# Industry AI OS > Operating systems Gold Star has already mapped for specific industries alongside their top operators. Source: https://goldstarlabs.ai/industry Machine view: https://goldstarlabs.ai/machine/industry ## Built with the people who know the business best We don’t know what we don’t know, so we sought out the experts. An AI Operating System is only as good as its map, and no one has a better map of an industry than someone who has dedicated their life to it. So instead of guessing what to build, we found the experts and asked them to lend their expertise. What actions actually matter? What interfaces really move the needle? How are things really done? What are the most important systems? How do you measure value? And importantly, what great looks like in the context of this specific industry. We took what they know and built it into an AI OS that was not just helpful for them, but also anyone else operating in their industry. Battle tested with expert operators and ready to deploy in a matter of weeks. Because the industry map is already built, you skip the longest part of the process. ## Faster than custom, deeper than generic Gold Star’s forward deployed engineering team integrates your systems into the existing AI OS, tunes the system to your unique preferences and quirks, and gets you operational in a matter of weeks. Because we’ve already handled the hard stuff, it's a lot cheaper and easier to get started than a fully custom AI OS. ## Industries we cover today Commercial real estate. Roofing. Independent consulting. Residential real estate. Adventure parks and government contracting are coming soon. ## The maps - [Roofing](https://goldstarlabs.ai/industry.md#roofing): 20 actions. Storm to signature to supplement to sweep, run at the speed the first 72 hours after hail demands. - [Residential Real Estate](https://goldstarlabs.ai/industry.md#residential): 20 actions. An agent's whole business, from the lead that came in at 10pm to the client who calls you again in six years. - Adventure Parks: Coming soon. - [Commercial Real Estate](https://goldstarlabs.ai/industry.md#cre): 18 actions. Requirements, availabilities, comps and deal dates, held in one place that is right on the day it changes. - Government Contracting: Coming soon. - [Independent Consulting](https://goldstarlabs.ai/industry.md#consulting): 19 actions. The practice around the work: pipeline that keeps moving while you deliver, and money that actually gets collected. ## Roofing Contractors Storm to signature to supplement to sweep, run at the speed the first 72 hours after hail demands. ### Storm Response The 72 hours after hail where the year's revenue is decided. #### Stand up storm intake - **Trigger:** Hail or high wind hits a zip code in the service area. - **Ceiling:** Within an hour of the storm passing, the office knows which neighborhoods were hit, the phones and web forms are routed to people who can book, and every call is answered live instead of going to voicemail. The competitor who answered the phone stops getting the whole street. - **Touches:** - Storm and hail swath data - Call routing - Inbound lead inbox - **Never:** - Never tells a homeowner their roof is damaged before an inspection - Never promises the insurance will pay - **Agent:** Complex agent that reads the swath, ranks the neighborhoods and opens the intake queue with live answering. - **Measured by:** Percent of storm calls answered live within 60 seconds - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Route the canvass; Answer an inbound lead; Schedule the inspection #### Route the canvass - **Trigger:** A storm swath is mapped. - **Ceiling:** Crews get door lists ordered by hail size, roof age and homeowner status instead of driving a neighborhood at random. Streets already knocked are marked so nobody doubles back, and every knock result lands in the system the same day. - **Touches:** - Property and roof age records - Storm swath map - Canvass result log - **Never:** - Never routes a canvasser to an address on the do-not-knock list - Never knocks outside permitted hours or without the local solicitation permit - **Agent:** Complex agent that scores and sequences the streets, and keeps the knocked map current. - **Measured by:** Inspections booked per canvasser hour - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Schedule the inspection; Triage reported damage; Stand up storm intake #### Triage reported damage - **Trigger:** A homeowner calls about a leak or visible damage. - **Ceiling:** Within minutes the call is sorted into active leak, storm damage or age, with photos requested, the address checked against the swath and the emergency tarp crew dispatched when water is coming in. The house with a hole in it stops waiting behind eleven inspection calls. - **Touches:** - Inbound call and photo intake - Storm swath data - Emergency tarp crew schedule - **Never:** - Never diagnoses the cause of damage over the phone - Never quotes a price without the estimator - **Agent:** Complex agent that interviews the caller, classifies urgency and dispatches or books accordingly. - **Measured by:** Median hours from active leak reported to tarp on the roof - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Schedule the inspection; Build the claim file; Stand up storm intake ### Sales and Estimating From the first call to a signed contract with a real number on it. #### Answer an inbound lead - **Trigger:** A form, a call or a message arrives from a homeowner. - **Ceiling:** Every lead gets a real answer in under five minutes, seven days a week, with the next two inspection slots offered. In a trade where the first contractor to respond wins most of the time, nothing sits in an inbox until Monday. - **Touches:** - Lead inbox and phone queue - Inspection calendar - Service area map - **Never:** - Never quotes a price without the estimator - Never promises a specific insurance outcome - **Agent:** Complex agent that replies, qualifies the address and books the inspection. - **Measured by:** Median minutes to first response on inbound leads - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Schedule the inspection; Build the estimate; Stand up storm intake #### Schedule the inspection - **Trigger:** A homeowner agrees to an inspection. - **Ceiling:** The appointment is booked against the right rep's real calendar, routed so they cover a neighborhood rather than a county, confirmed the night before and reminded two hours out. No-shows fall and windshield time falls with them. - **Touches:** - Rep calendars - Territory map - Homeowner contact record - **Never:** - Never books an inspection outside the service area without a manager approving it - Never schedules a roof walk during active storm conditions - **Agent:** Simple agent that books, routes by geography, confirms and reminds. - **Measured by:** Inspections completed per rep day, and no-show rate - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Build the estimate; Build the claim file; Answer an inbound lead #### Build the estimate - **Trigger:** An inspection is complete with measurements and photos. - **Ceiling:** The same day, the rep has a priced estimate built from the measurement report and current material and labor costs, with good, better and best options and every photo attached. Nobody hand-types a squares number into a spreadsheet at 9pm and loses four hundred dollars of margin to a typo. - **Touches:** - Measurement report - Material and labor price list - Inspection photos - **Never:** - Never sends a price to a homeowner without the estimator approving it - Never prices below the company's margin floor - **Agent:** Complex agent that builds the priced scope from the measurements and the current price list. - **Measured by:** Hours from inspection to a priced estimate in the rep's hands - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Follow up an open proposal; Hand off to financing; Order the material #### Follow up an open proposal - **Trigger:** An estimate is three days old with no decision. - **Ceiling:** Every open proposal gets a follow-up sequence that actually runs, with the photos, the warranty terms and the answer to whatever they hesitated on. Homeowners stop going dark because nobody called back, and the close rate on quoted work is a number the company can see. - **Touches:** - Open proposal list - Homeowner contact record - Estimate and photo package - **Never:** - Never discounts to close - Never contacts a homeowner who asked to stop - **Agent:** Simple agent that runs the sequence and drafts each message against the stated objection. - **Measured by:** Close rate on quoted work - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Build the estimate; Hand off to financing; Order the material #### Hand off to financing - **Trigger:** A homeowner says the price works but the cash does not. - **Ceiling:** The financing application goes out while the rep is still in the driveway, with the right lender for that credit profile and the monthly payment shown next to the price. Deals stop dying at the kitchen table over a number that was always financeable. - **Touches:** - Lender application portals - Approved estimate amount - Homeowner contact record - **Never:** - Never states a rate or an approval outcome - Never collects or stores a social security number outside the lender's own form - Never advises a homeowner on whether to borrow - **Agent:** Simple agent that sends the right lender application and tracks it to a decision. - **Measured by:** Percent of price-objection deals that close with financing - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Follow up an open proposal; Build the estimate ### Insurance and Supplements Getting paid for the work the carrier's first scope left out. #### Build the claim file - **Trigger:** A homeowner decides to file a claim. - **Ceiling:** Photos by elevation, test squares, the hail report for that date and address, the measurement report and the damage narrative are assembled into one file within 24 hours. The carrier receives a complete package the first time, so the first scope comes back closer to reality. - **Touches:** - Inspection photo set - Weather verification data - Measurement report - **Never:** - Never files the claim for the homeowner - Never negotiates with the carrier on the homeowner's behalf - Never states what the policy covers - **Agent:** Complex agent that assembles and checks the documentation package against what carriers actually require. - **Measured by:** Percent of claim files complete on first submission - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Prepare for the adjuster meeting; Compare the carrier scope; Triage reported damage #### Prepare for the adjuster meeting - **Trigger:** An adjuster appointment is set. - **Ceiling:** The rep arrives with the marked test squares, the photo set organized by slope, the code requirements for that jurisdiction and the line items this carrier has historically missed. The meeting takes forty minutes and the scope comes back right. - **Touches:** - Claim file - Local code requirements - Carrier history by line item - **Never:** - Never speaks for the homeowner on coverage - Never marks damage that was not found on inspection - **Agent:** Complex agent that builds the meeting pack and the line-item checklist from this carrier's history. - **Measured by:** Percent of claims approved at the adjuster meeting - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Compare the carrier scope; Track the supplement; Build the claim file #### Compare the carrier scope - **Trigger:** The carrier's estimate arrives. - **Ceiling:** Within a day the carrier scope is lined up against the company's measured scope, line by line, with every missing item named: drip edge, ice and water, ridge vent, code upgrades, steep and high charges. The gap is a document, not a feeling. - **Touches:** - Carrier estimate - Company measured scope - Local code requirements - **Never:** - Never adds a line item that the inspection does not support - Never sends the comparison to the carrier without the supplement writer reviewing it - **Agent:** Complex agent that reconciles the two scopes and produces the itemized difference with evidence. - **Measured by:** Dollars of missed scope identified per claim - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Track the supplement; Prepare for the adjuster meeting; Order the material #### Track the supplement - **Trigger:** A supplement is submitted to the carrier. - **Ceiling:** Every open supplement has a submitted date, a carrier contact, a next follow-up and an age. Nothing sits 45 days because the desk adjuster changed. The company stops writing off money it already earned and the supplement approval rate becomes a number on a wall. - **Touches:** - Open supplement list - Carrier correspondence - Claim file - **Never:** - Never accepts a carrier's final position without the supplement writer deciding - Never invoices the homeowner for a supplement that has not been approved - **Agent:** Simple agent that ages the queue, chases the carrier and escalates by days open. - **Measured by:** Supplement approval rate and average days to approval - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Compare the carrier scope; Handle a change order; Close the job ### Production Material on the roof, crew on the job, permit on the door. #### Order the material - **Trigger:** A job is signed and scheduled. - **Ceiling:** The order goes to the supplier from the measured scope with the right shingle, color, underlayment, ventilation and accessory counts plus the agreed waste factor, delivered the day before the crew and staged on the right side of the house. No crew ever sits in a driveway because the ridge cap did not come. - **Touches:** - Measured scope - Supplier ordering system - Crew schedule - **Never:** - Never orders above the job's material budget without a manager approving - Never substitutes a product line without the homeowner agreeing in writing - **Agent:** Simple agent that builds the order from the scope and times delivery to the crew date. - **Measured by:** Percent of jobs starting with complete material on site - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Schedule the crew; Pull the permit; Handle a change order #### Schedule the crew - **Trigger:** Material delivery and permit are both confirmed. - **Ceiling:** Crews are booked against real capacity, real weather and real drive time, with steep and complex roofs going to the crews that handle them. The homeowner gets a start date that holds, and the week is not rebuilt every Monday morning by phone. - **Touches:** - Crew capacity and skills - Weather forecast - Job complexity and material status - **Never:** - Never schedules a tear-off into a forecast with rain inside the work window - Never assigns a steep or complex roof to a crew not certified for it - **Agent:** Complex agent that builds the schedule from capacity, weather and job type, and reshuffles when weather moves. - **Measured by:** Percent of jobs started on the promised date - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Pull the permit; Capture the job photo record; Order the material #### Pull the permit - **Trigger:** A job is signed in a jurisdiction that requires one. - **Ceiling:** The permit application goes in the day after signing with the right forms for that city, the license and insurance attached, and the inspection scheduled to the completion date. No job is ever torn off without a permit on the door and no final inspection is discovered six weeks after the crew left. - **Touches:** - Jurisdiction permit portals - License and insurance documents - Job schedule - **Never:** - Never starts a tear-off before the permit is issued - Never submits under a license that does not cover that jurisdiction - **Agent:** Script that files the application, tracks issuance and calendars the required inspections. - **Measured by:** Percent of jobs with permit issued before tear-off - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Schedule the crew; Close the job; Order the material #### Capture the job photo record - **Trigger:** A crew is on a roof. - **Ceiling:** Before, during and after photos come off the job the same day, tagged to the address and the stage: decking, underlayment, flashing, ventilation, final. The warranty claim two years out is answered from the file, and the homeowner sees the work they cannot climb up to look at. - **Touches:** - Crew photo uploads - Job record - Homeowner update channel - **Never:** - Never sends a photo to the homeowner that shows unfinished flashing as complete - Never closes a stage without the required photos on file - **Agent:** Script that collects, tags and files the photo set, and blocks stage sign-off when photos are missing. - **Measured by:** Percent of jobs with a complete staged photo record - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Close the job; Register the warranty; Handle a change order #### Handle a change order - **Trigger:** A crew finds rotten decking or an extra layer during tear-off. - **Ceiling:** The find is photographed, priced from the standard rate sheet and in front of the homeowner for approval within the hour, while the crew keeps working on the rest. Nobody eats four sheets of decking and nobody argues about it at the final invoice. - **Touches:** - Crew field report and photos - Standard change rate sheet - Signed contract terms - **Never:** - Never performs extra work before the homeowner approves in writing - Never prices a change outside the agreed rate sheet without a manager - **Agent:** Simple agent that prices the change from the photos and the rate sheet and routes it for signature. - **Measured by:** Percent of change orders approved before the work is done - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Capture the job photo record; Track the supplement; Close the job ### Warranty and Aftercare The last five percent of the job that decides the next referral. #### Close the job - **Trigger:** A crew marks the roof complete. - **Ceiling:** The magnet sweep, the gutter clean, the final photos, the city inspection and the homeowner walkthrough all happen before the job closes, and the final invoice goes out the same day. No job lingers for three weeks between finished and billed. - **Touches:** - Completion checklist - Final photo set - Inspection and invoice records - **Never:** - Never closes a job with an open punch item or a failed inspection - Never invoices before the homeowner walkthrough is done - **Agent:** Simple agent that runs the checklist, confirms each item and releases the invoice when it passes. - **Measured by:** Days from crew complete to invoiced - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Register the warranty; Ask for the review; Capture the job photo record #### Register the warranty - **Trigger:** A job closes with a manufacturer system installed. - **Ceiling:** The manufacturer warranty is registered inside its window every time, the workmanship warranty document goes to the homeowner with the photo record, and both are in a file that answers a call five years later in one minute. - **Touches:** - Manufacturer registration portals - Job and material records - Homeowner document delivery - **Never:** - Never registers a system that was not installed to the manufacturer's spec - Never extends a warranty term beyond the contract - **Agent:** Script that files the registration from the job record and delivers the homeowner package. - **Measured by:** Percent of eligible jobs registered inside the manufacturer window - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Close the job; Ask for the review; Capture the job photo record #### Ask for the review - **Trigger:** A job closes clean and the homeowner is satisfied. - **Ceiling:** The ask goes out the day the driveway is swept and the homeowner is standing there happy, naming the crew and making the review one tap. In a trade where homeowners pick on reviews, the rating tells the truth and new reviews arrive every week instead of every renewal. - **Touches:** - Closed job records - Review platform links - Homeowner contact record - **Never:** - Never offers anything in exchange for a review - Never asks a homeowner with an open punch item or a warranty complaint - Never posts a public reply to a negative review without a manager approving it - **Agent:** Simple agent that watches for the moment, drafts the ask and holds negative-review replies for approval. - **Measured by:** Reviews earned per hundred completed jobs - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Close the job; Register the warranty ## Residential Real Estate An agent's whole business, from the lead that came in at 10pm to the client who calls you again in six years. ### Lead Generation Every inquiry, sign call and open house name, answered before it cools. #### Answer a portal lead - **Trigger:** An inquiry lands from a listing portal, often at 10pm. - **Ceiling:** Every lead gets a real reply in under two minutes with the price, the taxes, the HOA number and two times to see it. Nobody waits until morning. The agent wakes up to a conversation already in progress instead of a name that went cold. - **Touches:** - The lead inbox - Public listing data - Showing calendar availability - **Never:** - Never answers whether a neighborhood is safe or who lives there - Never states a commission or offers a rebate - **Agent:** Complex agent that replies in plain language, answers property facts and hands off a live conversation. - **Measured by:** Median seconds to first reply on inbound leads - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Qualify a new lead; Run buyer intake; Book a tour route #### Qualify a new lead - **Trigger:** A lead replies to the first message. - **Ceiling:** Timeline, price range, financing status, current home and who else is deciding are all captured in the first conversation, not on a call three weeks later. The agent spends Saturday with the two buyers who can actually close, not the six who are browsing. - **Touches:** - Lead record - Conversation history - Lender referral list - **Never:** - Never asks about race, religion, family status or national origin - Never pushes one specific lender as a requirement - **Agent:** Simple agent that asks the qualifying questions conversationally and writes the summary to the record. - **Measured by:** Percent of new leads with timeline and financing captured in 48 hours - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Run buyer intake; Prepare a listing appointment; Run the buyer's search #### Capture and work an open house - **Trigger:** An open house ends on Sunday afternoon. - **Ceiling:** Every visitor is in the system before the agent leaves the driveway, tagged by whether they have an agent, what they said about the price and what they are actually looking for. Follow-up goes out that evening, personal to what they said in the kitchen. No stack of paper sheets in a car door. - **Touches:** - Sign-in records - Visitor notes - Follow-up templates - **Never:** - Never contacts a visitor who is already represented by another agent - Never shares visitor comments with the seller by name - **Agent:** Simple agent that cleans the sign-in list, drafts a personal note each, and files the seller feedback separately. - **Measured by:** Percent of open house visitors contacted within 24 hours - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Send the weekly seller update; Qualify a new lead; Run the buyer's search #### Prepare a listing appointment - **Trigger:** A seller books a time to talk about listing. - **Ceiling:** The agent walks in with the tax record, the permit history, the last two sales of that house, six real comps, the likely net sheet and what the seller posted about the remodel. The conversation is about strategy, not about looking things up. Listings are won on the first visit. - **Touches:** - Public records - Closed sale history - Active competing listings - **Never:** - Never commits to a list price before the agent sees the house - Never quotes a commission - **Agent:** Complex agent that builds the property research file and the comp set with sources shown. - **Measured by:** Listing appointment to signed agreement rate - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Scope the pre-listing work; Launch a listing; Qualify a new lead ### Listings and Sellers From the listing appointment to the day the sign comes down. #### Scope the pre-listing work - **Trigger:** A listing agreement is signed. - **Ceiling:** Inside a day the seller has a room-by-room punch list with costs, a paint and declutter plan, the stager booked and the photographer on the calendar behind them. Nothing goes live with a dark living room and a laundry basket in frame because the schedule slipped. - **Touches:** - Property photos and notes - Vendor calendars - Listing timeline - **Never:** - Never books work over the seller's stated budget - Never promises a repair will raise the price by a specific number - **Agent:** Simple agent that builds the punch list from the walkthrough notes and books the vendor sequence backward from the go-live date. - **Measured by:** Days from signed agreement to photo-ready - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Launch a listing; Send the weekly seller update #### Launch a listing - **Trigger:** Photos are delivered and the price is agreed. - **Ceiling:** Remarks, room dimensions, disclosures, features and the syndication feed all go live in one pass, written for that specific house, with the copy checked for fair housing language before anyone sees it. The listing hits the portals Thursday morning with the video, not Friday afternoon with three photos. - **Touches:** - Listing entry system - Photo and video assets - Disclosure documents - **Never:** - Never publishes without the seller approving the remarks and the price - Never uses language describing the kind of buyer a home would suit - **Agent:** Complex agent that writes the remarks, assembles the media and runs the compliance pass before a human publishes. - **Measured by:** Hours from photo delivery to live listing with full media - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Collect showing feedback; Send the weekly seller update; Prepare the price conversation #### Collect showing feedback - **Trigger:** A buyer agent shows the listing. - **Ceiling:** Feedback is asked for within two hours while the showing is fresh, chased once, and rolled into a pattern the seller can act on. Ten showings and no offers stops being a mystery and becomes a sentence: eight of ten said the kitchen, four said the price. - **Touches:** - Showing service records - Buyer agent contacts - Feedback log - **Never:** - Never passes a personal or insulting remark to the seller verbatim - Never asks a buyer agent about their client's finances - **Agent:** Script that requests feedback, chases once and groups the answers into themes. - **Measured by:** Feedback response rate per showing - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Send the weekly seller update; Prepare the price conversation; Launch a listing #### Send the weekly seller update - **Trigger:** Every Friday a listing is active. - **Ceiling:** Every seller gets the same honest page each week: views, saves, showings, feedback themes, what the three competing homes did, and the recommendation. Sellers stop calling to ask if anything is happening because they already know before they wonder. - **Touches:** - Listing performance data - Showing and feedback logs - Competing active listings - **Never:** - Never recommends a price change without the agent approving the number - Never shares a buyer agent's name or a visitor's identity - **Agent:** Simple agent that builds the update from the week's data and writes the plain English note. - **Measured by:** Percent of active listings with an update delivered every week - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Collect showing feedback; Prepare the price conversation; Capture and work an open house #### Prepare the price conversation - **Trigger:** A listing passes 21 days with no offer. - **Ceiling:** The agent walks into that call with the showing curve, the feedback themes, the three homes that sold instead of this one, and what each price band would likely do to days on market. It is a conversation with evidence, not a plea. The house stops sitting at the wrong number for two months. - **Touches:** - Listing activity history - Feedback themes - Closed and pending comps - **Never:** - Never changes the list price - Never sends the recommendation to the seller before the agent reads it - **Agent:** Complex agent that diagnoses which part of the funnel is failing and builds the case with sources. - **Measured by:** Median days on market against the local average - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Send the weekly seller update; Collect showing feedback; Launch a listing ### Buyers What they say they want, what they actually tour, and the offer that wins. #### Run buyer intake - **Trigger:** A qualified buyer agrees to work with the agent. - **Ceiling:** Must-haves, deal-breakers, schools, commute, budget ceiling versus comfort, lender status and who else signs are all written down in one place before the first tour. The agent stops showing houses that were never going to work. - **Touches:** - Buyer record - Search criteria - Lender pre-approval status - **Never:** - Never steers toward or away from any neighborhood on demographic grounds - Never sets a budget above what the pre-approval supports - **Agent:** Simple agent that runs the intake conversation and writes the criteria into a working search. - **Measured by:** Homes toured per buyer before an accepted offer - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Run the buyer's search; Book a tour route; Prepare an offer #### Run the buyer's search - **Trigger:** A new listing or price change matches a buyer's criteria. - **Ceiling:** The buyer hears about the right house within minutes of it hitting the market, with a one-line note on why this one and not the other four. Buyers stop finding their own house on a portal and asking the agent to catch up. - **Touches:** - Active listing feed - Buyer criteria - Tour history and reactions - **Never:** - Never sends listings outside the agreed criteria without saying why - Never comments on the character of an area or its residents - **Agent:** Simple agent that watches the feed, filters against real tour behavior and writes the short reason. - **Measured by:** Percent of buyer tours sourced by the agent rather than the client - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Book a tour route; Run buyer intake; Recap the tour #### Book a tour route - **Trigger:** A buyer picks four homes to see Saturday. - **Ceiling:** Access is confirmed with every listing side, the route is ordered so the drive makes sense, the buyer gets addresses and times, and each home comes with its taxes, HOA and days on market on one page. Nobody stands on a porch waiting for a lockbox code. - **Touches:** - Showing service - Buyer and agent calendars - Listing access instructions - **Never:** - Never books a showing without confirmed listing-side approval - Never shares a lockbox code with the buyer - **Agent:** Simple agent that requests access, sequences the route and sends the tour sheet. - **Measured by:** Percent of booked tours with confirmed access before departure - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Recap the tour; Run the buyer's search; Prepare an offer #### Recap the tour - **Trigger:** A tour ends. - **Ceiling:** Each home gets a yes, no or maybe with the reason in the buyer's own words, filed the same afternoon. By the fourth tour the search has narrowed because the pattern is visible: they say they want the yard and they keep picking the kitchen. - **Touches:** - Tour notes - Buyer criteria - Listing records - **Never:** - Never changes the buyer's stated criteria without telling them - Never shares a buyer's reaction with the listing side beyond standard feedback - **Agent:** Simple agent that captures the reactions and updates the working search. - **Measured by:** Tours per accepted offer, trending down - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Run the buyer's search; Prepare an offer; Book a tour route #### Prepare an offer - **Trigger:** A buyer says they want to write on a house. - **Ceiling:** Within the hour the buyer has the comps for that exact house, what similar homes closed at over or under ask, the seller's likely timeline from public record, and a clear picture of what each term costs them. Offers go out the same day with the pre-approval, the proof of funds and every date filled correctly. - **Touches:** - Comparable sales - Offer templates - Pre-approval and funds documents - **Never:** - Never sets the offer price or waives a contingency - Never submits an offer without the buyer signing - Never advises on the legal effect of a contract term - **Agent:** Complex agent that builds the pricing case, assembles the packet and fills the form for review. - **Measured by:** Offer acceptance rate, and hours from decision to submitted offer - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Build the contract timeline; Recap the tour; Prepare the inspection response ### Under Contract Thirty days of dates and documents where deals die quietly. #### Build the contract timeline - **Trigger:** An offer is accepted. - **Ceiling:** Every date in the contract becomes a tracked deadline the same hour it is signed: earnest money, inspection, loan commitment, appraisal, walkthrough, closing. Everyone on the deal sees the same calendar. No contingency ever expires because somebody was counting days in their head. - **Touches:** - Executed contract dates - Transaction calendar - Party contact list - **Never:** - Never waives or extends a deadline - Never interprets a contract clause for a client - **Agent:** Script that reads the dates, builds the deadline set and alerts the file owner ahead of each one. - **Measured by:** Contingency deadlines missed per hundred contracts - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Prepare the inspection response; Watch the appraisal and the loan; Run the closing week #### Prepare the inspection response - **Trigger:** An inspection report is delivered. - **Ceiling:** The forty page report becomes a one page list within two hours: safety items, real repairs, cosmetic noise, with rough cost ranges and what is typical to ask for in this market. The client decides on facts instead of panicking at the word mold. - **Touches:** - Inspection report - Repair cost references - Contract repair terms - **Never:** - Never advises a client to accept or reject a repair - Never estimates a structural or environmental cost without a licensed opinion - Never sends the request without the client approving every line - **Agent:** Complex agent that summarizes and categorizes the report and drafts the request for review. - **Measured by:** Percent of inspection responses delivered inside the contract window - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Build the contract timeline; Run the closing week; Prepare an offer #### Watch the appraisal and the loan - **Trigger:** The appraisal is ordered. - **Ceiling:** The lender gets a comp package the day the appraisal is scheduled, the agent knows the result the day it lands, and a low value becomes a plan within hours instead of a scramble on day 25. Loan conditions are chased weekly, not discovered at the closing table. - **Touches:** - Comparable sales - Lender contact record - Loan condition checklist - **Never:** - Never contacts the appraiser to influence a value - Never renegotiates price after a low appraisal - **Agent:** Simple agent that sends the comp package, tracks the milestone and chases open loan conditions. - **Measured by:** Percent of closings delayed by a loan or appraisal surprise - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Build the contract timeline; Run the closing week; Prepare an offer #### Run the closing week - **Trigger:** Closing is seven days out. - **Ceiling:** Utilities, the walkthrough, wiring instructions verified by phone, the settlement statement reviewed line by line, keys and the after-closing follow-up are all handled on a checklist that never varies. Nobody wires money to a spoofed address and nobody arrives at closing missing a document. - **Touches:** - Closing checklist - Title and settlement contacts - Client contact record - **Never:** - Never sends or forwards wiring instructions - Never approves a settlement statement on the client's behalf - **Agent:** Script that runs the checklist, confirms each item and escalates anything still open at 48 hours. - **Measured by:** On-time closing rate - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Build the contract timeline; Keep a past client warm; Ask for the review and the referral ### Sphere and Repeat The people who already bought from you, kept warm on purpose. #### Keep a past client warm - **Trigger:** A purchase anniversary, a rate move, or a neighbor's home sells. - **Ceiling:** Every past client hears from the agent four times a year with something actually about their house: what it is worth now, what sold on their street, what their tax assessment did. Not a mass newsletter. The second sale comes back to the same agent. - **Touches:** - Past client records - Public sale and assessment data - Contact preferences - **Never:** - Never sends a home value estimate as a formal opinion of value - Never contacts a client who asked to be left alone - **Agent:** Simple agent that watches for the moment and drafts the personal note with the local numbers. - **Measured by:** Percent of closings sourced from past clients and sphere - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Ask for the review and the referral; Run the closing week; Qualify a new lead #### Ask for the review and the referral - **Trigger:** A closing goes well, or a client sends a thank you. - **Ceiling:** The ask lands in the week the client is happiest, names the specific thing that went well, and makes leaving the review one tap. Reviews stop being something the agent chases once a year before renewal. - **Touches:** - Closed transaction records - Review platform links - Client contact preferences - **Never:** - Never offers anything of value in exchange for a review - Never asks a client with an open dispute or complaint - Never posts a public reply about a transaction without the agent approving it - **Agent:** Simple agent that watches for the moment and drafts the ask. - **Measured by:** Reviews earned per closing, and referral share of new business - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Keep a past client warm; Run the closing week ## Commercial Real Estate Requirements, availabilities, comps and deal dates, held in one place that is right on the day it changes. ### Tenant Representation A requirement in someone's head turned into a signed lease in a real building. #### Intake a tenant requirement - **Trigger:** A company says they need space. - **Ceiling:** Size, use, timing, current lease expiry, parking, power, ceiling height, budget, who signs and what would kill the deal are all captured in the first meeting and written into one requirement document everyone works from. No survey is ever built against a number somebody half remembered. - **Touches:** - Requirement document - Client contact record - Existing lease abstract - **Never:** - Never commits to a rental rate or a term - Never signs a representation agreement - **Agent:** Simple agent that runs the intake, structures the requirement and flags what is still unanswered. - **Measured by:** Percent of requirements fully specified before the first survey - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Build the survey; Book the tour; Capture a comp #### Build the survey - **Trigger:** A requirement document is signed off. - **Ceiling:** Within a day the client has every qualifying availability in the market, not just the ones in one database: size, rate, TI, parking ratio, floor plate, delivery date and a photo, laid out the same way for each. The buildings that were quietly taken off the market are already struck. - **Touches:** - Availability databases - Building records - Requirement criteria - **Never:** - Never publishes a rate the listing side has not confirmed - Never includes a building the client has already been shown by another broker - **Agent:** Complex agent that assembles, verifies and formats the survey with sources on each line. - **Measured by:** Hours from signed requirement to survey delivered - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Book the tour; Build the proposal comparison; Refresh availabilities #### Book the tour - **Trigger:** The client shortlists buildings from the survey. - **Ceiling:** Listing brokers are confirmed, building access and COIs are arranged, the route runs in a sensible order, and the client gets a tour book with the plan, the rate and the questions to ask at each stop. Nobody stands in a lobby waiting on a security desk. - **Touches:** - Listing broker contacts - Building access requirements - Client and broker calendars - **Never:** - Never tours a building without the listing side registering the client - Never discusses the client's budget with a listing broker - **Agent:** Simple agent that confirms access, sequences the route and produces the tour book. - **Measured by:** Percent of tours confirmed with access arranged 24 hours ahead - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Build the proposal comparison; Build the survey; Track the LOI #### Build the proposal comparison - **Trigger:** Two or more landlord proposals are in hand. - **Ceiling:** Every proposal is normalized to the same math: net effective rent over the term, free rent, TI allowance, escalations, operating expense base year, the option language and the real cost per seat per month. The client picks on the actual number, not on the headline rate. - **Touches:** - Landlord proposals - Requirement criteria - Market rate benchmarks - **Never:** - Never counters a landlord proposal without the client deciding - Never interprets a lease clause as legal advice - Never recommends signing anything - **Agent:** Complex agent that models each proposal on the same basis and writes the differences in plain language. - **Measured by:** Net effective rent achieved against the market benchmark - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Track the LOI; Book the tour; Abstract the lease ### Landlord Agency Space to fill, a stacking plan to keep honest, and an owner to report to. #### Keep the stacking plan current - **Trigger:** A lease is signed, amended or terminated in a represented building. - **Ceiling:** The stacking plan matches reality the day it changes: who is on each floor, how much they have, when they expire, what options they hold. An owner call never starts with three people disagreeing about what is on the fourth floor. - **Touches:** - Lease abstracts - Building floor plans - Rent roll - **Never:** - Never alters a rent roll figure from the owner's accounting - Never shares one tenant's economics with another tenant - **Agent:** Script that updates the plan from executed lease documents and flags any conflict with the rent roll. - **Measured by:** Days between a lease event and the stacking plan reflecting it - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Refresh availabilities; Watch lease expirations; Report to the owner #### Refresh availabilities - **Trigger:** Monday morning, and whenever a space status changes. - **Ceiling:** Every listing the firm controls shows a current rate, a current available date and a current floor plan on every platform at once. Nobody calls about a suite that leased in March, and nobody loses a tour because the listing still said negotiable. - **Touches:** - Listing platforms - Space status records - Marketing materials - **Never:** - Never changes an asking rate without the owner's approval - Never marks a space available before the current tenant's term ends - **Agent:** Script that syncs status across platforms and reports anything out of date. - **Measured by:** Percent of controlled listings accurate across all platforms - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Keep the stacking plan current; Market an availability; Build the survey #### Market an availability - **Trigger:** A space comes available or has had no tours in 30 days. - **Ceiling:** New availabilities go out the same week with a flyer, the plan, the rate and a targeted broker email to the people who have shown requirements that fit. Stale space gets a diagnosis instead of another blast: wrong rate, wrong size, or the wrong brokers hearing about it. - **Touches:** - Broker contact lists - Marketing materials - Tour and inquiry history - **Never:** - Never states a rate or a concession the owner has not approved - Never emails a broker list outside the firm's opt-out policy - **Agent:** Complex agent that builds the materials, targets the broker list and writes the stale-space diagnosis. - **Measured by:** Tours generated per available space per month - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Report to the owner; Refresh availabilities; Publish the market snapshot #### Report to the owner - **Trigger:** The month ends on any agency assignment. - **Ceiling:** The owner gets the same page every month: tours, proposals out, LOIs live, what the competing buildings did on rate and concession, and one recommendation. Owners stop calling to ask what is happening, and the leasing strategy changes on evidence. - **Touches:** - Tour and proposal activity - Competing building data - Stacking plan - **Never:** - Never recommends a rate change without the broker approving the number - Never discloses a prospect's identity before they consent - **Agent:** Complex agent that assembles the report and writes the recommendation with the comps behind it. - **Measured by:** Percent of assignments with a monthly owner report delivered - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Market an availability; Publish the market snapshot; Keep the stacking plan current ### Market Research Comps, availability and absorption. The reason anyone believes your number. #### Capture a comp - **Trigger:** A lease signs anywhere in the covered market. - **Ceiling:** The deal is in the comp set within a week with the size, term, starting rate, escalations, free rent, TI and the source of each figure. The firm's comp database is better than the paid one because it holds the terms nobody publishes. - **Touches:** - Comp database - Deal records - Public and broker sources - **Never:** - Never records a confidential term the client has not released - Never publishes a comp sourced from a confidential document - **Agent:** Simple agent that extracts terms from deal records and sources, and marks confidence on each field. - **Measured by:** Comps captured per quarter, and percent with verified economics - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Publish the market snapshot; Build the proposal comparison; Prepare a broker opinion of value #### Publish the market snapshot - **Trigger:** The quarter closes. - **Ceiling:** Availability, asking rates, net absorption, concession trends and the notable deals are out within five business days of quarter end, by submarket and by class. The firm's numbers are in the client's hands before the national report prints. - **Touches:** - Comp database - Availability data - Absorption history - **Never:** - Never publishes a figure without a countable source - Never includes a deal under a confidentiality hold - **Agent:** Complex agent that computes the statistics, writes the narrative and cites each number. - **Measured by:** Business days from quarter end to published snapshot - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Capture a comp; Watch the submarket turn; Report to the owner #### Watch the submarket turn - **Trigger:** Weekly, across every covered submarket. - **Ceiling:** When a submarket shifts, the firm sees it in weeks rather than at the next quarterly report: three sublets hit at once, concessions stretch past twelve months, a large block comes back. Advice changes on the turn, not after it. - **Touches:** - Availability changes - Sublet listings - Concession data - **Never:** - Never issues a market call to clients without a broker reviewing it - Never attributes a change to a named tenant's plans without confirmation - **Agent:** Complex agent that tracks the leading indicators and writes a short note when one moves. - **Measured by:** Weeks between a submarket inflection and the firm naming it - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Publish the market snapshot; Capture a comp; Canvass an owner ### Deal Execution LOI to lease to commission, with the dates that decide whether it closes. #### Track the LOI - **Trigger:** A letter of intent goes out or comes back. - **Ceiling:** Every live LOI has a version history, the open points listed, who owes the next response and by when. Nothing sits eleven days because each side thought the other had it. The broker can answer where any deal stands in one sentence. - **Touches:** - LOI versions - Open point list - Party contact record - **Never:** - Never sends a counter without the client approving every term - Never agrees to a term on the client's behalf - Never signs anything - **Agent:** Simple agent that diffs versions, lists open points and chases the party who owes the next move. - **Measured by:** Median days per LOI round trip - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Chase the deal to signature; Abstract the lease; Build the proposal comparison #### Abstract the lease - **Trigger:** A lease is executed. - **Ceiling:** Within 48 hours the eighty page document becomes a one page abstract: term, commencement, rent schedule, escalations, operating expense treatment, options, notice dates, assignment and restoration. Every critical date is in the calendar. Option deadlines stop being missed by a week. - **Touches:** - Executed lease document - Abstract template - Critical date calendar - **Never:** - Never interprets an ambiguous clause; it flags it for counsel - Never abstracts from an unexecuted draft - **Agent:** Complex agent that extracts the terms, builds the date set and flags every clause it could not read cleanly. - **Measured by:** Percent of executed leases abstracted within 48 hours - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Keep the stacking plan current; Watch lease expirations; Invoice and track the commission #### Chase the deal to signature - **Trigger:** A deal is in documentation with an open item older than three days. - **Ceiling:** Legal comments, the estoppel, the guaranty, the insurance certificate and the space plan each have an owner and a date, and the broker sees the oldest open item every morning. Deals stop dying in the six weeks between agreed LOI and executed lease. - **Touches:** - Open item list - Party contacts - Document status - **Never:** - Never pushes a client's counsel on a legal position - Never commits to a signing date the parties have not agreed - **Agent:** Simple agent that tracks each open item, nudges the owner and escalates by age. - **Measured by:** Median days from LOI agreement to lease execution - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Track the LOI; Abstract the lease; Invoice and track the commission #### Invoice and track the commission - **Trigger:** A lease executes. - **Ceiling:** The invoice goes out the same week against the commission agreement, with the calculation shown, the split recorded and the second installment dated to the commencement trigger. No fee ever quietly goes uncollected because it was due nine months later. - **Touches:** - Commission agreement - Executed lease terms - Split records - **Never:** - Never invoices an amount outside the signed commission agreement - Never releases a split payment before the firm collects - **Agent:** Script that computes the fee from the lease terms, issues the invoice and calendars the deferred installment. - **Measured by:** Percent of commissions collected within terms, and aged fee balance - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Abstract the lease; Chase the deal to signature ### Coverage Knowing every owner and every lease expiry in your market before anyone calls. #### Canvass an owner - **Trigger:** A property changes hands, or an owner has had no contact in 90 days. - **Ceiling:** Every owner in the coverage area hears from the broker with something about their building: a comp on their street, a competing concession, the tenant two floors up whose lease is expiring. The call comes before the assignment goes out for bid, not after. - **Touches:** - Ownership records - Property transaction data - Comp database - **Never:** - Never contacts an owner represented by another broker under an exclusive - Never quotes a fee or a listing rate - **Agent:** Complex agent that finds the reason, builds the one-page property view and drafts the outreach. - **Measured by:** Coverage contact rate, and new assignments won per quarter - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Watch lease expirations; Prepare a broker opinion of value; Watch the submarket turn #### Watch lease expirations - **Trigger:** Any tracked lease reaches 24 months from expiry. - **Ceiling:** Every tenant in the market is contacted at the right moment in their cycle, which for a large requirement is two years out and not six months. The pipeline is a calendar rather than a hope, and no requirement is discovered after somebody else was hired. - **Touches:** - Lease abstract dates - Tenant contact records - Coverage territory - **Never:** - Never contacts a tenant the firm represents the landlord against - Never uses a confidential lease term in the outreach - **Agent:** Script that surfaces the expiry list each month and queues the right outreach window per tenant. - **Measured by:** Percent of market expirations contacted in the right window - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Canvass an owner; Intake a tenant requirement; Abstract the lease #### Prepare a broker opinion of value - **Trigger:** An owner asks what the building is worth or what it would lease for. - **Ceiling:** The opinion goes back within three business days with the rent roll analysis, the lease comps, the sale comps, the submarket position and the assumptions written out. It reads like something the owner can take to their lender. - **Touches:** - Comp database - Rent roll - Submarket data - **Never:** - Never presents the opinion as a certified appraisal - Never delivers without a broker reviewing every assumption - **Agent:** Complex agent that assembles the comps and the analysis and drafts the opinion for review. - **Measured by:** Business days from request to delivered opinion - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Canvass an owner; Capture a comp; Publish the market snapshot ## Independent Consulting The practice around the work: pipeline that keeps moving while you deliver, and money that actually gets collected. ### Pipeline Where the next engagement comes from while the current one eats the week. #### Triage an inbound inquiry - **Trigger:** Someone emails asking whether you can help with something. - **Ceiling:** Every inquiry gets a reply the same day with three clarifying questions and a link to a call, and the sender is already researched: what the company does, who they are, what changed recently. The consultant walks into the first call knowing more than the prospect expected. - **Touches:** - The inbox - Public company research - The calendar - **Never:** - Never quotes a rate or a fee - Never commits to a start date or availability - **Agent:** Complex agent that researches the sender, drafts the reply and offers real calendar times. - **Measured by:** Median hours to first substantive reply on inbound - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Prepare a discovery call; Work the warm list; Check the terms against the floor #### Work the warm list - **Trigger:** A prospect goes 30 days without contact, or their company makes news. - **Ceiling:** The twelve people most likely to hire you next hear from you with something useful, not a check-in. A funding round, a new hire in their function, a regulation that changes their problem. Nobody goes quiet for six months and then hires somebody else. - **Touches:** - Contact records - Public company news - Prior conversation notes - **Never:** - Never sends more than one message per contact per month - Never contacts anyone who asked to stop hearing from you - **Agent:** Complex agent that watches for a real reason, drafts the note and holds it for a human to send. - **Measured by:** Warm conversations reopened per month - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Triage an inbound inquiry; Catch a network signal; Ask for the referral #### Catch a network signal - **Trigger:** A past client changes jobs, or a former colleague is promoted. - **Ceiling:** You know within a day when somebody who already trusts you lands somewhere with a budget. The congratulation goes out while it is still news. Most independent work comes from these moves and they stop being something you notice a year late. - **Touches:** - Contact records - Public profile changes - Engagement history - **Never:** - Never pitches in the same message as the congratulation - Never scrapes a source whose terms forbid it - **Agent:** Simple agent that watches for role changes across the network and drafts the note. - **Measured by:** Percent of network job changes caught within seven days - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Work the warm list; Ask for the referral; Triage an inbound inquiry #### Prepare a discovery call - **Trigger:** A first call is booked. - **Ceiling:** Thirty minutes before the call there is a one page brief: the company, the people on the invite, what they said in email, three hypotheses about their real problem and the questions that would confirm or kill each one. The call goes deeper because the first fifteen minutes are not spent on background. - **Touches:** - Public company and people research - Prior correspondence - The calendar invite - **Never:** - Never states a price or a scope in the brief as if agreed - Never uses a paid data source outside its license - **Agent:** Complex agent that assembles the brief and writes the hypotheses with the evidence behind each one. - **Measured by:** Discovery call to proposal request rate - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Turn call notes into a scope; Triage an inbound inquiry; Draft the proposal ### Scoping and Proposals Turning a conversation into a scope, a price and a signature. #### Turn call notes into a scope - **Trigger:** A discovery or scoping call ends. - **Ceiling:** Within an hour the messy transcript becomes a structured scope: the problem in the client's words, the outcome they described, deliverables, what is explicitly out, assumptions and the dependencies on their side. The thing people hire consultants for stops being lost in a notebook. - **Touches:** - Call recording or notes - Scope templates - Prior similar engagements - **Never:** - Never invents a deliverable the client did not ask for - Never sets the fee or the timeline - **Agent:** Complex agent that structures the notes into a scope draft and flags what was never actually answered. - **Measured by:** Hours from call end to a scope draft the consultant would send - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Draft the proposal; Prepare a discovery call; Catch scope creep early #### Draft the proposal - **Trigger:** A scope is agreed in principle. - **Ceiling:** The proposal goes out within one business day, written in the client's language, with the outcome first, the approach second and the fee last. It reuses the structure that has closed before and pulls the two most relevant pieces of past work. Nobody loses a deal to a week of silence. - **Touches:** - Scope draft - Proposal templates - Past engagement summaries - **Never:** - Never sets or discounts the fee - Never sends without the consultant reading every line - Never names a past client the engagement terms keep confidential - **Agent:** Complex agent that writes the full draft from the scope and the template, held for review. - **Measured by:** Business days from scope agreement to proposal sent - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Follow up on an open proposal; Check the terms against the floor; Turn call notes into a scope #### Follow up on an open proposal - **Trigger:** A proposal is five days old with no answer. - **Ceiling:** Every open proposal is followed up on a schedule the consultant would actually keep, with something added each time rather than a nudge. Proposals stop dying of silence on both sides, and a no arrives as a no instead of as nothing. - **Touches:** - Open proposal list - Client contact record - Prior correspondence - **Never:** - Never lowers the price to prompt a decision - Never follows up more than three times without the consultant deciding - **Agent:** Simple agent that tracks the open list and drafts each follow-up with a reason to reply. - **Measured by:** Percent of proposals that get a definite yes or no - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Draft the proposal; Run the kickoff; Work the warm list #### Check the terms against the floor - **Trigger:** A proposal or contract draft is ready for review. - **Ceiling:** Before anything goes out, payment terms, expenses, IP ownership, kill fee, liability cap and the rate against the practice floor are all checked against what the consultant decided in a calm moment rather than in a negotiation. Net 90 and unlimited revisions never slip through again. - **Touches:** - Practice terms and rate floor - Proposal or contract draft - Prior signed agreements - **Never:** - Never approves terms below the floor - Never gives a legal opinion on a clause - Never signs anything - **Agent:** Simple agent that compares the draft against the standard terms and lists every deviation. - **Measured by:** Engagements signed below the rate floor or outside standard terms - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Draft the proposal; Run the invoices; Run the kickoff ### Delivery The work itself, and the client knowing it is happening. #### Run the kickoff - **Trigger:** A proposal is signed. - **Ceiling:** Inside two days the client has the schedule, the working agreements, the list of people to interview, the data requests with owners and dates, and the first meeting on the calendar. The first week is spent working, not waiting for a spreadsheet somebody forgot to send. - **Touches:** - Signed scope - Kickoff checklist - Client contact list - **Never:** - Never requests access to a system before the client's security review clears it - Never adds a workstream that is not in the signed scope - **Agent:** Simple agent that builds the kickoff pack from the scope and chases the data requests. - **Measured by:** Business days from signature to first working session - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Send the weekly client update; Turn a meeting into actions; Catch scope creep early #### Send the weekly client update - **Trigger:** Friday morning on any active engagement. - **Ceiling:** The client gets the same short page every Friday: what moved, what is next, what is blocked and what you need from them by when. Status meetings shrink because the status is already known, and no engagement ends with a client saying they were not sure what was happening. - **Touches:** - Work log and deliverable status - Open blockers and requests - Client contact record - **Never:** - Never reports a deliverable complete before it is finished - Never sends without the consultant reading it - **Agent:** Simple agent that assembles the update from the week's work and writes it plainly. - **Measured by:** Percent of active weeks with an update delivered - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Turn a meeting into actions; Catch scope creep early; Check a deliverable before it ships #### Turn a meeting into actions - **Trigger:** Any client working session ends. - **Ceiling:** Within an hour there is a summary with decisions, open questions and actions with a name and a date next to each, sent to everyone who was there. Decisions stop being relitigated three weeks later because nobody wrote down what was agreed. - **Touches:** - Meeting recording or notes - Action list - Attendee list - **Never:** - Never assigns an action to a client person without the consultant confirming it - Never records a decision that was not actually made - **Agent:** Simple agent that summarizes, extracts the actions and drafts the recap. - **Measured by:** Percent of client sessions with a recap sent inside two hours - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Send the weekly client update; Check a deliverable before it ships; Catch scope creep early #### Check a deliverable before it ships - **Trigger:** A deliverable is marked ready to send. - **Ceiling:** Every number traces to a source, every claim has evidence, the client's own terminology is used consistently, and nothing from another client's file survives in a template. The consultant stops being the only quality control at 11pm the night before. - **Touches:** - The draft deliverable - Source data and citations - Scope commitments - **Never:** - Never sends a deliverable to the client - Never changes a finding or a recommendation - Never leaves another client's data in a reused template - **Agent:** Complex agent that checks sources, consistency and scope coverage, and lists what it could not verify. - **Measured by:** Client-reported errors per deliverable - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Send the weekly client update; Close an engagement properly; Turn a meeting into actions #### Catch scope creep early - **Trigger:** A request arrives that is not in the signed scope. - **Ceiling:** The moment somebody asks for the extra analysis, it is named against the scope with an estimate of the hours and a draft change order. The consultant has the conversation in week two when it is easy instead of in week nine when the engagement is underwater. - **Touches:** - Signed scope - Work log and hours - Client correspondence - **Never:** - Never refuses a client request directly - Never prices a change order - Never agrees to absorb extra work - **Agent:** Complex agent that compares requests against the scope and drafts the change order for a human call. - **Measured by:** Actual hours against scoped hours per engagement - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Turn call notes into a scope; Send the weekly client update; Capture the time ### Money and Back Office Hours captured, invoices out, cash actually collected. #### Capture the time - **Trigger:** A working day ends. - **Ceiling:** Hours land against the right engagement the same day, reconstructed from calendar, documents and messages, ready for the consultant to correct in two minutes. No more rebuilding a month from memory on the 30th and quietly losing nine billable hours. - **Touches:** - Calendar - Document and file activity - Engagement codes - **Never:** - Never submits time without the consultant confirming it - Never bills an hour it inferred but cannot show a source for - **Agent:** Simple agent that reconstructs the day and presents it for a one-screen confirmation. - **Measured by:** Billable hours captured against hours actually worked - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Run the invoices; Catch scope creep early; Close an engagement properly #### Run the invoices - **Trigger:** The first of the month, or a milestone completes. - **Ceiling:** Every invoice goes out on the same day each month with the right hours, the right PO number, the agreed expenses and the correct billing contact. Nothing slips a month because the consultant was in a workshop on the 1st. - **Touches:** - Confirmed time and milestones - Engagement billing terms - Invoice templates - **Never:** - Never sends an invoice without the consultant approving the amount - Never bills expenses without a receipt on file - **Agent:** Script that builds the batch from confirmed time and holds it for one release. - **Measured by:** Percent of invoices issued on the scheduled day - **Execution:** Deterministic script - **Hands off to:** Chase what is owed; Capture the time; Check the terms against the floor #### Chase what is owed - **Trigger:** An invoice passes its due date. - **Ceiling:** Late invoices get a polite, escalating sequence that actually runs: a reminder to the contact, then to accounts payable, then a note to the sponsor. The consultant stops choosing between chasing money and doing the work, and average days to payment falls. - **Touches:** - Open invoice list - Client billing contacts - Payment records - **Never:** - Never threatens to stop work or to take legal action - Never contacts the client sponsor before the consultant approves that step - **Agent:** Simple agent that runs the escalation ladder and drafts each message. - **Measured by:** Average days sales outstanding - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Run the invoices; Close an engagement properly ### Practice and Reputation What the finished work does for the next engagement. #### Close an engagement properly - **Trigger:** The final deliverable is accepted. - **Ceiling:** Every engagement ends the same way: the final invoice, the archive, a written summary of what was done and what it changed, the client's own words on the outcome, and the next conversation named. The work stops disappearing the day it ends. - **Touches:** - Engagement archive - Deliverable history - Client contact record - **Never:** - Never archives client data outside the terms of the agreement - Never publishes anything about the work - **Agent:** Complex agent that assembles the closeout package and drafts the summary. - **Measured by:** Percent of engagements closed with a written outcome summary - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Ask for the referral; Write up the work; Chase what is owed #### Ask for the referral - **Trigger:** A client says the work went well, or an engagement closes clean. - **Ceiling:** The ask happens in the two weeks when the client is happiest, names one or two specific people or kinds of problem, and makes the introduction easy to forward. Referrals become a steady share of new work instead of an accident. - **Touches:** - Client satisfaction signals - Contact record - Engagement history - **Never:** - Never asks a client with an open dispute or an unpaid invoice - Never names another client as a target without permission - **Agent:** Simple agent that watches for the moment and drafts the ask with a forwardable paragraph. - **Measured by:** Percent of new engagements sourced by referral - **Execution:** Simple agent - **Hands off to:** Close an engagement properly; Work the warm list; Catch a network signal #### Write up the work - **Trigger:** An engagement closes with a measurable outcome. - **Ceiling:** Within a week there is a written account of the problem, the approach and the result, anonymized where it has to be, ready for the consultant to edit and use in the next proposal. The practice accumulates evidence instead of starting each pitch from nothing. - **Touches:** - Engagement archive - Outcome measurements - Client confidentiality terms - **Never:** - Never names a client without written permission - Never publishes anything - Never states a result the engagement record cannot support - **Agent:** Complex agent that drafts the write-up from the archive and flags anything that needs client clearance. - **Measured by:** Usable write-ups produced per closed engagement - **Execution:** Complex agent - **Hands off to:** Close an engagement properly; Draft the proposal; Ask for the referral ## Are you an expert operator? If you’ve mastered an industry and want to turn that expertise into its AI Operating System, we should talk. Our operator partners lend their knowledge, we provide the engineering, and together we build the system that the rest of your industry runs on.