Effective Productisation Models

Pathway #1: Knowledge Products

This approach is best suited for business consultants, coaches, marketing strategists, legal advisors, and industry specialists and remains the most accessible and affordable option for productising your expertise overall.

There’s a plethora of options for packaging your knowledge into structured, on-demand resources including;

Courses & Masterclasses – Teaching clients your methodology through step-by-step video training
Industry Playbooks & Frameworks – Step-by-step blueprints that address client-specific challenges
Whitepapers & Reports – High-value insights delivered through branded publications that clients or businesses can purchase

These digital products are (i) simple to create, (ii) require  minimal technical expertise and infrastructure and (iii) Offer high potential for passive income. 

Example: Startup Business Consultant

A business consultant who helps startups secure funding could turn their process into a Startup Fundraising Playbook, including email templates, investor pitch decks, and a step-by-step roadmap.

Instead of working one-on-one, they can sell this guide to hundreds of startups at scale with comparatively minimal effort. 

Is this approach best suited for your business?

A: If you already have proven frameworks, templates, or strategies that solve a problem, then this is your fastest and least onerous route to productisation.

Productisation Pathway #2: Digital Products

Best for: Financial advisors, mortgage brokers, business strategists, real estate agents and technical consultants. 

AI-powered products bridge the gap between consulting and automation. These tools deliver expertise in an interactive way, helping clients and prospects gain access to personalised insights or actionable guidance without the need for one-to-one service delivery, with the added advantage of leveraging a solution that incorporates your branding and messaging. In essence this approach can be considered a personalised take on one-to-many.

Examples of Compelling Digital Products by Industry

1. AI Solutions for Assessment and Recommendation – For finance niches; AI micro-applications can be created that can help clients assess their financial situation and receive personalized savings and debt reduction plans. For professionals in the business advisory space; AI solutions can be created that analyze business data and provide growth recommendations. With the advent of no-code platforms such as Productised, the bulk of these solutions can be easily created without the need for considerable technical expertise.

2. Compliance and Risk Management. AI-powered compliance and risk-assessment tools can generate industry-specific compliance checklists for your clients’ businesses based on regulations, locality and business type.

3. Dynamic Blueprints, Roadmaps and Guides for Lead Generation. Providing AI-powered digital products to your small business clients also unlocks the potential for black-labeling of AI tools. You can sell interactive AI tools to your clients which can be customized and & ‘black-labeled’ with the client’s own branding and then used for their lead generation purposes. This can be an excellent way to encourage client retention and ongoing loyalty. For instance, a business strategist providing advice to a real estate brokerage may benefit from a tool that provides prospects with a personalised buyer’s/seller’s guide or mortgage affordability advice. Conversely, a realtor trading on their own account can supply these white-labeled resources directly to high value prospects.  

Why this approach is proven to deliver results

1. Capitalising on high perceived value – Personalised AI products stand out from courses which have been the go-to solution for many years

2. Ongoing Monetisation – High value tools provide the option for subscriptions and upsells rather than a singular purchase

3. Efficient Scaling – Minimal involvement from you is required in order for the tool to provide value to clients

Practical Example:

A financial advisor builds an AI-powered tax planning tool that helps business owners forecast their tax liabilities, provides savings recommendations, and offers step-by-step compliance guidance. Because the tool is AI-driven and responsive to user input it is capable of providing continual dynamic guidance as the advisor’s clients grow their businesses and encounter additional regulatory and financial challenges. 

Instead of billing hourly, the advisor sells monthly subscriptions to their chosen AI compliance tool, creating a recurring revenue stream. When the advisor creates an additional tool, leveraging another framework methodology or process, they can upsell subscribers to this tool at a discounted rate or even provide it free of charge in order to promote loyalty, retention and customer advocacy. 

Is this approach best for you?

If your approach to doing business places a strong emphasis on data analysis, a hyper-personalised client acquisition strategy, strategic planning or financial insights, a digital product powered by AI could be the most viable approach to productisation. 

Productisation Path #3: Hybrid Monetisation Models

This pathway is best-suited for: High-ticket consultants, executive coaches, elite advisors, and niche industry experts)

If you deliver services to high-end clientele, then it’s highly likely you will want to retain a service-oriented approach for the most part, whilst looking for ways to strategically scale your impact within a productised framework .

This is where hybrid monetisation models come in. The intention here is to combine digital products with high-touch services to create long-term, scalable revenue. There’s several ways you can accomplish this:

1. Paid Memberships & Private Communities – Through these memberships and communities you can provide exclusive access to ongoing insights, group coaching, and industry updates.
2. VIP Advisory Groups – Clients pay for limited private consultations, delivered digitally in a group setting, replacing one-to-one with one-to-several
3. Done-For-You Digital Services – Productised solutions that automate key tasks within your advisory business; personalised according to individual client needs with comprehensive support through the use of Generative AI. 

Why It Works:

I. Blending Passive & Active Revenue – Charge for both digital access and premium advisory services.
II. Retaining Client Relationships – Keeps high-value clients engaged without taking all your time
III. Adding recurring revenue and increasing cost efficiency – Memberships can create a stable, predictable income and clients gain access to premium service delivery at a lower cost overall than traditional offerings from competitors.

Example:

A business consultant who helps corporate executives could launch a VIP Advisory Group—offering:

Weekly industry updates

Quarterly private coaching calls

Exclusive AI-powered strategy tools

Instead of managing dozens of one-on-one clients, they serve an entire group at scale—charging $500 per month per member.

Is this approach best for you?

If you serve C-suite clientele who are likely to continue to expect a high level of client interaction, however you remain eager to scale your business with improved efficiency by leveraging digital solutions a hybrid model is the best approach.

A final word on choosing the right productisation model for your business

Now that you’ve seen 3 potential productisation pathways, the next step is choosing the right one.

Ask yourself these 3 important questions:

1️. What is the most urgent and important problem my clients face?
(Is it likely to be most appropriately addressed with a structured guide or a self-serve tool? Will there be a need for ongoing support?)

2️. Do I want a product that doesn’t necessitate a high level of involvement, or do I want to maintain some client interaction?
(Courses & AI tools are fully passive. Whereas memberships & advisory groups represent the hybrid approach which remains interaction-heavy.)

3️. What revenue model fits my business best?
(One-time sales, subscription-based income, or a mix of both?)

Your Action Steps:

1. Write down which productisation model feels most aligned with your expertise. Then…

2. Sketch out 1-2 product ideas based on what you already offer to your consulting clients