Client Value Journey: Stage 1 – Aware

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been building your consulting growth engine:

✅ Smarter packaging
✅ $30K/month offers
✅ Systems to scale without burnout

But if you’re still feeling like your lead flow is unpredictable or inconsistent, this might be why:

You’re treating client acquisition like a single event—when it’s actually a journey.

This week kicks off a new 8-part series:
📍 The Client Value Journey

Once you understand this path, everything gets easier—lead generation, conversion, retention, and referrals.

What is the Client Value Journey? 

It’s the predictable path someone follows from stranger to superfan.

There are 8 stages:

1. Aware – They discover you exist

2. Engage – They pay attention or interact

3. Subscribe – They raise their hand

4. Convert – They book a call or buy something small

5. Excite – They get a quick win

6. Ascend – They buy your core offer

7. Advocate – They praise you publicly

8. Promote – They refer others directly

Miss even one stage, and your pipeline suffers.

Most consultants skip from Aware to Convert—then wonder why their calls no-show or go nowhere.

Here's what I have for you in this issue:

🛠️ The Client Value Journey: Aware → Engage
If no one knows you exist, you have no chance of earning trust or business. But just being visible isn’t enough. You need to convert that visibility into real attention—engagement.

🤖 The 5-Point Engagement Maximizer Prompt: A five-step LinkedIn post template that grabs attention, speaks directly to your audience’s pain, and drives real conversations. 

Why Most Consultants Get "Seen But Not Chosen"

Ever feel like you’re posting into the void?

• You’ve got connections

• You’re sharing tips

• You’re “showing up” on LinkedIn

But…

📉 No real engagement
📉 No DMs
📉 No momentum

That’s an Aware → Engage problem.

The Real Goal of the Awareness Stage: Pattern Interrupt

People are scrolling. They’re busy. They’re numb to generic content.

So your job in this first stage isn’t to teach—it’s to interrupt the pattern.

You want your ideal client to stop and think:

“Wait… that’s me.”

5 Ways to Turn Visibility into Engagement

1️⃣ Start With a Painful Truth

↳ Skip the pleasantries. Lead with the uncomfortable insight your ICA is secretly thinking.

✅  “Most business owners never break $1M/year in personal income—not because they’re not good enough, but because they don't understand and manage their 'constraints'.”

2️⃣ Use High-Contrast Language

↳ Don’t play it safe—provoke a reaction.

✅ “Working 80-hour weeks is the fastest way to bleed your profit margins.”
✅ “Slash your prices and you’ll train customers to expect a bargain, not loyalty.”

3️⃣ Make It About Them

↳ Avoid “I did this” or “my story” posts—unless they connect back to their current struggle.

✅ “If you’re crunching numbers late on a Friday and wondering where the growth went, this is for you.”
✅ “When your best sales pitch ends in crickets: here’s where most SMB owners are leaving a fortune on the table.”

4️⃣ Include an Identity Signal

↳ Let them recognize themselves instantly.

✅ “You might be a family-owned business if cash-flow anxiety keeps you up at night.”
✅ “Tired of wearing every hat in your company and still not hitting revenue targets?”

5️⃣ Ditch Generic Tips—Share a Point of View 

↳ Instead of “3 tips to grow your business,” try:

✅ “Most SMB owners treat marketing like an afterthought—and wonder why leads never arrive.”
✅ “Chasing new customers without fixing your delivery process is like pouring water into a leaky bucket.”

People don’t want info. They want insight.

💡 This Week's Action

1. Audit your last 3 posts
   Did they interrupt the scroll? Or blend in with the noise?

2. Write one Aware-stage post using a painful truth
   Post it this week. Make sure the hook punches.

3. Ask 3 ideal clients this question:
   “What’s something you wish more consultants understood about your day-to-day?”

Use their answers to fuel future Aware-stage content.

Want to dive deeper? Check out these related articles:

👉 How to Break Through $15K/Month and Build a $30K+ Consulting Practice
👉 How To Analyze and Improve Performance of Your Linkedin Posts

You might also find these interesting:

🔎 How to Escape the Rat Race and Build a 7-Figure Consulting Business
🔎 15 Things I Know At 60 That I Wish I Knew At 30

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