I'm a C2 in a major consultancy specialising in strategy although working for a full service firm (not ACN or IBM!)It has come to my attention that relative to my firends qualifying as accountants in Big 4 accountancy firms that I and we as consultants without any core training like the afore mentioned via ICAEW/CIMA etc..have much less of a credible service offering! Without sounding like Jerry Macguire I'm struggling to see why clients would pay for my company's ervices relative to the accountancy firms who have a more credible and preofessional service offering in my opinion. The guys working there actually have hard skills that can be translated into value while my firm are talking about change wheels and employing people that have excellent soft skills but not much else. If I was a client, unless the project/change was of a particular soft focus there would be no way I would buy services from a firm that gives me employees with tangible business qualifications that I know I'm getting value for.Does anyone else feel the same about this? I'm notsure whether I'm hitting a wall of feeling like I'm a bit of a fraud and getting self critical from the same perspective of typical anti-consulant clients!Thanks

My clients buy consultancy based on track record. As nice as an accountancy qualification is, it doesn't guarantee that someone will provide solid business advice, be a good implementor, or manage a project any more successfully than someone without a qualification.The most successful consultants (and consultancies) are those who deliver solid work to time and to budget. If clients get things accomplished or perceive themselves to have received value from a set of consultants, they'll use those consultants again regardless of any professional qualifications.

Qualifications really aren't the be all and end all- and some are actively bad (e.g. if I needed business change supportand their 'people' specialist turned up with a CIPD qualification, I'd know I had a paper pusher on my hands). Agree completely with Village idiot- clients look for track record.And as a ACCA, prior to consulting- I usually feel like I'm making it up too....!