Launching a Consulting Firm's Founder into the National Spotlight
Management Consulting FirmPublic Relations · Brand Development
- The challenge
- “The firm depended on expensive RFPs with low win rates because the founder had no public profile to drive inbound demand”
Headline results
- 55%Inbound Revenue (from 15%)
- 10Paid Keynotes
Overview
The founder of a management consulting firm specializing in operational transformation was winning projects through expensive RFPs with low win rates. We built a national personal brand that converted RFP-dependent revenue into majority-inbound revenue—and produced a book deal, a paid speaking calendar, and a higher RFP win rate as a side effect.
The situation
The firm was unknown to roughly 90% of its addressable market. Competitive RFPs absorbed disproportionate business development time and capped pricing power. The founder had a proprietary methodology and a compelling story but no public infrastructure to monetize either, and no internal capacity to build that infrastructure organically.
Our approach
-
Step 1
Methodology-Forward PR Strategy
We made the founder the face of operational transformation by anchoring the media narrative in her proprietary methodology, with case-study story pitches and expert commentary on corporate efficiency themes.
-
Step 2
Tier-One Business Media Tour
We secured 24 placements across HBR online, Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, and management consulting trade publications, plus a recurring presence on two national business podcasts.
-
Step 3
Book and Keynote Platform
We developed a book proposal framework that led to a deal with a major business publisher, and packaged the founder for the keynote circuit—generating 10 paid engagements at $185K in fees in year one.
-
Step 4
Owned Video & Newsletter
We built a 'Transformation Talks' video series distributed to the prospect database and a LinkedIn content engine that produced consistent inbound demand without further outbound spend.
Execution
- Delivered the methodology-forward narrative and pitch package within 45 days
- Secured 24 placements in tier-one business outlets across the campaign year
- Closed a book deal with a major business publisher, with manuscript pipeline established
- Booked 10 paid keynote engagements and produced the Transformation Talks video series
- Built attribution from inbound revenue back to specific media and content activations
Results
-
Inbound to 55%
Inbound revenue grew from 15% to 55% of total revenue, fundamentally changing the firm's business development economics.
-
24
placements
Twenty-four placements in tier-one business media built the credibility infrastructure that made every subsequent commercial conversation easier.
-
$185K
in keynote fees
Ten paid keynote engagements generated $185K in fees in year one—both as direct revenue and as an audience-building flywheel.
-
RFP win rate to 34%
Even legacy RFP win rates rose from 18% to 34% as a brand-halo effect, reducing the cost of the firm's traditional business development motion.
What we learned
Consulting brands compound. The first six months feel like spending money on visibility that may never materialize commercially, and then somewhere in month nine the inbound pipeline starts arriving with names the firm has never seen before. The book deal is the visible artifact, but the operational outcome is that the firm can be more selective about the work it takes—which improves the work, which improves the brand, which improves the next year of pipeline.
Facing a similar situation?
Every engagement starts with a confidential conversation about what you're facing and what success looks like.