How Consultants Won Big With Custom Benchmarking: $30 Million in Value and Counting
What if your next client engagement could unlock $30 million in value before implementation even begins?
💼 That’s exactly what happened when a top consulting firm tapped into APQC’s benchmarking solutions to support a global CPG manufacturing firm. Tasked with improving finance and HR processes across 22 countries, the consulting team needed data that was not only accurate but also trusted—fast.
🔍 The Challenge
Margins were slipping. A multinational SAP rollout was underway. The client needed clarity—quickly—on where it stood and how it could improve. The consulting firm recommended a move to shared services, but needed hard data to back it up.
💡The Solution: APQC Custom Benchmarking 
Leveraging APQC’s Open Standards Benchmarking℠ data, the consulting firm benchmarked 11 key processes in 22 countries—all in just 45 days. APQC’s comprehensive database, tailored data collection templates, and validation methodology gave the firm the credible, detailed insights it needed to craft three strategic scenarios, each with robust business cases.
🚀 The Result: A Clear Path to $30 Million in Savings
The data supported the client’s business case, resulting in the board giving a green light to a shared services strategy aligned with its SAP roadmap, which led to a projected savings of over $30 million. More importantly, even before final decisions were made, the benchmarking process itself triggered operational improvements across borders. Departments began asking new questions, comparing results, and launching local change initiatives. This is the power of data in action in real-time.
Takeaways For Consultants:
Whether you’re advising on digital transformation, operational excellence, or post-merger integration, leveraging benchmark data with a globally recognized, neutral third-party database like APQC’s Open Standards helps you:
- Win competitive pitches with hard numbers.
- Reduce costs and cycle time
- Prove the value of proposed changes.
- Align recommendations with enterprise-wide initiatives.
And when the data comes from APQC, because of the stringent methodology and data validation process, you can be confident it’s rigorous, relevant, and respected.
APQC's Professional Services Team is here to bring the data to you.
License Data
About the Author:
With over 30 years of experience at the intersection of data, consulting, and client success, Cathy Hill has been the go-to partner for professional services firms seeking to turn benchmarking and performance data into a powerful competitive advantage.
Since joining APQC in 1993, and through her time at Gartner working with Fortune 500 clients, Cathy has helped shape the business models and licensing strategies that power today’s APQC Open Standards Benchmarking® (OSB) platform.
Cathy is the architect behind APQC’s tailored offerings for consultants—from solo practitioners to mid-size boutiques to the Big Four. She’s worked hand-in-hand with these firms to design custom benchmarking packages that not only win engagements but deliver measurable ROI—often exceeding 20x the initial investment.
Cathy leads our product and service groups today, and her true passion remains helping consultants build practices that scale—using data to strengthen client outcomes and differentiate their offerings. She believes that when everyone has access to the same data, the real edge lies in how you use it. And she’s here to help you do just that.
🔍 What is Open Standards Benchmarking (OSB)?
OSB® is the world’s leading source for validated, standardized business performance data — designed to help organizations compare, improve, and transform their operations.
- Global Benchmarking Database
With more than 5.9 million data points from a majority of Fortune 500 and global organizations worldwide, OSB® delivers insights into performance across over 4400 metrics.
- Participation-Based Access
Organizations receive customized, no-cost performance reports in exchange for contributing data—freeing up budget to focus on analysis and improvement.
Standardized Process Framework
OSB® is built on APQC’s trusted Process Classification Framework® (PCF), ensuring consistent, apples-to-apples comparisons across industries and functions.- Speed Up Time-to-Value:
Immediately diagnose performance gaps and move directly to crafting high-impact solutions, demonstrating your value to the client from day one.
- Rigorous Validation
APQC applies a robust proprietary methodology to verify and normalize data, giving participants and their consultants confidence in the accuracy and credibility of results.
Flexible, Actionable Reporting
Results can be segmented by industry, size, geography, or a custom combination, and include quartile analysis, gap identification, and world-class performance benchmarks.- Unbiased Objectivity & Credibility:
Overcome internal resistance and subjective opinions with data from a neutral, globally respected third party. This elevates your recommendations from opinion to fact-based strategy, reinforcing your role as a trusted advisor backed by impartial evidence.
- Win More Business
Use validated performance data to support proposals, pitch decks, and transformation roadmaps.
- Accelerate Insights
OSB® quickly uncovers where your client stands and where the biggest opportunities lie—without starting from scratch.
Strengthen Stakeholder Trust
Reliable benchmarks build credibility and reduce resistance to change by providing objective, neutral 3rd-party insights.- A Powerful Client Acquisition Tool:
Differentiate your firm in proposals and initial meetings by citing APQC data, establish a data-driven approach, and present a clear, compelling case for engagement.
We turned to APQC for industry standards that proved very beneficial in preparing and selling our proposal to our client.
Contact us to explore a variety of benchmarking solutions tailored to your client’s needs.
Contact Our TeamLet's Collaborate
APQC has supported top consultancies and their clients worldwide. Want to strengthen your next engagement or proposal? Our benchmarking services and data licenses give you the insights to stand out and the credibility to lead change.
Whether you're running a one-person practice or a global consulting team, Cathy Hill and the APQC Professional Services Team can help you design a benchmarking and data package tailored to your needs, your clients, and your growth goals.
Reach out to our Professional Services team today: