Building a Consultancy on Relationships and Reputation: Insights from Chris Nichols
Peter O'Donoghue
Business Development Expert
In this episode of Consultants Growth Playbooks, I interview Chris Nichols, co-founder of GameShift, a UK-based consultancy that has grown from two to twenty people. Their success is primarily due to strong relationships and reputations.
Despite being small, GameShift has made it onto the Financial Times' Best UK Consultancies list for eight consecutive years.
Show Notes
- 11:15 Effective Business Development Strategies
- 20:12 The Ever-Changing Nature of Consulting
- 25:33 Advice for Aspiring Consultants
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The Anti-Selling Revolution: How One Tiny Consultancy Built an Award-Winning Practice
What if everything you've been taught about consulting business development is backward?
"I just want to introduce you to someone who might be able to help."
This is how Chris Nichols opens most of his business conversations. No pitch. No proposal. Just genuine curiosity and a desire to connect people who might benefit from knowing each other.
The Power of Not Selling
GameShift's approach turns traditional consulting BD on its head:
- They lead with curiosity instead of capability
- They focus on relationship-building rather than relationship-leveraging
Why Most Consultants Struggle
Most consultants are actually quite good at business development once they have a conversation. What they struggle with is the early stage — starting from cold and nurturing potential opportunities.
"Don't think of it as selling," Chris advises. "If you can coach, you can generate business. It's about relationships."
The Anti-Pitch Framework
The Courage to Be Different
"We lose a lot of work from people who want a solution in a box with a neat label on the side," Chris acknowledges. "But the point at which you want us is when you're not even quite sure what the question is."
Why This Matters Now More Than Ever
"The expert solution is going to be replaced before the creative collaborative solution."
In a world of increasing automation, genuine curiosity and the desire to help others succeed might be the most valuable differentiator of all.
This resonates with proactive business development and the power of being interesting. Book a diagnostic call to explore this for your consultancy.
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