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Consulting covers a wide spectrum of work—from social media strategy to financial analytics—but one constant remains: No consultant can succeed without high-quality research. Strong consulting research goes beyond a quick Google search, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded in the day-to-day life of a consultant.
So how can you become the best in the consulting industry?
AI is transforming the way consultants gather, analyze, and present information. Tools powered by AI can scan massive datasets in seconds, surface patterns humans might overlook, and generate polished drafts of reports. However, AI’s effectiveness depends entirely on the credibility of the data feeding it. If AI is trained on biased, outdated, or incomplete sources, the insights it produces can be misleading. Consultants must therefore act as informed gatekeepers—leveraging AI for efficiency while ensuring that only trustworthy, verifiable information shapes client strategies.
In this guide, we’ll walk through 7 ways you can conduct consulting research, especially if you're using AI as a partner. You’ll learn how to define objectives, source credible data, analyze competitors, and turn AI-driven research into reports that strengthen your client strategies.
Table of Contents:
Every effective consulting research process starts with clarity. Before gathering data, consultants must understand exactly what clients need and how the findings will be used.
For example, if a healthcare client requests market research, it's critical to clarify specifics:
Each goal would demand a very different approach.
By defining research objectives up front, consultants set a clear path and avoid wasting time on irrelevant information.
Bottom Line: Clear objectives ensure research is focused, efficient, and directly tied to client goals.
MORE: Tactical intelligence versus strategic competitive intelligence
Not all information online is reliable—and in consulting, credibility matters. Relying only on open web searches can expose consultants to biased, outdated, or incomplete data.
Instead, prioritize credible, verified data sources. Specialized databases aggregate thousands of news archives, journals, and reports, offering broader coverage than a simple search engine. Generative AI tools can quickly parse through licensed data to reveal the most relevant and trustworthy insights.
MORE: Why AI projects fail
Credible data is information that comes from authoritative, verifiable, and unbiased sources. It’s current, accurate, and complete enough to stand up to scrutiny. In the context of AI tools, credibility becomes even more crucial. AI can amplify errors if it draws from unreliable datasets, producing polished but misleading outputs. For consultants, this is risky—clients base strategies on these insights. That’s why pairing AI tools with carefully vetted databases ensures both speed and accuracy.
In practice, consultants should check for:
Source authority (Is it a reputable publication, academic study, or verified database?)
Timeliness (How current is the information?)
Contextual accuracy (Does the data align with multiple sources, or is it an outlier?)
Bias detection (Is there an agenda influencing how the data is presented?)
The bottom line: The quality of your consulting research depends directly on the quality of your data. Make credibility your first filter.
Download the Credible AI Toolkit
Clickbait headlines and surface-level summaries rarely tell the full story. To deliver reliable business insights, consultants must go deeper—reading entire articles, cross-referencing multiple sources, and verifying quotes or statistics in context.
What about paywalls? Research can be cut short by paywalls blocking access to valuable material. If this happens to you often, it's potentially worth the investment into a comprehensive research platform that provides up-front access to full-text archives.
Bottom Line: Don’t stop at summaries—deep reading and validation protect against misinformation and incomplete analysis.
Once credible data is gathered, the next step is analysis—particularly understanding the competitive landscape. A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is a proven framework for distilling insights about both clients and competitors.
Since no consultant has access to every piece of private company data, the goal is to combine public sources with curated databases to form the most complete picture possible. Setting up alerts for key competitors ensures that consultants can track new developments in real time.
Bottom Line: Competitive analysis reveals hidden opportunities and equips clients with sharper, evidence-backed strategies.
Collecting data is only half the battle. Tailoring insights to client objectives is where consultants add true value. This is where market research in consulting becomes highly practical.
For instance, a consultant may have found that a financial advisor’s competitors have larger followings than they do on social media. The consultant might dive into what gains are coming from that competitor's social media strategy, such as an increase in new customers or a greater trust for the brand across the board. If the results are meaningful, they may suggest improvements to their client's social media approach. This kind of strategy would help the client to focus on the more lucrative, successful paths forward so that they can best allocate funds and staffing.
Bottom Line: Customizing research insights to client needs ensures findings lead to actionable strategies and measurable results.
MORE: Managing collaboration and communication in research
Data without communication is wasted. Consultants must be able to package findings into clear, digestible reports that guide client decision-making.
Tools like Nexis+ AI™ Collect and Draft streamline this process by compiling research and automatically generating reports. Whether using software or manual methods, the goal is to turn raw data into an actionable narrative.
Learn more about Collect and Draft:
When sharing results, avoid jargon. Instead, explain key concepts in plain language so all stakeholders can understand. A strong consulting research report does more than present data—it inspires action.
Bottom Line: Great reports turn complex data into clear insights that clients can act on with confidence.
Research in consulting isn’t a one-time project—it’s an ongoing practice. Staying current with new data sources, tools, and methodologies helps consultants maintain an edge.
Equally important is refining internal processes: organizing data efficiently, collaborating across teams, and updating frameworks like SWOT or industry benchmarking. The more repeatable and scalable your research process becomes, the more value you can deliver to every client.
Bottom Line: Treat consulting research as a living process—one that evolves with tools, trends, and client needs.
The best consultants deliver the best research, backed by data that's comprehensive, up-to-date, and accurate. AI can speed up your research process, but it can hurt your consulting firm in the long-run if your AI isn't retrieving credible data.
Need help evaluating your research tools and data sources? Download the free Credible AI toolkit, created by LexisNexis specifically for the professional services industry.
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