Consulting Skills Training Statistics Every PS Leader Needs to Know

Professional Services (PS) leaders are being asked to do more with less: drive revenue, retain clients, and deliver outcomes that secure renewals and expansions. But there’s a gap. While most PS teams are stacked with technical expertise, they often lack the consulting and soft skills that truly determine whether a client realizes value.

The numbers don’t lie—investing in consulting skills training drives measurable business impact.

Training Powers Financial Performance

• Companies with formal training programs earn 218% higher income per employee and enjoy 24% higher profit margins

• When employees receive training, productivity rises by 17% and profitability climbs by 21% (SpringBoard)

• ROI is compelling: a $50K PS training program focused on PS owning commercial outcomes generated $300K in additional revenue—a 600% ROI

Training isn’t a cost center. For PS organizations, it’s a proven revenue lever.

Engagement & Retention Impact

• 59% of employees say training directly improves their job performance.

• 92% feel more engaged when provided with training.

• 45% are more likely to stay in their roles if trained, and over 90% would remain with ongoing development opportunities. (Matsh)

Retaining experienced consultants protects client relationships and avoids the high costs of turnover.

Engagement = Client Success

• Companies with high employee engagement outperform others in earnings per share by 147%.

• Engaged employees are 202% more likely to sell (Gallup)

For PS teams, this means consultants who earn trust, identify upsell opportunities, and deliver outcomes that increase client lifetime value.

Consulting & Soft Skills Are the Missing Piece

• 86% of employees and executives cite poor communication and collaboration as the leading cause of workplace failure (Pumble).

• Roughly 39% of projects fail due to lack of planning and insufficient soft skills around project management (Edstellar).

• Nearly 70% of business leaders report that communication skills are a major gap in the modern workforce (British Council).

Technical expertise may get a product live, but consulting skills ensure adoption, alignment, and measurable outcomes.

Training Consulting Skills → Better Client Outcomes

• Projects waste $122 million for every $1 billion invested due to poor execution and lack of project management/soft skills (Institute Project Management).

• About 37% of project failures can be attributed to unclear objectives and milestones—skills directly tied to consulting practice (TrueProject Insight).

Skills like stakeholder alignment, expectation setting, and influence aren’t “nice to have”—they are the difference between a client adopting or abandoning a solution.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

• Replacing an employee costs 0.5–2× their annual salary (Gallup).

• Average turnover costs hover around 40% of salary (Equitable Growth).

• Poor communication and collaboration cost productivity; effective teamwork can boost output by up to 25% (Pumble).

Without investment in consulting skills, PS organizations risk higher turnover, wasted project dollars, and lost client value.

Bottom Line

The data is overwhelming: consulting skills training is the missing lever for Professional Services success. It:

• Drives financial returns and ROI

• Engages and retains top consultants

• Improves client outcomes and adoption

• Reduces risk, inefficiency, and hidden costs

In an era where technical delivery is increasingly commoditized, the differentiator is your consultants’ ability to communicate, influence, and lead clients through change.

📌 Explore how The Consultant’s Way helps PS leaders equip their teams with the skills to drive real outcomes. Start with a training course today or explore how we work with organizations.