Theory of Constraints for Your Client Value Journey

Over the past 10 weeks, we've built something powerful together:

✅ The 8-stage Client Value Journey (Aware → Promote)
✅ AI-native positioning that sets you apart
✅ Implementation across every client touchpoint

But here's what I'm hearing from consultants who've done this work:

"I've optimized my LinkedIn profile, updated my website, and refined my positioning... but my pipeline still has holes in it."

Maybe the problem isn't your positioning. Maybe it's pipeline physics.

See, your consulting practice, like any system, has ONE constraint that's limiting your entire throughput.

Fix everything except the constraint? You're wasting time and energy.

Fix the constraint? Everything else flows better automatically.

This week, I'm showing you how to use Theory of Constraints thinking to find your pipeline bottleneck—and the specific fix that will have the biggest impact on your revenue. Plus the two biggest announcement (in my opinion) during OpenAI's DevDay event.

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

🛠️ The TOC Pipeline Diagnostic: Apply Theory of Constraints to find the ONE bottle-neck killing your revenue growth

🤖 The "Constraint Finder" Prompt: Get AI to analyze your metrics and identify your system constraint

Why Most Pipeline Optimization Fails

I see consultants do this all the time:

They improve their LinkedIn content (Aware → Engage)
Then they redesign their lead magnet (Engage → Subscribe)
Then they refine their sales script (Subscribe → Convert)
Then they overhaul their onboarding (Convert → Excite)

All at the same time.

Here's where they go wrong: They're applying marginal improvements in the wrong order.

Remember the David Brailsford story? He transformed British Cycling through marginal gains—1% improvements across dozens of areas.

But here's what easily misunderstood about his story: Brailsford didn't improve everything randomly. He identified the biggest limiters first, then systematically worked through constraints in order of impact.

If the team's bikes were 10% slower than competitors, no amount of pillow optimization or diet changes would overcome that constraint.

This is the marriage of two powerful concepts:

• Marginal Gains: Small improvements compound exponentially
• Theory of Constraints: But only when applied to the right bottleneck

The result of improving everything simultaneously is you never really know what's working. Winners focus, losers spray.

The result of marginal improvements applied systematically, starting with your tightest constraint and working your way down, creates a compound effects that transforms your entire system.

Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt taught us in The Goal: Every system has exactly ONE constraint that limits overall throughput. Everything else has excess capacity.

Your job isn't to avoid marginal improvements. It's to apply them to the RIGHT constraint in the RIGHT order.

The 30-Minute TOC Diagnostic
 

➡️  Step 1: Map Your Current Throughput (10 minutes)

For the past 90 days, estimate:

Aware: How many people discovered you?
Engage: How many interacted?
Subscribe: How many raised their hand for more?
Convert: How many became clients?
Excite: How many were excited after first experience?
Ascend: How many bought more from you? 
Advocate: How many talked about you publicly?
Promote: How many directly referred others?

➡️  Step 2: Calculate Conversion Rates (10 minutes)

Conversion Rate = (People Who Moved Forward ÷ People Who Started) × 100

Compare to benchmarks:

➡️  Step 3: Identify Your Constraint (10 minutes)

Your constraint is the stage where:

1. Performance gap is largest: Biggest difference between your rate and world-class
2. Volume is meaningful: At least 10+ prospects flowing through
3. Impact is exponential: Early-stage constraints affect everything downstream  

Important: Your constraint is NOT always the worst-performing stage. It's where fixing the problem has the biggest impact on throughput.

The Four Constraint Types

🔴 Type 1: The Visibility Constraint

 Bottleneck: Aware → Engage (< 8%)

Symptom: "Nobody knows about me"

90-Day Fix:

• Post 3x weekly using painful truths (Week 1-2)
• AI-powered personalized outreach to 20 prospects weekly (Week 3-4)
• Pitch 5 podcasts + secure 2 speaking gigs (Week 5-8)
• Systematize content creation and distribution (Week 9-12)

Result: Aware → Engage moves from 5-8% to 12-18%

🟡 Type 2: The Message Constraint

Bottleneck: Engage → Subscribe (< 15%)

Symptom: "I post regularly but nobody responds"

90-Day Fix:

• Test bold, controversial opinions with pattern interrupt (Week 1-2)
• Create irresistible interactive lead magnet (Week 3-4)
• Test video, carousels, polls—find what converts best (Week 5-8)
• Build 4-week email nurture sequence (Week 9-12)

Result: Engage → Subscribe moves from 10-15% to 20-30%

🟠 Type 3: The Sales Conversion Constraint

Bottleneck: Subscribe → Convert (< 20%)

Symptom: "Discovery calls go nowhere"

90-Day Fix:

• Implement Benevolent Servant Leader™ sales framework (Week 1-2)
• Segment Now/Soon/Someday buyers; focus 80% on "Now" (Week 3-4)
• Build proof library with 3 case studies + video testimonials (Week 5-8)
• Optimize follow-up: summary within 2 hours, Day 3 check-in, Day 7 close (Week 9-12)

Result: Subscribe → Convert moves from 15-20% to 30-40%

🟢 Type 4: The Retention/Expansion Constraint

Bottleneck: Excite → Ascend OR Advocate → Promote (< 50%)

Symptom: "Always hunting for new clients"

90-Day Fix:

• First 48 Hours Framework: celebration call + quick win (Week 1-2)
• Shift to retainer model vs. one-time projects (Week 3-4)
• Document transformation stories; ask for testimonials at peak moments (Week 5-8)
• Design expansion pathways with quarterly ROI reviews (Week 9-12)

Result: Client lifetime value doubles; referrals become primary lead source

The TOC Weekly Review
 

🗓️  Every Monday (15 minutes):
☑️ Count prospects at each stage
☑️ Calculate conversion rates
☑️ Identify if constraint has moved
☑️ Adjust focus accordingly

🗓️  Every Month (30 minutes):
☑️ Has your constraint improved?
☑️ Has a new constraint emerged?
☑️ Time to EXPLOIT or ELEVATE?

Critical: When you fix one constraint, a new one emerges. This is called constraint migration—it's progress, not a problem.

About Sustainable Growth...

Most consultants treat business growth like disconnected tactics: post more, email more, improve everything.

All at once. All the time.

That's not strategy. That's exhaustion. I get a rash just thinking about it.

The Theory of Constraints teaches us: Your system can only grow as fast as your slowest constraint allows.

Find the constraint. Eliminate it. Watch everything else improve automatically.

Then find the next constraint and repeat.

This is how you build a consulting practice that scales predictably instead of randomly.

This is how you escape feast-or-famine forever.

And, BTW, it's how you can help your business owner or clients do the same. 

Next Week: How to use AI to automate your entire pipeline—from first touch to signed contract.

Want to dive deeper? Check out these related articles:

👉  The AI-Native Implementation Playbook (Repositioning Across All Client Touchpoints)
👉  The Great Consulting Disruption

You might also find these interesting:

🔎  The 10X Brainpower Lever: How Top Consultants Multiply Output Without Working More
🔎  The Human Edge: Why AI's Trust Problem Is Your Biggest Opportunity

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