How McKinsey Sells Projects
MBB firms tell their senior managers to go and sell. But selling in consulting is not what you might imagine. This post is for those who want to understand how the consulting sales machine works.
My client, an EM in an MBB firm, shared her pain with me.
Her partners pushed her to sell new projects.
But she didn’t know how to do it.
On our coaching call, we discussed how consulting firms sell projects. And how she could position herself better in that process.
When I was an EM, I had a very naive understanding of how McKinsey sells projects.
I thought it happens like in fancy TV shows like Billions or Suits.
One rainmaker partner comes to clients, delivers a perfect pitch, answers tough questions, and voila, the multi-million dollar project is sold.
But it doesn’t work this way. Not even close.
The real principle behind McKinsey’s sales machine is far more prosaic. It is also far more effective.
It’s built on repeatable business.
McKinsey likes to work with large clients for long periods of time. It’s a strategic choice that gives them a huge advantage.
Think about it. It's extremely difficult to find a new client and sell a complex project. It's simply not effective.
But how do they achieve repeatability?
Here’s another critical principle in play.
Client obsession
To work with large businesses repeatedly, the critical ingredient is building strong relationships with senior clients.
I remember, at McKinsey, client service was raised to a cult status.
At every training, at every meeting, client service would be reminded and reinforced. Every hard decision would be resolved in favor of the clients’ needs and impact.
And it’s not high-level altruistic BS.
Every partner knows that it’s a survival code. It’s the DNA of the organization. They know that impact is the only differentiator they have. Other things are easily copyable.
That’s why McKinsey partners are ready to play a long game.
Let me give you one specific example.
If you say the phrase “sell to clients,” partners will immediately correct you. They will say to you:
“At McKinsey, we don’t sell to clients. We develop them.”
Because language forms our thinking and actions. And it shapes our reality as a consequence. That’s why partners are quite strict in enforcing this principle.
Here, for the sake of this post, I am saying the word “selling” just to make it easier to understand. Although I still feel slightly awkward saying the word ‘selling.’
How do McKinsey partners sell projects?
They work together as a team to land a sale. The best way to think about it is like hunting as a pack of wolves.
Partners organize themselves into CSTs (Client Service Teams) to serve one big client. It’s a loosely formed hierarchical group. Everyone has their own role and objectives.
Partners can be part of different CSTs at the same time. It’s actually expected that a partner has a few large clients.
There’s usually one senior partner who leads the CST. The senior partner is called a DCS (Director of Client Services). He makes the main strategic calls.
Usually, a DCS owns critical client relationships, typically with the CEO and board members. Sometimes, there can be multiple senior partners who also contribute.
Partners usually align themselves with certain topics, business units, or functions in the client organization. They are expected to have critical relationships with key executives.
How do CSTs operate?
Senior partners define a strategic agenda for CSTs. They do it by talking to client leadership: the CEO, shareholders, and board members. Then they cascade and delegate these priorities to partners and APs.
Then, it’s the job of partners to work with client executives to detail topics and co-create proposals.
That’s where APs and EMs will help partners to execute and build proposals. The main objective is to co-create, tailor, and align them with clients.
This is important for you to understand. Partners and APs have a conflict of interest. Basically, an AP needs to become a partner and carve out their own space in a CST. That’s why there could be some tensions, especially if APs are becoming more and more senior.
For APs, it’s better to work with senior partners directly. They don’t have a direct conflict of interest. And APs need senior partners’ support for partner election.
For EMs, it’s better to work with partners directly. Same point on conflict of interest. Also, for EMs it’s more valuable, because partners’ feedback will count more than APs’.
So imagine this situation.
Client managers come to the CEO with a proposal to start a project with McKinsey.
It’s already very well developed and aligned internally. The strategic importance is well defined. The impact is well estimated. The scope is sharply formulated.
It’s easy for the CEO to make a positive decision.
That’s how McKinsey creates projects that never appear in RFPs. Ideally, they do not wait for clients to ask for projects. They manufacture strategic clarity, alignment, and urgency inside the client organization proactively.
Where can senior EMs fit in?
If you are a senior EM, I assume you want to become a partner in the future. Before that, you need to become an AP, which is basically a partner in training.
To get promoted to AP, EMs need to demonstrate that they have client platforms, at least two CSTs serving large clients with repeatable business.
If EMs get included in CSTs, they are called core EMs. Practically speaking, EMs are expected to serve these clients more consistently. It’s not an obligation, but more of a recommendation.
What does this mean for your role?
When partners ask EMs to go ‘to sell’.
In fact, they implicitly ask EMs to build trusted relationships with clients, one or two levels below the top.
Your job is to become the closest, most trusted person for those executives. Not being too commercial. Not too pushy. But useful and helpful.
So when your partners tell you “go and sell,” don’t take it too literally.
Build a strong relationship with your clients. Identify their biggest pain points and ambitions. Activate these relationships when opportunities arise.
This will give you the foundation for your future sales.
Sales in consulting come from trust.
This is especially important for high-ticket projects.
—
At the end of our coaching call, I asked my client.
Do you have clients with whom you have strong relationships? She said yes.
Do you think you can talk with them to find out what problems they experience and how you can help them? She said yes.
Do you think these problems can potentially become project-worthy? She said yes.
Do you feel you could go and sell now? She said yes.
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