Guide for independents
How to pitch your consulting services to a client
A one-page pitch written for one company, the proof behind it, and the short email that gets it read.
Build your first client pitchA good consulting pitch fits on one page and is written for one company: their situation, two or three likely needs, the offer you lead with, proof from a similar client with a figure, and one next step. Send it with an email under 120 words.
What should a one-page client pitch contain?
Seven parts, in this order, each short enough to scan. A buyer reads the headline and the proof first, so those carry the most weight.
- A headline that names the result, not your title: "Series B ready in one quarter, without a full-time CFO".
- Who you help, in one sentence.
- Their situation: what is true for a company like theirs right now.
- The needs you expect, at most 5, each marked as stated by them, read from their profile, or your assumption.
- What you would do: the offer, its format and what they have at the end.
- Proof: one or two case studies from a similar client, each with a figure.
- A next step they can say yes to: a 30-minute call, a short diagnostic, a first deliverable.
How do you write a pitch for one company instead of a sector?
Start from what the company says about itself (its site, recent hires, results, announcements) and from what the contact told you. Separate what you know from what you assume, and say which is which: a buyer forgives a labelled guess and distrusts a confident one that is wrong.
- Use their words for the problem, not your service catalogue.
- Mark each need: they said so, from their profile, or your assumption.
- Pitch one offer. A second one dilutes the first.
What proof convinces a buyer?
A case study from a client like them, with a result in numbers and a period. Same industry beats same task; same kind of engagement (interim, fractional, project) beats a bigger logo. A client you cannot name still counts if you describe it precisely.
- One figure per case study, before and after, over a stated period.
- Describe a confidential client: size, sector, region, stage.
- Never add a number you cannot show. One wrong figure costs the whole page.
How long should the email, the LinkedIn note and the bio be?
Short enough to read on a phone: an email under 120 words with one question, a LinkedIn note under 300 characters, a bio under 60 words. The page does the explaining; the message only earns the click.
- Email: their situation in one line, one result, one question.
- LinkedIn note: who you help and why you are writing, nothing else.
- Bio: what you do, for whom, for how long.
Which mistakes cost the reply?
Most pitches fail on the same five things, and none of them is the price.
- Opening with your career instead of their situation.
- Listing every service you offer.
- Proof with no figure, or with a figure you cannot back.
- Naming a client who expected confidentiality.
- Ending without a next step, or with a vague one.
What changes in a pitch for interim or fractional work?
The buyer is hiring part of a leader, so the format is part of the offer. Say how many days a week, for how long, what the team can run without you at the end, and how the handover works. For interim, lead with continuity: who holds the role from day one.
- Fractional: days a week, duration, the deliverables and the exit.
- Interim: start date, what is covered on day one, the successor plan.
- Both: proof from the same kind of engagement, not only the same function.
A one-page pitch template
Copy the outline and fill each line in one or two sentences.
- Headline: the result they get, in under 14 words
- Who I help: one sentence
- Your situation: what is true for a company like yours now
- What you likely need: 2 or 3 needs, each labelled (you said so / from your profile / my assumption)
- What I would do: the offer, the format, what you have at the end
- Proof: a similar client (named or described), what I did, the result with a figure
- How we would work: the first week, then the rhythm
- Next step: one thing you can say yes to this week
Why the format matters
Buyers are hiring leadership by the day
+265%
US workers with "fractional" in their job title, 2019 to 2025
Lightcast, 2026
18 in 1,000
new executive roles mention fractional work, up from 5 in 2018
Revelio Labs, 2025
10 months
the average interim assignment in the UK
Institute of Interim Management, 2026
Figures as published by each source. Revelio and Lightcast measure the US market, the IIM survey the UK.
Questions about client pitches
How long should a consulting pitch be?
One page. A buyer decides from the headline, the proof and the next step; everything else supports those three. Longer material, such as a full proposal with a scope and a price, comes after the first conversation, not before it.
Should I put my rates in the first pitch?
Usually not. The first pitch earns a conversation; the price belongs in the proposal, once you know the scope. Say the format (days a week, weeks of work) so the buyer can size it, and keep the number for the call.
Can I use a case study if the client was confidential?
Yes, if you describe the client instead of naming them: size, sector, region and stage, as in "a family-owned parts manufacturer". The result and the period carry the proof; the name rarely does.
What if I have no case study for this kind of client?
Use the closest engagement and say what is similar: the same problem, the same format or the same stage. Then write the missing case study after your next mission; one per offer is the minimum worth aiming for.
Should I send the pitch as a PDF or in the email?
Both. A short email with the one result and a question, and the one-page PDF attached for the person who forwards it internally. The email must make sense without opening the attachment.
Write your first pitch from your own record
JobMentis builds the page, the email, the LinkedIn note and the bio from your offers and case studies, and checks every figure before you send it.
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