All this news coverage corroborated our message of slowing demand across most regions, in what is a considerable change from the post-COVID boom years many firms enjoyed. Accenture has cut its revenue forecast in response to the “uncertain macro environment”, while Deloitte announced a significant reorganisation in a bid to “modernise and simplify” its strategy, which has been interpreted by the press as a cost-cutting response to that same environment.

And it was the second of these two headlines that particularly caught my eye as, by happy coincidence, I’m knee deep in writing a very pertinent report on go-to-market strategy.

Go-to-market strategy can mean many things, but for the purposes of our Emerging Trends report, it’s the plan that sets out how you intend to deliver to your customers. For consulting firms, that means how they organise themselves internally to do this efficiently. It’s also about how they communicate their offerings, to existing and potential clients, to ensure they win the work that will support their revenue and growth targets—goals which are becoming increasingly hard to achieve.

Whether the Deloitte announcement does reflect a change in their go-to-market strategy, a move to contain costs, or both, it’s definitely the right time to take a fresh and honest look at what your clients want and act on what you find.

We’ve been flagging a decline in client confidence for almost a year now and, with the exception of a few hotspots such as the GCC, growth in consulting is much harder to find. Hence our decision to look at go-to-market strategy and understand where it could make a significant difference to firms.

We’ve not finished the full analysis yet, but two big messages are already coming out strongly:

1. Clients want change

Across all our research we are seeing an increase in the number of clients who say they are aiming to work with more new firms. The reasons for this are varied and, to be brutally honest, probably skewed by the current hype around AI. (Clients see new partners—often technology firms, big and small—as the best route to this capability).  

But there’s also a less tangible element of restlessness creeping in to the client-consultant relationship. Deepened by the shared experience, the strength of existing relationships paid off for both sides during the pandemic, through better understanding, speed of delivery, and repeated contracts, however, it’s beginning to feel a little stale for some. 

And this is why how firms go to market is so important right now. With clients more likely to be looking around, firms need to ensure that they can showcase the right offerings to both current and potential customers, in the right way. 

2. Clients are not all the same  

It’s a fairly obvious statement and something we often say—for good reason. The chart above shows the different buying groups that firms have to consider, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Within each of these three cohorts, clients come from a multitude of functions and sectors and are buying a wide variety of offerings and services. Clients are, quite simply, all different.

And that can be something of a challenge when it comes to devising a go-to-market strategy. There are some big questions to answer: How should firms structure themselves with a client base that is so diverse? Is there a simple and straightforward way for firms to organise themselves internally that will satisfy that diversity? Should firms focus on their existing clients and try to deliver more to them in the most efficient and cost-effective way, or should they try to increase market share by targeting new clients? What will work for a financial services CEO but also hit the spot for a transportation head of risk?

Our Emerging Trends report will aim to answer all these questions and more, looking from the clients’ perspective and thinking about how they want to navigate the relationship. In the future, we look forward to seeing more big headlines as firms take stock and respond to what clients want today.

If you’d like to be notified when Emerging Trends: Go-to-Market Strategy is published, click here.