Install
openclaw skills install afrexai-agency-command-centerComplete agency operations system — client lifecycle, pricing, project delivery, team management, and growth strategy for service businesses.
openclaw skills install afrexai-agency-command-centerComplete operations system for service agencies, consultancies, and freelance businesses. From first client inquiry to recurring revenue machine.
Choose your model — this drives everything else:
| Model | Typical ACV | Team Size | Margin Target | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Expert | $5K-$25K | 1 | 60-80% | Deep specialists |
| Boutique | $25K-$100K | 3-8 | 40-55% | Quality-focused niche |
| Growth Agency | $100K-$500K | 10-30 | 30-45% | Scale players |
| Productized Service | $1K-$10K/mo | 5-15 | 50-70% | Repeatable delivery |
Don't sell time. Sell outcomes.
Structure services into 3 tiers:
service_catalog:
tier_1_starter:
name: "[Quick Win Name]"
price: "$X,XXX"
duration: "1-2 weeks"
deliverables:
- "[Specific deliverable 1]"
- "[Specific deliverable 2]"
ideal_for: "Companies that need [specific outcome] fast"
margin_target: "70%+"
tier_2_standard:
name: "[Core Service Name]"
price: "$XX,XXX"
duration: "4-8 weeks"
deliverables:
- "[Everything in Tier 1]"
- "[Additional deliverable 3]"
- "[Additional deliverable 4]"
ideal_for: "Companies ready for [bigger transformation]"
margin_target: "50%+"
tier_3_premium:
name: "[Flagship Engagement Name]"
price: "$XXX,XXX+"
duration: "3-6 months"
deliverables:
- "[Everything in Tier 2]"
- "[Strategic deliverable 5]"
- "[Ongoing support/retainer]"
ideal_for: "Enterprises needing [complete solution]"
margin_target: "40%+"
Rate each potential niche 1-5:
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market size (enough clients?) | 3x | /5 | /15 |
| Willingness to pay ($10K+ deals?) | 3x | /5 | /15 |
| Your expertise (can you deliver?) | 2x | /5 | /10 |
| Competition (room for you?) | 2x | /5 | /10 |
| Passion (can you do this for years?) | 1x | /5 | /5 |
| Total | /55 |
35+ = strong niche. Below 25 = keep looking.
When an inquiry arrives, extract:
lead_qualification:
company: ""
contact_name: ""
contact_role: ""
source: "" # referral, website, social, cold
budget:
stated: ""
estimated_range: ""
budget_holder: "" # Are they the decision maker?
authority:
decision_maker: true/false
other_stakeholders: []
approval_process: ""
need:
problem_statement: ""
urgency: "low|medium|high|critical"
current_solution: ""
why_change_now: ""
timeline:
desired_start: ""
desired_completion: ""
hard_deadlines: []
scope_fit:
matches_services: true/false
complexity: "simple|moderate|complex|enterprise"
red_flags: []
score: "/100" # See scoring below
| Factor | Points | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Budget match | 0-25 | 25=confirmed budget in range, 15=likely, 5=unclear, 0=way below |
| Authority | 0-20 | 20=decision maker, 10=influencer, 0=researcher |
| Need urgency | 0-20 | 20=critical/deadline, 15=high, 10=medium, 5=exploring |
| Timeline fit | 0-15 | 15=aligns with capacity, 10=tight but doable, 0=impossible |
| Scope fit | 0-10 | 10=core service, 5=adjacent, 0=outside expertise |
| Source quality | 0-10 | 10=referral, 7=inbound, 3=cold |
80+ = fast track (respond within 2 hours) 60-79 = standard (respond within 24 hours) 40-59 = nurture (add to drip, check back in 30 days) Below 40 = decline gracefully
[0-5 min] Rapport + Agenda Setting
- "Thanks for taking the time. Here's what I'd like to cover..."
- Confirm their role and who else is involved in the decision
[5-20 min] Deep Problem Discovery
- "Walk me through what's happening today..."
- "What have you tried so far?"
- "What's the cost of NOT solving this?" ← KEY QUESTION
- "If we solve this perfectly, what does that look like in 6 months?"
- "What's your biggest concern about working with an agency?"
[20-30 min] Solution Exploration
- Mirror their language back: "So the core issue is [X], and ideally you'd have [Y]"
- Share relevant case study (1-2 min, not a pitch)
- Outline potential approach at high level
- "Based on what you've described, I'd suggest [Tier 2 service]"
[30-40 min] Logistics
- Timeline expectations
- Budget conversation: "Projects like this typically range $X-$Y. Does that align with what you had in mind?"
- Decision process and stakeholders
- Required access/resources from their side
[40-45 min] Next Steps
- "Here's exactly what happens next: I'll send a proposal by [date]..."
- Confirm follow-up date
- Ask: "Is there anything else I should know before putting this together?"
Warm Referral Follow-up:
Subject: [Referrer] suggested we connect
Hi [Name],
[Referrer] mentioned you're dealing with [specific problem]. We just helped [similar company] solve that — they went from [before state] to [after state] in [timeframe].
Worth a 20-minute call to see if we can do the same for you?
[Your name]
Post-Discovery Proposal Email:
Subject: Your [problem] solution — proposal attached
Hi [Name],
Great talking on [day]. Attached is the proposal for [project name].
The quick version:
- We'll deliver [key outcome] by [date]
- Investment: $[amount]
- You'll see [specific metric improvement]
I've blocked [date] for a 15-min walkthrough if that works.
[Your name]
Every proposal follows this structure:
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (1 page)
- Their problem in their words (mirror discovery call)
- The cost of inaction (quantified)
- Your recommended solution (1 paragraph)
- Investment and timeline (bottom line up front)
2. SITUATION ANALYSIS (1-2 pages)
- Current state (show you listened)
- Desired future state
- Gap analysis
- Why now matters
3. RECOMMENDED APPROACH (2-3 pages)
- Phase breakdown with deliverables
- Timeline with milestones
- What success looks like (measurable)
- Your methodology/framework name
4. INVESTMENT (1 page)
- 3-tier pricing (Good/Better/Best)
- What's included in each tier
- Payment terms
- What's NOT included (scope boundaries)
5. WHY US (1 page)
- 2-3 relevant case studies (results, not process)
- Team bios (relevant experience only)
- Unique approach/methodology
6. NEXT STEPS (half page)
- Clear call to action
- Timeline to start
- What you need from them
pricing_worksheet:
# Cost basis
estimated_hours: 0
blended_hourly_rate: 0 # Your internal cost per hour
direct_costs: 0 # Software, contractors, etc.
total_cost: 0 # hours × rate + direct costs
# Value basis
client_problem_cost: 0 # Annual cost of their problem
your_solution_value: 0 # Annual value you create
value_price: 0 # 10-20% of value created
# Market basis
competitor_low: 0
competitor_high: 0
market_price: 0 # Your positioning in range
# Final price
floor_price: 0 # cost × 1.5 (minimum viable margin)
target_price: 0 # MAX(value_price, market_price)
anchor_price: 0 # target × 1.3 (your Tier 3)
# Sanity checks
margin_percent: 0 # Must be > 40%
price_per_hour_effective: 0 # Must be > 2× your cost rate
roi_for_client: "X:1" # Must be > 3:1 or rethink
retainer_tiers:
growth:
monthly_fee: "$X,XXX"
hours_included: 20
response_time: "24 hours"
includes:
- "[Core service deliverable]"
- "Monthly strategy call"
- "Slack/email support"
overage_rate: "$XXX/hr"
scale:
monthly_fee: "$XX,XXX"
hours_included: 40
response_time: "4 hours"
includes:
- "[Everything in Growth]"
- "[Additional strategic service]"
- "Weekly check-in call"
- "Quarterly business review"
overage_rate: "$XXX/hr"
enterprise:
monthly_fee: "$XX,XXX+"
hours_included: "Unlimited (fair use)"
response_time: "2 hours"
includes:
- "[Everything in Scale]"
- "Dedicated team member"
- "24/7 emergency support"
- "Executive sponsor access"
overage_rate: "N/A"
onboarding:
day_0_signed:
- [ ] Contract signed and countersigned
- [ ] First payment received
- [ ] Welcome email sent (see template below)
- [ ] Client folder created in project management
- [ ] Internal kickoff scheduled
- [ ] Client added to communication channel
day_1:
- [ ] Access credentials collected (see access request template)
- [ ] Onboarding questionnaire sent
- [ ] Project timeline shared
- [ ] Team introductions made
- [ ] First milestone confirmed
day_2:
- [ ] Kickoff call completed
- [ ] Meeting notes distributed
- [ ] First deliverable timeline confirmed
- [ ] Weekly check-in cadence set
- [ ] Client expectations document signed
Subject: Welcome to [Agency Name] — here's what happens next
Hi [Name],
We're excited to get started on [project name]. Here's your roadmap for the next 48 hours:
TODAY:
✅ Contract signed — check
✅ You'll receive an onboarding questionnaire (10 min to complete)
✅ We'll send access requests for [systems we need]
TOMORROW:
📋 We review your questionnaire answers
📞 Kickoff call at [time] — here's the agenda: [link]
THIS WEEK:
🚀 First milestone: [deliverable] by [date]
📊 Weekly update every [day] at [time]
YOUR TEAM:
- [Name] — Project Lead (your main point of contact)
- [Name] — [Role]
- For urgent issues: [emergency contact method]
Questions before kickoff? Reply to this email or message us on [Slack/channel].
Let's build something great.
[Your name]
Get this signed at onboarding to prevent 90% of problems:
WORKING AGREEMENT
Communication:
- Primary channel: [Slack/email/tool]
- Response time: We respond within [X hours] on business days
- Urgent issues: [Phone/emergency process]
- Weekly updates: Every [day] by [time]
Feedback & Approvals:
- We'll send work for review with clear deadlines
- Feedback is due within [48 hours] of submission
- Delayed feedback = delayed timeline (no penalty to us)
- "Approved" means approved — revisions after approval are billed separately
Scope:
- This project covers: [specific deliverables from contract]
- Changes to scope require a written change order
- We'll flag scope creep early — no surprise invoices
Meetings:
- Weekly check-in: [30 min, day/time]
- We'll send agendas 24h before, notes within 24h after
- Cancel with 24h notice or it counts as held
project:
name: ""
client: ""
status: "active|on-hold|at-risk|complete"
health:
schedule: "green|yellow|red"
budget: "green|yellow|red"
scope: "green|yellow|red"
client_satisfaction: "green|yellow|red"
overall: "green|yellow|red"
financials:
contract_value: 0
collected: 0
outstanding: 0
hours_budgeted: 0
hours_used: 0
burn_rate_percent: 0 # hours_used / hours_budgeted × 100
margin_actual: 0
milestones:
- name: ""
due: "YYYY-MM-DD"
status: "pending|in-progress|review|complete|late"
deliverables: []
risks:
- description: ""
probability: "low|medium|high"
impact: "low|medium|high"
mitigation: ""
next_actions:
- task: ""
owner: ""
due: "YYYY-MM-DD"
Send every week, same day, same time:
Subject: [Project Name] — Weekly Update #[N]
📊 STATUS: [GREEN/YELLOW/RED]
COMPLETED THIS WEEK:
✅ [Deliverable/milestone 1]
✅ [Deliverable/milestone 2]
IN PROGRESS:
🔄 [Task 1] — [% complete, expected done date]
🔄 [Task 2] — [% complete, expected done date]
NEXT WEEK:
📋 [Planned deliverable 1]
📋 [Planned deliverable 2]
⚠️ NEEDS YOUR INPUT:
- [Decision/approval/access needed] — please respond by [date]
TIMELINE: [On track / X days ahead / X days behind]
BUDGET: [X% used of total hours]
When a client requests something outside scope:
Step 1: Acknowledge — "Great idea — let me look at what that involves."
Step 2: Classify:
Step 3: Document — Every change request logged:
change_request:
date: ""
requested_by: ""
description: ""
classification: "goodwill|change_order|new_project"
estimated_hours: 0
estimated_cost: 0
status: "pending|approved|declined"
impact_on_timeline: ""
Before ANY deliverable goes to client:
When to hire vs. contract:
| Factor | Hire Full-Time | Contract/Freelance |
|---|---|---|
| Need frequency | Ongoing, daily | Project-based, sporadic |
| Skill specificity | Core to your service | Specialized/niche |
| Client interaction | Client-facing | Behind the scenes |
| Cost at current volume | Cheaper than contracting | Cheaper than hiring |
| Ramp-up time | Worth the investment | Need them productive Day 1 |
team_member:
name: ""
role: ""
cost_per_hour: 0 # Your cost (salary ÷ working hours)
billable_target: "70%" # % of time on client work
this_week:
total_hours: 40
billable_hours: 0
internal_hours: 0 # Sales, admin, training
utilization: "0%"
this_month:
billable_hours: 0
revenue_generated: 0
effective_rate: 0 # revenue ÷ billable hours
Utilization targets:
As agency grows, delegate in this order:
Create one SOP per repeated process:
sop:
name: ""
owner: ""
last_updated: ""
frequency: "" # How often this runs
purpose: "" # Why this exists
trigger: "" # What kicks this off
steps:
- step: 1
action: ""
tool: "" # What software/tool
time: "" # Expected duration
output: "" # What this step produces
notes: ""
quality_check: "" # How to verify it's done right
common_mistakes:
- mistake: ""
prevention: ""
Track monthly, review weekly:
monthly_financials:
month: "YYYY-MM"
revenue:
project_revenue: 0
retainer_revenue: 0
other_revenue: 0
total_revenue: 0
cost_of_delivery:
team_costs: 0 # Salaries/contractor payments for delivery
software_tools: 0
direct_expenses: 0 # Client-specific costs
total_cod: 0
gross_margin: 0 # revenue - cost_of_delivery
gross_margin_percent: 0 # Should be > 50%
operating_expenses:
sales_marketing: 0
admin_overhead: 0
office_insurance: 0
total_opex: 0
net_profit: 0 # gross_margin - opex
net_margin_percent: 0 # Target: 15-25%
cash:
opening_balance: 0
cash_in: 0 # Actually received
cash_out: 0 # Actually paid
closing_balance: 0
runway_months: 0 # closing ÷ monthly burn
ar_aging:
current: 0 # Not yet due
days_30: 0
days_60: 0
days_90_plus: 0 # Chase these aggressively
Day 1 past due — Automated reminder:
"Hi [Name], friendly reminder that invoice #[X] for $[amount] was due on [date].
Payment link: [link]. Let me know if you have any questions."
Day 7 — Personal follow-up:
"Hi [Name], following up on invoice #[X]. Is everything okay?
Happy to jump on a quick call if there's an issue with the invoice."
Day 14 — Firm notice:
"Hi [Name], invoice #[X] is now 14 days overdue. Per our agreement,
work will pause on [date] if payment isn't received.
Please process this at your earliest convenience."
Day 21 — Final notice:
"Hi [Name], this is a final notice for invoice #[X] ($[amount], 21 days overdue).
Work on [project] will pause effective [date + 3 days] until payment is received.
If there's a cash flow issue, let's discuss a payment plan."
Day 30 — Work stops. Send formal letter. Consider collections for large amounts.
Monitor monthly for each client:
| Dimension | Weight | Indicators | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement | 25% | Response time, meeting attendance, feedback quality | /25 |
| Satisfaction | 25% | Explicit feedback, NPS, complaint frequency | /25 |
| Financial | 20% | Pays on time, budget discussions, upsell receptivity | /20 |
| Results | 20% | KPIs trending up, milestones hit, ROI demonstrated | /20 |
| Relationship | 10% | Champion strength, stakeholder breadth, referral likelihood | /10 |
80+ = Healthy — maintain and grow 60-79 = Watch — proactive check-in needed Below 60 = At risk — intervention required
Signals a client is ready to buy more:
Upsell conversation opener: "We've delivered [result] on [project]. Based on what I'm seeing, there's an opportunity to [specific next outcome]. Want me to put together a quick proposal?"
For retainer clients, do this every 90 days:
1. RESULTS RECAP (10 min)
- KPIs: where we started vs. where we are
- Key wins this quarter
- ROI calculation
2. WHAT WORKED / WHAT DIDN'T (10 min)
- Honest assessment of delivery
- Process improvements made
- Client feedback addressed
3. MARKET/INDUSTRY CONTEXT (5 min)
- Relevant trends affecting their business
- What competitors are doing
- New opportunities you've spotted
4. NEXT QUARTER PLAN (10 min)
- Recommended priorities
- New ideas/initiatives to explore
- Resource/budget implications
5. RELATIONSHIP CHECK (5 min)
- "How's our communication working?"
- "Anything we should do differently?"
- "Anyone else on your team we should loop in?"
Handle gracefully — they might come back or refer others:
offboarding:
- [ ] Exit interview (what went well, what didn't)
- [ ] Final deliverables transferred
- [ ] All access/credentials returned
- [ ] Final invoice sent and collected
- [ ] Knowledge transfer document provided
- [ ] Testimonial requested (if relationship was positive)
- [ ] Added to alumni newsletter/updates list
- [ ] CRM status updated with reason for churn
- [ ] Internal retrospective completed
- [ ] Set 90-day re-engagement reminder
Rule: No single client > 30% of revenue.
If one client dominates:
The path from custom services to scalable revenue:
Stage 1: Custom Projects (high margin, low scale)
↓ Identify repeated patterns
Stage 2: Templated Delivery (faster, more consistent)
↓ Package into fixed-scope offers
Stage 3: Productized Service (fixed price, predictable delivery)
↓ Build self-serve tools
Stage 4: Product + Service Hybrid (highest scale)
Track weekly:
agency_dashboard:
week_of: "YYYY-MM-DD"
pipeline:
new_leads: 0
proposals_sent: 0
proposals_won: 0
win_rate: "0%"
average_deal_size: 0
pipeline_value: 0
delivery:
active_projects: 0
projects_on_track: 0
projects_at_risk: 0
milestones_hit: 0
milestones_missed: 0
client_nps: 0
financial:
mrr: 0 # Monthly recurring revenue
project_revenue: 0
total_revenue: 0
ar_outstanding: 0
cash_position: 0
team:
avg_utilization: "0%"
team_size: 0
open_positions: 0
attrition_ytd: 0
growth:
revenue_vs_last_month: "+0%"
revenue_vs_last_year: "+0%"
client_count: 0
net_revenue_retention: "0%" # Target: >110%
The Scope Creeper:
The Ghost:
The Everything-Is-Urgent:
The Micromanager:
capacity:
total_team_hours_weekly: 0
billable_target_hours: 0 # total × 0.75
currently_committed: 0
available_hours: 0
projects:
- name: ""
hours_per_week: 0
weeks_remaining: 0
team_members: []
can_take_new_work: true/false # available > 20 hours
next_availability: "YYYY-MM-DD"
When outsourcing parts of delivery:
| Say | Agent Does |
|---|---|
| "New lead from [company]" | Create lead qualification with BANT-S scoring |
| "Write proposal for [project]" | Generate proposal using framework |
| "Price this: [scope description]" | Run pricing calculator with 3-tier output |
| "Onboard [client name]" | Generate onboarding checklist and welcome email |
| "Weekly update for [client]" | Generate status update from project data |
| "Client health check" | Score all active clients on health dimensions |
| "Capacity check" | Show team utilization and available hours |
| "Chase overdue invoices" | Generate appropriate follow-up for each aging bucket |
| "QBR for [client]" | Generate quarterly review deck |
| "Agency dashboard" | Compile weekly metrics from all sources |
| "Scope creep alert" | List all unpriced change requests across projects |
| "Growth plan" | Analyze current metrics and recommend next growth lever |