Feb 19 • Sales
What if everything you've been taught about consulting business development is backward?
What if everything you've been taught about consulting business development is backward?
Meet Chris Nichols , co-founder of GameShift , a boutique consultancy that's been named one of the UK's top 100 management consultancies for eight consecutive years.
Their secret?
They never try to sell anything.
The Counter-Intuitive Approach to Consulting Growth
"I just want to introduce you to someone who might be able to help."
This is how Chris Nichols opens most of his business conversations. No pitch. No proposal. Just genuine curiosity and a desire to connect people who might benefit from knowing each other.
It sounds almost naive in its simplicity. Yet this approach has helped GameShift build a thriving practice working with executive teams at some of the world's most complex organizations.
The Power of Not Selling
GameShift's approach turns traditional consulting business development on its head:
- They lead with curiosity instead of capability
- They freely refer work to competitors when they're not the best fit
- They focus on relationship-building rather than relationship-leveraging
- They view their role as "introducing good people to good people"
Why Most Consultants Struggle with Business Development
Here's a surprising insight from Chris's years in consulting:
Most consultants are actually quite good at business development once they have a conversation. What they struggle with is the early stage - starting from cold and nurturing potential opportunities.
The problem isn't their ability. It's their mindset.
"Don't think of it as selling,"
Chris advises.
"If you can coach, you can generate business. If you can listen and have relationships with people, you can do this. It's about relationships."
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What if everything you've been taught about consulting business development is backward?
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