Strategic advisory for owners who need a clearer path forward
Some owners need to understand what prospective customers are seeing. Others need a deeper diagnosis, a strategic plan, or ongoing counsel as decisions are made and conditions change.
The right engagement depends on what you already know about the problem and which question still needs to be answered.
I help owners of established service businesses make clearer decisions about positioning, differentiation, proof, search and AI visibility, marketing priorities, vendors, and growth.
Four ways to work together
The four engagements move from outside-in observation to diagnosis, planning, and ongoing decision support. You can begin at the level that fits what you already know and the help you need.
Buyer Decision Diagnostic
What is shaping the buyer’s decision, and why?
The Buyer Decision Diagnostic examines the business conditions underlying what prospective customers see.
It goes beyond the visible symptoms to determine why the business may be harder to find, understand, trust, or choose than it should be. Depending on the findings, the diagnostic may examine positioning, differentiation, messaging, competitive context, proof, reputation signals, search and AI visibility, third-party information, and the consistency of the company’s story across the market.
Best when
You can see signs of a larger problem but do not yet understand the underlying causes, how the issues are connected, or which ones carry the greatest strategic significance.
What you receive
A deeper written diagnosis of the factors affecting how prospective customers find, evaluate, validate, and compare the business. The findings explain what is driving the most consequential buyer-decision problems, why those issues matter, and where strategic attention is required.
10 business days · $2,500 flat fee
Strategic Action Plan
What should we change, what should we leave alone, and what should happen first?
The Strategic Action Plan turns diagnosis into a prioritized course of action.
It determines which issues matter most, what should be done about them, how the recommendations fit together, and the sequence most likely to produce meaningful improvement without wasting time or money on lower-value activity.
Best when
You understand that the business needs more than a diagnosis and want experienced strategic judgment to help resolve competing priorities, make important choices, and establish a practical path forward.
What you receive
A practical 90-day action plan with specific strategic recommendations, the reasoning behind them, priorities and sequencing, important dependencies and tradeoffs, and clear decisions about what the business should change, continue, postpone, or stop pursuing.
3 to 4 weeks · $6,500 flat fee
Owner Advisory
How do we continue making sound decisions as we act and conditions change?
Owner Advisory provides ongoing strategic counsel for owners who want an experienced outside perspective as important decisions are made.
The work can include evaluating priorities, challenging assumptions, reviewing vendor or internal recommendations, assessing new opportunities, interpreting results, refining strategy, and determining when circumstances justify changing course.
Best when
You want consistent access to senior judgment, constructive challenge, and an informed outside perspective that keeps the larger business, customer, competitive, and strategic context in view.
How the relationship works
Owner Advisory is a structured monthly relationship. It includes scheduled advisory sessions, defined access between meetings for brief questions and time-sensitive decisions, and review of agreed-upon materials.
Work requiring substantial research, writing, execution, or project management is discussed and scoped separately before it begins.
Starts at $3,000 per month · Three-month minimum
Before They Call Review
What is a prospective customer seeing before contacting us?
The Before They Call Review is a proprietary buyer-perspective diagnostic developed and refined through real-world business reviews.
It examines the public information a prospective customer can reasonably find before making contact, including your website, search results, reviews and business profiles, competitors, third-party information, and AI-generated answers.
Best when
You want an experienced outside perspective on what prospective customers can see, understand, believe, and conclude before they contact you.
What you receive
A concise five-page assessment identifying what is already working, what may create uncertainty or hesitation, what could cause someone to keep looking, and which three issues deserve attention first.
The Review also includes a brief Expectation Check to assess whether the actual customer experience is likely to align with what your public presence promises, followed by a 45-minute review conversation.
Delivered within two business days · $495 flat fee
A clearer path starts with the right question
If you are unsure where to begin, that is what the first conversation is for. We can determine what you already know, what remains uncertain, and which level of help fits the situation.
Steve Kunkel
Strategic Business Advisor
kunkel.sk@gmail.com
512-663-1121