watched this pattern play out across hundreds of consulting businesses: consultants sitting on untapped referral potential while chasing the same 8-10 past clients who might think of them. In this episode, I'm breaking down why your referral strategy is fundamentally limited and showing you how to build referral infrastructure that compounds—turning acquaintances, former colleagues, and content followers into active referral sources who understand exactly who you help and what problems you solve.Show Notes:Why the traditional referral model caps out at 8-10 people who actually remember your work clearly enough to refer youThe coworking space conversation that reveals what most consultants miss about who can actually refer themHow one client's "small win" demonstrates the difference between waiting for referrals and building referral infrastructureWhat happens when you quiz your network on what you do—and why the answers should concern youThe straight-line thinking trap that makes consultants dismiss content that's actually workingWhy people who've never paid you a dollar will still refer you (and the social capital dynamic that drives this)How the vetting process has changed and why every prospect now researches you regardless of how warm the introduction wasThe compound effect: how consultants go from 2-3 referrals per year to 2-3 per month without changing their client workWhat separates consultants who generate consistent referral opportunities from those waiting on occasional client mentions

A consultant filled out my workshop intake form last week and wrote something that caught my attention: "I want to land clients without reaching out to hundreds of people hoping for one yes. I cannot do that kind of marketing." That single sentence captures the exhaustion I see across my client base. The LinkedIn gurus are telling consultants to send a thousand messages and wait for the 1-2% response rate, but nobody's talking about what that approach actually costs you. When prospective clients see generic, mass-produced outreach, they're drawing conclusions about how you operate—and those conclusions aren't helping you. In this episode, I'm walking through why volume-based outreach backfires (based on patterns I've observed across hundreds of consulting businesses), what actually works better, and how positioning lets you reach 40 people instead of 1,000 while landing better clients.Show Notes:The intake form response that sparked this conversation—why so many consultants feel trapped by volume-based outreach tacticsWhat your outreach reveals about your consulting approach: If you're sending the same message to hundreds of random prospects, clients are wondering how you'll handle their businessReal examples from my inbox: The food and beverage manufacturing pitch (I don't work in that industry) and the Harley-Davidson parts message that illustrate thoughtless targetingWhy "just get in front of more people" advice misses the point—the consultants I work with who are winning clients aren't reaching more people, they're reaching the right peopleThe three positioning elements that make outreach efficient: who you serve, what problem you solve, and how you're different (without these, you're guessing)A client's current bottleneck: 20-30 active conversations with qualified prospects in her LinkedIn inbox—what that looks like when positioning worksThe actual math on efficiency: One client from 1,000 outreach messages versus landing clients by reaching 40-50 highly targeted prospects