{"id":7079450,"date":"2026-10-07T17:28:32","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T17:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7079450"},"modified":"2026-10-07T17:28:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T17:28:32","slug":"sounding-like-mckinsey-is-killing-your-consulting-firms-pipeline-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7079450","title":{"rendered":"Sounding Like McKinsey Is Killing Your Consulting Firm’s Pipeline. Here’s Why"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Boutique consulting firms have a secret marketing weapon that larger firms lack.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s specificity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Let me explain with an example.<\/p>\n

Look at this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

The more specific you get, the more relevant your firm becomes to a specific<\/em> audience.<\/p>\n

They intuitively say: \u201cThis is for me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So among dozens of other things trying to catch their attention, they have to click that one.<\/em><\/p>\n

And if they like what they see, they check your firm\u2019s site and social profiles.<\/p>\n

If what they see there is also specific,<\/em> they want more.<\/p>\n

Maybe they subscribe to your newsletter.<\/p>\n

Maybe they give you a follow on social media.<\/p>\n

That starts a chain of interactions<\/strong> where they eventually hire your firm.<\/p>\n

And compounding this specificity over time is what makes consulting firms an authority.<\/p>\n

But most boutique firms give up this weapon so early.<\/p>\n

They have the illusion that they have to add \u201cands\u201d to their positioning to grow.<\/p>\n

Whether to their ideal client profile.<\/p>\n

Or to their services<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But every \u201cand\u201d costs them specificity.<\/p>\n

Look at McKinsey\u2019s site.<\/p>\n

They list dozens of industries and capabilities.<\/p>\n

Their website, content, and ads have to cater to hundreds<\/strong> of client problems and outcomes.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"\"
Listed \u2018Industries\u2019 and \u2018Capabilities\u2019 on McKinsey\u2019s website<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

So they have to use vague messaging<\/a> to cover it all.<\/p>\n

They can\u2019t be specific.<\/p>\n

Because they do everything<\/em> for everybody<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
McKinsey\u2019s homepage copy: Can\u2019t get more generic than this\u2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Many boutique firms look at these large firms and assume that\u2019s what growth looks like.<\/p>\n

So if they get a referral from a new industry, they immediately add them to their positioning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe help SaaS and<\/strong> healthcare businesses.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Great.<\/p>\n

With that single \u2018and\u2019 addition to their positioning:<\/p>\n

Their website has to talk to both these industries that have different needs.<\/p>\n

Their content, ads, and sales decks have to be relevant to both.<\/p>\n

But some firms don\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n

In a few months, they get another project through the founder\u2019s network.<\/p>\n

So they add one more just-in-case<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe help SaaS, healthcare, and<\/strong> retail businesses.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not it.<\/p>\n

The addition also happens on the services side.<\/p>\n

After all, all these clients ask for different things.<\/p>\n

And some firms can\u2019t say no.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do product development, automation, and<\/strong> AI.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So this boutique firm might be making $10 million in revenue.<\/p>\n

But they already start sounding like $15 billion McKinsey.<\/p>\n

Obviously, without 40,000 employees or a $800 million marketing budget to support that many things.<\/p>\n

Now their website copy has to be even more generic.<\/p>\n

Their content has to talk about 20 different topics.<\/p>\n

So their conversion drops across the board.<\/p>\n

Prospects don\u2019t see that firm as an expert in any area anymore, but just another \u2018provider\u2019.<\/p>\n

And these firms wonder why their marketing doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

They wonder why their growth stalls.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong.<\/p>\n

Every boutique firm can eventually<\/strong> add new services or expand their ideal client profile.<\/p>\n

But that \u2018eventuality\u2019 should come much later.<\/p>\n

After all, before adding \u2018ands\u2019, why not use the power of specificity to its potential first?<\/p>\n

Why not grow by becoming an authority in the space you\u2019re already in?<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Enjoyed this article?<\/p>\n

Then you\u2019ll love the How Consultancies Win<\/a> Newsletter.<\/p>\n

Get the \u201c7 Positioning Sins That Cost Consultancy Firms Millions\u201d<\/strong> guide when you join. It\u2019s free.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Boutique consulting firms have a secret marketing weapon that larger firms lack. It\u2019s specificity. Let me explain with an example. Look at this: The more specific you get, the more relevant your firm becomes to a specific audience. They intuitively say: \u201cThis is for me.\u201d So among dozens of other things trying to catch their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7079451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[141932,141933,166694],"tags":[11268,10918,6765,5089,79009,24977,34588],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7079450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-consultancies-win","category-messaging","category-positioning","tag-consulting","tag-firms","tag-heres","tag-killing","tag-mckinsey","tag-pipeline","tag-sounding"],"yoast_head":"\nSounding Like McKinsey Is Killing Your Consulting Firm's Pipeline. Here's Why - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7079450\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sounding Like McKinsey Is Killing Your Consulting Firm's Pipeline. Here's Why - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boutique consulting firms have a secret marketing weapon that larger firms lack. It\u2019s specificity. Let me explain with an example. Look at this: The more specific you get, the more relevant your firm becomes to a specific audience. 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