David A. Fields Consulting Group
Website: davidafields.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidafields/
Twitter: @_davidafields
Email: [email protected]
David A. Fields is one of the leading coaches for independent solo consultants and boutique consulting firms. Umbrex has collaborated very heavily with him.
David has led more than a dozen online Umbrex events, has led several in-person professional development events, and has been a guest on our podcast multiple times:
- Episode 1: Winning Clients
- Episode 170: Effective Outbound Calls
- Episode 172: Setting up a CRM
- Episode 182: Solo Practice Accelerator
- Episode 190: Successful Partnerships
- Episode 221: Converting Leads
- Episode 259: Show you Care
- Episode 264: Virtual Workshops
- Episode 287: Ask for Recommendations
- Episode 411: Crafting Your Fishing Line
- Episode 428: Business Advice for Consultants or Boutique Firms
- Episode 445: The Eight-Week Planning Process
Additionally, David serves as coach to more than a dozen consultants in our community, several of whom have provided testimonials below.
David’s ideal client:
If you run a small consulting firm — between $100K and $50M per year, you may be seeking the fastest, most reliable path to the next stage of performance for your firm. Whether you define performance as higher revenue, greater profits, more clients and impact, a bigger staff or longer vacations, we’ve got you. We’ve helped other firm leaders just like you achieve the same goals you’re trying to achieve. We’re the experienced, proven expert in your corner.
Think you’re too small to work with us? You’re not. We’ve helped solo consultants jump start their practices and, if they want, transition into multi-million dollar boutiques. And yes, of course, we’ve built firms to tens of millions of dollars and helped owners pocket princely sums through the sale of their firm.
To qualify to work with us, you must meet the following criteria:
- Run a management consulting firm. We work strictly with management consulting firms–not coaches, trainers, IT consultants or other professional service companies. (That’s why we’re so good at growing management consulting firms.)
- Be coachable. You must be ready to take advice and step outside your comfort zone.
- Enjoy chocolate. Okay, this one’s optional, but it helps!
That’s it. If you meet those criteria and want to elevate your consulting practice, reach out.
Fees:
Fees vary widely depending on the program, the firm, etc. Expect working with us to be a meaningful investment!
Group work:
We offer a few group programs that operate as live events throughout the year. The most popular (and well-attended by Umbrex/Veritux members) is the Solo Practice Accelerator. The Solo Practice Accelerator is specifically designed for solo practitioners and is extremely effective at helping you make progress in all aspects of your firm in a very short period of time. It’s also in high demand. We highly recommend you join the wait list since the program usually sells out within a week or so of us opening registration. Learn more here.
One-on-one work:
Would you prefer to work one-on-one with us? Perfect! About 70% of our work is one-on-one with firm leaders. (About 25% is small-team work–see below, and the remaining 5% is group programs.) The structure of your one-on-one program with us will depend, in part, on your goals and on how far your firm has progressed on the 10 Stages of Consulting Firm Growth. We have a number of program structures that are ideally suited for different types of firm leaders pursuing different goals.
Boutique firm work:
We’ve worked with boutique firms at every step along the 10 Stages of Consulting Firm Growth, up to and including sale and exit from the firm. As a result, we know that the structure of our work depends on the goals of your firm and how far you have progressed along your journey.
In some cases we work with the firm owner(s) or leadership team. In other cases, we work with the entire staff, or with small teams inside the firm–for instance, the next generation of firm leaders or a newly promoted group of Senior Managers. We even have “admin-to-admin” programs that ensure your infrastructure is operating at it’s highest possible effectiveness.
We have also conducted training sessions and one-day programs for boutique firms, when that’s the most appropriate format to achieve the firm’s goals.
The David A. Fields team:
We are (currently) a team of six. Everyone on the team is a full-time employee of our firm (we have no loosely affiliated coaches or franchisees). Your “coach” or advisor has 20+ years experience in consulting, has worked directly in various size firms–solo, boutique and large firms, and probably has 5+ years of experience in a top-tier firm (e.g., McKinsey). Since we serve small consulting firms exclusively, and we’ve been doing this a minute or two, we have directly worked with well over 300 consulting firm leaders just like you.
Podcast:
In the CrackerJack Consulting Podcast, Fields interviews people who have built successful, boutique firms to find out how they solved the critical challenges that could have stymied their growth.
Books:
Fields synthesizes his decades of experience into a step-by-step approach to winning more projects from more clients at higher fees. From nuts-and-bolts business advice and tactics to a deeply insightful breakdown of the human side of a very human profession, Fields delivers a comprehensive guidebook that is at once highly approachable and satisfyingly detailed.
The Executive’s Guide to Consultants: How to Find, Hire and Get Great Results from Outside Experts
The Executive’s Guide to Consultants explains how to ensure that every project delivers measurable benefits every time. This book will help you find experts, invest wisely, accelerate change, and achieve your most important goals by tapping into the genius of others.
Testimonials from members of our community:
“Working with the DAFCG transformed how I approached my business. Their coaching helped me stay focused on the actions, mindset, and strategies I needed to grow and build a business I truly love—doing meaningful, impactful work with clients I’m passionate about serving. I wholeheartedly recommend them to any independent or boutique consultant looking to elevate their practice.”
“I have learned so much from DAFCG. The tips in David’s book and blog posts have led to higher-revenue engagements and a stronger network, and I can feel an even bigger shift on the horizon now that I’m participating in a one-on-one program with them. I love that I can “call a friend” for real-time advice around business development, and even more significantly the team is helping me standardize my offerings in a way I have not been able to do on my own. It has been a great investment!”
“With a sincere, personal touch, DAFCG helped me clearly structure the actions I needed to take to establish my firm’s direction and level up. Their powerful combination of simple frameworks, accountability and psychology has unlocked productivity that I didn’t know was possible.”
“The DAFCG team is the all-star team of consulting gurus in building a successful boutique or independent consulting firm. The content they publish is all amazing, and should be required curriculum for all consultants. But having worked with the DAFCG team more than once, I can tell you that their coaching takes it to the next level. They work with you consistently to fill the gaps in your business so that you can achieve your goals.”
“DAFCG has been critical to helping me develop a more systematic approach to business development and build in the leverage required to grow my firm and free up valuable time. It’s great to have a sounding board and thought partner at each critical step with a clearly thought out approach based on relevant, lived experience. I always recommend them to anyone considering starting or growing their own consulting practice.”
“The impact that working with DAFCG has had on my business is absolutely incredible – revenue is up, my work is getting greater recognition in my field, and clients are fans and friends. But his greatest impact has been on my confidence, my understanding of what needs to be done and why, and my belief that I’m doing the right things to get the results I want.”
“The team at DAFCG has been an invaluable partner in building our consulting business by helping me focus on the most important activities to drive firm growth. Beyond these activities, the DAFCG team’s thoughtful guidance on ad hoc issues along with swift communication has made them a key partner for us.”
“David (and team) set me on a trajectory to become an author and more well-known thought leader in the leadership development space, and I’m grateful for their guidance. They’re brilliant at the consulting sales dialogue and I still use their techniques today.”
“In less than a year, DAFCG set our growth on an entirely new trajectory. It is hard to find an advisor with deep, specific expertise in the tools and techniques for growing a consulting business. But to find one that can capture their advice in such sticky and easy-to-remember ways that your entire team understands and starts acting on that advice, is just as hard. When you combine these two, as DAFCG does, the impact can be explosive. It was for us.”
“I turned to DAFCG out of frustration with flat revenues in my consulting business. They provided me with the strategies needed to grow my business; the specific tactics to implement those strategies; and the ongoing coaching and support to ensure that I stayed on track. With DAFCG at my side, I approached new business acquisition with more confidence. . . and more success.”
“As a co-owner of a three-partner consulting firm, my firm was struggling to define who we wanted to be and how to grow. DAFCG provided a range of strategic and tactical support on where we play in the market, better management of our business relationships, better conversion rate on new business and tighter back-office operations. We knew how to deliver great consulting work…but didn’t know how to grow a consulting firm. The DAFCG team pointed us in the right direction – especially when our partnership wasn’t aligned or clear on what to do. They are invaluable, patient, and wise.”
“I’ve worked with the DAFCG team for 5 years and have seen significant, widespread impact. They are consummate professionals, true experts, and overall great people. In my 5 years working with DAFCG, my revenue and income have grown almost 3x, and I think their input, guidance, challenge, and support have been critical in accomplishing that growth. I highly recommend them.”
“DAFCG built up our firm’s bus dev engine, taking a critical look at what we had, keeping what was good, and being very specific about what to change. Even more critically, they coached our team through the transformation with regular, in-depth conversations that covered live issues. The effects were transformative.”
“I have had my consulting practice for 13 years – since I left McKinsey. After a good start, my business stalled. I then started working with DAFCG. With them, my consulting has become more focused and scalable and I have enjoyed top-line growth.”
“DAFCG is incredibly responsive and have been very helpful to me during proposal and negotiation processes. I believe they’ve helped me be more successful in securing projects and growing revenues.”
Catherine Saul
“If you’re in a growth mindset, look no further than DAFCG. What I’ve accomplished with the DAFCG team in months would have taken years without their guidance – from crafting winning proposals to developing value-based pricing strategies. Their approach to authentic relationship building has transformed how I connect with clients. I’m proud of the consulting practice I’m building, and I’m confident we’re serving our clients and community in the best way possible. Bonus – they’re fun to work with!”
Alexis Hultine
“Working with DAFCG has been an absolute game-changer for me. My business nearly tripled in revenue in the 2+ years of working with their team thanks to the practical, actionable guidance they provide. Advice on how to conduct discovery conversations and write proposals better was particularly illuminating for me. It’s not an exaggeration to say my business wouldn’t be where it is today without their support.”
Olga Lopategui
“I am deeply grateful to DAFCG for opening my eyes to a world of possibilities and providing a clear, actionable path for sustainably growing my consulting business. Their insights have consistently amazed me, offering perspectives I never could have envisioned on my own. With their expert guidance, I’ve streamlined my operations, enabling me to achieve twice the results in half the time. Thanks to DAFCG, I can now envision a bright future for Sustainable Inc., filled with tremendous financial and developmental growth!”