How to Use StratNavApp.com to Win Consulting Clients: Preparing for the First Client Meeting

Winning a new consulting client often hinges on how well you prepare for that crucial first meeting. Coming in informed, insightful, and structured not only builds credibility, it also sets the tone for a collaborative and productive relationship. StratNavApp.com offers consultants a powerful set of strategy consulting software tools—enhanced by human-in-the-loop AI—to help you impress and win over prospective clients from day one.

Here’s how you can use StratNavApp.com to ensure you're prepared for that first meeting:

Research the Company, Competitors, and Market Trends

Before the meeting, use StratNavApp.com to build a project for your prospective client. As part of your consulting proposal preparation, leverage the AI assistant to:

• Analyse customer segments, their jobs-to-be-done, and the pains and gains they experience—a core component of market research and customer segmentation.

  • Click Analysis, then Business Model Canvas on the main menu. Click the #stratBot icon near the Customer Segments headings (towards the top right of the canvas), and wait for the inbuilt AI to suggest customer segments. Review, amend and accept the suggestions.
  • Then click on each Customer Segment in turn, click the #stratBot icon to the right of the Customer Value Map heading, and wait for the inbuilt AI to suggest the segment's jobs to be done, pains and gains. Review, amend and accept the suggestions.

• Identify possible competitors and competitor categories, giving you a clearer picture of the landscape your client operates in. These competitive analysis tools help uncover blind spots.

  • Click Analysis, then Competition on the main menu. Click the #stratBot icon, and wait for the inbuilt AI to suggest competitors and competitor categories. Review, amend and accept the suggestions.

• Pinpoint market trends that may present opportunities or threats.

  • Click Analysis, then Insight on the main menu and then PESTEL on the model selector that appears on the next page. Click the #stratBot icon, and wait for the inbuilt AI to suggest the market trends, threats and opportunities the organisation might face in winning and serving those customer segments against those competitors. Review, amend and accept the suggestions.

This level of strategic planning for consultants allows you to walk into the meeting with a nuanced understanding of the client's environment, immediately differentiating you from those who rely solely on the information provided in the room.

Why it helps you win: Clients want to work with consultants who "get it" quickly. Showing that you already understand their market builds confidence and positions you as a strategic partner.

Evaluate the Competitive Landscape

Use StratNavApp.com to evaluate competitors across:

• Customer needs and satisfaction

  • Click Analysis, then Competition. Then click Factors on the selector which appears. Click the #stratBot icon, and wait for the inbuilt AI to suggest the factors that the previously identified customer segments use to choose between this organisation and the competitors already identified. Review, amend and accept the suggestions.

• Strengths and weaknesses

  • Click Analysis, then Competition. Then click Competitors on the selector which appears. Then click on each competitor in turn and click the #stratBot icon on the page which loads to generate a description of the competitors taking into account all the information you've already added about this organisation.

These strategy tools for consultants help you benchmark your prospective client against industry norms, gaps, and opportunities. Incorporating SWOT for consultants into this process can further enrich the analysis.

Why it helps you win: It shows you’ve already started thinking strategically about their position and how you can help improve it.

Develop Intelligent, Contextualised Questions

Armed with AI-powered insights and consultant meeting preparation tools, StratNavApp.com helps you develop targeted, intelligent questions tailored to your client’s specific context. For example:

• Use the SWOT tool to generate contextualised questions about the organisation's strengths and weaknesses.
  • Click on Analysis, then Insights. Select SWOT on the selector on the next page. Then click the #stratBot icon, and wait for the inbuilt AI to suggest questions you could ask about the organisation's strengths and weaknesses, taking into account all the information you've added above.

• Based on identified customer selection criteria, ask: "How do your customers typically weigh price vs. reliability when choosing between you and your competitors?"

• Based on identified market trends, ask: "How do you see [specific trend] impacting your growth over the next 12 months?"

Why it helps you win: Great questions make you memorable. They provoke thought, uncover unmet needs, and demonstrate your value before a formal proposal is even discussed.

Plan and Run the First Meeting with Precision

StratNavApp.com's Meeting Manager enables you to:

• Plan a structured agenda aligned to the client’s known pain points and your consulting strengths.

  • Include the questions identified above.
  • Remember to ask for confirmation of the insights you got from the AI rather than assuming they are right. This will make you look well informed and proactive, but recognises that you don't have the in-depth knowledge of your prospect - yet.

• Capture minutes, actions, and insights directly in the system.

• Use the AI Meeting Minute Writer to ensure that you leave a professional record of the discussion, including clear follow-ups.

  • Remember to use this to write an email to the client confirming what you discussed and agreed on and, if appropriate, making your proposal.

Why it helps you win: Professionalism in the first meeting sets a strong precedent. Following up with a concise, insightful summary and action plan demonstrates discipline, reliability, and proactivity.

Final Thought

Every client engagement begins with a conversation—and the right preparation can turn that conversation into a signed contract. By combining your consulting expertise with StratNavApp.com's structured strategic planning tools and intelligent AI for consultants, you can turn that first meeting into a winning moment.

Start your next client engagement on the front foot with StratNavApp.com. Sign up Now for Free.

See also

• Scaling Your Consulting Practice with StratNavApp.com