Consulting Mastery
Start, Grow, and Scale Your
Consulting or Professional Business
Build High Income, Impact, and Independence
Corporate to Consultant
You've worked in the corporate environment, but now it's time for higher income and greater independence.
Start and get clients quickly. Build a solid business platform with clear, proven step-by-step guidance.
Early-Stage
Consultant
You've started consulting, but your growth is slower than you want and income is erratic.
You need proven strategies, tactics, and AI-powered systems that quickly build your client portfolio, higher income, and a better work-life balance.
Experienced
Consultant
You are past the startup stage but barriers hold you back. The Feast-or-Famine cycle keeps you from growing as fast as you should.
You need consulting systems and a community to help you scale and build multiple streams of income.
Get Your Consulting Business Up and Running with Clients in 8 Weeks
- Get clients quickly
- Don't waste 3 to 5 years learning on your own
- Use your best fee and business model
- Build a pipeline-filling marketing machine
- Win new clients with our 12-step sales process
- Increase your workflow 2X to 3X with AI-powered business systems
- Get lifetime access to classes and the Gen AI Consulting Prompt library
Start, Grow, and Scale Your Consulting Business
As a consultant you know that the fastest way to get to the top is with help. And consulting itself is no different.
The fastest, most effective way to start, accelerate, and scale your consulting business is by doing exactly what you want your clients to do… by getting help from an experienced professional who can show you the way.
That’s exactly the kind of guidance we offer at Critical to Success. Coaching, a vibrant, interactive community, and the Consulting Mastery Course come together to give you the help you need right when you need it – now.
…I don't ever recommend training, but this is a rare exception.
Of the dozens of trainings I have been involved with over the last twenty years, this is hands down the best business training I have attended at any price point, highly recommended.
Steve Birks, BizDash Systems Ltd.
Providing managers with custom-made business dashboards,
and Visual Management Operating Systems
Save Yourself Years of Hard Work
In 8 weeks, you build the strategies, tactics, and AI-powered systems that take some consultants 3 to 5 years to build. At every stage in the 8-week Consulting Mastery course, you build Business Builder projects that are a foundation for success.
These Business Builder projects are essential to your future productivity and growth.
You getlifetime access to the Consulting Mastery library of AI Prompts, videos, and course materials.
Who Am I?
Hi, I'm Ron Person.
My first five years as a consultant were tough. I had to sell my house to keep going. But I stuck with it, and I built a highly successful consulting business with a long list of satisfied clients from regional businesses to Global 1000 corporations.
Remembering how hard it was to build the business makes me passionate about helping you set a clear path and get the step-by-step know-how to build your business success.
I've been consulting and training with giants like Microsoft, Arthur Andersen, and other Fortune 1000 and Global 1000 corporations as well as regional non-profits.
I learned how to deliver my expertise through multiple channels - consulting and training in mid-sized and global corporations, teaching through the University of California, Berkeley, and writing 27 books with four international bestsellers and three million copies sold.
I learned the strategies, tactics, and systems that build successful consulting and professional service businesses! And, I want to pass them on to you.
Fully recommended for anyone starting out on their coaching or consulting practices, or even if you are already underway but would like to have a structured approach to growing your business.
The Consulting Mastery Course
Life is too short to spend 5 to 10 years learning on your own how to build your business. Accelerate your business growth with proven best practices.
Imagine using Advanced (no code) AI Prompts to increase your productivity and reduce days of professional work to a few hours of review.
With The Consulting Mastery Course you can,
- Accelerate your business growth by 3 to 5 years
- Build, review, and implement critical business systems each week
- Get review and feedback from your cohort and an instructor with 3o+ years of experience
- Learn to write your own advanced Gen AI-prompts to accelerate client work
- Stay on the leading edge with weekly community updates
The Consulting Mastery course is an 8-week course that teaches and guides as you build the strategies, tactics, and systems you need for a strong, successful consulting business.
Each module contains videos, templates, robust AI prompts, checklists, and guides. Live group coaching each week gives you feedback and peer learning, as well as your private two hours of one-on-one coaching with Ron Person.
Module 1: How Generative AI is Changing the World
Understanding AI isn't just about keeping up with technology; it's about leading as a professional and accelerating your productivity and client services. As a consultant and professional you need to understand how everything is changing, rapidly. In this module, we explore:
- Core Principles: Understand the concepts of Generative AI, its impact in different business areas, and why it’s making waves in the business world.
- Real-world Impact: Discover why large consulting firms are investing billions of dollars in integrating Generative AI into their daily workflows, consulting engagements, and client-delivery projects.
- Opportunities for Consultants: Learn how you as an independent consultant or professional must use AI to stay ahead in your industry and to lead your clients. Do this right and its gold. Do it wrong and …
Module 2: Accelerating with AI
To be the best, you need to harness the best tools and know how to use them. This module shows you which tools are tops and how to use no-code prompt engineering to supercharge your professional work:
- Applications and Plugins: Learn recommended AI applications and plugins that will become your daily go-to's.
- Corporate and Brand Voice and Examples: Teach Gen AI how to write with your style and voice and give it examples of styles you prefer.
- Prompt Engineering: Learn structured prompt engineering for Generative AI that produces highly accurate, high-quality output with your voice or the writing style you define.
- Use Your Data: Don't be limited to out-of-date generic data. Include your or your client's data and web pages in your AI-driven projects. Use templates, for example with proposals, to define your output style and structure.
Module 3: Finding Your Perfect Niche
In the wide landscape of consulting and professional services, differentiation is key to growing your business and income. Use AI to identify and dominate your niche:
- Why Your Niche is Critical to Success: Understand why specialized knowledge and expertise bring you more clients and higher income.
- Positioning for Profit: Learn how to position yourself to create a competitive profit and a defensible niche.
- Identify Niche Pains, Problems, Purposes, and Pursuits: Use AI to identify your niche's key pains, problems, and buying triggers.
- Define Your Unique Value Proposition: Set yourself apart with a defensible position that brings higher income and more clients.
- Identify Your Core Consulting/Professional Services: Learn how to enter a client with your core strategy, then branch out to supply adjacent services that bring your client more value.
Module 4: Finding Your Ideal Clients
Find and engage the clients who need, want, and will eagerly pay for your services:
- Ideal Client Profiling with AI: Craft detailed client personas using AI so you know exactly how to find, engage, and relate to your client.
- Validate Your Client Needs: Learn how to validate your client's needs so you don't waste time working with clients that take you off target.
- Build a Well-Defined Target Client List: Learn how to identify the key characteristics of qualified clients, find them, and then engage them with the 4Ps: Pain, Problem, Profit, and Purpose.
Module 5: Promoting Your Professional Brand
In the digital age, your online brand is often your first impression. Make it count with:
- Client Service Statements: Craft memorable and powerful slogans and elevator pitches with AI's help.
- LinkedIn Optimization: Elevate your LinkedIn profile to show your authority and attract high-value connections.
- Draft Your Professional Website with AI: Create a comprehensive, website that resonates with your target audience.
- Draft Your Core Services Pages: Draft pages that describe your Core and Adjacent Consulting Services in terms that fit your target client's greatest pains, problems, profits, and purposes.
- Draft Your LinkedIn Profile: Use an AI prompt to draft your LinkedIn profiles. Professional marketers have said the result is "Perfect for engaging prospects!".
Module 6: Building Your Pipeline
Getting your first client is essential, but building a marketing machine that constantly fills your pipeline with prospects is critical to your future. In this module, you and the coach choose which Business Builder projects will work best to build your business.
If you are new, you will focus on methods to quickly get clients and return later at any time to build your marketing machine.
If you are experienced and have a few clients, you will work on processes that will keep your prospect pipeline full.
- Channel Identification: Recognize where your potential clients spend their time. Identify where your skills match their channels of communication.
- Referrals and Networking: Use existing referrals, past contacts, and networking to quickly get clients.
- Direct Outreach: Use Gen AI, email sequences, and multiple systems to engage and build a list of engaged prospects.
- Website and Social Engagement: Use blogs and social media posts to capture interested prospects with targeted lead gen material.
- Webinars and Workshops: Present to large, targeted audiences, prove your authority, and engage them. The methods I've perfected here have the highest engagement rates.
Module 7: Selling Consulting and Professional Services
Consultants and service professionals love to solve problems, but few enjoy selling their services to solve those same problems. Learn how you can use AI as a mentor to overcome objections and to our 12-Step Sales Process that employs SPIN selling and Dr. Cialdini's "Ethical Influence."
- Practice a Discovery Conversation: Consultants and professional service providers love to analyze and talk through problems. Use your discovery skills to learn their needs.
- Influence their Decisions: We partnered with the world-renowned Dr. Cialdini to give you access to his 6-week course on "Ethical Influencing."
- Handling Objections: Use advanced Gen AI prompts to identify and handle niche client objections.
- Roleplay Sales Scripts: Practice your closing conversation with a role-playing ChatBot trained on your prospect's situation.
Module 8: Calculating Fees
The right fee structure can make or break your consulting business. Too low and you go out of business. Too high and you don’t get the business. This module ensures you get it right.
- Business Model Selection: Understand the 9 consulting business models and which one suits your service.
- Quick Estimates: Learn a few “Rules of Thumb” to quickly estimate your fee.
- Fee Calculation: Use a Cost-Analysis worksheet to calculate your fees and account for business expenses and profit margin.
- Project Fee Calculation: Most consultants use project-based fees. Use the included worksheet to ensure you include all details and a good profit margin.
Module 9: Writing Winning Proposals and Retainers
Use Gen AI to draft your winning proposals using a format based on the template of your choice. Upload notes from your Discovery Session (client interview), cost estimates, deliverables lists, case studies and more, then watch ChatGPT output a winning draft proposal
- From Discovery Session Notes to Proposal: Upload Discovery Session notes, case studies, descriptions of deliverables, etc., and watch ChatGPT draft a winning proposal.
- Proposal Templates: Write an outline of your proposal layout or upload existing proposals and use them as examples for the AI proposal drafter.
- Use the 12-Step SPIN Sales System to Present Your Winning Proposal: Learn how to win the client before you even present the proposal using our 12-Step SPIN Sales System designed to prove your autherity, build a bond, and move your proposal to the top of the stack.
The course exceeded my expectations.
I wanted to learn consulting best practices that would help me transition from the corporate environment to a new consulting business as quickly as possible.
I believe that the course helped me shave years off the process of building an effective business system for consulting.
Judith Garland, Securescape Analytics
Co-creating Value for Exceptional Project and Program Outcomes
You Can't Lose Guarantee!
First, I want to give you my “Can’t Lose Guarantee": After the first three months in the course, and having completed your Business Builder projects, you will generate enough new revenue in your business to recover your investment in Consulting Mastery.
Second, the “Must Win Guarantee": From what you learn, the Business Builder projects, and community feedback, you will solve the biggest bottleneck you face. You will be ready to reach the next higher level.
If you don't reach either of these two goals, I will work with you until you do.
Ron's one-on-one approach was and still is an immense help for me...
The course met my expectations with step-by-step guides on how to achieve all my business goals. Ron was also extremely helpful and went above and beyond in supporting my business.
Enjoy every intense moment because it is intensive and utilizes Ron's wealth of experience, knowledge, and time. Ron's one-on-one approach was and still is an immense help for me in becoming an established independent management consultant.
Tolu Ajakaiye, Evance Consulting, United Kingdom
Working with Cx0s, HR, and Operations
to simplify back-office complexity for greater performance
Bonus 1:
The World's Best Course on
Influence and Persuasion
Learn how to influence and persuade from the recognized world's master.
This skill is so essential that Forbes magazine ranked 'persuasion' as a top-3 power skill to learn in 2024.
Now you can take your sales and influencing skills as a consultant to new heights with this 6-week course from a world recognized expert.
Unlock the secrets to mastering the art of persuasion and influencing decisions with this bonus course, "Ethical Influence Practitioner," from Dr. Cialdini. Dr. Cialdini is the world-renowned expert in the psychology of influence and selling.
As the author of the mega-bestselling books "Influence" and "Pre-Suasion," with 7 million copies sold, Dr. Cialdini has revolutionized the way we understand the psychology behind decision-making and selling.
The price of this world-class course is $1,495 through the Cialdini Institute. But by taking Consulting Mastery this world class course on influence is yours free.
We partnered with Dr. Ciadlini to bring you the best course available in ethical influence. Use it in your writing, sales, and consulting.
"'Influence' is one of the best business books
of all time."
Warren Buffett
CEO Berkshire Hathway
Magnify Your Sales and Influence Skills
In the world of consulting and professional services, your ability to influence, persuade, and build relationships is critical to your success.
Get the power to navigate even challenging situations.
- Drive more sales
- Ethically influence decisions
- Create stronger client relationships
Bonus 2:
AI-Power for Professionals
Unlock AI-Power to Grow Your Business
- AI in the Business World
Generative AI is creating the largest business transformation since the Industrial Revolution. - Stay Ahead of Clients and Competitors
The largest consulting firms like McKinsey & Co., BCG, Bain, Arthur Andersen, and others are investing billions of dollars in AI tools for their consultants. They recognize it is critical for the future. - Business Builder Projects Accelerate Your Success
At each stage and module, you use no-code AI prompts to build Business Builder Projects that accelerate your sales, productivity, and client delivery. - Master Prompt Engineering
Master no-code prompt engineering and have lifetime access to the Consulting Mastery Library of robust AI prompts built for consultants. - Get the Generative AI Prompt Library for Consultants
The Gen AI prompts used in Business Builder projects and more are there for you for life. Use the prompt archive throughout your consulting career to increase your productivity.
Bonus 3:
Two One-on-One Coaching Sessions
Use your Private Coaching Sessions to Dig in to Your Unique Situations
- Don't Face the Business World Alone
Don't face critical business decisions alone. Work one-on-one with a coach who knows consulting. - One-on-One Coaching
In addition to weekly group coaching you receive two hours of one-on-one coaching with Ron Person. Ron has 30+ years consulting experience with regional and international corporations. - Coaching at Two Critical Stages
Use your first coaching session to identify your business and marketing model and future business building path. Take your second coaching session at any later point within a year.
Bonus 4:
Get the Strategic Edge with the
Consulting Business Model Canvas
Streamline your consulting business plan and align strategy and objectives
- Strategize with a Leader in Strategy and Objectives : Use your first one-on-one coaching call with Ron to refine your Business Model. Ron wrote one of the top-selling books on strategy and objectives.
- Align Your Strategy and Objectives: As an independent or boutique consultant you cannot waste time or go the wrong direction. Use the Canvas to insure you align your business model, fees, clients, channels, marketing, and partners.
- Build a Growth Strategy that Works: Build a strategic plan and objectives that takes you to the future. Align Client Needs, Value Proposition, Key Activities, Channels, Key Partners,...
Get An Incredible Return on Investment
Every month you spend learning to navigate the complexities of starting and scaling a business is a month of potential income lost. Start your consulting business as though you already had years of experience.
Just One New Client from What You Learn in Consulting Mastery
Check the Return on Investment from your investment in the course. The two fees below are example fees from one new client project.
Fee $10,000
567% ROI
5.7X Return on Your Investment
Fee $5,000
233% ROI
2.3X Return on Your Investment
This is your ROI from just one new client. In just the first year. But you will continue to win more new clients with your new skills.
Keep Earning
- Increase Productivity
A Harvard Business Review studied BCG consultants and found they increased productivity be 12.6% by using Gen AI. Compounded over years and multiple clients that is a massive productivity increase. - Capture Lost Opportunities
Most consultants and professionals take three to five years to build their business. Consulting Mastery gets you up to speed in weeks. When you learn on your own you waste opportunities, miss income, increase frustration, and miss time with your family and friends. - Gain Authority and Credibility
Generative AI is being rapidly adopted by clients. As a consultant you have a winning edge over consultants who have not learned robust Gen AI prompts.
Consultants are Needed!
We are in a Knowledge Revolution
Challenges and Change Mean Consulting Opportunity...
Consulting and professional services were already facing massive changes in the world of business. AI will make those changes even greater.
A landmark study by the Harvard Business Review of BCG consultants found Gen AI made consultants faster and they produced higher quality results in general.
However, 19% of results were poorer! This was attributed to consultants who were not trained and used the wrong AI tool, or used the correct tool ineffectively.
Learning how to correctly use the power of AI to solve business client problems is critical to success. That's why we incorporate teaching and using non-code Gen AI prompts throughout the Consulting Mastery course. And when you finish you have lifetime access to the full Consulting AI Prompt library.
AI Investment by Large Consulting Firms is Massive
It's no wonder large firms are investing billions of dollars in Generative AI to make their consultants even more productive and to bind their clients even closer.
So how can individual consultants and boutique firms keep up with these massive investments in AI?
Individual Consultants and Professional Firms can Unlock the Power of AI with the Consulting Mastery Course
Build Business Projects as You Learn
Consulting Mastery guides you and accelerates your business building.
At every stage in Consulting Mastery you not only learn what is critical to success you build Business Builder projects that form a strong, powerful foundation for your business.
Consulting Mastery uses the Flipped Learning instructional method used at MIT, Stanford, and Harvard. It’s not just learning. It's doing!
You aren't just reading and watching videos. You are building your business.
Learn, Do, Review, and Apply.
In every stage, Business Builder Projects guide you with the Learn, Do, Review, and Apply learning method of Flipped Learning. You learn and then use templates and no-code AI prompts to build business systems and aids like, client SWOT analysis, sales scripts, drafting client proposals, email nurture sequences, and much more. At every stage the live weekly meetings are there for questions and reviews.
Accelerate with AI-Power for Professionals
The Consulting Mastery course includes significant parts of the AI-Power for Professionals course. Once you complete the course, you have lifetime access to the Consulting Mastery AI Prompt library.
Imagine accelerating your productivity with advanced Gen AI prompts that reduce days of professional work to a few hours of editing and review. You can turn the time you save into more income or more time for work/life balance.
- Gen AI prompts help you complete each Business Builder Project
- Each Business Builder Project is a foundation stone for your business - they solve real, essential problems that stop many consultants from growing their business
- Business Builder Projects and their Gen AI prompts include workflows such as drafting blogs and social media posts, creating email nurture sequences, writing lead gen offers, analyzing data, drafting executive presentations, roleplaying sales presentations, drafting proposals, and more...
- You learn how to modify the Gen AI prompts in the course to fit your business and your client projects
- You deliver more value to your clients by helping them stay ahead by correctly using the power of Gen AI
