The Merchant Mindset: Why you should approach consulting like a retailer
Lessons from the retail world in taking a client-centered approach to consulting
If a career is built in layers, the foundations we lay early on shape everything that follows.
Mine was retail. After university, I founded a balloon and party shop, later selling it to join the John Lewis Graduate Scheme. That fast-tracked me from shop assistant to operational management, and into Buying and Merchandising — a wonderfully dynamic world where creativity, strategic thinking, and (to put it bluntly) getting %$&* done were essential.
Today, as Marketing Director at Honeycomb, I’m immersed in the world of consulting and it’s very different. No more Design Studios laden with inspiring fabrics, no trend trips to Paris, no reviewing Christmas decorations in the spring. Obvious contrasts I know, but there are many which are more subtle — and perhaps more significant.
One which stands out is rooted in mindset:
While retailers obsess over what the customer wants,
consultants often focus on what they can offer.
Let’s explore how adopting a merchant mindset — thinking like a retailer — could help consultants become more client-focused and commercially effective.
What is a Merchant Mindset?
A merchant mindset is a way of thinking that puts the customer or client at the heart of every decision. In retail, everything — from product selection to store layout to pricing — is designed to make it easy and enjoyable for customers to find and buy what they need, and to love the experience of doing so.
In consulting, I often observe a subtle but important difference. Instead of thinking, “What does the client want?”, many consultants seem to begin with, “What can I offer?”. They focus on their own capabilities rather than framing their services around the client’s needs, desires, and challenges. This is where a merchant mindset can make a difference.
What can consultants learn from retail?
Retailers are relentlessly commercial and focused on three critical things:
Understanding what customers want and ensuring their products meet those needs and desires,
Making it easy and enjoyable for customers to engage — whether through clear displays or easy-to-navigate websites, accessible pricing, or excellent service.
Providing value — not just in terms of price, but in ways that provide confidence and build loyalty.
These principles form the three components of my Merchant Mindset Framework. I believe it is equally applicable to consultants who wish to build stronger client relationships, increase their impact, and ultimately improve business performance.
The Merchant Mindset Framework
The framework has three key elements — Product, Curation, and Value Proposition — which intersect to create a truly client-focused offering.
Let’s explore what each of these might mean in consulting.
1. Product: What are you selling?
Retail Buyers pour their heart and soul into developing product. And central to every decision about every product is customer appeal.
Will our customer find this product compelling enough to buy it? How can I change it to improve the product appeal further?
Retailers know that if the product falls short, their customers are walking straight out the door and through somebody else’s. The same is true for your potential clients.
At Honeycomb, one of our key products is live training courses. To maintain a strong market position, we continuously refine and improve that product in response to client feedback. We have to ensure it’s engaging, effective, and exceeding client expectations and we mustn’t get complacent or distracted by peripheral ideas — always product first, always client-centric.
What is your product or service?
How is it evolving to meet changing client needs?
How can you make it as effective and appealing as possible?
2. Curation: What does this client need?
I’m passionate about the skill of curation. I’ve written about it before, in fact (see Decisions, Decisions: Simplifying Choice with Good-Better-Best). If you’ve ever experienced the overwhelming feeling of too much choice, I’m sure you will appreciate it too.
Curation means using your expertise to refine the options down to something manageable and meaningful for the client.
In physical retail, you have a fixed amount of square meterage to display your products in each shop. Good curation is choosing the right mix of products to put in those spaces, ensuring there’s neither too much (overwhelming choice) nor too little (disappointing and uninspiring). Often this involves making tough decisions about what to leave out, knowing that the impact of shoving it all in will be detrimental to the overall customer experience.
At Honeycomb, the space we are usually limited to is training time. When we have two training days with a cohort, we will always have more content than we can cover. Our job is to understand the client’s needs and curate the content to achieve the most impactful experience and outcomes.
When should you offer a structured, curated set of services rather than an overwhelming list?
How do you choose the right tools, methods, and frameworks for each client?
Are you willing to take options ‘off the table’ to strengthen the client’s experience?
3. Value: What matters to the client?
If you’re a John Lewis fan, you’ll know their tagline: ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’. It’s a value statement, and it runs much deeper than surface-level pricing. If my JL days hammered home one message, it’s that value is not just about price — it’s about everything the client perceives as valuable. If you consider what you thought about during your last purchase as a consumer, it’s an obvious statement. In retail, value might come from:
A warranty that gives peace of mind,
A return policy that reduces risk,
A higher-quality product that lasts longer,
In the world of consulting, this holistic approach to value is just as important.
Your clients are not just going to choose the cheapest option. They are going to invest in the option that delivers the best overall value for them and their organisation.
That might mean:
Clarity and simplicity — making it easy for clients to understand and act on your advice,
Speed and efficiency — helping them achieve results faster,
A tailored approach — ensuring the solutions fit their unique needs.
Or many other things.
The crucial step is to pause and consider what represents holistic value to your client. Then you can tailor your approach and your proposal to speak to those needs.
What does your client care about most?
How can you show that you will deliver what they value?
Have you considered the personal as well as organisational value you offer?
Applying a Merchant Mindset in Consulting
Here’s a few practical ideas to shift you toward a merchant mindset in your consulting work:
1. Review your messaging
Look at how you describe your services — on your website, in proposals, and in sales conversations. Are you talking about what you can do or what the client wants? Shift your language to focus on the client’s needs and outcomes.
2. Curate your offer
Avoid overwhelming clients with too many options. Instead, refine and curate your services into a selection that feels focused, relevant, and compelling — laser-targeted against the areas where they most need help.
3. Think about the customer experience
In retail, stores are designed to make shopping easy and enjoyable. How easy is it for clients to understand and engage with your consulting services? Simplify the process, remove barriers, and make it effortless for clients to work with you.
4. Define value from the client’s perspective
Ask yourself: What does value mean to my clients? How do they define success? Then, align your pricing, services, and messaging to reflect that value as they experience it.
5. Use the Merchant Mindset Framework for decision-making
Use the Product, Curation, and Value framework to evaluate business decisions. Sense-checking against these three elements will help you keep the client at the heart of everything you do.
Adopting a merchant mindset means putting the client at the centre of everything you do. It invites you to focus less on what you offer and more on what your client truly needs, values, and experiences.
We all know what it feels like to be a customer or client. But how often do you objectively step back and consider what it feels like to be your client? It’s a mindset shift that is likely to serve you well.
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