Becker Business Podcast: “Consulting Services — The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly”

Host: Scott Becker
Date: December 16, 2025
Episode Theme:
Scott Becker discusses the nuanced realities of consulting services. Through his experiences, he categorizes consulting into “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” providing practical insights for business leaders seeking outside expertise.

Main Theme and Purpose

Scott Becker delivers a candid take on engaging consulting services, examining what makes for valuable consulting, where common frustrations lie, and the pitfalls that can render such services useless. The episode aims to guide listeners in setting realistic expectations and recognizing red flags when hiring consultants for business growth or problem-solving.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Consulting Services: The Good

[00:27–01:13]

• Definition: You receive exactly what you ask for—consulting services that effectively clarify your desired course, direction, or plan.
• Value: Even when costly, these services are well worth the investment if they lead to pivotal changes or course corrections.
• Application:
  • Helpful across both business and personal contexts.
  • Includes Becker’s recent positive experiences where outcomes justified the price.
• Quote:

  “You've gotten exactly what you've asked for and somehow or another those consulting services have helped you to clarify a course, a direction or a plan... and found the information and the change in how we're going to do something to be really helpful.”
  — Scott Becker, [00:39]

2. Consulting Services: The Bad

[01:14–02:28]

• Definition: Initial value is delivered, but there’s an unexpected lack of follow-up support—effectively revealing you’ve bought a “product” rather than an adaptable service.
• Common Pitfall:
  • Need for clarification or minor help post-engagement is unmet.
  • Frustration when engagement is transactional rather than ongoing.
• Real World Issue:
  • Difficulty in obtaining further assistance for small but critical elements.
  • The difference between buying “a product or a service.”
• Quote:

  “You thought you also would be able to get follow up help when needed or fill in some small gaps. But you really found in buying the consulting services that you’re really buying a product, not a service.”
  — Scott Becker, [01:24]

3. Consulting Services: The Ugly

[02:29–03:08]

• Definition: Not only does the service lack follow-up, but it fails to provide useful or actionable advice, coming across as generic or boilerplate.
• Symptoms:
  • Recommendations are not tailored (“talking at 30,000ft”), irrelevant, or lack depth.
  • The outcomes are either too generic, impractical, or detached from your team’s real needs.
• Caution:
  • “Ugly” consulting can be a waste of time and resources regardless of the fee.
• Quote:

  “Their consulting services are either expensive or inexpensive or they took you a lot of time and... ultimately the consulting services were useless and not particularly helpful and really just sort of almost like boilerplate versus intelligent and helpful and insightful.”
  — Scott Becker, [02:39]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On When Consulting Pays Off:

  “Yes it was expensive but I got what I paid for... change in how we’re going to do something to be really helpful.”
  — Scott Becker, [00:53]

• Clarifying Service versus Product:

  “This goes back to the age old issue of: are you buying a product or a service?”
  — Scott Becker, [01:34]

• The Boilerplate Trap:

  “They're really not talking with you or your team and your business. They're talking sort of at 30,000ft and not useful at all.”
  — Scott Becker, [02:47]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:27] — Opening remarks; episode’s theme.
• [00:39] — “The Good” consulting services explained.
• [01:24] — Transition to “The Bad”: lack of follow-up and product vs. service.
• [02:29] — “The Ugly”: consulting that’s generic and useless.
• [03:08] — Recap and thanks.

Summary Takeaways

• Good consulting is a strong investment if it’s tailored and transformative.
• Beware of engagements that seem to end at the deliverable, with no follow-up.
• The most disappointing consulting offers generic, impersonal advice.
• Ask yourself: Are you buying human expertise, or just an off-the-shelf product?

For listeners seeking to maximize value from consulting, Becker’s insider perspective serves as a practical guide to vetting services and setting clear expectations—so you can spot the good, avoid the bad, and steer clear of the ugly.