Is your consultancy’s messaging falling flat?

Your consultancy has a lot to offer, but if your messaging isn’t clear, you’re missing out on capturing your ideal client’s attention. If prospects don’t immediately understand what you do and how you can help them, they’ll move on without a second thought. To avoid this, you need a messaging framework that speaks to your ideal clients at every stage of their decision-making journey.

In this ultimate guide, we’ll break down a messaging structure that captures attention in five seconds, engages in one minute, and builds trust over time through stories, problem-solving, and value-driven presentations.

Why your messaging is missing the mark

You’ve invested time into understanding your ideal client, yet your messaging might still not connect. Why? Because you need to communicate the pain points your ideal clients are experiencing to spur them into action and highlight the gains they’ll achieve to keep them motivated—both conveyed with emotion.

Most consultancy messaging focuses on the gain communicated through logic. They also don’t have a framework to deliver the right message at the right time through their ideal prospect's buying journey.

Whether your elevator pitch falls flat or your sales presentation doesn’t convert, ineffective communication will derail your lead-generation efforts.

This guide will help you deliver the right message at every interaction stage—from a quick hook to a 30-minute presentation that seals the deal.

Crafting messaging that resonates

1. The Five-Second Hookline

This is your headline—your first impression on LinkedIn, during a conversation, or at a networking event. You have just five seconds to capture attention, so make it count.

Formula: "I help [ideal client] achieve [specific result] in [timeframe] through [methodology]—without [hassle]."

• Ideal Client: Be specific.

• Results & Timeline: What result do you deliver? How fast can they expect it?

• Methodology: How do you achieve it?

• Hassle: The headache, frustration, or hassle your method eliminates?

• Length: 120 characters to keep it within LinkedIn limits

Example:
"I help consultancy owners lock in 4+ ready-to-buy sales calls monthly and systemise growth in 90 days—no wasted time!"

In my example I have had to slightly adjust the structure to remain in the character limit. I've referenced my method by using its name in the type of sales call. You may need to do something similar to stick in the character limit.

2. The One-Minute Pitch

Expand on your Hookline by giving your audience just enough information to spark curiosity without overwhelming them. This pitch is perfect for brief encounters where you have a minute to introduce yourself and what you do.

Structure:

• Hook: Why it’s worth listening to the end

• Who: Who you work with.

• Problem: Explain their problem.

• Why you’re different: Explain why you’re different from all the other solutions.

• Value/result: Explain the primary benefit or result they’ll gain from your solution.

• Ask: End with a call to action. What do you want them to do next? Ideally, offer a value exchange.

• Length: 120 words

Example:
“You probably know someone running a consultancy who sells their expertise to other businesses. I help consultancy owners achieve their goals by systemising their growth. Consultancy owners are often stuck in a cycle of unpredictable revenue because they haven’t systemised their lead generation. My done-with-you programme, called the Consultancy Growth System, helps them build their lead generation system and secure 4+ ready-to-buy calls every month without coming across as salesy. Perhaps you know a consultancy owner who it could help. They can connect with me and get my free Ready-To-Buy playbook to learn exactly how to build their own system."

3. The Five-Minute Burning Pains Story

Stories engage and build trust. In five minutes, you should walk through a relatable story about your ideal client’s burning pain—showcasing empathy for their situation—and then introduce how you helped solve it.

Structure:

• Problem: Describe the burning pain your client was experiencing.

• What they hate: Throw rocks at their enemy

• Journey: Share the steps you took to help them.

• Transformation: Highlight the result and transformation your solution provided.

• Call to Action: Encourage them to take the next step (e.g., scheduling a consultation).

• Length: 600 words

A cut-down example:

You have about 600 words for a five-minute presentation to get your message across. I will give you a cut-down example to save this post from becoming too long.

"Helen, a consultancy owner, was struggling to break through the £10k/month revenue level. She had a few months where she did better, but then would finish a project and need to find a new client to replace the one that had naturally ended, which meant that the spare time she had needed to go into working her network to find that new client.

All the lead generation activities she had tried never got consistent results, and she found it tricky to stick with them with all the demands of her client's work. While she got constant approaches on LinkedIn from people telling her they could generate loads of new business, it all came across as too salesy, which she hated the thought of. All her new business came from referrals and recommendations, which she was really proud of.

The trouble was that the work she was doing for her different clients varied, which meant custom proposals and spinning different plates. She couldn’t imagine scaling up without getting too busy to cope.

Then we started talking, and she decided to join the Consultancy Growth Club and build her lead generation system using the Consultancy Growth System. Together, we built her Ready-To-Buy Funnel by getting laser-focused on her ideal client, creating her flagship solution for them and developing messaging that generated ready-to-buy sales conversations consistently every month. Within three months, she was having at least one ready-to-buy sales call every week, had doubled her prices and was growing her business by one new client every month.

Does Helen’s story sound familiar? If it does, watch my Ready-To-Buy playbook and learn how you could develop a similar solution for your consultancy."

4. The Ten-Minute Problem-Solution Playbook

Now that you’ve connected with your client through a relatable story, you can build on that foundation with a more structured solution. Walking your prospect through a playbook that addresses their problem in detail and outlines your solution is a fantastic way to build trust and educate them further on how you can help them.

Structure:

• Call out the pain: Clearly state the issue your ideal client faces.

• Simplify the solution: Explain your approach by focusing on three key pains and their associated solutions.

• Examples: Use case studies or success stories to back up your claims.

• Next Steps: Invite the prospect to take action (e.g., booking a consultation).

Example:
To get a good example of this, I recommend that you watch my Ready-To-Buy playbook. It uses this structure and will allow you to see it in action. 

5. The Fifteen-Minute Pre-Sales Training

Before you get on a sales call, a pre-sales training video or resource can do much of the heavy lifting by educating potential clients. This training should explain your process in greater detail and pre-emptively address any concerns. If a prospect decides your approach isn’t for them, it’ll prevent wasted time on a sales call that won’t go anywhere. It’ll also mean that when prospects are on the call, they are pre-sold and educated, so you can spend more time assessing which option is the best fit for them, the alternatives they are considering and when they want to get started.

Structure:

• Introduction: Outline the key points you’ll cover.

• Deeper dive into the problem: Comprehensively explain the issues your clients face.

• Solution Framework: Break down your solution, focusing on how it solves their specific problem.

• Case Studies: Share success stories to demonstrate real-world applications for each element of the solution.

• Call to Action: Encourage them to book a call or take the next step.

Example:
When someone books a call with me following watching the Ready-To-Buy Playbook, I send them a link to my 15-minute training. It uses the above structure to detail my solution and how the Ready-To-Buy funnel works and fits their overall goals. It includes a few recent case studies and addresses common questions, so I don’t need to sell on the sales call. I just further qualify that my solution is a good fit for their consultancy and their goals. We can then discuss which option is the best fit for their budget. 

6. The Thirty-Minute Ideal Client Presentation

When you’ve got a prospect’s full attention—whether in a webinar, workshop, or in-depth consultation—this 30-minute presentation is your chance to showcase everything you offer. This is when you’re expecting to sell.

Structure:

• Introduction: Set the stage with your 5-Second Hookline.

• Current State: Detail your ideal client’s problem, using stories to illustrate.

• Total transformation: Explain how your solution provides the total transformation they want.

• Three primary pains and strategies: Focus on the three primary pains and the solutions to overcome them

• Methodology Breakdown: Walk through the step-by-step process that leads to their desired results and helps them overcome the three primary pains.

• Results & Testimonials: Share data, testimonials, and success stories.

• Call to Action: You’ll typically position your offer at the end of this presentation and give your prospect the next step in their journey. Either buy the offer, if appropriate or book a consultation call.

Resources

To help you dig deeper into crafting your message and improving your communication, check out these additional resources:

• Why Your Consultancy’s Marketing Needs More Emotion

• What’s the Transformation Your Consultancy Sells?

• The One Thing That Makes Winning Clients Easier for Your Consultancy

Use this messaging structure to hit your sales goals consistently

By applying these steps—from your five-second hookline to your full 30-minute presentation—you'll be able to capture attention, build trust, and guide prospects through each stage of their decision-making journey. So, whether introducing yourself to new prospects or closing high-ticket deals, your messaging will resonate more deeply, turning interest into action.

Ready to transform your lead generation and hit your sales goals? Download the free Ready-To-Buy Playbook today and get started!

Get your free copy of the Ready-To-Buy Playbook here.