reader, if AI can do the work, what makes a consultancy worth hiring? ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  
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Helping to Build High-Performing Consulting Firms

🔴 EDITION #161 | November 4, 2026

Dear reader, 

Welcome to the 161st edition of our newsletter. 

 

In this edition, the featured article discusses how even though generic AI has been commoditising routine research, analysis, and content creation, it cannot replicate deep, evidence-based industry expertise.

 

The future of consulting belongs to firms that use AI not as a gimmick, but to sharpen and scale their true proprietary value.

 

And, as always, we were very productive on LinkedIn again. Below are the topics we wrote about over the past two weeks. Check it out! 

 

Enjoy reading,
Luk & Florian

Our New Article

Beyond the Prompt: How Consultancies Can Actually Win with AI

How Consultancies Can Actually Win with AI (1)

 

In reviewing hundreds of consultancies annually, we find that despite high adoption rates of AI, few have a true competitive edge. This pattern holds across practices in large firms, boutiques, and mid-sized practices.  

 

Using AI tools, everybody can research, analyse, and write proposals faster. AI can accelerate content creation, framework development, and many parts of consulting delivery, improving productivity across the consulting firm. It is becoming completely normal.  

 

But this ‘normal' creates a commercial problem that receives far less attention than AI adoption itself. 

 

Read Our New Article

 

Our Recent Articles

BUILDING TRUST

Why Consulting Firms’ Testimonials Are Completely Useless

CONSULTING GROWTH

A Weak Consulting Pipeline? Stop Asking the Wrong Questions to Fix It.

STRATEGY

Consulting Has a Revenue Quality Problem

The New Consulting Proposition Book

OUR BOOK IS COMING, EARLY 2027:

'The New Consulting Proposition'

How to Define, Market, Deliver, and Scale Expert Services for Performance

Join the waitlist to receive early access, get invited to a few pre-launch activities, and receive the book at the special launch price.

Join the Waitlist

Our Recent LinkedIn Posts

🔴 LUK SMEYERS

CONSULTING BUSINESS MODEL

I learned this the hard way myself: growth can make a consultancy less profitable.

SERVICE DESIGN

Help! Consulting clients want an AI discount. Now what?

CONSULTING REVENUE

How much longer can consulting firms grow by adding people?

COMMERCIAL RISK

Why successful consulting firms struggle for leads.

THE SHIFT

Tech product leaders understand something consulting doesn't.

VALUE MODEL

Most consulting firms start new projects from scratch far too often: new client, new problem, new approach, new proposition, new delivery model.

CONSULTING BUSINESS MODEL

AI adoption in consulting is everywhere. AI profitability is nowhere. Here’s why.

🔴 FLORIAN HEINRICHS

PROPOSITION-LED

Consulting firms: open next year’s budget. What changed because of the new proposition?

FUTURE OF CONSULTING

This month, the big consulting firms showed their hand on AI. I believe the read for mid-size firms is not what most people think.

EXPERTISE EXPOSURE

Large boutiques tell us all the time they can beat “the big guys” on expertise - and we believe them. But this means nothing if buyers don’t know they exist.

STRATEGY

Ever heard of the "improvisario issue" in consulting?

Here's How We Help Consultancies

Luk and Florian announcement-1

 

1. Consulting Value Review

 

A structured, 4 to 6-week, value-proposition-anchored rapid assessment of a consulting firm's growth and performance potential.

 

Best for:

  • Buyers or Investors evaluating the proposition and performance of a consulting firm pre- or post-acquisition/investment

 

2. Value Maximisation Program

 

A 10 to 12-week intensive program designed to define, sharpen, and operationalise a firm’s consulting proposition. 

 

Best for:  

  • Boutiques struggling with differentiation & business development
  • Practices in large consultancies needing a clearer positioning
  • Consulting firms launching new service lines
  • Enterprise SaaS companies starting a consulting/service function or needing to improve their current consulting proposition

 

3. Service Portfolio Optimisation Program

 

A deep dive into the cohesion, efficiency, and superior client value of a consulting firm’s service portfolio.

 

Best for:  

  • Large consulting firms with too many overlapping or unclear service offerings
  • Consulting firm practices seeking to scale profitably by optimising service-market fit

 

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