February 26, 2026
Dear Friends,
In the high-stakes worlds of accounting and consulting, the race for efficiency is blinding us to our most valuable asset: genuine client relationships. Today’s professional services personnel are increasingly reluctant to invest the unbillable time required to develop strong, trusted bonds. We’ve traded coffees for cold emails, and deep curiosity for automated touchpoints. But in a landscape where technical skills are commoditized, this reluctance isn't just a cultural shift—it's a massive roadblock to consulting firm growth and gaining new clients.
My father didn't have a college degree. Yet, running a wholesale printing company, he built a life and a comfortable retirement that most highly credentialed executives would envy. His secret? Unshakable integrity and a relentless dedication to interpersonal connection. From sweeping the floors of his shop at age 10 to eventually making cold calls for him, I watched my dad build a legacy on handshakes that meant something. He didn't just service accounts; he knew the people behind them.
Fast forward to my own career. From trading derivatives in my twenties to navigating the partner track as a Big 4 Audit Director at Deloitte and PwC, I noticed a dangerous trend taking root. As pressure for utilization rates climbed, the appetite for relationship-building plummeted. We began treating clients like transactions rather than partners.
When was the last time you called a client just to understand their changing world, without a statement of work in your back pocket?
The hesitation to invest this time usually stems from fear—fear of wasting time, or fear of not having an immediate answer. But here is the truth I learned building my own consulting practices: clarity breeds confidence. When you take the time to truly understand a client's underlying fears and ambitions, you provide a clarity that generic frameworks simply cannot match.
The data backs this up. According to landmark research published by the Harvard Business Review, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%1. Retention requires trust. Trust requires time. You cannot optimize your way out of building a relationship.
We must make a fundamental decision switch in how we operate. When we stop talking at our clients and start investing the time to sit with them, the dynamic shifts. We elevate our level of service from vendors to indispensable advisors.
The firms that will dominate the next decade won't be the ones with the slickest slide decks. They will be the ones whose people still remember how to look a client in the eye, ask the hard questions, and genuinely care about the answer.
It’s time to stop counting the hours and start making the hours count.
Best Wishes,
Jack
[1] Reichheld, F. F. (n.d.). Prescription for cutting costs. Harvard Business Review. (Based on Bain & Company research regarding the economics of customer retention).
