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Community Q & A
Question: When You’re a Threat
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Hi friends,
It seems like this would be a good question for someone to submit to Office Hours. But let me see if I can provide some perspective here for now.
One part of why you want to “productize” something like consulting is so that you aren’t stretching yourself in a million directions for any client and any whim they have. Focusing on a few things you do well is (1) much better for your sanity and (2) way easier to market. You have to get comfortable telling a prospective client “That’s not in my wheelhouse.”
One example product ladder for an evaluator could be:
Free guide (one-time interaction)
Free newsletter (ongoing interaction)
Evaluability assessment (are you even ready for an evaluation?)
Evaluation capacity-building workshop (less expensive than an evaluation)
Full-blown evaluationWithin the full-blown evaluation, of course you’ll customize what you do on a case-by-case basis.
But if a prospective client calls and asks for you to just do the analysis on data they collected, would you say yes? I wouldn’t. (I wouldn’t analyze data I didn’t collect – you *know* there will have been collection problems.) It would cheapen your work, require just as much admin as bigger projects, lower your quality, and communicate that you can be piecemealed.
Does this help at all?
Everyone’s product ladder will look different but I recommend ultimately striving to not have too many rungs. And it’s ok if some rungs at this stage are aspirational.
Oof Megan, I’ve been there. When I was at the university in an evaluation unit, it was the same situation. You start eyeing those 50% overheads and wondering what you could do with a bigger cut of that in your pocket. At this point in your journey, you’ll want to get started on some kind of thought leadership/email collection activity so that when you’re really ready to take the leap, you’ll have a following ready to go.
Lisa, you’re incredibly fortunate to have a soft transition here! It can be tricky to go from employee to contractor (like, sometimes I see companies that still expect you to work fairly unlimited hours) so keep checking in with us if you run into any complications.
Hey Robin! I’ll just chime in to add that you want to a build a product ladder with one ideal customer/buyer in mind. So if you have multiple audiences, you would want multiple product ladders. It’s also very easy to overorchestrate this. You don’t want TOO many options – buyers get overwhelmed and they freeze. I suppose my question for you is: Would you be happy providing all of these levels? Or do you have some where you do your best work and the client is best served?
Sarah, the forum is being a PITA right now. We’re looking into it. It isn’t sending email notifications out 🙁
These are really common questions, Maia. You’re in the right place 🙂 I’ll definitely encourage you to price by the project so you don’t have to worry about counting email minutes!
Tight website for just starting in July, Becky! I love that you have packages and a free guide. Good choices!
Hey Amanda,
I spent the first week of Jan on St Pete Beach! My dad is in Bradenton. Cute lil part of FL!
Your website is rockin. That’s a great asset already. We can definitely help you locate the easy lift marketing that fits your strengths and personality.
Hey Bionca – If I’m reading this right, it sounds like you’re saying you could run a program teaching CPR that isn’t the full blown certification but would teach enough skills to let someone feel like they could intervene in an emergency as a bystander. Right? I would totally sign up for that.
I’m also reading you say you’re thinking about developing an SOP business. Another good idea. I’d pick just one to push for now. Which one? Depends on whether you need cash ASAP. If so, go all in on the one that’s quicker to build and launch.
Rachel! So fun to see you in this new arena. I’m glad we can continue to grow together.
There’s definitely a sweet spot between not enough work and too much – especially if it isn’t the work you love. I will totally show you how to find that balance. You’ve got this.
Rachel! So fun to see you in this new arena. I’m glad we can continue to grow together.
There’s definitely a sweet spot between not enough work and too much – especially if it isn’t the work you love. I will totally show you how to find that balance. You’ve got this.
Maggie, I think you’ll love the marketing lessons here, including the bonus lesson. They’ll help you locate a way to market that aligns with your social worker heart 🙂
Amanda! 💌 I love this message so much. You are such a strong, brave badass and I’m so glad we all get to work together and help you point your ship in the right direction.
Nadine! “I’ve got enough work to fill this year but worry all the time about what happens come December 31st.” 👈🏼 Holy cow! You’re gonna be fiiiiiine! You’ve got a nice runway to let you breathe a little and think a lot and craft this thing so it’s exactly what you want.