Client Value Journey: Stage 2 – Engage

One of my clients, I'll call him Rick, has the kind of consistency most consultants dream about.

Every Monday through Friday for the past 8 months, he's sent exactly 20 LinkedIn connection requests. Rain or shine. Busy or bored. He's missed maybe 2 days total.

His dedication paid off—sort of.

Out of 400 monthly requests, he was getting 70-80 acceptances. That's a 20% acceptance rate, which isn't bad.

But here's where the story gets painful.

When it came time to fill his workshop events, Rick heard nothing but crickets. All those connections, all those acceptances, and barely anyone was registering or showing up.

"I don't understand," Rick told me during our coaching call. "I'm doing everything my last LinkedIn coach taught me. I reach out after they accept, try to get to know them, offer to help..."

I asked him to show me his messages. They went something like this:

"Hi [Name], thanks for connecting! I love helping business owners become better LinkedIn users. Would you be open to grabbing coffee sometime to see how I might be able to help you?"

I winced.

"Rick," I said, "you're trying to make friends. But business owners don't have time for new friends. They barely have time for the friends they already have."

His face fell. Eight months of effort, and he'd been doing it wrong the entire time.

But here's where the story gets good.

Before I share Rick's big shift, let me set the stage.

Two weeks ago, we kicked off this series on the Client Value Journey—the 8 stages every prospect moves through on their path from stranger to superfan. We covered Stage 1 (Aware), where people discover you exist.

Then last week, we hit pause for something urgent: how Artificial General Intelligence will reshape the consulting industry. If you missed that issue, I strongly recommend going back to read it. The implications are real and raw.

Here's what I have for you in this issue (we're diving deep into the stage where most consultants fail):

🛠️  Client Value Journey: Stage 2 – Engage
Awareness without engagement is just expensive invisibility.

🤖 The Message Transformation Prompt
Turn your outreach from boring to exciting and 10X your response rate

The LinkedIn Engagement Crisis Nobody's Talking About

LinkedIn's own data tells a sobering story about engagement rates.

According to LinkedIn's 2024 B2B Marketing Benchmark report, the average engagement rate for LinkedIn posts is just 2%.

But what Linkedin doesn't tell you is, engagement doesn't equal business.

HubSpot's 2024 State of Marketing Report found that while 89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for lead generation, only 39% rate it as effective for actually generating revenue.

Why the disconnect?

The Vanity Metrics Trap 

Social media management platform Hootsuite revealed that businesses spend an average of 6 hours per week on LinkedIn content creation and engagement. That's 312 hours annually—nearly 8 full work weeks.

Yet Demand Gen Report's 2024 B2B Buyer's Survey found:

• 73% of B2B buyers say vendor content is too focused on selling
• 67% prefer to engage with content that educates without pitching
• Only 5% of cold outreach messages get responses

The math is brutal: Hundreds of hours invested. Thousands of connections made. Single-digit response rates.

The Real Cost of Bad Engagement

Let's talk dollars and cents.

The average consultant (still) charges by the hour, at about $150-300 bucks per. Using the conservative number, those 312 annual LinkedIn hours represent $46,800 in time investment.

For that investment, Sales Navigator data shows the average user sends 50 InMails monthly with a 18-25% response rate. Of those responses, LinkedIn's own research indicates only 15% lead to meaningful conversations.

Do the math:

• 600 messages annually
• 120-150 responses
• 18-23 meaningful conversations
• Industry average close rate: 20%
• Result: 3-5 new clients per year

That's $9,360 to $15,600 per client acquired.

Why Traditional LinkedIn Outreach Is Dying 

Gartner's 2024 B2B Buying Behavior study dropped a bombshell: B2B buyers spend only 17% of their total purchase journey talking to potential suppliers. And when they do engage, 77% describe their purchase experience as "extremely complex" or "difficult."

The problem? We're interrupting busy executives with "Let's get to know each other" messages when research from the Rain Group shows:

• 82% of B2B decision makers think salespeople are unprepared
• 75% say salespeople don't understand their business
• 71% of buyers choose vendors who "understand their business needs"

Meanwhile, McKinsey's research on B2B sales shows that 70% of B2B decision makers are ready to spend $50,000 or more in a single remote or online transaction—but only when they feel the seller truly understands their specific situation.

The Engagement Gap That's Costing You Millions

Here's where it gets interesting.

LinkedIn's Economic Graph team found that while the platform has 1 billion members, only 3% actively create content weekly. Yet those 3% generate 85% of all meaningful B2B conversations on the platform.

But creating content isn't enough. Microsoft's 2024 Work Trend Index found that the average knowledge worker spends just 11 minutes per day on LinkedIn—and most of that is passive scrolling.

You have seconds, not minutes, to capture attention.

The Corporate Executive Board's research on challenger selling revealed that 53% of customer loyalty is driven not by the sales experience, but by the sales insight—teaching them something new about their business.

Yet what do most LinkedIn messages offer? Coffee. A "quick chat." A chance to "learn about your business."

No wonder response rates are in the toilet.

What if I told you that you could go from empty workshops to packed rooms—by sending FEWER messages?

What if you could research 5 ideal prospects in the time it used to take to research one, uncovering pain points so specific they'd think you've been studying their business for months?

What if every message you sent created such intense curiosity that prospects actually thanked you for reaching out?

This isn't fantasy. It's exactly what happened when Rick discovered the "free micro consultant" approach, powered by AI tools that didn't exist even 6 months ago.

Let me show you exactly how he did it...

The LinkedIn Message Transformation Framework

Rick's transformation started with a simple mindset shift: Stop trying to give them coffee and give them a free micro-breakthrough instead.

Here's his old approach: "Hi [Name], thanks for connecting! I love helping business owners become better LinkedIn users. Would you be open to grabbing coffee sometime to see how I might be able to help you?"

Boring. Generic. Vague. All about him.

Here's his new approach: "Hi [Name], I spent 10 minutes researching your company and found 3 specific issues that are likely costing you $50K+ annually in lost revenue. I'm hosting an exclusive workshop next Thursday where I'll hand you a sealed envelope with your custom fix. Only inviting 10 business owners. Interested?"

Specific. Valuable. All about them.

The psychological difference is staggering:

Curiosity Trigger: "3 specific issues" makes them desperate to know what you found FOMO Activation: "sealed envelope" and "only inviting 10" creates urgency Authority Position: You've already diagnosed their problems Clear Value: They know exactly what they'll get

But here's the real magic—Rick could create these personalized messages at scale.

The AI-Powered Research Revolution

Six months ago, researching one company properly took 30-45 minutes. You'd dig through their website, scan their reviews, check their social media, analyze their competitors.

Today, tools like ChatGPT Agent and Google's new Opal feature means Rick (and you) can research 5 companies in that same 30 minutes.

Here's the exact process:

🔍 Step 1: The Parallel Research Method

⤷ Instead of researching companies one by one, Rick opens 5 browser tabs—one for each prospect. Using Google's Opal or ChatGPT Agent, he can analyze all 5 simultaneously.

🎯 Step 2: The Pain Point Extraction

⤷  For each company, he looks for:

• Repeated complaints in reviews
• Missing services their competitors offer
• Inefficiencies visible from their public information
• Industry trends they're clearly missing 

💬 Step 3: The Message Crafting

⤷  Using his findings, he crafts messages that feel impossibly personalized:
 

Example for an HVAC company:

"Hi John, noticed your team gets praised for quality work, but 47% of your reviews mention scheduling frustrations—that's 3x higher than your competitors. I have a 15-minute scheduling fix that helped 3 other HVAC companies boost their Google rating from 4.2 to 4.7 stars. Hosting a workshop Thursday where I'll show you exactly how. Want the details?"

What to Expect When You Get Your Messaging Right

Rick is just starting to implement this new approach, and it's definitely more work than his old method.

But when you only need 5-10 people in your room, not 100, you can afford to spend time researching each prospect properly.

When consultants shift from generic outreach to the free micro-breakthrough approach, they typically notice an immediate change in response quality.

Instead of polite brush-offs or radio silence, messages that demonstrate specific research tend to generate responses like:

"How did you know about that?"
"We were just discussing this in our leadership meeting"
"I'm curious what you found"
"This is exactly what we're dealing with right now"

Is it more work than mass messaging? Absolutely.

But remember, you don't need hundreds of clients. You need the RIGHT clients. And this approach is designed to attract exactly those people—business owners who value expertise and are willing to invest in solutions.

⛔ The old way: Spray and pray, hope someone needs help.

✅ The new way: Research, personalize, and demonstrate value upfront.

The Quality vs. Quantity Shift

When you move from sending 100 generic messages to sending 20 researched ones, you're making a strategic bet: that demonstrating expertise upfront will attract better-fit clients who value what you do.

This approach won't work for everyone. If you need high volume, this isn't it. But if you're like Rick and only need 5-10 quality people in your workshop, the math changes completely.

The Sealed Envelope Workshop Strategy

Here's where this approach becomes truly brilliant.

Instead of trying to book individual calls (time-consuming and low-leverage), invite prospects to exclusive workshops. But not just any workshop—one where you'll hand them a sealed envelope with their company name on it.

Inside that envelope? Their #1 profit leak and exactly how to fix it.

The psychology is perfect:

• Intrigue: Who can resist opening an envelope with their name on it?
• Efficiency: You can serve 10 prospects in 90 minutes
• Social Proof: Other business owners in the room validate the value
• Authority: You're pre-positioned as the expert who already knows their problems

The invitation message: "I researched your company and found something concerning—you're leaving at least $50K on the table annually. Rather than discuss it over LinkedIn, I'm hosting a private workshop Thursday where I'll hand you a sealed envelope with your biggest profit leak and the exact steps to fix it. Only inviting 10 business owners. You in?"

The Psychology Behind Why This Works

Robert Cialdini's research on influence shows that personalization increases response rates by up to 300%. When someone feels you've invested time understanding their specific situation, reciprocity kicks in.

The sealed envelope technique leverages what psychologists call the "Zeigarnik Effect"—our brain's tendency to fixate on incomplete tasks. Once prospects know there's an envelope with their name on it, they can't help but want to know what's inside.

Plus, the workshop format addresses what Gartner calls "buyer enablement"—helping prospects buy rather than trying to sell them. By gathering multiple prospects together, you create peer validation and reduce the perceived risk of engagement.

Your 7-Day Engagement Transformation

🗓️ Day 1-2: Master the Tools

☐ Set up a Google Opal agent or use ChatGPT Agent mode
☐ Practice researching 3 companies in your niche
☐ Identify common pain points and profit leaks

🗓️ Day 3-4: Craft Your Messages

☐ Write your sealed envelope workshop invitation
☐ Create 5 personalized messages using your research
☐ Test different curiosity triggers and pain points

🗓️ Day 5: Launch Your Outreach

☐ Send 5 messages in the morning
☐ Send 5 more in the afternoon
☐ Track opens, responses, and interest

🗓️ Day 6: Engage and Iterate

☐ Respond to all replies within 2 hours
☐ Adjust your message based on responses
☐ Send 10 more refined messages

🗓️ Day 7: Plan Your Workshop

☐ Set date for your first sealed envelope event
☐ Create the envelope contents for confirmed attendees
☐ Prepare your transformation framework

Why 12 Months From Now, This (Probably) Won't Work

We're in a brief window where AI-powered research gives you a massive advantage.

Right now, your competitors are still sending "Let's grab coffee" messages. They're still playing the volume game. They're still hoping personality (or brute force, or something) will close the deal.

But this advantage is temporary.

Within 12 months:

⚠️ Everyone will use AI for research
⚠️ Prospects will expect hyper-personalization
⚠️ Generic outreach will be completely ignored

MIT research shows you have 48 hours after initial interest to convert to conversation. After that, response rates drop 89%.

But there's a bigger window closing: The window where this approach feels fresh and innovative to prospects.

Hey, you know there are consultants out there half as good as you getting double your results. Like always, it's not because they're the best consultants. They're the best marketers. Andy they'll be the ones who mastered engagement while their competitors were still counting followers.

So get after it. Use it now, while it still surprises and delights them.

Want to dive deeper? Check out these related articles:

👉 Client Value Journey: Stage 1 – Aware
👉 How to Break Through $15K/Month and Build a $30K+ Consulting Practice

You might also find these interesting:

🔎  How To Analyze and Improve Performance of Your Linkedin Posts
🔎 How to Escape the Rat Race and Build a 7-Figure Consulting Business

P.S.: When you're ready, here are more ways I can help you...