Nice to have or must have

You know the conversation. The prospect nods along, says your approach is "very interesting," mentions they'd love to do something like this "one day"—then nothing happens. I've watched this play out hundreds of times with consultants who can't figure out why their pipeline is full of maybes. The problem isn't your expertise or your market. It's that you've positioned yourself as a nice-to-have instead of a must-have. In this episode, I'm breaking down the three bridges that move your offer from "interesting" to "necessary"—because interesting gets considered, but necessary gets bought.Show Notes:Why "that's very interesting, we'd love to do this one day" is the most expensive sentence in consulting—and what it reveals about your positioningThe mental model problem: why clients don't buy incremental improvement and what they're actually looking for insteadHow to create a category of one by presenting something clients haven't considered—not just a better version of what they've already triedThe difference between being perceived as an expert (table stakes) versus being the person who spots patterns others can't seeWhy AI tools are valuable for the same reason the best consultants are valuable—and it's not sophisticationThe 80/20 rule for proposals: why comprehensive scope drowns your differentiation and what to lead with insteadWhat it actually means for your solution to feel necessary to them, not just to youThe real reason behind long cycles, ghosted proposals, and fee pressure—and why it's not the market

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