LEADERS IN CONSULTING

SAWOO
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The “LEADERS IN CONSULTING” show is dedicated to helping Partners and Managing Directors of Consultancies grow their business faster. If you want to learn best practices from other Leaders in Consulting, this show is for you. Each episode features an interview with a consultancy Partner, Managing Director or Thought Leader, discussing topics like: 1. How to set up a winning strategy for your consultancy 2. How to upsell and cross-sell more 3. How to win big whale leads and convert those to clients 4. Hiring and keeping valuable team members 5. How to become a thought leader by building your personal brand.

  1. Ep. 133 – The Return of Real Advisory: Why AI Is Ending the Era of Scaled Delivery - with Olly Purnell

    17 Jun

    Ep. 133 – The Return of Real Advisory: Why AI Is Ending the Era of Scaled Delivery - with Olly Purnell

    Send us Fan Mail When AI commoditizes delivery work, consulting firms have to prove where their real value lives. Olly Purnell, Managing Partner and co-founder of Q5, argues that consulting is being pushed back toward a more precise advisory model: specialist expertise, clear scope, and judgment clients cannot easily replicate. As AI makes research, benchmarking, reporting, and analysis faster and cheaper, firms built around scaled delivery and broad service portfolios face a harder question. What are they truly known for? Olly shares why Q5 has operated more like an architect’s practice since 2009, why fixed-fee, fixed-scope work can create sharper client value, and why future-ready consulting firms still need to invest in young talent. You’ll learn: 1. Why AI weakens the economics of large delivery teams 2. How specialist firms can create advantage in uncertain markets 3. What makes generalist positioning increasingly vulnerable 4. Why fixed-scope advisory changes the client relationship 5. How future talent keeps expertise from becoming outdated Olly Purnell is open to connecting about specialist advisory, AI, and the future consulting model. If you would like to exchange perspectives, reach out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olly-purnell-organization-health/ Sarah Edwards is Chief Product Officer at Kantata and has spent over 30 years helping professional services firms scale, transform, and deliver measurable business value across the US and Europe. She is passionate about how AI is reshaping the consulting industry, from how firms win work and deliver outcomes to how they empower talent and strengthen client relationships. Get in touch with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahedwards3/ More episodes and insights: https://www.leadersinconsulting.com/podcast

    1hr 16min
  2. Ep. 132 – The Consulting Advantage AI Can’t Copy: Relationships Backed by Real Expertise – with Dr. Karsten Ballüder

    10 Jun

    Ep. 132 – The Consulting Advantage AI Can’t Copy: Relationships Backed by Real Expertise – with Dr. Karsten Ballüder

    Send us Fan Mail The next consulting advantage is not account-led or expert-led. It is a combination of the two. Dr. Karsten Ballüder, Partner at Deloitte and leader of the firm’s European Application Modernization practice, joins David to discuss how consulting firms can stay differentiated when AI makes generic knowledge and polished output easier to produce. Karsten argues that relationships still open doors, but they are no longer enough on their own. In complex, mission-critical work, clients need confidence that the people in the room have seen the problem before, know where it tends to break, and can bring expertise that is not simply available to everyone through AI. This conversation explores the tension between account-led growth and expert-led credibility, why internal incentives can block real collaboration, and what consulting leaders need to build if they want trust and expertise to reinforce each other. You’ll learn: 1. Why generic consulting output is becoming harder to defend 2. How account leaders and experts create value together 3. Why lived delivery experience matters more in the AI era 4. How internal incentives can keep the right expertise out of the room 5. What experts must do to become commercially visible inside the firm ___________ Dr. Karsten Ballüder is open to connecting about consulting growth, expert leadership, AI-driven commoditization, and the relationship between trust and expertise. If you would like to exchange perspectives, reach out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karsten-ballueder/ ___________ Karsten’s reading recommendation: Getting Things Done | https://www.amazon.de/dp/0143126563   ___________ David is a Partner at entero and has extensive experience in Salesforce consulting, particularly in advising consulting firms on the optimization and digitalization of their processes. Over the past ten years, he has led teams, managed complex client relationships, and implemented digital solutions that improve operational efficiency. His passion lies in helping companies use technology to drive growth and transformation, ensuring they remain competitive in an increasingly digital world. Simply write to David by email at david.anheier@entero.de or connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danheier/ ___________ For more perspectives on how leaders are navigating topics like this, follow the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Community on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leadersinconsulting-en/

    1hr 13min
  3. Ep. 131 — Sell the Outcome, Not the Work: The Only Way to Escape Consulting Commoditization — with Rob Ferrone

    19 May

    Ep. 131 — Sell the Outcome, Not the Work: The Only Way to Escape Consulting Commoditization — with Rob Ferrone

    Send us Fan Mail Selling inputs led to price pressure. Selling outcomes delivered a 20:1 ROI. Most consulting firms don’t lose pricing power because of competition. They lose it in how they define their value. In this episode, Rob Ferrone, Founder of Quick Release, explains how his firm moved from selling person-days and deliverables to owning measurable business outcomes. After facing increasing commoditization, Rob and his team reframed their work around cost, speed, and quality impact. This shift unlocked significantly higher pricing, stronger client access, and scalable growth. Through real examples, including a $21M impact project with 20:1 ROI, Rob breaks down what actually changes when consulting firms move from execution to outcome ownership, and why this model is becoming critical in an AI-driven market. You’ll learn: 1. Why selling inputs like time and headcount leads to pricing pressure 2. How to reframe consulting work around measurable business outcomes 3. What it takes to access senior stakeholders and “the keys to the castle” 4. How to structure outcome-based pricing with upside potential 5. Why solving client problems creates more demand, not less ___________ Rob Ferrone is open to connecting about outcome-based consulting and pricing strategy. If you would like to exchange perspectives, reach out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-ferrone/ ___________ Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients. Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/

    1hr 14min
  4. Ep. 130 — Why Mid-Sized Consulting Firms Are Structurally Fragile - And How Productized, IP-Led Models Win in the AI Era — with Amol Punekar

    6 May

    Ep. 130 — Why Mid-Sized Consulting Firms Are Structurally Fragile - And How Productized, IP-Led Models Win in the AI Era — with Amol Punekar

    Send us Fan Mail The most dangerous place in consulting today isn’t the bottom… It’s the middle. Mid-sized consulting firms continue to grow, but many are becoming structurally fragile without realizing it. In this episode, Amol Punekar, Regional Director of Business for the UK and EU at Lyzr AI, explains why only service-led models create non-durable revenue and increasing pressure over time. He outlines how firms get squeezed between scaled incumbents and niche specialists—and why competing on effort is no longer viable. The conversation explores how productized, IP-led offerings change revenue quality, improve margins, and create long-term defensibility, along with what it actually takes to make that shift inside a consulting organization. You’ll learn: 1. Why service-led consulting creates fragile, reset-every-year revenue 2. How the “squeezed middle” makes mid-sized firms structurally vulnerable 3. What productized services change in margins, win rates, and positioning 4. How to identify what to productize using the “three-time rule” 5. Why most firms fail—and the leadership trade-offs required to succeed ___________ Amol Punekar is open to connecting on enterprise AI transformation and IP asset-led consulting models. If you would like to exchange perspectives, reach out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amol-punekar-3760671/ ___________ Amol’s book recommendations: The Changing World Order by Ray Dalio | https://www.amazon.de/dp/1471196690/ Visualize by Maya Raichoora | https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Visualise-Maya-Raichoora/dp/1846048524/ ___________ Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients. Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/ ___________ More episodes and insights: https://www.leadersinconsulting.com/podcast

    1hr 1min
  5. Ep. 129 — Client Loyalty Drops to 37%: Why Strong Relationships No Longer Guarantee Future Work - with Matt Dixon

    22 Apr

    Ep. 129 — Client Loyalty Drops to 37%: Why Strong Relationships No Longer Guarantee Future Work - with Matt Dixon

    Send us Fan Mail Client loyalty is collapsing. This episode explores why you need more than a strong relationship to secure follow-on work. Matthew Dixon, co-founder of DCM Insights and co-author of The Activator Advantage, says consulting growth is breaking away from its traditional model. Despite strong delivery and trusted client relationships, firms are increasingly forced to compete for work they once would have won by default. Matthew unpacks the structural decline in client loyalty, the rise of broader and AI-driven buying processes, and why most partners are still operating with outdated assumptions. The conversation explores the shift from reactive selling to proactive demand creation, and what distinguishes high-performing “activators” from the rest. You’ll learn: 1. Why strong delivery no longer guarantees repeat consulting work 2. What’s driving the drop in client loyalty from 75% to 37% 3. How AI is reshaping how clients shortlist consulting firms 4. What top-performing partners do differently to create demand early 5. How to build momentum before the client defines the need ___________ Matt Dixon is open to connecting. If you would like to exchange perspectives, reach out to him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewxdixon/ ___________  Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients. Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/ ___________  For more episodes and insights: https://www.leadersinconsulting.com/podcast

    53 min
  6. Ep. 128 — From Dependency to Independence: The Rise of Autonomic Consulting - with James Cawthorne

    8 Apr

    Ep. 128 — From Dependency to Independence: The Rise of Autonomic Consulting - with James Cawthorne

    Send us Fan Mail Clients don't want to be dependent anymore. They want self-sufficiency. James Cawthorne, CEO of FOIL, explains why consulting is undergoing a structural shift. As AI makes productivity widely accessible, differentiation through effort is eroding, while complexity and decision pressure continue to rise. James outlines why traditional consulting models built on dependency are increasingly misaligned with what clients now expect. Instead of delivering answers, firms must embed capability, encoding institutional knowledge into systems that enable faster, more consistent decision-making. The conversation explores system intelligence, the limits of standalone AI tools, and what it takes to redesign consulting around value rather than control. You’ll learn: 1. Why competing on productivity with AI leads to a race to the bottom 2. How system intelligence enables scalable decision-making inside organizations 3. What clients actually mean when they ask for “capability” instead of support 4. Why dependency-based consulting models are becoming structurally unstable 5. How to stay relevant when value replaces effort as the core driver ___________ Get in touch with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmcawthorne/ ___________ About the host Sarah: Sarah Edwards is Chief Product Strategy Officer at Kantata and has spent over 30 years helping professional services firms scale, transform, and deliver measurable business value across the US and Europe. She is passionate about how AI is reshaping the consulting industry, from how firms win work and deliver outcomes to how they empower talent and strengthen client relationships. Get in touch with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahedwards3/ ___________ Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more! ___________ Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

    1hr 2min
  7. Ep. 127 — Zwischen Expertise und Empathie: Die Balance erfolgreicher Beratung - mit Florian Warring

    25 Mar

    Ep. 127 — Zwischen Expertise und Empathie: Die Balance erfolgreicher Beratung - mit Florian Warring

    Send us Fan Mail Berater sind gedanklich oft einen Schritt weiter. Umso wichtiger, dass sie ihre Kunden auf diesem Weg mitnehmen. Florian Warring ist Managing Director bei FTI-Andersch, Teil von FTI Consulting mit weltweit über 8.100 Mitarbeitenden. In der DACH-Region begleitet er Unternehmen bei ganzheitlichen Transformations- und Performance-Improvement-Programmen. Neben der Projektverantwortung ist er außerdem verstärkt im Business Development und bei der Akquise aktiv. Seine Überzeugung: Die beste Lösung wirkt nur, wenn sie die Akzeptanz des Kunden findet. Im Gespräch mit Host David Anheier erklärt Florian, warum zu frühes Vorpreschen Akzeptanz kosten kann, weshalb vermeintliche Einigkeit im Meeting trügerisch sein kann, und wie Paraphrasieren zum strategischen Führungsinstrument wird. Er spricht über Authentizität als USP im Consulting, über die „Bringschuld“ von Beratern in der Interaktion mit Kunden und darüber, warum Massenmails keine belastbaren Beziehungen schaffen. Freue dich auf folgende Learnings: 1) Warum aktives Zuhören oftmals wirkungsvoller ist als Argumentieren. 2) Wie man echte Akzeptanz schafft, statt nur Lösungen auf dem Papier. 3) Weshalb Authentizität die Basis für langfristige Mandantenbeziehungen ist. 4) Warum weniger Folien in der Akquise mehr Wirkung entfalten. 5) Wie KI die Rolle junger Berater verändert, aber nicht ersetzt. ___________ Vernetze Dich mit Florian Warring auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-warring-45a855104/ Florians Leseempfehlung: Never Split the Difference  von Chris Voss |   https://amzn.eu/d/0glqCDPq ___________ Über den Host David: David ist Partner bei entero und verfügt über umfangreiche Erfahrung in der Salesforce-Beratung, insbesondere im Consulting von Beratungsunternehmen bei der Optimierung und Digitalisierung ihrer Prozesse. In den letzten zehn Jahren hat er Teams geleitet, komplexe Kundenbeziehungen verwaltet und digitale Lösungen implementiert, die die betriebliche Effizienz verbessern. Seine Leidenschaft gilt der Unterstützung von Unternehmen bei der Nutzung von Technologien zur Förderung von Wachstum und Transformation, um sicherzustellen, dass sie in einer zunehmend digitalen Welt wettbewerbsfähig bleiben. Schreibe David einfach via E-Mail unter david.anheier@entero.de oder connecte Dich auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danheier/ ___________ Bisherige Gäste des LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcasts: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au und viele weitere!

    57 min
  8. Ep. 126 — Insights From 150+ Accenture Acquisitions: What Drives Premium Valuations in Consulting Firms - with Daniel Schwartmann

    10 Mar

    Ep. 126 — Insights From 150+ Accenture Acquisitions: What Drives Premium Valuations in Consulting Firms - with Daniel Schwartmann

    Send us Fan Mail If a buyer looked at your firm today, would they see focus or fragmentation? Daniel Schwartmann, Managing Director at ServTeq Capital Advisors, has spent decades on the buyer side of the table, including leading 150+ acquisitions during his time at Accenture. In this conversation with host Sammy Gebele, he breaks down what strategic buyers and private equity investors actually pay for and what they label as “distraction.” You’ll hear why differentiation is rarely about having more capabilities and almost always about owning a specific swim lane, building a story the market can instantly understand, and making growth decisions with the end in mind. Daniel has seen how growth without a defined endgame leads to diluted positioning and a lower valuation, and he insists that the years leading up to a capital event must be treated as a deliberate value-creation phase. He also explains how private equity can serve as a strategic "booster" rather than a final exit, and what investors actually look for before committing capital. You'll learn: 1. Why unclear positioning quietly erodes valuation and how to build a niche buyers will pay a premium for. 2. How to grow with the end in mind by aligning your equity story, operating model, and leadership bench years before a transaction. 3. When private equity acts as a growth accelerator and when it becomes a strategic mismatch. 4. How to expand into adjacencies, technology, or new markets without diluting the positioning that drives your valuation. 5. How buyers assess founder retention risk and the subtle signals that can lower deal confidence. ___________ Get in touch with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-schwartmann-820a0/ ___________ About the host Sammy Gebele: Sammy and SAWOO offer a B2B community-building service that establishes you as a thought leader in your industry and helps you build genuine, human-to-human relationships with your dream clients. Get in touch with Sammy Gebele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammygebele/ ___________ Past guests on the LEADERS IN CONSULTING Podcast include: Friederich von Hurter, Melanie Tobler, Tilman Au, and many more! ___________ Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!

    1hr 13min
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About

The “LEADERS IN CONSULTING” show is dedicated to helping Partners and Managing Directors of Consultancies grow their business faster. If you want to learn best practices from other Leaders in Consulting, this show is for you. Each episode features an interview with a consultancy Partner, Managing Director or Thought Leader, discussing topics like: 1. How to set up a winning strategy for your consultancy 2. How to upsell and cross-sell more 3. How to win big whale leads and convert those to clients 4. Hiring and keeping valuable team members 5. How to become a thought leader by building your personal brand.

Information

  • Creator
    SAWOO
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    155
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SAWOO GmbH
  • Show Website
    LEADERS IN CONSULTING

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