When you have 20+ years of experience helping consulting firms grow, the challenge isn’t about what you know – it’s about connecting with the right people who need your expertise. 

That was exactly the case for Prof. Joe O’Mahoney, a consultancy growth advisor who turned to Respect.Studio to transform his LinkedIn presence into a lead-generation engine.

Just three months after launching a value-driven social selling strategy on LinkedIn, the client has received 324 qualified connections, 141 meaningful conversations, and a 41% average reply rate. 

And if you’re curious to find out more strategy details, we’ve got you covered. 

The Client

Prof. Joe O’Mahoney, a leading authority in the consulting industry with several published books and research, leads a unique community of 40 CEOs from boutique consulting firms who share experiences and insights.

On a mission to make growing a boutique consultancy less lonely and more certain, Joe helps consulting firm leaders navigate their growth journey with confidence through peer mentoring, expert clinics, and annual reviews with successful ex-CEOs.

The Challenge

While our client had been using LinkedIn for networking and basic automation, he needed a more sophisticated and sustainable system to:

• Connect with CEOs and Managing Partners of growing consulting firms across the UK and key European markets
• Transform his extensive expertise into meaningful conversations
• Build a steady flow of qualified leads who could benefit from his community

The Solution

After analyzing the client’s unique value proposition and target audience, we developed a social selling strategy that prioritized his expertise. 

Unlike more straightforward and “conventional” lead generation approaches, B2B social selling is a long-term strategy for building a pipeline through strategic content creation, personalized engagement, and influential networking. 

So, rather than pursuing quick wins, we focused on creating genuine connections through value-first communication.

Our approach combined two key elements:

Strengthening Personal Brand

The foundation of our strategy lay in establishing a strong, credible personal brand that would resonate with our target audience through: 

• Optimizing LinkedIn profile to highlight Prof. O’Mahoney’s extensive experience and community success stories
• Creating content guidelines focused on sharing practical insights from 20+ years in the field
• Emphasizing the collaborative nature of his CEO community

Embracing Strategic Outreach

With a solid brand foundation in place, we shifted our focus to sparking meaningful conversations with decision-makers with the help of: 

• A messaging strategy that focused on shared experiences and challenges in growing consulting firms
• Conversation starters that highlighted the value of peer learning and mentorship
• Emphasis on the exclusive nature of the community while maintaining approachability

And here’s why it worked: the primary focus on establishing trust and expertise was exactly something the buyers needed. After all, virtually 100% of them expect to self-serve their buying journey, so leading with value seems like the only right option. 

By the time direct conversations about the community membership began, prospects were already familiar with his thought leadership and the collective expertise of his CEO network. 

This trust-first approach resulted in more meaningful conversations, as decision-makers engaged with someone they already recognized as a peer rather than responding to a cold pitch from a stranger.

The Results 

Over three months, our value-first approach to social selling delivered impressive results:

• 324 qualified connections with decision-makers
• 131 meaningful LinkedIn conversations
• 41% average reply rate
• Increased profile visibility, peaking at 886 weekly visitors

At the beginning of the campaign, we combined our social selling strategy with email outreach. 

And while LinkedIn performance exceeded our expectations, parallel email campaigns showed more modest results. This difference highlighted a crucial insight: for high-ticket, expertise-based services, LinkedIn’s professional environment provides a more natural context for meaningful conversations than cold email outreach.

And that’s on the power of testing: finding out the right way to communicate with your audience takes some time, but the outcomes are worth it.

Why Did It Work? 

The success of this campaign came down to three key factors:

• Expertise-First Approach. Instead of leading with a sales pitch, we positioned Joe’s extensive experience and community of successful CEOs as the cornerstone of every conversation.
• Right Platform, Right Message. LinkedIn proved to be the ideal environment for connecting with senior decision-makers, allowing for more natural, professional relationship building.
• Value-Driven Conversations. By focusing on shared experiences and practical insights rather than immediate sales, we created genuine interest in Joe’s community and expertise.

Looking Forward 

This campaign wasn’t just about generating leads – it was about creating a sustainable model for sharing expertise and building meaningful professional relationships. For Prof. Joe O’Mahoney, it meant transforming his vast experience into a magnetic LinkedIn presence that continues to attract the right kind of leaders to his community.

If you’re curious about your options for turning expertise into engagement, we’re here to help.