Play to Your Consultants’ Strengths. That’s Your Edge.

A clear business development process matters. It gives consultants direction, creates accountability and helps leaders understand what’s working.

But consistency doesn’t have to mean identical activity.

Think about two consultants working in the same market.

One has spent years building relationships with senior decision-makers. They know who to call, when to call and how to turn a conversation into an opportunity.

The other has deep technical knowledge and a strong understanding of where the sector is heading. Their market insights regularly give clients a reason to engage.

Both bring commercial value. But asking them to follow exactly the same approach risks overlooking what makes each effective.

The answer isn’t to abandon targets or let everyone choose their favourite activities.

It’s to understand where each consultant delivers the most value, then build a business development approach that makes better use of it.

Recruitment firms spend a lot of time thinking about differentiation.

Their sectors. Their service offering. Their brand positioning.

All important. But there’s another advantage that’s harder for competitors to replicate: the knowledge, relationships and credibility of the people representing the business.

A competitor can enter your market, offer similar services or match your fees.

They can’t instantly recreate the relationships your consultants have spent years building or the sector knowledge they’ve developed through experience.

That’s what gives a consultant credibility when they approach a prospective client.

And it’s why your people should be part of your wider marketing and business development strategy, rather than simply being expected to deliver it.

The challenge is turning those individual strengths into something that benefits the wider business.

As we explored in Recruitment Growth, Rethought, sustainable growth depends on how effectively firms connect their market knowledge, marketing activity and business development.

Your consultants are central to that.

Not every consultant needs to become a thought leader or spend their week attending networking events.

The better approach is to identify where their strengths create commercial opportunities and give them the right support.

Here are four ways that can work.

The specialist: Turn knowledge into credibility

Some consultants know their markets better than almost anyone.

They understand hiring challenges, salary expectations, emerging skills and the conversations shaping their sector.

Rather than asking them to produce generic LinkedIn posts, help them share useful market commentary, hiring insights and opinions grounded in their experience.

This builds market authority and gives prospective clients a reason to recognise and trust their expertise.

The relationship builder: Make connections count

Some consultants are at their best when building relationships.

They know how to open conversations, maintain connections and turn introductions into long-term partnerships.

Give that ability direction through account-based growth, with clear target accounts, relevant insight and coordinated outreach.

The aim isn’t simply more conversations. It’s better conversations with the businesses you want to win.

The market reader: Spot the opportunity early

Other consultants have a talent for recognising where their market is heading.

A funding announcement. A leadership appointment. An expansion into a new region.

They understand what these developments might mean for future hiring demand.

Hiring intelligence helps turn that instinct into a more consistent approach, identifying relevant signals and giving consultants a reason to start conversations before vacancies are advertised.

The value isn’t just spotting the opportunity. It’s knowing what to do with it.

The long-standing partner: Revisit existing relationships

Then there are consultants who have built strong client relationships over several years.

Some of those relationships are still active. Others have gone quiet.

That doesn’t mean the opportunity has disappeared.

With the right information and a relevant reason to reconnect, these consultants are well placed to reopen conversations.

Client reactivation helps firms identify where those opportunities exist and approach previous clients with something useful to say.

Of course, consultants rarely fit neatly into one category. Many bring several of these strengths.

The point isn’t to label people. It’s to recognise what works and give them more opportunities to use it.

Recognising individual strengths is one thing. Making them commercially valuable is another.

That’s where marketing and business development need to work together.

A consultant with excellent market knowledge can turn that expertise into content clients want to read. A strong relationship builder can focus on the accounts most worth pursuing. And someone spotting hiring signals can use that information to start timely conversations.

The firm provides the support behind it: market intelligence, content, targeted outreach and a consistent identity that reinforces what its consultants bring.

That includes clear positioning, a recognisable brand and a recruitment website that makes their expertise easy to find and trust.

Technology and automation can make parts of that easier. The experience, judgement and relationships that make a consultant valuable remain at the centre.

Your people bring the expertise. The business helps them make the most of it.

Before changing your business development strategy, take a closer look at what’s already working.

Start with four questions:

1. What is each consultant known for? Think beyond job titles and performance metrics. What do clients and candidates genuinely value about working with them?
2. Where does their new business actually come from? Referrals, existing relationships, market insight, targeted outreach or networking? Look at the results, not just the activity.
3. Where are they spending time without seeing results? Identify activities that aren’t delivering, and whether the issue is the approach, the support available or a skill that needs developing.
4. What would help them do more of what works? Better market intelligence, content support, clearer target accounts or more time for relationship building?

The answers should give you a clearer picture of where your consultants create value and where your current approach needs adjusting.

That doesn’t mean removing shared expectations. It means making sure those expectations are supported by the right activities, resources and measures of success.

Because the goal isn’t to keep every consultant equally busy.

It’s to help them contribute more effectively to the firm’s growth.