Consultants & Sales Support: Why You Should Get Involved (Even If You’re Not in Sales)
Turn your consulting know-how into winning proposals and stronger client relationships
Hi there,
Last week, I spent a good chunk of time working on a public sector proposal—writing, structuring, polishing. It reminded me how much value consultants can bring to sales support, even if we don’t have “sales” in our title.
Sales isn’t just for account leads and directors. In consulting, supporting the sales process is one of the most impactful ways to grow your career and shape the work you want to do.
What is Sales Support?
But first—what is sales support, really?
It comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s writing sections of a proposal. Other times it’s brainstorming the approach, reviewing the scope, providing a reference cases, or joining client calls as a subject matter expert. Sometimes it’s as simple as checking whether your experience meets procurement requirements and submitting your CV or resume. And in some cases, clients want to interview key consultants before making their decision.
In public sector tenders, you may need to follow strict formats, answer detailed evaluation criteria, and ensure full compliance. In the private sector, proposals might evolve through ongoing discussions and co-creation.
In all situations, your insight and presence as a consultant can help shape a stronger, more relevant offer—and increase the chances of winning the work.
Why Should You Support Sales?
Sales support isn’t just about closing deals—it’s about creating opportunities, building your own visibility, and growing your influence. Here’s why you should care:
You help win the right kind of work: By contributing to proposals, you can help steer the direction of future projects—ideally toward topics, clients, and approaches you’re genuinely excited about.
You get noticed: Sales support often connects you with senior colleagues, account leads, and internal decision-makers. It’s a great way to expand your internal network, build trust, and raise your profile inside the firm.
You develop business acumen: Pricing, risk, scope, commercial models, competitive positioning—these are areas every top consultant should understand. Being involved in sales helps you learn how deals are shaped and what really matters to clients.
You multiply your impact: Helping win a project can sometimes be more valuable to your firm than delivering one. A strong proposal can unlock long-term client relationships, strategic roles, and future opportunities.
You gain influence: The more you’re involved in shaping proposals and solution approaches, the more influence you have on what kind of work your firm delivers—and how.
You make yourself easier to staff: Consultants who are active in sales are often top of mind when new projects kick off. Visibility in proposals increases your chances of being staffed on interesting work quickly.
You understand the big picture: Being part of the sales process gives you a broader view of your firm‘s priorities, how client needs evolve, and where new opportunities are emerging.
💡 Pro Tip: Keep a “Win List.” Anytime you contribute to a deal—especially a winning one—write it down. These moments are easy to forget but valuable in performance reviews and promotion talks. Even if your role was small, it still mattered. Sales support shows initiative, expertise, and collaboration skills—qualities every firm values
How to Add Value in Sales Support?
Even if you’re not leading the sale, your contribution can have a real impact—and it’s often more valuable than you think. Sales support isn’t just about writing proposals; it’s about helping your firm win the right work by providing relevant, credible, and compelling content. Here are a few concrete ways you can make a difference:
Contribute clear, client-focused content: Draft or refine sections—approach, scope, methodology, case studies—and ensure the message speaks the client’s language and priorities.
Bring real-life insight: Use your hands-on delivery experience and understanding of the client to anchor the proposal in reality. Highlight what actually works, what the client truly needs, and include relevant examples that show a clear and achievable path to success.
Structure & polish your pitch: Help organize the proposal clearly, ensure consistency, and elevate the language. In public tenders, clarity can literally earn points.
Act as the subject matter expert: Join proposal workshops or client calls. Answer questions, offer advice—or simply listen and learn how deals are shaped.
Spot risks and gaps early: Use your delivery lens to detect vague promises, overcommitments, or missing details before they become a problem.
Be the proposed resource: Sometimes sales support means being the one proposed. Tailor your CV, check requirements, and be available for client interviews.
How to Get Involved in Sales Support
So, how do you get started with sales support work?
Sometimes, you don’t need to do anything—someone simply asks you to help. Especially in deadline-driven proposal work, account leads and bid teams are often looking for available consultants who can jump in with content, context, or client insights.
But if you want to be more proactive, here are a few ways to get involved:
Let people know you’re interested: Mention to your manager, account leads, sales team, and bid leads that you’d like to contribute to proposals or presales. They won’t know unless you tell them.
Keep your CV and internal profile updated: Make sure your latest skills, projects, and certifications are visible. The easier it is to include you in a bid, the more likely it is to happen.
Offer support when relevant topics come up: If you see an RFP or opportunity that matches your expertise, reach out and offer to help—even if it’s just a short review or sharing a reference case.
Provide leads: If you spot a potential opportunity—through networking, past clients, or industry news—pass it along to your sales team or account lead. Even a small tip can turn into a big opportunity. Sales teams appreciate consultants who help open doors, not just deliver.
Join proposal workshops or sales enablement sessions: Many firms run internal sessions for consultants to support sales more effectively. These are great opportunities to learn and raise your visibility.
Final Thoughts
Supporting sales may not be your primary job, but it’s one of the best ways to grow as a consultant. You learn fast, build your reputation, meet new people, and help shape what comes next—not just for your client, but for yourself.
Plus, every consultant should know how work is won—not just how it’s delivered. It is also otherwise great for professional development: writing, influencing, structuring, presenting. It’s all consulting work—just at an earlier stage of the value chain.
👉 Have you been involved in sales support? What did you learn from it?
Best,
Eetu Niemi
IT Consulting Career Hub
🎧 By the way – my IT consulting books are now available as audiobooks!
If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while, you might be interested to know that both of my IT consulting books are now on Audible – and yes, you can listen wherever and whenever suits you.
📒 Technology Consultant Fast Track: How to land your dream job in IT consulting.
📘 Successful Technology Consulting: How to grow as a professional, build trust, sell your expertise, and stay sane while doing it.
💡 Tip: If you already own the Kindle version, you can get the audiobook for a reduced price on Amazon – and vice versa.
Check them out (links above)!