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Client Discovery and Consulting Essentials

Successful consulting projects start with understanding before solving. This session explores the foundations of effective consulting, from building a strong team and understanding client needs to defining challenges and developing a structured knowledge journey. Key topics include: Building a high-performing project team Understanding your customer and their business context Defining and analysing the challenge before proposing solutions Creating a knowledge itinerary to guide project research and discovery Reviewing and interpreting the client brief Active listening and client engagement techniques Conducting initial client discovery and consultation sessions Participants will learn the importance of taking a problem-first approach: reading the brief carefully, listening to the client, and fully understanding the challenge before jumping to solutions. These skills are essential for delivering impactful, client-centered consulting projects and achieving meaningful outcomes.

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Related topics:
Business Development• Business Consultant• International Marketing• Sergio Pinzon•
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How to run a consulting project? Sergio Pinzon This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
How to run a consulting project? Set up a Strong Team Understand your customer Understand the challenge Knowledge itinerary
My Best and Worst Group Experiences (3 minutes) • Take a blank sheet of paper (or open a digital drawing tool) • On one side, draw or use symbols to represent your best group experience. • On the other side, draw or use symbols to represent your worst group experience. • Focus on the key factors that made each experience positive or negative (e.g., communication, leadership, participation, trust, conflict, deadlines) • After 3 minutes, be ready to share your drawing with the class
Let's Share Show and explain your drawing by sharing your whiteboard or holding it up to your camera. Explain why the experience turned out the way it did, whether positive or negative.
Debrief Questions What characteristics appeared in the best group experiences? What common problems appeared in the worst group experiences? What lessons can we take into our group work this semester? What team behaviours should we encourage or avoid?
Some notes on teams • Teamwork is a skill • Like any relationship(s) – effective teamwork takes mindfulness and care. • Importance of reflecting on your own teamwork skills. • Requires flexibility • Working in teams is something that all of you will be doing throughout your careers. • Its pivotal for you, to understand how you can best operate in and contribute to a team.
Resist the urge to start When working on a project, the temptation is to ‘get started’ Your inclination is to get into your groups and start working on ‘the solution’
Understand before you solve It is essential that you take the time to • Read the brief • Listen to the client • Think about the features of the problem before you start thinking about a solution.
The Art of Asking: Client Discovery • Imagine you're an artist, and a new client approaches you saying, "I need a piece of art for my house." • What questions would you ask them before you start creating the artwork?
The Art of Asking: Client Discovery • You could just make them something… • But to make sure your client is satisfied, you need to know about the features of the problem, and the solution. Brainstorm the questions you would like to know • What kind of art? • What size? • What do you want it to communicate • When do you need it?
Let's Share
Initial Client Discovery and Consultation (7 minutes) You will be assigned an industry partner as a group. After reviewing all the industry partner profiles, what questions would you ask at this stage as consultants?
Client Discovery and Consulting Essentials