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title: How consultancies can actually win with AI
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reader, if AI can do the work, what makes a consultancy worth hiring? ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

| View in browser 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   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 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   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   Want to work with us? SEND US YOUR SUPPORT REQUEST → Not yet subscribed to 'The Authority'? Subscribe here. Previous 'The Authority' edition: Edition #160 Wanna send The Authority to friends or colleagues? It lives here Connect with us on LinkedIn: Luk \| Florian TheVisibleAuthority.com, Jan Verbertlei 37, 2650, Edegem, Belgium 2650, Belgium Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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