Consulting Q&ADo clients buy the consulting firm or the consultant?
Ivan GrenetierIvan Grenetier asked 2 years ago

1 Answers
Mattéo DaviesMattéo Davies answered 2 years ago

In the world of consulting, there is an age-old debate over what clients are really buying when they hire a firm. Are they buying the firm’s brand and reputation, or are they hiring the individual consultant who will be working on their account? The answer, of course, is a bit of both.

It is often said that clients buy the consulting firm, not the consultant. This is because clients are hiring the firm for its expertise, resources, and reputation. The consultant is viewed as interchangeable and replaceable.

While this may be true to some extent, there are also many situations where the client is buying the consultant, not the firm. For instance, if a client has developed a strong relationship with a particular consultant and trusts his/her advice, they may be more likely to work with that consultant, even if the person in question is no longer with the firm.

In other cases, clients may hire a consulting firm because they are impressed with a particular consultant’s skills and experience. In these situations, it is clear that the clients are indeed buying the consultant, not the firm.

However, as far as the general trend goes, it comes down to the combination of both the firm and the consultant that clients are really buying.