Consulting Mastery

Karie Miller & Ahmad Munawar
  • 5.0 (12)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Consulting Mastery, where we help B2B consultants master the business of consulting. Join us as we explore the art of delivering outstanding client value, earning a higher income, and thriving in today's marketplace.

  1. 1D AGO

    The anatomy of objections

    We keep seeing the same pattern with consultants: they get an objection and the deal dies. Not because the prospect walked away, but because the consultant did. They hear pushback and assume the opportunity is over. Or worse, they spend months searching for the objection-free offer, the perfect positioning where nobody will ever question them. We've sat inside hundreds of these sales conversations. The objection-free offer doesn't exist. And treating objections as deal breakers is costing you the deals that are actually trying to close. In this episode, Karie and I break down the three types of objections you'll face, why preempting beats overcoming, and what's really happening when a prospect says they can't afford it. Show Notes The objection-free offer myth: Why consultants keep searching for perfect positioning where nobody pushes back, and why that search is keeping them stuckSame side of the table: When your business partner challenges your thinking, you don't call it an objection. You call it a productive conversation. Why the dynamic changes with prospects, and how to shift it backWhy preempting beats overcoming: The neurological reality of how prospects process information when they ask a question versus when you offer insight firstThe discovery gap: most objections can be resolved before they ever come up. We break down what effective discovery actually looks like, and why 46 slides on your process isn't itProcess objections: The first type. Does the prospect believe your approach will get them where they want to go? Where the material objections live, and why detail questions are often fear in disguiseBelief objections: The second type. Not belief in you. Belief in themselves. Why asserting your credibility misses the point half the timeThe money objection trap: Why consultants feel relief when a prospect says they can't afford it, and what's actually happening behind that objectionThe cost of winning the wrong way: You can close deals by overpowering objections. But those clients show up differently. Your three-month engagement turns into twelve months at the same fee

    33 min

  2. FEB 2

    The scaling sequence

    You closed a few deals. You've got momentum. The logical next step is to hire, right? Not so fast. I've watched too many consultants scale before they were ready. They add headcount, build overhead, create obligations—and then spend all their time chasing random work just to keep their team busy. The growth they wanted becomes the cage they're trapped in. In this episode, Kerry and I break down the actual order of operations for scaling a consulting business. It's not complicated, but skipping steps creates problems that look like market problems or team problems. They're really sequencing problems. Show notes: Why "busy" isn't the same as "busy doing the right work"The margin question most consultants avoid askingWhat happened to the seven-figure agency owner who scaled back to solo (and took home more money)The specific sequence that makes growth sustainable instead of exhausting

    18 min

  3. JAN 26

    Why positioning fails

    We ran a diagnostic assessment after our recent Power Positioning workshop and one phrase kept appearing: "I've tried positioning before. It didn't work." These weren't beginners. These were consultants who understood the theory, agreed with the framework, and still couldn't make it land. Their conclusion was that positioning doesn't work for them. But that's like saying you tried riding a bike and it didn't work. In this episode, we break down the three cognitive biases that prevent you from ever getting positioning right on your own, why sitting in a room brainstorming the perfect tagline guarantees failure, and what actually has to change before your messaging will resonate. Show Notes: The phrase we kept hearing: Why "I've tried positioning before" reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what positioning actually isThe whiteboard delusion: What my old corporate marketing meetings taught me about how most consultants approach messaging, and why ChatGPT made the problem worse, not betterThe curse of knowledge: You can't unknow what you know. That's not a motivational quote. It's the reason you keep talking past your prospectsWhy your peers love your content but your prospects don't: The uncomfortable reason you're getting engagement from the wrong audienceThe language mismatch: What editing my father's academic journal on aquatic ecosystems taught me about why consultants and their prospects literally can't communicateThe synthesis trap: Our research coach Anna's observation about why consultants are too good at something that's actively hurting themConfirmation bias in action: The client whose messaging looked perfect until I asked one question. Why having a preference for what you want to sell corrupts everything downstreamWhy you can't solve this alone: Even if you do customer research, there's one bias you'll never overcome without outside perspective

    26 min

  4. JAN 19

    Why don't they get it

    We get this request constantly: "Hey, I'd love for you to look at my positioning statement." As if us agreeing with the words is somehow consequential. We're not your client. We're not writing you a check. But the bigger problem is what the request reveals: the belief that positioning is a wordsmithing exercise. That if we just arrange the right words in the right order, the work is done. In this episode, we break down why your positioning statement is probably gathering dust on Google Drive, what it actually takes to enter your prospect's cognitive frame, and the three layers of positioning most consultants completely ignore. Show Notes: The request that makes us cringe: Why asking someone to review your positioning statement misses the entire point of positioningThe Mad Men fantasy: What Don Draper's creative team had that most consultants don't, and why it matters more than the words you chooseYour prospect has a box around their brain: How cognitive frames determine what information gets in and what bounces off, no matter how clever your messaging isThe Thanksgiving dinner problem: Why arguing with Uncle Joe about politics teaches you everything you need to know about selling to prospectsThe temptation that ruins your marketing: Most consultants try to drag prospects into their frame instead of stepping into the prospect's world firstThree layers of positioning: Why most consultants obsess over the top layer (the words) while ignoring the foundation that makes words actually workWhy understanding your prospect goes beyond sales: The consultants who get this don't just market better, they deliver better, partner better, and get results clients talk aboutThe cost of skipping the work: Where you'll be in ten years if you keep refining statements instead of entering minds

    17 min

  5. JAN 12

    Consultant's journey with Erica Lee Garcia

    In this episode, Erica Lee Garcia shares how she went from charging $10-15K and feeling uncomfortable asking for more, to landing a near seven-figure engagement with a single client—beating out a major consulting firm in the process. The transformation wasn't about better sales tactics or fancier proposals. It was about committing to a lane, going deep instead of broad, and becoming the person clients lean on when everything's on the line. If you've been afraid that specializing will limit your opportunities, this conversation will change how you think about focus. Show Notes: Why Erica spent her first six years saying yes to everything in the "arena"—and the moment she realized that flexibility was actually capping her incomeThe fear that keeps most consultants from narrowing their focus (and why the scarcity is almost always imaginary)How she landed a client in Spain within months of committing to her specializationThe belief shift that took her from a $15K mental ceiling to closing the largest solo consulting deal we've ever seenWhy the mining company chose her over a major consulting house (and what big firms often get wrong)The difference between being an "extra pair of hands" and becoming a transformation partner clients can lean onWhy going deeper feels like freedom, not restriction—and the relationship analogy that captures it perfectlyThe question every consultant avoiding commitment needs to answer: can you afford another ten years of unrealized potential?

    49 min

  6. JAN 5

    No-risk specialization

    I keep hearing the same thing from consultants: "I get it, I should specialize. But how do I get there without blowing up what I already have?" The fear is that narrowing down means immediately turning away all other work and starving to death. That's not how it works. The consultants who successfully make this transition don't leap. They build. They narrow incrementally while still taking the network deals, still earning, still delivering. Then one day they look back and realize the last six months of work has all been exactly what they wanted to do at the rates they wanted to charge. In this episode, we break down the three-stage transition from generalist to specialist, including real examples of consultants who made the move and what actually happened along the way. Show Notes: The CTO resume test: Why we intuitively understand that relevant experience gets you promoted in a job, but completely ignore that logic when it comes to our own consulting businessesThe fear that keeps consultants stuck: You don't have to starve your way into specialization, and that's not what this transition requiresStage one, deciding to narrow: Why going from zero to 20 matters more than trying to define the perfect niche before you'll take a stepThe client who thought she had to turn everything away: Permission granted to keep earning while you build the new specialtyThe branding agency that doubled down: How focusing on the market that already represented 80% of his business didn't shrink his pipeline, it grew everythingCompounding expertise: What happens to fees, margins, and business development when you spend 100% of your time in one focus area instead of 30%The question that used to make you panic: How specialists answer "have you done this before?" versus how generalists scramble through mental gymnasticsOne to three years: The realistic timeline for full transition, and what ten years of generalist work leaves you with instead

    18 min

  7. 12/29/2025

    Death of a generalist

    I keep having the same conversation with consultants who are terrified to specialize. They think staying broad protects their opportunities. The opposite is true. In this episode, we break down exactly why generalist consultants are going extinct, how pricing dynamics work against them, and why the fear of narrowing down is actually keeping them stuck with a fixed network that will never grow. Show Notes: The market flip that killed generalism: How clients went from two options to two hundred, and why that changes everything about how they chooseWhy referrals don't save you anymore: Even with an introduction, you're competing against specialists they can find in secondsThe pricing trap: Generalists race to the bottom while specialists see margins expand over timeThe counterintuitive opportunity problem: Why staying broad guarantees your network stays exactly the same sizeThe Toronto consultant who walked into a NYC boardroom: What happens when your reputation precedes youAI as the new competitor: Why the $20/month machine is taking generalist workThe real fear behind the objection: It's not about wanting variety, it's about questioning whether enough business exists in your focus area

    29 min

  8. 12/22/2025

    Our predictions for 2026

    I keep having the same conversation with consultants lately. Different industries, different experience levels, same story: "My network's not giving me deals anymore." These aren't struggling consultants. These are people who built successful practices over ten, fifteen, twenty years on referrals and relationships. The phone stopped ringing. The introductions dried up. And most of them don't understand why. In this episode, I'm breaking down what's actually happening in the market right now, why the conditions that made network-dependent consulting work have permanently changed, and what the consultants who are still growing have figured out that everyone else hasn't. Show Notes The conversation I keep having: Why consultants who built successful practices on referrals are suddenly watching their pipeline go quiet, and what's actually driving itTwo things happened at once: How constrained demand collided with a flood of new consultants to create the most competitive market I've ever seenThe scrutiny shift buyers won't tell you about: The questions decision-makers are now asking that most network-dependent consultants have never had to answerWhere AI actually hit consulting: It's not what you think. The real impact isn't replacement, it's raising the bar on what counts as work worth paying forWhat the consultants who are growing figured out: They stopped treating their network as the plan and started treating it as a bonus. The difference matters more than you'd expectWhy your network isn't coming back: The conditions that made referral-based consulting work have changed. I don't see them changing back. What to build instead

    27 min
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5
out of 5
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About

Welcome to Consulting Mastery, where we help B2B consultants master the business of consulting. Join us as we explore the art of delivering outstanding client value, earning a higher income, and thriving in today's marketplace.

Information

  • Creator
    Karie Miller & Ahmad Munawar
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    154
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Karie Miller & Ahmad Munawar
  • Show Website
    Consulting Mastery

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