About Trevor

Trevor Shorte is Chief Growth Officer at Consulta, a platform connecting small and mid-sized businesses to 200+ vetted consultants across HR, operations, sales, marketing, and finance — with transactions handled end-to-end on-platform. A sales and marketing veteran, Trevor helps SMBs ($100K–$1M revenue) access enterprise-caliber expertise without $15–30K/month big-firm price tags.

What we talked about

When founders should ask for help — Recognize limitations early; YouTube and ChatGPT cannot replace lived experience for accounting, HR compliance, or expansion strategy.

AI as tool, not plumber — Trevor won't knock AI, but cold outreach at scale without personalization earns little return versus 20–30 targeted conversations daily.

The 5% in-market rule — Most prospects aren't actively shopping; Consulta targets those thinking about change, not fighting for a finished short list.

Authentic growth over volume — Trade shows, industry booths, social presence, and outbound — but skepticism toward attribution surveys and UTM absolutism.

The recognition gap in sales — Objections mean unclear outcomes upfront; align what you're selling with what they're buying before procurement politics kill the deal.

Selling to their customer — Position your offer as how it helps them serve their customers — and surface every stakeholder early in enterprise deals.

Sharpest moments

On DIY founder myth:

if you don't learn to do these things on your own you're really not building a business

On visibility:

people can't buy your shit if they don't know you exist.

On AI cold email:

What's the return on that? Very little.

On authenticity:

when you operate in an authentic manner and you can showcase to people the outcomes that you can provide for them, that is much better than sending out a thousand emails a day.

On the recognition gap:

if you think you're selling one thing and they think they're buying something else, forget about it.

Key takeaways

• Consulta gives SMBs vetted specialists at prices big consultancies won't touch — platform handles booking and payments.
• AI helps research but cannot replace consultants who know which questions to ask at tax time or during HR scaling.
• Only ~5% of prospects are actively in-market; brand presence before need beats chasing RFP short lists.
• Trevor distrusts perfect attribution — multi-channel exposure makes "where did you hear about us" unreliable.
• Enterprise sales require mapping every decision-maker's incentive — the champion puts their reputation on the line.
• Objections signal misaligned outcomes early; clarity prevents late-stage "we already have a vendor" stalls.
• COVID amplified buy-local sentiment; mid-market buyers still optimize for doing more with fewer expenses.