How to Go To Market as a Consultant
Church business consortium framing: take 10, 20, 30 years of experience and package it into a real consulting offer. Then open the step-by-step guide below.
Go to market with what you already built
In our church business consortium, the one I am part of with my wife, a lot of people want to be consultants, or already are, but they do not know how to go to market.
Hey, so check this out everybody. Listen, in our church business consortium, the one that I am part of with my wife, we have a lot of people that say that they want to be consultants, or maybe they are consultants, but they do not know how to go to market really. How to take their ideas, their experiences, and convert that into a real business. How to take it to market and how to offer it.
So in this post I am walking you through step by step how to take your experience, your ideas, things you have developed 10, 20, 30 years building up, and package that into a real business from a consulting perspective. Check it out. Let’s discuss it in the comments.
A lot of the leaders I mentor have the calling. They have the skill. What they do not have yet is a built house. They are running a million-dollar dream inside a tent.
The gap is not talent. The gap is packaging. One clear buyer. One outcome. One delivery container. One price. One yes or no.
Stop renting your brain by the hour. Package a result people can buy. Praise is not validation. A deposit, an intro, or a signed next step is.
Rick PiñaWatch the intro video. Read the problem comparison. Write your one-liner. Work the eight steps in order. Each has a Do, a Deliverable, and a Pass gate. Use the expertise illustrations as shape examples, not claimed results. Honor the red lines. Download the PDF booklet for worksheets offline.
Free advice, hourly, soft CTA, or a productized offer
Default behaviors train buyers that your expertise is cheap, calendar-capped, or optional.
| Free advice | Hourly coaching | Soft “book a call” | Productized offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boundary | None | Clock | Vague | Written scope + end date |
| Buyer decision | Gratitude | Compare rates | Delay | Yes/no on a named outcome |
| Pricing logic | $0 | Time | Undefined | Value / dream outcome |
| Delivery | Chat | Calendar hostage | Maybe | Container (sprint, audit, cohort) |
| Risk | On the expert | Shared vaguely | On nobody | Guarantee / terms make risk explicit |
| Scale | Breaks you | Caps at hours | No revenue | Can trim-and-stack further |
| Validation | Compliments | Busy calendar | Ghosting | Commitment (deposit, SOW, intro) |
Write this before you build anything else
Board rule: pick one buyer and one outcome. No “and” for three audiences.
I help [one buyer] achieve [one outcome] in [time].
If you need commas and three niches, you do not have an offer yet: you have a résumé.- I help new supervisors install a first-90-days leadership OS in 6 weeks.
- I help pastors architect a 90-day teaching series in 3 working sessions.
- I help federal IT teams run a capture-readiness diagnostic in 10 business days.
The playbook: Do / Deliverable / Pass gate
Aligned to the Goldmine fold order. Each step ends with something you can show.
Inventory career capital
Adopt the craftsman mindset: what rare value can you already produce? List skills people already ask for, proof points (roles, systems, outcomes delivered), and “stop doing free” triggers (repeated unpaid asks). Trade capital for a scoped offer, not a vague passion brand.
Skills asked for + proof points + unpaid-ask triggers on one page.
Career Capital Sheet (skills / proof / requests).
At least one skill with external proof (someone else valued it), not only self-belief.
Mission comes from skill unlocking the adjacent possible, not a dream board first.
Write Why → How → What
Why = belief that stays even if the product changes (one sentence a teenager can repeat). How = 2–3 principles of how you work. What = the tangible offer container. Lead pitches with Why, then How, then What. Market to people who share the Why.
One-sentence Why; 2–3 How principles; draft What as a placeholder offer name.
Golden Circle card.
A smart outsider can repeat your Why in their own words.
Run validation interviews
Talk about their life in the problem domain, not your idea. Anchor on past/present behavior. Deflect compliments. Pre-plan top 3 hard questions that could kill the offer. Push for commitment/advancement (time, intro, deposit). Lukewarm interest is a signal. Do not pitch harder to manufacture enthusiasm. Sample past-behavior prompt: “When was the last time you paid someone (or tried to) to solve this?”
5–8 conversations. Past behavior only (include one “When was the last time…?”). Ask ≥1 invalidating question. Log facts vs opinions.
Interview log + real-signals list (money / time / intros).
At least one hard truth that changed the offer, or confirmed it with commitment, not compliments.
Define the offer MVP
Rank leap-of-faith assumptions (Who pays? For what outcome? At what price? Via what channel?). Write one falsifiable hypothesis and a test plan (metric + kill date). Design the smallest experiment that tests the riskiest one: a 2-week diagnostic sprint, fixed-scope audit, or 4-call intensive, not a year-long curriculum empire. Measure behavior over opinions. Pivot or persevere with written criteria.
Cut to the smallest paid container that tests your riskiest assumption. Write pivot/persevere criteria on the MVP one-pager. Fill hypothesis + test plan fields.
Offer MVP one-pager (buyer, outcome, duration, in/out, hypothesis, test plan, pivot/persevere criteria).
You could sell and deliver the first one this month without building a course library.
Build the Grand Slam Offer
Pick a market with pain + purchasing power + reachability. State a specific dream outcome. Score the Value Equation (raise Dream Outcome + Likelihood; cut Time Delay + Effort). Flip every obstacle into a named solution. Classify delivery vehicles (cost vs value) before trim-and-stack; name each solution bundle. Price premium once stacked; pair with guarantee + payment terms.
First-price / Sprint-floor: Set the opening Sprint price from (1) what paid pilots already cleared and (2) a floor tied to outcome value (buyer’s cost of the problem staying unsolved), not your hourly comfort. Raise after proof; never underprice the Sprint to “get the retainer.”
Fixed fee. Deliverable = findings + recommendation (answer-first). No free deep-dives that never become a rung.
Toward the dream outcome. Write Phase Exit / Acceptance criteria. Do not underprice the Sprint to “get the retainer.”
Price to outcome value. Retainer follows evidence, not hope. Definition of Done stays written.
- Problem question the engagement answers (one sentence).
- Decision maker who can say yes to Audit and to Sprint.
- Success metric observable at the time box.
- Time box for Audit and for Sprint (calendar dates).
- Audit deliverable = findings + recommendation (answer-first), not a slide dump.
- Sprint Phase Exit / Acceptance + written Definition of Done.
- Hypothesis + test plan carried from Step 4 (what must be true; how you know).
Dream outcome; Value Equation; classify vehicles (cost vs value); named bundles; Engagement Definition; first-price / Sprint-floor; guarantee + terms.
Offer stack sheet + price + one-page SOW / Engagement Definition.
A stranger can tell what result they get, how long it takes, and what happens if it fails, without asking you to “just hop on a call.”
Position the category
Run the stack: Alternatives (if you didn’t exist) → Unique capabilities → Value in customer language → Best-fit customer → Category → Strategy (superior on one axis / big fish in small pond / new category). Rewrite the first 30 seconds of your pitch before features using SCR: Situation (world as it is), Complication (why now / why it fails), Resolution (your named offer as the answer).
Full positioning question stack + SCR rewrite of the opening scene.
Positioning brief + 30-second SCR opening.
You are not “a coach/consultant” in a commodity bucket; you are framed against the right alternative.
Pick one channel and test
Bullseye brainstorm among relevant traction channels (content, email, speaking, BD, events, platforms, warm intros, ministry network, federal IT community, etc.). Run 1–2 cheap inner-ring tests with clear metrics. Focus on the channel that shows real traction; keep one backup under test.
Outer → middle → inner-ring cheap tests with metrics and a kill date.
Channel test card (hypothesis, spend/time, success metric, kill date).
One channel with a written kill/scale criterion, not “post and pray.”
Sell ethically + stay student
Map 1–3 Influence principles that stay true if inspected later: reciprocity (real diagnostic first), commitment/consistency (small yes before paid yes), social proof (similar-peer only), authority (earned), liking/unity (real common ground), scarcity (true limits only, no fake FOMO). Weekly ego check: ship work, invite unflattering feedback, no myth-polishing.
Ethical page/conversation checklist (Influence). Weekly student log: invite one unflattering feedback + ship one unglamorous task.
Sales checklist + first paid yes (or documented BATNA walk-away).
A paid engagement with written scope, or a clean no with lessons. “Maybe later” does not count.
Replace “prove I’m special” with “what is the next right task?” Ship the unglamorous MVP.
What productizing can look like in your world
Shape examples for a worksheet checklist, not invented ROI, client names, or revenue claims. Plug in your proof.
| World | Lived expertise (seed) | Example productized shape |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry teaching | Teaching, discipleship systems, sermon/series structure | “90-day teaching series architecture” or “Volunteer leader onboarding sprint”, fixed scope, fixed fee |
| Ministry ops | Events, communications, logistics patterns | “Ministry event ops playbook install” (checklist + 2 working sessions) |
| Federal IT | Contracting context, renewal cycles, buyer questions. Name mission, buyer (who funds), and authority (who can obligate). Ethics red line applies. | “Federal IT capture readiness diagnostic” (document review + gap list + 1 readout) |
| Military | Discipline systems, leadership under constraint, AARs. Name mission, buyer (unit/org that pays), and authority (approver). Ethics red line applies. | “First-90-days leadership OS for new supervisors” (checklists + cohort calls) |
| Family systems | Spouse discovery, family rhythms, parenting systems | “Family operating cadence install” (meeting agenda + 4-week habit stack) |
| Teaching | Curriculum design, classroom systems, parent communication | “Classroom systems install for first-year teachers” (fixed sprint) |
| Sales | Pipeline discipline, discovery calls, close process | “Discovery-call OS rebuild” (audit + 2-week sprint) |
| HR | Onboarding, performance rhythms, culture installs | “30-60-90 onboarding playbook install” |
| Fitness | Programming, habit coaching, accountability | “12-week foundation program” (named container, not open calendar) |
| Real estate | Buyer/seller process, local market systems | “First-time seller readiness diagnostic” (checklist + readout) |
Do not invent client names, dollar figures, or “we 10x’d X.” Use process illustrations. Invite members to plug in their proof. Meta-example: this package itself is a named guide with steps, not “email me anytime.”
Failure modes & when NOT to productize yet
Board overlay: free advice without a paid rung is a trap. Proof before scale.
- Free deep-dives that never become a paid Audit / Sprint rung.
- Fear pricing (hourly comfort) instead of outcome pricing.
- Selling hours instead of outcomes.
- Helping everyone: no one buyer, no one outcome.
- Content with no ask: posts without a named next step.
- Fake scarcity / fake testimonials / invented case-study numbers.
- Employment / ethics: If you are active duty, a federal employee, or a contractor, check moonlighting and conflict rules before you sell. Never use nonpublic government information, employer IP, or employer time for your offer.
Can’t name buyer + outcome
If the one-liner still has “and” for three audiences, stay in Mom Test + Lean pilots.
Can’t deliver a fixed Sprint
If you cannot time-box delivery, you do not have a productized container yet.
Never done the work for pay
Even once. Run 3–5 paid pilots before branding a “program.”
Can’t measure the result
If success is vibes-only, rewrite the dream outcome until it is observable.
Books that sharpen this
Cite titles. Teach the move. Do not paste copyrighted text. Fold order confirmed for this package.
Optional close lenses
Interests over positions and BATNA in fee talks; labels when buyers drag you back to hourly; identity + weekly shipping habit for fulfillment; SUCCESs so non-experts can retell your one-liner.
What to fill before you sell
Print the PDF booklet. Complete these in order. Do not skip Pass gates.
- Career Capital Sheet: skills / proof / unpaid-ask triggers (Step 1)
- Golden Circle card: Why / How / What (Step 2)
- Mom Test script: hard-question bank + interview log (Step 3)
- Offer MVP one-pager: buyer, outcome, duration, in/out, hypothesis, test plan, pivot/persevere (Step 4)
- Value Equation + obstacle→stack: Grand Slam sheet + first-price / Sprint-floor + SOW (Step 5)
- Positioning brief: question stack + 30-second SCR opening (Step 6)
- Channel test card: hypothesis, spend/time, metric, kill date (Step 7)
- Influence + ego checklist: ethical persuasion + weekly student log (Step 8)
What did you get?
You got a clear contrast between free advice, hourly coaching, soft CTAs, and a productized consulting offer. You got a mandatory one-liner. You got eight steps with Do / Deliverable / Pass gates, from career capital through ethical close. You got starter illustrations across ministry, federal IT, military, family, teaching, sales, HR, fitness, and real estate (shape examples, not fake results). You got red lines and when not to productize yet. You got Goldmine books tied to teaching moves, and a worksheet list.
Write the one-liner this week. Run Step 1 and Step 3 before you build a curriculum. If you cannot name one buyer and deliver a fixed Sprint, stay in paid pilots.
Let’s discuss this in the comments. I love you.
Take your experience and package it into a real consulting offer. Check it out. Let’s discuss it in the comments.