Do management consultants travel to their clients?
Depends. I started as an associate at L.E.K. Consulting in London in 2001 and their model at the time is that junior consulting staff rarely meet the client. Consultant/Manager-level staff would meet with client staff as do partners (mostly for engagement and for the latter, selling). However, the model has been changing as the industry has seen shocks. Gone are the glory days of lavish bonuses, as the market has become more competitive. This has meant that consultancies have had to build much closer relationships with clients, such that more and more work is now done at the client site. As a freelancer for the last almost five years, nearly all of my work has been at the client's location, from London (my home city) to Canada. I did return for a brief period in 2015 to L.E.K. as a contractor and it was noticeable that more staff are now on the client site than in my day, although personally over the month I was there, I only had a couple of client meetings to attend in person. It very much depends on the firm