{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "A 100–400 level roadmap for consultants across seven business areas: market research, service offerings, pricing, specialization, sales, marketing, and automation.",
  "path": "/articles/levels/",
  "publishedAt": "2020-03-31T21:01:53.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:jznynyzgerlqmdbbj33o7wfs/site.standard.publication/3mnll3icujb2z",
  "tags": [
    "Business Operations"
  ],
  "textContent": "So, when it comes to consulting what exactly are levels 100-400?\n\nFor your business, what levels 100-400 are depends on what’s important in your target market.\n\nIn a minute, you’ll see an example roadmap of ‘Level 100’ to ‘Level 400’ for all 7 of the key areas we’ve been discussing.\n\nBut first, a note: advancing along any level in any area of your business comes down to one thing: a focus on studying that skill through deliberate practice.\n\nYou want to become a better freelancer? Figure out where you’re weak and then make that area strong.\n\nDo you go through a self-assessment and discover that your pricing a weak area? Great! That’s the area you should focus on.\n\nHow you practice in order to level up depends on a few things and there are a number of choices. We’ll cover that shortly.\n\nRight now, let’s take a look at a 100 → 400 roadmap for an example consultant:\n\n**👉 View this image full size here\n\nMarket Research:\n\nLevel 100: Read 2-4 books about your target market\nLevel 200: Attend 2-3 online events for that market *(i.e., conferences)*\nLevel 300: Average ~2 market research conversations per month\nLevel 400: Monthly customer research activities\n\n**Service Offerings\n\nLevel 100: Focus on a specific skill or discipline\nLevel 200: Add roadmapping and discovery as a service\nLevel 300: Productize your services (fixed price, scope, and timeline)\nLevel 400: Have a ladder of service offerings\n\nPricing\n\nLevel 100: Daily/weekly pricing (instead of hourly)\nLevel 200: Start to offer fixed-price services\nLevel 300: Only sell fixed-price productized services\nLevel 400: Introduce value based pricing for custom projects\n\nSpecialization\n\nLevel 100: Focus on a target market\nLevel 200: Focus on an outcome\nLevel 300: Focus on a sub-market (niche)\nLevel 400: Become a celebrity in your niche\n\nSales\n\nLevel 100: Track your conversations (use a CRM)\nLevel 200: Implement activity-based selling\nLevel 300: Improve outbound sales + marketing activities (i.e, outreach, referrals)\nLevel 400: Improve inbound sales marketing opportunities\n\nMarketing\n\nLevel 100: Website, referrals, and word of mouth\nLevel 200: Website content and one outbound marketing channel\nLevel 300: Email marketing + one additional marketing channel\nLevel 400: SEO and one additional marketing channel\n\nAutomation\n\nLevel 100: Form + Email Templates\nLevel 200: Appointment Booking like SavvyCal (https://savvycal.com)\nLevel 300: An automated welcome sequence over email for new leads\nLevel 400: Free course delivered over email to attract new leads\n\nThe Most Important Part\n\nGrowth as a freelancer or consultant is achieved by identifying the area(s) where your business is weak and then focusing on improving those weak areas.\n\nThe specific tactical element (“start using a CRM” or “Switch from Weekly Pricing to Value Based Fees”) will differ depending on your business.\n\nWhat is important is that to get better at any of these 7 key areas, you apply yourself, study the area, and implement the lessons you learn into your business, keeping what works and discarding what doesn’t.\n\nExcelsior!\n\nKai",
  "title": "Levels of Consulting (100 - 400+)"
}