How To Use Interviews & Green Light Selling To Create Consulting Opportunities

If you're hustling to originate deals as a solo or boutique consultant the trick isn't creating a need. It's finding the projects already green lit and slipping yourself into the delivery.

I call this Green-Light Selling.

It changes the entire dynamic: from pushing a client to buy something they haven't budgeted for, to offering to mitigate risks or accelerate work they've already approved.

You're not selling hope. You're joining something in motion.

The Rainmaker Who Didn't Need to Rain

A client was proud to call himself a rainmaker. The sort of person who'd spent two decades in big firm programs, originations, and elaborate pitch processes.

We had a call. I listened to his list of tactics: thought leadership, big white papers, complex pitches, expensive proposals. He'd tried them all.

The gap he couldn't bridge was time and runway — he didn't have the months and the retainer budgets to play the long game.

So I asked one simple question:

"What projects do you know are already green-lit for the next 6-12 months in the companies you are talking to?"

He blinked. He'd never thought to ask it that way.

"Why would you be trying to create something new when you can inject yourself into what they've already said yes to?"

Want to implement this in your consultancy?

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That's Green-Light Selling in a sentence: identify the initiatives that are already authorised, then become the specialist who helps them hit the objective.

Why Green-Light Selling Beats "Originator" Mode

Most small consultancies try to invent demand. That means:

Building an offer nobody has budgeted for

Pitching to people who aren't the execution decision-makers

Asking organisations to change their priorities so they can fund your idea

Green-Light Selling flips it:

- You find approved projects (the organisation already has a budget or mandate)

- You target the people accountable for delivery (not just the sponsor)

- Your proposition is framed as risk reduction or speed to value

Client Insight Interviews: The Simplest Way to Uncover Green Lights

The Client Insight Interview is a 15-20 minute conversation that follows four lean phases:

- Problem identification: "What is the main programme or objective your team has been asked to deliver this year?"

- Problem agitation: "What will happen if this programme misses its milestones?"

- Solution exploration: "How are you trying to execute this today? What's not working?"

- Permission to solve (the Bridge): "I'll put my thinking cap on and come back with a short insight presentation on how to mitigate the risks on this project."

A Practical Sprint You Can Run Next Week

Pick 20 organisations in your Hot-100 that you suspect have approved initiatives

Draft a short outreach: "15 minutes. Research call. No sales pitch."

Book 10-15 interviews over two weeks

Run each call through the four phases and always finish with the Bridge statement

Book insight presentations for any warm follow-ups

If you do one thing this week: ask three clients or prospects, "Which projects in your organisation have been green-lit for the next 6-12 months?"

This approach connects directly to the proactive business development framework and building a consulting lead generation system. If you'd like help implementing this, book a diagnostic call.