Understanding Different Consulting Approaches
Business consulting takes various forms. Here we explain how our focused approach differs from traditional models and why these differences matter for your business.
Return HomeWhy Comparison Matters
Business consulting encompasses many different approaches, from large strategy firms to independent practitioners. Each model serves different needs and comes with distinct advantages and limitations. Understanding these differences helps you select the right support for your specific circumstances.
We believe in transparency about what we offer and how it compares to other options available to you. This comparison aims to help you make an informed decision about what type of consulting relationship serves your business well.
Traditional Consulting vs Our Approach
Traditional Consulting Firms
- Large teams with multiple consultants assigned to your project
- Comprehensive reports with extensive documentation
- Standardised frameworks and methodologies
- Long engagement timelines spanning months
- Higher fee structures reflecting overhead costs
- Junior consultants conduct much of the analysis
Kensington's Approach
- Direct engagement with experienced practitioner throughout
- Focused documentation emphasising actionable insights
- Flexible approaches adapted to your specific situation
- Concentrated timeframes delivering value efficiently
- Transparent pricing appropriate for SME budgets
- All work conducted by seasoned business professional
What Sets Us Apart
Direct Practitioner Engagement
You work directly with someone who has run businesses and solved similar problems firsthand. There's no team of junior analysts conducting interviews and creating decks. This means faster understanding of your situation, more relevant insights, and continuity throughout the engagement.
Practical Over Theoretical
Our methodology emphasises what actually works in real business environments rather than academic frameworks. Recommendations consider your operational realities, resource constraints, and implementation capabilities. We've learned through experience what looks good in presentations versus what businesses can actually execute.
Right-Sized Support
SMEs don't need the same approach as large corporations. We design engagements that fit your budget, timeline, and organisational capacity. This means focused sessions rather than months-long projects, essential documentation rather than comprehensive reports, and clear next steps rather than elaborate transformation roadmaps.
Regional Understanding
Operating exclusively in the Midlands means we understand the local business landscape, competitive dynamics, and market conditions that affect your operations. We know which suppliers, partners, and resources are available regionally, which matters for practical implementation of recommendations.
Effectiveness Comparison
Different consulting approaches produce different types of outcomes. Here's what research and our own tracking suggests about comparative effectiveness.
Implementation Rates
Traditional consulting reports often sit unused because recommendations prove too ambitious or disconnected from operational reality. Studies suggest implementation rates around 30-40% for large firm deliverables.
Our focused approach produces recommendations designed for actual execution. Clients report implementing 70-80% of suggested actions, primarily because we work within their realistic constraints from the outset.
Time to Value
Traditional engagements typically span three to six months before delivering recommendations. This means half a year before you can begin implementation.
Our services deliver actionable insights within weeks. Strategy sessions conclude with documented recommendations the same day. Diagnostics complete within two to three weeks. This faster turnaround means quicker realisation of benefits.
Organisational Disruption
Large consulting teams require significant time from your staff for interviews, data gathering, and validation sessions. This diverts resources from normal operations over extended periods.
Our streamlined approach minimises internal demands. Most information gathering occurs through focused sessions with key people, reducing overall time commitment from your team whilst achieving the necessary understanding.
Post-Engagement Support
Traditional firms often move on once reports are delivered, with follow-up requiring new contracts and fees. Questions during implementation may go unanswered.
We remain accessible after engagements conclude. Follow-up questions receive responses, and we're available for brief check-ins as you work through recommendations. This ongoing accessibility improves implementation success.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Investment in consulting should deliver clear returns. Here's how different approaches compare in terms of costs and value realised.
Initial Investment
Traditional strategy projects typically start at £50,000 for SMEs, often exceeding £100,000 for comprehensive engagements. These fees reflect large team costs, extensive documentation, and firm overhead.
Our services range from £400 for focused strategy sessions to £1,200 for comprehensive diagnostics. This represents roughly 1-2% of traditional consulting costs whilst delivering comparable analytical rigour for businesses at your scale.
Value Realisation Timeline
With traditional consulting, you invest significant capital upfront and wait months for recommendations. Implementation then requires additional time and resources. ROI often takes 12-18 months to materialise.
Our focused approach allows faster implementation. You can begin acting on insights within days or weeks of engagement. This shorter path to value means quicker return on investment, typically within 3-6 months for measurable improvements.
Opportunity Costs
Extended consulting engagements consume management attention for months. The opportunity cost of this diverted focus can exceed the consulting fees themselves, particularly for smaller organisations where leadership capacity is limited.
Our concentrated timeframes minimise opportunity costs. Most engagements require only days or weeks of active involvement, allowing you to maintain focus on running your business whilst still receiving external perspective and guidance.
Long-term Value
Comprehensive consulting reports provide extensive analysis but often become outdated as markets evolve. The documentation may sit unused within months as circumstances change.
Our approach emphasises building your analytical capabilities alongside providing recommendations. You learn frameworks for thinking through problems, making you less dependent on external consultants for future decisions. This capacity-building delivers ongoing value beyond the immediate engagement.
Client Experience Comparison
Traditional Approach Experience
Initial Stages
Lengthy proposal process with multiple stakeholder meetings. Contract negotiations involving legal teams. Detailed scoping documents requiring review and approval.
During Engagement
Regular meetings with different team members. Extensive requests for data and documentation. Multiple rounds of interviews with your staff. Interim presentations requiring preparation time.
Completion Phase
Comprehensive presentation of findings. Detailed reports requiring digestion. Formal handoff with limited post-engagement support. Additional fees for implementation assistance.
Kensington Experience
Initial Stages
Straightforward conversation about your needs. Clear explanation of what we can offer. Simple agreement process without extensive contracting. Quick scheduling of first working session.
During Engagement
Direct working sessions with experienced practitioner. Focused information gathering respecting your time. Collaborative exploration of issues and options. Real-time discussion of emerging insights.
Completion Phase
Clear documentation of findings and recommendations. Practical discussion of implementation approaches. Continued availability for questions as you proceed. No additional fees for reasonable follow-up support.
Sustainability & Long-term Results
Building Internal Capability
Our approach emphasises developing your team's analytical capabilities rather than creating dependency on external consultants. Through working sessions, we share frameworks and thinking processes that strengthen your internal decision-making capacity. This means better equipped leaders who can tackle future challenges independently.
Realistic Change Management
Lasting improvements require sustainable change processes. We design recommendations considering your organisational capacity for change, avoiding the common consulting pitfall of proposing transformations that look impressive but prove unachievable. This practical approach produces fewer dramatic breakthroughs but more reliable, lasting improvements.
Iterative Improvement
Rather than one-time transformation projects, we support iterative improvement cycles. Strategy sessions can recur as you tackle different challenges. Diagnostics can be repeated to track progress. Leadership coaching continues as responsibilities evolve. This ongoing relationship model supports sustained business development over time.
Measuring What Matters
We establish clear metrics for tracking improvement that reflect actual business performance rather than consulting deliverables. This means focusing on revenue growth, margin improvement, operational efficiency, and leadership effectiveness rather than reports completed or frameworks implemented. Sustainable results show up in your business metrics, not in consultant productivity measures.
Common Misconceptions
Misconception: Larger consulting firms provide more thorough analysis
Whilst large firms produce more documentation, thoroughness depends on understanding your specific context rather than volume of output. An experienced practitioner who grasps your situation deeply often provides more relevant insights than teams applying standardised frameworks.
Misconception: Higher fees indicate higher quality
Consulting fees primarily reflect overhead structures rather than value delivered. Large firms charge more because they maintain expensive offices, support staff, and partner compensation structures. Quality depends on practitioner experience and approach relevance, not fee levels.
Misconception: SMEs need simplified versions of corporate consulting
Small and medium enterprises face different challenges requiring different approaches, not watered-down versions of corporate consulting. SME-focused consulting recognises resource constraints, faster decision cycles, and different competitive dynamics from the start.
Misconception: Independent consultants lack the expertise of firms
Many independent practitioners previously worked at major consulting firms or held senior operational roles. They bring comparable expertise without the overhead costs. The key difference lies in delivery model and fee structure, not capability.
Misconception: Comprehensive reports ensure implementation success
Extensive documentation doesn't guarantee execution. Implementation success depends on recommendation practicality, organisational readiness, and ongoing support. Focused documentation that your team can actually use proves more effective than impressive reports that sit unread.
Why Choose Our Approach
Our focused consulting model suits businesses that value practical guidance over impressive presentations, direct engagement over large teams, and actionable insights over comprehensive documentation. If you're looking for outside perspective without the overhead of traditional consulting, this approach may serve you well.
This Approach Works Well For:
- SMEs with limited consulting budgets
- Businesses needing quick insights
- Leaders preferring direct collaboration
- Organisations valuing implementation over analysis
Consider Alternatives If You:
- Require extensive industry research
- Need consulting as stakeholder signalling
- Prefer detailed documentation over action
- Want brand-name consultancy credentials
The right consulting relationship depends on your specific needs, preferences, and circumstances. We're transparent about what we offer and how it differs from alternatives, helping you make an informed choice about the support that serves you well.
Discuss Your Consulting Needs
If our approach seems aligned with what you're looking for, we're happy to discuss your situation and explore whether we can provide useful support. Initial conversations help both parties determine fit without obligation.
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