For years, large consulting firms have held the monopoly on business transformation. However, here at Brighter, we’re finding that clients across all sectors, including banking, insurance and technology, and of all sizes, have started to question what value they’re receiving for the not insubstantial fees that they’re being charged and are deciding that the traditional consulting model used by larger consultancies no longer works for them.
As a result, many of them are opting for smaller, specialist consultancies that offer a tighter focus, improved accountability, and bigger, better outcomes. Here, in the first of a new series of blogs, we’ll examine what’s driving this change.
One of the major causes of dissatisfaction we hear from clients is the disconnection between the consultants they’re promised and those who actually handle the transformation process. In larger firms, it’s standard practice for senior partners to negotiate the deal and then appoint junior consultants to action it, while still charging premium-level fees. This can result in outcomes that lack real-world experience and teams that are effectively being trained on the job. The consequences of this can include errors and solutions that simply don’t work.
At Brighter, we never put junior staff on projects and then charge partner-level fees. We deploy only seasoned professionals with direct, proven experience of the range of challenges that our clients face – people who’ve solved the exact same problems before and are not ‘learning on the job’. The results are evident, and our clients can testify that we offer faster decisions, significantly reduced risk and far more effective delivery.
Large consultancies run on utilisation targets and clients often pay for people who aren’t the right fit, simply because someone needs to meet their billing quota. This unsustainable model rarely serves the client well and the result is that they pay for people not because they are best suited to the project, but simply because they are available.
At Brighter, we do things differently. We build our teams with the sole purpose of achieving the work, not to meet internal targets. We only deploy consultants who are right for the specific job, not just because they’re available, to ensure we deliver maximum value to our clients.
Mid-size projects matter too
Sometimes, in the rush to impress, mid-size projects can get overlooked by larger firms. However, we specialise in the ones that are too small to excite them but too critical to get wrong. For us, mid-size transformation projects are priorities, not fillers, because the results are proportionally more impactful for our clients.
We make these projects our priority, not treat them like an inconvenience. They receive the oversight and attention that they deserve and the commitment from our senior consultants that reflects their importance to both our clients and us.
Delivery models promising off-site and offshore actualisation may appear to be cost-effective but they often create a disconnect from a client’s teams, culture and organisation. We understand implicitly that effective change requires boots on the ground.
We work shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients to prevent any feelings of a job being done at a remove. We work onsite, immersing ourselves in our clients’ environments, engaging with their culture, and building real trust to effect sustainable, practical change from day one.
Too often, at the end of transformation consultations, all that clients are left with is a slick presentation report and few further results. When we complete a job we don’t just offer our clients a strategy for them to deal with in isolation, we ensure implementation, outcome and measurable impact.
At Brighter, we pride ourselves in being outcome-led, not slide-deck-heavy and we’re happy to be judged by our results, not our flashy presentations. We also remain accountable throughout the process, and after implementation, to ensure that the change we deliver is effective, and we offer a highly competitive pricing structure, not over-inflated fees.
Clients are waking up to what the traditional, larger model really delivers and what it doesn’t, and they’re discovering that they want more for their investment.
We’re here for clients who want:
Fewer layers – consultants who deliver results in person, not remotely
Clear accountability – the best people for the job, not trainees
Outcomes, not hours – results based on effectiveness, not billable hours
Value without compromise – focusing on the right outcome for your organisation.
Specialist consultancies, such as Brighter, are increasingly being chosen over larger firms because we meet higher expectations, deliver stronger results, and build longer-lasting relationships with our clients. Because we only use senior consultants with a proven track record, we can offer the agility and transparency that your firm needs to achieve the results we promise.
Next time we’ll be looking at the hidden cost of utilisation rates and asking whether you’re paying more for people less qualified.
If you’d like more information about how Brighter can support your transformation and deliver bigger outcomes, contact us.