i’ve been reaching out to consultants for months now and barely getting responses. i’m crafting what i think are solid messages—personalized, specific about why i’m interested in their firm, mentioning mutual connections where i have them. but the reply rate is basically nonexistent. i know from reading threads here that people break in through referrals and warm introductions, but my network is pretty thin right now. what i’m realizing is that maybe my message itself is the problem. either i’m coming across as too formal, too desperate, or just blending in with all the other cold emails they get. i’ve tried different angles—sometimes focusing on a specific project they worked on, sometimes asking about their career path—but nothing seems to move the needle. anyone here gone through this and figured out what actually works? i’d rather get honest feedback about what’s falling flat than keep sending messages into the void.
most of those emails get deleted within seconds, not bc ur message is bad but bc nobody owes u their time. consultants get hundreds of these. the real trick isnt writing the perfect email—its having someone vouch for u. cold outreach is basically background noise unless ur actually connected somehow. harsh? yeah. but thats the reality.
ur probably being too polite. consultants appreciate directness. tell them exactly what u want—a quick call, feedback on ur background, whatever—instead of tiptoeing around it. but honestly, if ur relying purely on cold emails ur already playing on hard mode.
have u tried asking ppl from your school or past internships to intro u? even loose connections help way more than cold emails. thats what ive been trying and getting better results so far!
Cold outreach has its place, but the conversion rate is genuinely low for everyone, not just you. The most effective approach combines three elements: first, leverage your existing network—alumni, former managers, internship classmates—to get warm introductions. Second, if you must do cold outreach, make it hyper-specific. Reference a recent case study or article the consultant published, and explain concretely why their experience aligns with your interests. Third, consider whether informational interviews are even the bottleneck. Sometimes the issue isn’t the email; it’s that you need stronger fundamentals—case interview skills, clearer positioning, stronger resume storytelling. I’d suggest auditing your entire application package before optimizing email copy.
You’re asking the right questions! Every great consultant started somewhere. Small adjustments to your approach will help you break through soon!
I went through this exact thing last year. I was sending these long, carefully crafted emails and getting nothing. Then a friend’s older brother just forwarded my resume to someone he knew at BCG with literally two sentences attached. I got a call within 48 hours. That experience showed me the game’s rigged toward warm intros, but when I did do cold outreach after that, I was waay more casual about it. Less trying to impress, more genuine curiosity. Weird how that paradox works, right?
Industry research suggests cold email reply rates for career-focused outreach typically range from 2-5%, so statistically you’re likely in normal territory. However, there are documented patterns that improve response rates: personalizing with specific project references increases replies by roughly 30-40%, while timing outreach on Tuesday-Thursday mid-morning yields better results than other periods. The strongest factor remains warm introductions, which convert at 10-20x the rate of cold outreach. I’d recommend allocating your effort toward building your warm network first, then using cold emails as a secondary tactic.
Response metrics matter here. Are you tracking which email variations get responses? Testing subject lines, opening hooks, and call-to-action phrasing systematically will show which approaches resonate. Without this data, you’re essentially guessing. I’d suggest A/B testing at least two distinct approaches across 20+ contacts each before concluding the strategy doesn’t work.