Yesterday, I talked about how having a methodology as a consultant is the path to compounding leverage.
What I meant by that is with every new engagement your work gets better, results are more predictable, and you use less personal resources (time and energy).
So what’s in a good methodology?
For me, my coworking consulting methodology involves a 100+ point checklist. It’s broken out by channel in the approximate order that I typically build things.
I build it out in Basecamp as a project template. With every new client, I duplicate the template and invite the client into it so they can see a list of all the things I hope to accomplish with them.
And while every client is different, it allows me to give my clients visibility into the expected roadmap while ensuring I follow a similar pattern with each engagement.
As I run the process each time, I flesh out the information attached to each checklist item in my template. I might also add additional resources, links to training videos I create on Loom, or any other number of things.
Now, the next time I audit a website or do an email marketing build-out, I have a more efficient process to rely on, saving me time and my clients money.
The three main things to have in your methodology are:
- An approximate order of priorities for building things
- Documented systems and templates you like to use
- Supporting resources and training for you and/or your clients
Timelines will always be contingent on a client’s internal resources and capacity, so I fill those in on an as-needed basis.
The result has been interesting. My engagements are more streamlined and everyone knows what’s on the roadmap at all times, as well as what has been done so far.
But the real interesting part is that I can create training around it. I have a whole membership section and course covering a broad portion of what I do in my consulting engagements.
This is where the leverage really kicks in. I’ve been doing this in the coworking industry for only a few years but it’s really just getting started in terms of how I run my consulting work.
I highly recommend you start standardizing your methodology today.
It’s the path to leverage in an expertise-based business.
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