The Impact of a Clear Consulting Proposition on Service Design

Refining a consultancy's proposition doesn't just clarify its promise. This foundational change also reshapes how services are packaged, sequenced, and sold. That's the beauty of a sharp, issue-led, client-focused value proposition: it becomes the center of gravity for every decision, from marketing to business development to service design.

In this post, I want to zoom in on that last one – consulting firms' service portfolios – and the impact that proposition refinement can and should have on how services are designed.

What Makes a Consulting Service Good

Every consulting leader should read Lou Downe's Good Services. It's an excellent guide and a work we reference in our upcoming book on value proposition design.

Downe's core definition: a good service helps someone do something they need to do – easily, reliably, and at the right moment.

He outlines 15 principles of good service design. Applied to consulting, four stand out:

It meets a real client need. Not an internal organizational hassle – a high-impact problem as described by the consultancy's proposition and client success journey.

It sets expectations upfront. The service's name alone should imply a business result. Prospects know what will happen, how long it will take, who needs to be involved, and what they'll need to provide.

It uses language people understand. No jargon, no confusing methodology names. Consulting firms speak the client's language, translating technical processes into problem-solving and impact-focused terms.

It works with other services. It doesn't exist in isolation. It integrates neatly into a larger set of services, creating a coherent journey rather than a disconnected menu.

When these principles are applied through the lens of a newly sharpened value proposition, they produce a powerful reframe:

Consulting services shouldn't be built around what the firm does. They should be built around what clients need to decide, unlock, or move forward.

Recommended reading: Do Consulting Firms Know the Real Problems They Solve?

Consulting Proposition-Driven Service Re-Design

A strong value proposition clearly identifies who the consulting firm is best positioned to help, how it delivers, and what results clients can expect from the collaboration.

This framework should dictate how services are structured and delivered for maximum impact.

Here are three vital lenses through which consultancies should re-assess their current service portfolio.

#1. Designing Services Around Client Needs, Not Internal Structures

Too many firms still list capabilities (“strategy,” “transformation,” “implementation”) and then expect clients to connect the dots.

Winners build services around key inflexion points in the Client Success Journey – moments where progress tends to stall unless a very specific kind of support is available.

As such, each service should clearly answer:

• Why this moment matters: What are the consequences of inaction or delayed action? How will it compound risk? A good consulting service should make it clear why this particular stage is pivotal and what is at stake. It frames both the cost of inaction and the opportunity of taking the right action.

• What uncertainty it resolves: The service provides clarity. It is explicit about the ambiguity it removes. It offers clients peace of mind by answering questions they didn’t even realize needed answering.

• How it gets the client to the next stage: The service doesn’t just abruptly end, waving adieu to clients. It sets them up for the next stage, creating foreword movement. It is very clear how today’s achievement helps unlock the next milestone.

#2. Fewer, Clearer Services Beat Big Menus

Comprehensive service lists look impressive on paper, but they don’t help clients buy. To the contrary, they fuel decision paralysis, putting the responsibility of connecting services to problems to outcomes on the prospects’ shoulders. 

So what actually helps clients buy?

• Offering fewer, sharper services: When a consulting firm offers fewer, sharply defined engagements, each one carries weight and purpose. Each one also has a long list of case studies and other proof elements that help build trust and make the decision for clients easier.

• Naming them in client language: Instead of reflecting internal structures and processes of the consulting firm, the service reflects the client’s context. They are named around outcomes, tensions, and goals that clients experience.

• Building flexibility inside services, not across 15 similar options: A good service contains a certain degree of flexibility within in – how else can it be successfully adjusted to each specific client context. However, there should be very little variability in outcomes and promises. And external communication of the service should reinforce clarity and trust.

Example of services:

• Nay: Strategy assessment, operating model design, change enablement

• Yay: Integration Readiness Sprint, Post‑Merger Operating Model Design, Leadership Alignment Program…

Each maps to a real client moment. And each is easier to say “yes” to.

#3. Making Services Easy to Enter – and Easy to Exit

Clients want clarity, not commitment traps.

A well-designed service:

• Has a clear entry point: It’s easy for clients to start. They fully understand the scope, the first step, and the level of commitment expected from them.

• Delivers a clear outcome: The value is communicated in specific terms. No abstract “let’s get started and we’ll see” promises.

• Respects boundaries: It respects client-side constraints or “do-nots.” It is explicit about how the service delivers a result without forcing the client to do something they can’t or won’t do. On the flip side, it also respects firm-side constraints and service scope. It is equally clear about what the service will not attempt to take on.

For example:

• A paid diagnostic that builds trust before a bigger engagement

• A modular program where clients can pause or extend without renegotiating

This doesn’t just improve experience – it improves performance.

Recommended reading: The Ultimate Guide to Consulting Value Proposition Design

In Conclusion: Complexity and Noise Do Not Convert

Selling “raw” capabilities or capability-led services builds a hamster wheel. Firms chase briefs, customize everything, and end up reacting to client-defined needs instead of shaping them.

When services are designed around a clear, issue-led proposition, the opposite happens. The firm solves one big issue for a well-defined group. The language shifts from technical to client-facing. Marketing gets clearer. Every project gets easier to sell. And each successful engagement makes the next one easier to win.

That's the flywheel of consulting: focus creates clarity, clarity creates trust, trust creates momentum. And momentum compounds.

It's why Luk and I keep saying – a consulting firm's best path to performance isn't "do more." It's to get focused, then build leverage around the issue it solves best.

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