Industry workflows
How should a consultant connect enquiries, proposals and client work?
A consultant’s CRM should connect the original request, qualification conversation and agreed engagement. It should make the next action visible and help carry the actual scope into delivery. That is more useful than simply storing a larger contact list. It should also preserve what remains undecided before an engagement starts.
Qualify the problem before proposing the solution
Record the customer’s problem, the relevant contact and what needs to be clarified. Decide whether the engagement fits the consultant’s services and capacity. Keep the reasons for the decision with the opportunity.
A deal should show the state of the commercial conversation: what is being considered, what is awaiting a response and what has been agreed. Do not treat a broad discovery conversation as a final statement of work.
Explore the connected Client Craft workflow to see how this approach fits the product.
Carry the agreement into the project
At handoff, preserve the scope, important assumptions, customer contacts and outstanding decisions. Make payment and delivery responsibilities explicit. Keep changes visible so the team does not deliver against an outdated proposal.
Client Craft connects enquiries, customer relationships, deals, payment collection, projects and client support. The consultant still agrees the engagement and manages delivery. Specialist analysis, document production and accounting tools can remain part of the setup.
Example: discovery is not implementation
Illustrative example: a client requests a complete process redesign, but first agrees a paid discovery engagement. Record discovery as the agreed work, with its deliverables and next owner. Implementation remains a later opportunity unless separately agreed.
A clear handoff prevents expectations from expanding merely because the first enquiry was ambitious. Review the customer record at the end of discovery and decide together what should happen next.
Consultation-to-engagement brief
Business goal: the outcome the prospective client is trying to reach.
Fit: what the consultant can help with and what is outside the service.
Decision maker: who agrees the next stage?
Known context: relevant information from the first conversation.
Discovery question: what must be clarified before making a proposal?
Scope: the specific assessment or engagement being agreed.
Commercial state: proposal, agreement and payment conditions.
Delivery handoff: owner, first milestone and unresolved questions.
Use this sample to preserve the decisions made in the conversation. An initial enquiry can lead to a paid assessment, a larger engagement or a decision not to proceed. Record each decision instead of treating every conversation as an agreed project.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a deal and a project? The deal records the commercial opportunity and what is being agreed. The project concerns delivery of the actual agreed work. Preserve the scope at the handoff.
Should every consulting enquiry become a proposal? Qualify the problem, fit and intended engagement first. A discovery conversation can lead to a scoped discovery engagement rather than an immediate implementation proposal.
How should a scope change be recorded? Keep the new decision and the resulting delivery expectations visible. Make sure the team works from the current agreement instead of an outdated proposal or an early enquiry.
Sources and next reading
Client Craft product capabilities · Service scope and responsibilities
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