What It Really Means to Be 100% Honest with a Consulting Client

“Honesty” is a word almost every consultant claims to live by. It's proudly written into mission statements and introduced in every pitch. But in practice, real honesty — the kind that costs something in the short term — is often compromised for convenience, profit, or client appeasement. In consulting, where the service is intangible and the value is sometimes realized only months later, the space for ambiguity or manipulation is dangerously wide. That’s why being 100% honest is not just a professional obligation — it’s what separates trusted advisors from transactional vendors.

Over my 20+ years in consulting, I’ve seen the subtle, and not-so-subtle, ways honesty gets compromised — often without bad intentions. The pressure to show progress, meet revenue goals, or impress a client can lead consultants to step into gray zones that may not seem unethical at first, but eventually lead to erosion of trust. If we are to truly act in the best interest of the client, we have to recognize and avoid these traps.

The Common Traps That Undermine Integrity

The most frequent pitfall is unfair pricing — inflating the cost of a task based on the client’s lack of understanding of the service. This happens more often than we like to admit. When a client doesn’t fully grasp the nature or complexity of the work, there’s an opportunity to pad the quote. But doing so may lead to a short-term win and a long-term loss in credibility.

Another trap is overbilling hourly work — logging more hours than were actually spent or charging premium rates for low-intensity work. Since many consulting services are billed by the hour or day, the temptation to round up is very real. And yet, nothing destroys a relationship faster than the feeling of being milked.

Then there’s the habit of doing unnecessary work — filling up time and invoices with tasks that sound impressive but don’t move the client any closer to their actual goal. Creating “puff” work may help justify a retainer, but it wastes the client’s time and money, and eventually, they notice.

Untransparent reporting is another frequent issue — exaggerating achievements, hiding shortfalls, or overstating the scale of a challenge to justify more billable work. It’s easier to extend a contract when the client believes the project is only halfway done, or the problem is larger than it really is. 

Lastly, there’s bad advice given for self-interest — recommending a roadmap or strategy not because it's the best for the client, but because it generates more work for the consultant. This is one of the most subtle yet damaging forms of dishonesty, and unfortunately, not uncommon.

Sometimes the Best Advice Is “Don’t”

One of the most powerful — and often underappreciated — expressions of honesty is advising a client not to do something. In my own practice, the most common example is me telling companies not to follow up on their proposals to their potential clients.

Across industries — IT, legal, PR, strategy — it’s standard practice to chase clients repeatedly after a proposal is sent. While there may be exceptions, I’ve found that excessive follow-ups almost always do more harm than good. They communicate desperation: that the consultant needs the client more than the client needs the service.

Many firms treat follow-ups as a mandatory step.  But in my own practice over two decades, that tactic has never helped me win a single client. Instead, it often cheapens the proposal and undermines the advisor’s perceived value. A well-thought-out proposal should speak for itself — and if it doesn't, no amount of follow-ups will fix that. 

The “not to follow up” advice also applies to prospect communication. When chasing a potential client that ignores the proposals to connect, companies excess their attempts to convince that prospect to go at least on a call, or a quick meeting. The result is the same as in the proposal follow up.

Another common example from my work with companies looking to enter the Arab Gulf market is telling them “no” right away, when I see that their product or service doesn't have local potential. 

Some consultants might suggest a few months of “market testing” or a feasibility study — which conveniently brings in fees — even when the client’s product has little or no relevance in the region. I choose a different path. If I see no potential, I say so up front. I won’t suggest research, pilots, or workshops just to stretch the engagement. That honesty might cost me a small contract in the short term — but in the long term, it earns me the trust that leads to more meaningful relationships.

Why It Matters

Choosing honesty in consulting isn’t always easy — especially when there’s revenue on the line. But what I’ve learned is that true advisory work is about protecting the client’s interest, even when it conflicts with yours. That means sometimes walking away from income, giving unflattering feedback, or discouraging a project you know won’t work — even if the client is excited about it.

Being honest doesn’t mean being perfect. It means choosing clarity over comfort. It means delivering uncomfortable truths with care and resisting the pressure to always “add value” in ways that aren’t really valuable. It means building your reputation not just on what you do, but on the integrity with which you do it.