Is productising service the key to scale?

Yes!

When it comes to scaling any service business you are at the mercy of many factors, and the top of that list is the finite resource we all want more of: time.

Yes you can sell for a higher value, but that comes at the risk of alienating your current client base or finding it harder to attract new clients who don’t see the value in your service

Yes, you can look to maximise operational efficiency and get more billable hours out of every employee and every day.

Yes, you can add more bodies and resources to support your growth. But this often takes time to implement correctly (if you ever achieve that) and scaling is harder because you know…staff.

Or you can do what many entrepreneurs choose to do, just work harder. The thing is that each of these in isolation will get you a small part of the way to scale, but because these factors are ever-present, ever-changing and outside of your control, many service business owners fail to scale their offering as efficiently or effectively as possible.

Whereas, if we look at our clients with products, they can scale production or manufacturing and create efficiencies or economies of scale when growth is a factor.

Of course, they have challenges, much like we do but they design a product once and then sell this many times over.

And it’s from this understanding of products that we service business owners can learn. We can create product-like features in our service and deliver standardised outputs that meet the needs of our clients. If we instil even just a small focus on such structures, attributes or outputs, we can unlock scale in our business. The amazing news is that we can do this as we build our service offering without disrupting our current business.

What does productising a service actually mean?

Productising your service means transforming what you do from custom, time-based work into a standardised, systematised offering with clear deliverables, fixed pricing, and defined processes. It’s about taking the core expertise of your business and packaging it in a way that can be delivered consistently, efficiently, and profitably without your constant hands-on involvement.

If I use design for example: a basic introduction to this is to stop designing individual designs and to create packages such as retainers that meet multiple needs of clients. We define the process, from briefing to completion and we define the outputs we will complete as part of the service. While this is a basic introduction, putting structure into your service delivery is the ideal first step.

The benefits of productising your service

1. Scalability without proportional resource increase When your service is productised, you can serve more clients without necessarily hiring more staff or working longer hours. Your systems do the heavy lifting. 
2. Predictable revenue streams Set pricing and standardised offerings create more predictable cash flow and make financial forecasting significantly easier.
3. Higher profit margins As efficiency increases and delivery becomes more streamlined, the cost to serve each client decreases, boosting your margins.
4. Easier client onboarding Clear, defined offerings make it easier for prospects to understand what they’re buying and simplify the sales process.
5. Reduced dependency on key individuals A properly productised service can be delivered by trained team members rather than relying exclusively on the founder or senior staff.

Key elements of a successfully productised service

1. Standardised processes and workflows Document every step of your service delivery to create repeatable systems that anyone can follow.
2. Tiered offerings Create distinct service tiers with clear deliverables and price points to cater to different client needs and budgets.
3. Defined scope boundaries Clearly outline what’s included and what’s not to prevent scope creep and protect your margins.
4. Templated deliverables Develop templates for common outputs to increase efficiency and maintain quality standards.
5. Automated components Identify elements of your service that can be automated through technology to reduce manual effort.

How to begin productising your services

1. Analyse your current service delivery Review your most successful client engagements to identify patterns and recurring elements that could be standardised.
2. Identify your core value proposition Determine the specific outcomes that clients value most from your service.
3. Start with a pilot offering Create a simplified, productised version of your service that addresses a specific client need.
4. Develop clear documentation Create process maps, checklists, and guidelines that enable consistent delivery.
5. Test, refine, and scale Launch your productised service with a small group of clients, gather feedback, and make improvements before scaling.

Common issues with productising your service

1. Over-standardising Maintain flexibility where it truly adds value to clients.
2. Neglecting client experience Ensure that efficiency doesn’t come at the expense of client satisfaction.
3. Pricing too low Focus on the value delivered rather than the time spent.
4. Trying to productise everything at once Start with specific, manageable components of your service.
5. Forgetting to leverage technology Invest in tools and systems that enable efficient delivery at scale.

Selling Creative Services – New Sales Course For Agency Owners

Right now I’m in the process of launching my first product, a course for service business owners to systemise their sales and to use this foundation to scale their respective agencies. Whether you’re at 1k a month or 100k, the process I’m sharing will support your commercial goals and ambitions. I’ve worked with dozens of agency owners over the past year and spoken with hundreds more. Overwhelmingly my first engagement with them focuses on supporting their commercial ambitions with a systemised and structured sales process that doesn’t make them feel like they’re selling their soul.

If that sounds of interest to you, please feel free to check out https://courses.moveatpace.com/selling-creative-services where you can find out more information about the course.