I have lost deals to people with worse portfolios than mine.
It used to frustrate me. Then I watched it happen from the other side — sitting in on a client call where they chose a consultant I knew was less experienced. When I asked why, the answer was simple: “He just got us.”
That sentence rewired how I think about winning consulting work.
The Competence Trap
Most consultants and marketers spend their sales energy proving they are good at what they do. Case studies. Credentials. Past clients. Metrics.
None of that is wrong. But it answers the wrong question.
The prospect is not sitting across from you thinking “Is this person technically capable?” They are thinking: “Does this person understand my specific problem? Do they see what I see?”
Competence is table stakes. Understanding is the differentiator.
What “Feeling Understood” Actually Looks Like
It is not about being warm or saying “I hear you.” It is about demonstrating, specifically, that you have diagnosed their situation accurately.
Three things that create it:
Name the pain before they do. Walk into the conversation and describe their problem in terms they have not yet found words for. When someone articulates your frustration better than you can, you trust them instantly.
Show you know what is hard about their context. Not just “I work with B2B SaaS companies.” But: “Founders at your stage usually have a sales team asking for more leads while the product is still finding its footing — and you end up choosing between investing in brand or chasing short-term pipeline.” That specificity signals you have been here before.
Resist the urge to pitch solutions too early. The consultant who jumps straight to “Here is what I would do” signals they came in with a pre-built answer. The one who asks one more question — and actually listens — signals they care about getting it right.
The Research That Pays Off
Before any serious prospect call, I spend 20 minutes doing one thing: figuring out what keeps this person up at night right now.
I check their LinkedIn posts. Their company announcements. Any interviews they have done. I am not looking for talking points. I am looking for the gap between where they say they are and where I think they actually are.
Then I build my opening around that gap.
It takes less time than preparing a pitch deck and it closes more deals.
Being Good Is Not Enough Anymore
The market for marketing consultants is more crowded than it has ever been. AI has lowered the floor — anyone can produce decent work with the right prompts. That means technical competence alone is worth less than it was three years ago.
What cannot be replicated easily is the experience of sitting with someone and having them say: “You described my problem exactly.”
That is not a soft skill. It is a sales strategy.
The Shift Worth Making
Stop leading with what you have done. Start leading with what you understand about them.
The best portfolio is not a PDF of your past work. It is a conversation where the prospect walks away thinking: “This person already knows what we need to do.”
When was the last time you won a deal because someone felt seen — not just impressed?
