The Reluctant Consultant's Guide to Sales
Many consultants struggle with sales, but they can overcome the fear by shifting their mindset
Many consultants struggle with the idea of selling. Leaders of consulting firms frequently tell us that their people seem to have a mental block when it comes to sales, preferring to focus on delivery rather than actively pursuing new business. Some consultants openly express a fear of sales, while others reveal their reluctance in more subtle ways - perhaps through hesitation in training sessions or responses to our pre-course surveys.
Different firms handle this issue in very different ways. Some firms adopt a never say sell approach, avoiding the word altogether and instead focusing on concepts like client service, problem-solving, and meeting client needs. Others take the opposite stance, promoting an always be selling (ABS) culture, where every consultant is encouraged to see every interaction as an opportunity to sell.
In our experience, avoiding the concept of sales entirely only reinforces the fear. At the end of the day, consultancy firms need to sell work to survive. If you don’t believe that your firm provides valuable services that clients need, then either you’re in the wrong firm, or the firm itself wouldn’t exist. Recognising this reality is the first step in overcoming the fear of sales.
Why does the fear exist, and how can consultants move past it?
The origins of the fear can be broken down into five common concerns:
Fear of breaking trust,
Fear of lacking the right skills,
Fear of sales as a ‘dark art’ rather than a process,
Fear of failure,
Fear of letting go of delivery.
In this article I’ll explore each of these fears and, more importantly, how consultants can consider the mindset shifts needed to address them.
1. Fear of breaking trust
Consultants often worry that introducing a sales conversation into a trusted client relationship will damage that trust. If a client sees you as a problem-solver and advisor, will they suddenly view you differently if you start ‘selling’?
The key question here is: does selling automatically mean being self-serving?
Not if it’s done well.
Good consultative selling doesn’t feel like a sales pitch to the client. Instead, it feels like an opportunity to express their challenges and explore solutions. At its best, consultative selling can feel more like a therapy session for the client - an opportunity for them to talk about their problems with someone who listens, asks insightful questions, and offers tailored advice.
In this way, selling builds trust rather than eroding it. But for that to happen, consultants need the right skills and methods.
2. Fear of lacking the right skills
A lot of consultants believe they don’t have the skills required to sell. They assume that moving into a more sales-focused role means acquiring a completely new skill set. But the reality is different.
The Honeycomb Consulting BD Pyramid demonstrates how the sales process builds on skills consultants already have.
It involves three stages:
Building Authority – positioning yourself as a trusted expert,
Consulting – understanding client problems and structuring solutions,
Closing – formalising agreements and securing work.
Most consultants already excel at the first two stages. If you can analyse a client problem and structure a clear, logical approach to solving it, you already have a huge part of what’s needed to sell. Selling isn’t about flashy persuasion tactics; it’s about helping clients see the path forward - something consultants do every day.
We have previously published a 3-part series called ‘Consulting Sales Mastery’. It explores the layers of this pyramid in more depth and provides some practical tools to support consultants in developing their sales skill set.
Click here to begin the series with part 1: ‘Building Authority’
3. Fear of sales as a ‘dark art’ rather than a process
Some consultants view sales as something mysterious or personality-driven, believing that only a certain type of person can succeed at it. This belief is especially common among those from technical backgrounds.
In reality, sales is a process - one that can be mapped out and understood like any other consulting methodology. Some of the best consulting leaders I’ve worked with have taken the time to lay out sales as a sales machine, showing consultants that with the right inputs (authority-building, structured conversations, compelling proposals), sales becomes a predictable and repeatable process.
Sales doesn’t require an innate talent; it requires a structured approach.
4. Fear of failure
Consultants are typically high achievers with a background of academic and professional excellence. They are likely to be uncomfortable with failure. This creates a significant challenge when it comes to sales, because in sales, failure is inevitable.
No matter how strong your sales process is, some clients simply won’t be in a position to buy. Budget constraints, internal politics, or timing issues can all lead to lost opportunities. Consultants need to accept that rejection is a normal part of the process, not a reflection of their competence.
It’s also important to redefine success. Instead of focusing only on whether a deal is closed, celebrate progress at every stage - more engagement on LinkedIn, more meaningful client conversations, or an increase in warm introductions. Recognising these small wins keeps motivation high and reframes failure as part of the learning process.
5. Fear of letting go of delivery
This final, often subtle, fear is common. Many consultants, particularly those established in delivery roles, worry that focusing on sales will mean neglecting their current clients. They feel a sense of responsibility for project delivery and are hesitant to step back from that.
This can boil down to discomfort with delegation. Consultants moving into sales-focused roles need to develop leadership skills, learning how to empower their teams and trust them to handle more of the day-to-day work. For this reason, sales training shouldn’t be seen in isolation. It’s part of a broader professional development journey that includes leadership, delegation, and strategic thinking.
How to move beyond fear
There are several mindset shifts that Consultants can adopt to begin overcoming their fear of sales:
Reframe sales as a process, not a talent,
Recognise that consultative selling builds trust rather than eroding it,
Leverage existing consulting skills rather than assuming a completely new skill set is needed,
Normalise failure as part of the journey,
Embrace leadership and delegation as part of their growth.
Sales isn’t something separate from consulting - it’s a natural extension of it. By shifting mindsets and building the right habits, consultants can move from fearing sales to thriving in it.
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