Study Guide: Alex for Consultants
Your reference for using Alex across the consulting lifecycle. Ready-to-run prompts for proposals, deliverables, frameworks, and client management.
What This Guide Is Not
This is not a habit formation guide (see Self-Study Guide for that). This is a consulting toolkit — the specific ways Alex can accelerate your client work, and the prompts that deliver.
Core Principle for Consultants
Consulting is about solving problems clients can’t solve themselves — and getting paid to do it well. Alex’s highest value is in the leverage: faster research, better-structured thinking, and more polished deliverables. But the strategic insight, the client relationship, and the judgment call — those are yours.
The key pattern: bring your frameworks. Alex can operationalize your methodology, not invent it. Feed it your approach, your templates, your way of structuring problems — and let it help you execute faster.
The Seven Use Cases
1. Proposal and Pitch Writing
When to use: Responding to RFPs, writing proposals, preparing pitch decks.
Prompt pattern:
Help me write a proposal:
Client: [industry, size, situation — anonymized as needed]
Opportunity: [what they need]
Our approach: [how we'd solve it]
Differentiators: [why us]
Timeline: [proposed duration]
Budget range: [if known]
Create a proposal structure with:
1. Executive summary that leads with their problem, not our capabilities
2. Understanding of their situation (shows we've listened)
3. Proposed approach and methodology
4. Timeline and milestones
5. Team and qualifications
6. Investment and terms
Follow-up prompts:
The client cares most about speed. Emphasize that.
We're competing against [type of competitor]. Differentiate us.
Make the executive summary punchier — it's for a busy executive.
2. Framework Development and Application
When to use: Structuring problems, developing analytical approaches, applying existing frameworks.
Prompt pattern:
Help me apply a framework to this problem:
Framework: [describe your methodology or name a standard framework]
Client situation: [the problem they're facing]
Available data: [what information we have]
Constraints: [timeline, resources, access]
Help me:
1. Adapt the framework to this specific situation
2. Define the key questions to answer
3. Identify the analysis we need to perform
4. Structure the work into workstreams
5. Define what a good answer looks like
Follow-up prompts:
This framework doesn't quite fit. How do I adapt it?
What's missing from this analysis?
The client pushes back on frameworks. How do I make this feel custom?
3. Research and Analysis
When to use: Industry research, competitive analysis, market sizing, data synthesis.
Prompt pattern:
Help me research [topic]:
Client context: [why they need this]
What we need to understand: [key questions]
What we already know: [starting knowledge]
Deliverable: [how this will be used]
Help me:
1. Structure the research into key areas
2. Identify the types of sources to consult
3. Develop hypotheses to test
4. Create an analysis framework
5. Anticipate what the data might show
Follow-up prompts:
We have this data. What does it suggest?
[paste or describe data]
The data is messy/incomplete. How do we work around that?
What would change our conclusion?
4. Deliverable and Slide Development
When to use: Creating client presentations, reports, and documents.
Prompt pattern:
Help me structure a deliverable:
Purpose: [what decision this supports]
Audience: [who will see it]
Format: [deck / report / memo / workshop]
Key findings: [what we learned]
Recommendations: [what we suggest]
Length: [target pages/slides]
Create an outline with:
1. Narrative arc (situation → insight → recommendation)
2. Key slides/sections with headline messages
3. Supporting evidence for each point
4. Anticipated questions and where to address them
5. Clear ask or next steps
Follow-up prompts:
Write the executive summary slide.
This finding is complex. How do I visualize it?
The client prefers reading documents to slides. Convert this.
5. Workshop and Facilitation Design
When to use: Planning client workshops, offsites, working sessions.
Prompt pattern:
Help me design a workshop:
Purpose: [what we need to accomplish]
Participants: [who's in the room, their roles]
Duration: [how long]
Key outputs: [what we need to walk away with]
Constraints: [dynamics, sensitivities, logistics]
Create a workshop plan with:
1. Agenda with timing
2. Opening that sets context and rules
3. Key exercises with instructions
4. Discussion prompts
5. Synthesis and next steps
6. Pre-work if needed
Follow-up prompts:
There's conflict between participants. How do I manage that?
We're stuck on [topic]. Design an exercise to break through.
Create a participant packet for pre-reading.
6. Client Communication and Relationship
When to use: Status updates, difficult conversations, escalations, relationship management.
Prompt pattern:
Help me communicate with my client:
Situation: [what's happening]
Message: [what they need to know]
Relationship context: [is this good news, bad news, neutral]
Client personality: [detail-oriented, big picture, skeptical, etc.]
Next steps: [what you need from them]
Write a [email / call script / talking points] that:
1. Respects their time
2. Leads with what matters to them
3. Is honest about challenges without creating panic
4. Proposes solutions, not just problems
5. Makes the ask clear
Follow-up prompts:
The project is behind. How do I communicate that?
We need to push back on scope creep. Help me frame it.
The client sponsor changed. How do I rebuild the relationship?
7. Thought Leadership and Business Development
When to use: Writing articles, developing IP, creating BD materials.
Prompt pattern:
Help me develop thought leadership:
Topic: [what you want to write about]
Audience: [prospective clients, industry]
Your angle: [what's distinctive about your perspective]
Format: [article / white paper / LinkedIn post / webinar]
Goal: [lead generation / credibility / specific opportunity]
Create:
1. A compelling angle or thesis
2. Outline with key points
3. Examples or case studies to reference
4. A clear takeaway for the reader
5. A call to action that generates leads
Follow-up prompts:
Make this less generic — what would make a [industry] executive stop scrolling?
Develop this into a 5-post LinkedIn series.
What's the webinar version of this content?
Practice Progression
Week 1: Write a proposal using the prompts. Compare to your usual process.
Week 2: Develop a deliverable outline for a current engagement.
Week 3: Design a workshop using the framework.
Week 4: Draft a piece of thought leadership for BD.
What Great Looks Like
After consistent use, you should notice:
- Faster proposals with better win rates
- More structured deliverables
- Higher-impact workshops
- More consistent BD activity
The goal isn’t for Alex to be a consultant — it’s for Alex to help you consult at a higher level.
Confidentiality Note
Client work involves confidential information:
- Anonymize client details in prompts
- Don’t paste proprietary client data
- Be thoughtful about competitive intelligence
- Remember your engagement agreements
Your reputation rests on trust.