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The Secret Behind Management Consulting: It’s Not That Hard — It’s Just That Valuable

Strategy consulting can seem like a mysterious craft. The slide decks. The acronyms. The frameworks. The big retainers. From the outside, it looks like magic—or at least some high-stakes intellectual sport for elite MBAs.

But here’s the real secret:
Management Consulting isn’t THAT hard†. It’s just that when it’s done right, it creates a lot of value.

At its core, management consulting is about helping people make better decisions. That doesn’t always require genius. It often just requires structure, focused effort, and perspective. When a company is stuck, overwhelmed, or moving fast in the wrong direction, a good consultant can step in and help reorient. That creates value—not because the ideas are revolutionary, but because they reveal better action.

Why Strategy Consulting Seems Mysterious

Let’s be honest: consulting firms have done a great job branding themselves. The language is technical. The slides are sharp. There’s a lot of intellectual theater in the industry, and sometimes that makes consulting feel inaccessible to small or growing businesses.

But look under the hood and you’ll see something much simpler:

• Asking the right questions

• Clarifying objectives

• Analyzing markets and trade-offs

• Making the right calculations

• Helping teams set priorities and move forward

It’s not alchemy. It’s structured thinking, time investment, and communication—and the payoff can be massive.

How Consulting Actually Creates Value

So if it’s not magic, where does the value come from? In my experience working with founders, leadership teams, and technical teams, here are the five most consistent value levers:

1. Prioritization

When everything feels urgent, nothing gets done. Consultants help cut through the noise, define what really matters, and focus resources.

Example: A $2M company had 14 simultaneous initiatives, none finishing. A simple prioritization exercise led them to focus on just three—and they hit their revenue goals two months early.

2. Speed

Decision-making bottlenecks cost time and money. A good consultant accelerates decisions by bringing data, frameworks, or just external accountability.

Example: A founder was stuck on a go-to-market decision for months. A single strategy report unlocked a direction, and they signed two pilot customers within 30 days.

3. Avoiding Expensive Mistakes

Sometimes, the best outcome is deciding not to do something. Market research, competitive analysis, or customer interviews can prevent costly missteps.

Example: One client was ready to invest $300k in launching a new product line. A $15k market validation study revealed the market was too crowded. They pivoted and used the funds on a more promising avenue.

4. External Perspective

Internal teams are often too close to the problem. A consultant brings fresh eyes, specialized expertise, and (often crucially) the ability to question assumptions without politics.

5. Time to Research and Evaluate options

One of the most underrated reasons consulting adds value is simple:
Most senior leaders don’t have time to deeply research business decisions. Executives are pulled in ten directions every day—meetings, operations, hiring, firefighting. Even when they’re brilliant and experienced, they rarely have the uninterrupted focus needed to deeply evaluate options, compare strategies, or synthesize research. That’s where consultants come in. We bring dedicated time to research, analyze, and think through complex issues with care. And it’s in that focus, away from the noise of daily operations, that superior solutions emerge.

Why Being Quantitative Matters

While consulting doesn’t require a PhD in data science, it does require some fluency in numbers. Clients don’t just want opinions. They want evidence. Even back-of-the-envelope ROI estimates, simple revenue modeling, or market sizing can turn vague advice into trustworthy insight.

Being somewhat quantitative—able to size a market, perform time value of money calculations, comfort with charts and graphs—adds weight to recommendations and helps clients act with confidence.

Example: A strategic recommendation that “this segment is promising” becomes far more compelling when paired with, “It represents a $200M market, and your current share is under 1%.”

Industry & Technical Knowledge Helps Too

Consulting isn’t just about frameworks—it’s also about context. While good generalists can create value anywhere, having some knowledge of a client’s industry shortens the learning curve and builds credibility.

Understanding key metrics, value chains, regulations, or customer dynamics allows a consultant to go deeper, faster. It also helps tailor insights in ways that resonate with decision-makers.

Example: A generic suggestion to “improve operational efficiency” is less helpful than recognizing that a specific bottleneck in clinical trial recruitment is costing a biotech firm millions per year.

Quick ROI Examples

Let’s talk numbers. Here are a few simple but realistic ROI snapshots. Note: these aren’t real examples but representative of real-life scenarios.

Scenario 1: Reallocated ad budget

$7,000 marketing assessment

$200,000 additional revenue from focusing on top-performing channels

ROI: 28x

Scenario 2: Market research to avoid failure

$15,000 market research assessment (including primary and secondary market research)

Avoided $300,000 failed product launch

ROI:19x

Scenario 3: Strategic planning session

$10,000 fee for consultant to lead 1 week session

$500,000 YoY revenue growth

ROI: 49x

Even conservative estimates often show 5x–20x returns. And sometimes, a single decision can change the trajectory of an entire business.

Why Simplicity Wins

The most powerful tools in management consulting aren’t complex models. They’re clarity, questions, and follow-through.

• A well-timed “What’s the real goal here?”

• A reframed customer segmentation.

• A focus shift from features to outcomes.

• Thoughtful and thorough research and analysis

These aren’t brilliant insights. But they’re often the difference between growth and stagnation.

Final Thoughts

Management consulting doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. At its best, it delivers massive leverage through simple, focused intervention.

Yes, it needs to be quantitative. Yes, industry knowledge adds depth. But at the heart of consulting is a simple idea:
Better thinking leads to better decisions, and better decisions create real value.

The secret isn’t in some proprietary framework or complex mathematical model.
The secret is in helping people see clearly, decide confidently, and move forward.

That’s what creates value. That’s why strategy consulting is worth investing in.
And that’s why the best consulting, even when it looks simple, is so powerful.

Disclaimer

† I did work as a laboratory scientist for more than a decade before becoming a management consultant, so my definition of “hard” may be different from most.

Is Market Research Really Necessary for Your New Product?

Absolutely — and the numbers back it up.

Many companies launch new products full of optimism, only to be blindsided by market realities. Why? Because they skipped the first and most critical step: market research.

The Hard Truths about Product Failure

1. No market need is the #1 reason startups fail — cited in 42% of post-mortems.

2. One study of new product failures showed that market research was poorly done in 73% of projects.

3. Top-performing companies generate 1 success for every 4.5 ideas, while average firms need 11.4 attempts for the same outcome — likely due to market research.

4. Successful companies spend twice as much time and budget on front-end activities — especially market assessments and voice of customer (VOC) research — compared to less successful peers.

The Message is Consistent

“A thorough understanding of customers' needs and wants, the competitive situation, and the nature of the market is supported by virtually every study of product success factors.”

Yet Most Firms Fall Short

“Sadly, a strong market orientation is missing in the majority of firms' new product projects. Detailed market studies are frequently omitted from new product projects. In general, marketing activities are the most poorly executed activities of the entire new product process, rated far below corresponding technical (engineering, design, R&D) activities.”

“The weakest areas are the front-end (pre-development) and the business and marketing related tasks (technical tasks are much stronger).”

The Takeaway

Market research isn’t optional. It’s essential, especially in the early (pre-development) stages, when course corrections are still easy and inexpensive. If your product team isn’t deeply engaged with the customer, the market, and the competition from the start, you’re not just guessing — you're gambling. Invest in market research before you invest in product development. It’s the difference between a hopeful launch and a successful one.

References

C.B. Insights. The 20 reasons startups fail. file:///C:/Users/kmkme/OneDrive/Documents/Consulting/The-20-Reasons-Startups-Fail.pdf

Cooper, R. G., & Edgett, S. J. (n.d.). Best vs. the rest: The practices of the most successful new product developers. Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) Knowledge Hub.
https://community.pdma.org/knowledgehub/bok/product-design-and-development-tools/best-vs-the-rest

Cooper, R. G. (2018). Success drivers in new product development: The critical success factors. Innovation Management.
https://www.five-is.com/wp-content/uploads/Success-Drivers-in-NPD-IMM-2018.pdf

Forbes Business Development Council. (2021, November 4). Why businesses can't afford to skip market research. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2021/11/04/why-businesses-cant-afford-to-skip-market-research/

Why Scientists Make Exceptional Market Researchers

Many of today’s most promising products — from biotech breakthroughs to energy solutions — are highly technical. Conducting effective market research for these innovations requires more than just general business knowledge. It demands critical thinking, thoroughness, attention to detail, objectivity, and the ability to ask the right questions. That’s why scientists are uniquely well-suited for market research roles, especially in technical industries.

Technical Fluency Builds Confidence and Credibility

While the best researcher has domain knowledge in the specific field of a product, even a technical background in a related discipline can provide a major advantage. Scientists understand how technologies are developed, how users interact with them, and what kinds of questions reveal meaningful insights.

This technical fluency enables scientists to:

• Ask deeper, more relevant questions

• Wade through jargon and interpret various kinds of data 

• Engage stakeholders with credibility
  
  

Quantitative and Evidence-Based Thinking

Scientists are trained to:

• Analyze data rigorously and objectively

• Draw conclusions grounded in evidence

• Recognize patterns, outliers, and inconsistencies

• Make calculations

Naturally Curious Questioners

Market researchers need to understand both the product and the problem that needs to be solved. This can only be uncovered by asking lots of questions. This investigative mindset enables them to uncover deeper insights that others might miss. By continuously probing and challenging assumptions, scientists ensure that their research gets to the heart of the client’s need, leading to more focused and actionable results. 

Thrive in Complexity and Ambiguity

Markets are rarely simple. Scientists are used to navigating complexity, integrating data from diverse sources, and making progress even when variables are constantly changing.

Strong Communicators (When Trained)

Many scientists are experienced technical writers, educators, or grant writers — all roles that demand clear and concise communication of complex ideas. With the right training, they become excellent at translating research findings into decision-ready formats for executives, investors, and product teams.

Relentless Learners

Perhaps most importantly, scientists are perpetual learners. They’re quick to pick up new industries, technologies, and tools. In a fast-changing market, this adaptability gives them staying power.

Final Thought

Scientists bring rigor, depth, and curiosity — the perfect combination for uncovering insights that drive smarter business decisions.