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Process walkthrough · B2B and professional services

B2B and professional services: from first contact to years of working together

For consultancy, accounting, IT, legal or agencies: how to reach decision-makers without relying only on referrals, and how to turn one contract into years of collaboration.

The pain points this process addresses

  • Few or unsuitable leads, despite spending on marketing.
  • A long sales cycle and offers that go unanswered.
  • Dependence on referrals: good months followed by empty ones.
  • The founder handles both sales and delivery and has time for neither.

From cold traffic to LTV, stage by stage

1. Cold traffic

People who don't know you see you for the first time.

Strategy

Show up in front of decision-makers with useful content, not with the offer.

Tools

  • LinkedIn (the founder's profile)
  • LinkedIn Ads
  • Google Ads on search
  • SEO articles
  • LinkedIn newsletter

Execution

  1. Define 2-3 ideal customer profiles: industry, size, the decision-maker's role.
  2. Post weekly from the founder's profile: real problems, solutions, examples.
  3. Run ads only on searches with intent, such as “[field] consultancy [city]”.

Metrics tracked

  • CPMThe cost of 1,000 impressions.
  • CTRThe share of people who clicked after seeing the ad or the search result.
  • New visitorsPeople reaching the site for the first time, by source.

2. Interest

They come back, read, watch and compare.

Strategy

Turn the visitor into a reader who comes back.

Tools

  • Guides on the blog
  • Webinars
  • Case studies
  • LinkedIn and Google retargeting

Execution

  1. Link every article to a complete guide and a case study.
  2. Retarget readers with a case study, not with “request an offer”.

Metrics tracked

  • Engagement rateSessions in which people read, scrolled or interacted, out of all sessions.
  • 50% video viewsHow many watched at least half of a clip.
  • CPCThe cost of one click.

3. Lead

They leave a signal: an enquiry, a booking, a sign-up or a basket.

Strategy

Ask for little: a 30-minute call or a diagnosis.

Tools

  • Short form
  • TidyCal or Calendly
  • LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms
  • CRM (HubSpot or Pipedrive)

Execution

  1. A single form with 3-4 fields and direct calendar booking.
  2. Every enquiry goes into the CRM automatically, with its source tagged through UTM.

Metrics tracked

  • Conversion rateThe share of visits that become an enquiry, a booking or an order.
  • CPLThe cost of one lead: an enquiry, a booking or a subscriber.
  • Time to first responseHow long it takes from enquiry to first contact.

4. Qualification and offer

You check the fit and make the proposal.

Strategy

Qualify quickly and propose a clear solution with a price and stages.

Tools

  • CRM with stages
  • Offer template
  • Electronic signature

Execution

  1. The diagnosis call follows 4 questions: the problem, the impact, the deadline, the budget.
  2. The offer goes out within 48 hours, with 2-3 options.

Metrics tracked

  • MQL → SQL rateHow many marketing-qualified leads become real sales opportunities.
  • Offer acceptance rateOffers or plans accepted, out of those sent.
  • Sales cycleDays from first contact to contract.

5. Customer

The first order or the first contract.

Strategy

A simple contract and a fast start.

Tools

  • Electronic signature
  • Invoicing
  • CRM

Execution

  1. A kick-off meeting in the first week, with owners and a calendar.
  2. Calculate the real acquisition cost for each source.

Metrics tracked

  • Win rateOrders or contracts won, out of open opportunities.
  • CACCustomer acquisition cost: everything spent on marketing and sales, divided by new customers.
  • Average valueThe average value of an order, a bill or a contract.

6. Delivery and activation

The customer reaches the first good result quickly.

Strategy

The first visible result within the first 30 days.

Tools

  • ClickUp or another project tool
  • Monthly report in Looker Studio
  • Recurring meetings

Execution

  1. A 90-day plan with a measurable result at 30 days.
  2. A one-page monthly report: what was done, what worked, what comes next.

Metrics tracked

  • Activation rateCustomers who reach the first useful result within the agreed period.
  • NPSHow likely a customer is to recommend you, on a scale from 0 to 10.

7. Retention and expansion

They come back, renew and buy more.

Strategy

Renew through results and expand with related services.

Tools

  • CRM with renewal dates
  • Client newsletter
  • Quarterly reviews

Execution

  1. A quarterly review with the client's figures, not yours.
  2. Propose expansion only after the first service has proved its value.

Metrics tracked

  • Repeat purchase rateCustomers who buy again or renew within a given period.
  • ChurnCustomers lost in a period, out of those at its start.
  • NPSHow likely a customer is to recommend you, on a scale from 0 to 10.

8. LTV and referrals

Value over the whole relationship and new customers brought by existing ones.

Strategy

Value comes from years of collaboration and from referrals.

Tools

  • Referral programme
  • Case studies with the client's consent
  • LinkedIn

Execution

  1. Ask for a referral after a result, not at the end of the contract.
  2. Turn good projects into case studies published with consent.

Metrics tracked

  • LTVThe margin a customer brings over the whole relationship.
  • LTV : CACHow much a customer brings compared with what it costs to win them.
  • Referral rateNew customers who came through referrals, out of all new customers.

Copywriting on the industry's pain points

The same message written in five different frameworks. We use each at the right stage and test them against each other.

AIDA

Cold traffic ads and landing pages. · Cold traffic

Attention
One good month, then three months without new clients?
Interest
Most service firms depend on referrals, and referrals can't be scheduled.
Desire
A simple system (content, diagnosis, offer within 48 hours) brings you conversations with decision-makers every week.
Action
Book a 30-minute diagnosis.

PAS

Ads and emails, when the pain is clear and recognised. · Interest

Problem
Offers sent, replies that never come.
Agitation
Every forgotten offer means hours of work lost and a competitor who replied faster.
Solution
A 4-question qualification process and an offer with 2-3 options, sent within 48 hours.

FAB

Product pages, technical sheets and offers. · Qualification and offer

Feature
A CRM with stages and the source of every lead.
Advantage
Every Monday you see which opportunities are stuck and why.
Benefit
You know in advance whether next month will be good and what to do today.

BAB

Case studies, retargeting and nurturing emails. · Lead

Before
Clients only from referrals and unpredictable months.
After
Weekly conversations with the right decision-makers and a sales calendar you can plan.
Bridge
Content from the founder's profile, a 30-minute diagnosis and a CRM with clear stages.

4U

Headlines, email subject lines and the first lines of ads. · Cold traffic

“Weekly conversations with decision-makers within 90 days, without relying only on referrals”

  • Useful
  • Urgent
  • Unique
  • Ultra-specific

Proposed A/B test

Hypothesis
A headline about predictability brings more bookings than one about growth.
Variant A (control)
“Grow your service business with B2B marketing”
Variant B
“New clients every month, not just from referrals”
Primary metric
Conversion rate

Language and visuals adapted to the industry

Lexical field

  • process
  • predictable
  • qualified
  • decision-maker
  • diagnosis
  • measurable result
  • accountable
  • deadline
  • report
  • collaboration

Words to avoid

  • complete solutions (without detail)
  • innovative solutions
  • market leader
  • we guarantee results

Word family

to decide

  • decision
  • decision-maker
  • decisive
  • undecided

Language structure

Direct, between equals. Short sentences, with the client's figures instead of adjectives. Plain, peer-to-peer tone in content; more formal wording in offers if the client prefers it.

Visual structure

Process diagrams, before-and-after tables, real portraits of the people who deliver, anonymised report screenshots. No stock images of handshakes.

Calculator: from budget to LTV

Change the values and see how CAC, LTV and the payback period move.

Monthly results

Visits
667
Leads
20
New customers
3
CAC
€667
LTV (margin)
€3,600
LTV : CAC
5.4 : 1
CAC payback (months)
6.7

The calculator values are an example calculation for the chosen industry, not a client's results. Enter your own figures.

Visits = budget ÷ CPC · Customers = visits × conversion 1 × conversion 2 · CAC = budget ÷ customers · LTV = value × purchases per year × margin × years · Payback = CAC ÷ monthly margin per customer

The metrics, in plain words

CPM
The cost of 1,000 impressions.cost ÷ impressions × 1,000
CTR
The share of people who clicked after seeing the ad or the search result.clicks ÷ impressions
New visitors
People reaching the site for the first time, by source.from Google Analytics 4
Engagement rate
Sessions in which people read, scrolled or interacted, out of all sessions.engaged sessions ÷ sessions
50% video views
How many watched at least half of a clip.50% views ÷ impressions
CPC
The cost of one click.cost ÷ clicks
Conversion rate
The share of visits that become an enquiry, a booking or an order.conversions ÷ visits
CPL
The cost of one lead: an enquiry, a booking or a subscriber.cost ÷ leads
Time to first response
How long it takes from enquiry to first contact.average, in hours
MQL → SQL rate
How many marketing-qualified leads become real sales opportunities.SQL ÷ MQL
Offer acceptance rate
Offers or plans accepted, out of those sent.accepted ÷ sent
Sales cycle
Days from first contact to contract.average, in days
Win rate
Orders or contracts won, out of open opportunities.won ÷ opportunities
CAC
Customer acquisition cost: everything spent on marketing and sales, divided by new customers.total cost ÷ new customers
Average value
The average value of an order, a bill or a contract.revenue ÷ orders
Activation rate
Customers who reach the first useful result within the agreed period.activated ÷ new customers
NPS
How likely a customer is to recommend you, on a scale from 0 to 10.% promoters minus % detractors
Repeat purchase rate
Customers who buy again or renew within a given period.repeat customers ÷ customers
Churn
Customers lost in a period, out of those at its start.lost ÷ customers at the start
LTV
The margin a customer brings over the whole relationship.value × purchases per year × margin × years
LTV : CAC
How much a customer brings compared with what it costs to win them.LTV ÷ CAC
Referral rate
New customers who came through referrals, out of all new customers.from referrals ÷ new customers

Further reading

Other industries