{"id":12496,"date":"2023-06-06T12:13:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T10:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/?p=12496"},"modified":"2025-05-19T17:04:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T15:04:11","slug":"how-to-boost-your-client-intake-process-with-a-quantitative-maturity-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/blog\/how-to-boost-your-client-intake-process-with-a-quantitative-maturity-model\/","title":{"rendered":"How to boost your client intake process with a quantitative maturity model"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n    #section-IWuHv {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 6rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-IWuHv {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #421f3c;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-IWuHv-container  #421f3c custom-padding \" id=\"section-IWuHv\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #421f3c;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-7AR6M .heading h1 {\n        color: #ffffff;\n        font-size: 3.125rem;\n        line-height: 4rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-7AR6M {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 2rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-7AR6M {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n\n        .single #heading-7AR6M .heading h1 {\n            line-height: 3rem !important;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-1-container lazyblock-heading-1-7AR6M  px-0\" id=\"heading-7AR6M\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-1 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-1-7AR6M\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start \">\n            <a class=\"heading-1-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"how-to-boost-your-client-intake-process-with-a-quantitative-maturity-model\"><\/a>\n            <h1>How to boost your client intake process with a quantitative maturity model<\/h1>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #heading-1ARQs6 .heading h2 {\n        color: #f5f5f5;\n        font-size: 1.25rem;\n        line-height: 1.5rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-1ARQs6 {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-1ARQs6 {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-1ARQs6 date-and-author-container px-0\" id=\"heading-1ARQs6\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start date-and-author lazyblock-heading-2-1ARQs6\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"written-june-6-2023-by-jeroen-de-rore\"><\/a>\n            <h2>Written June 6, 2023, by Jeroen De Rore<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-ZkOzLn {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 2.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-ZkOzLn {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-ZkOzLn-container  #ffffff custom-padding \" id=\"section-ZkOzLn\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    .lazyblock-content-28VbQx p,\n    .lazyblock-content-28VbQx p a,\n    .lazyblock-content-28VbQx h1,\n    .lazyblock-content-28VbQx h2,\n    .lazyblock-content-28VbQx h3,\n    .lazyblock-content-28VbQx h4,\n    .lazyblock-content-28VbQx h5 {\n        color: ;\n    }\n\n    #content-28VbQx {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-28VbQx {\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n        #content-28VbQx {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-content-container lazyblock-content-28VbQx-container  px-0 \"\n     id=\"content-28VbQx\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start  lazyblock-content-28VbQx\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-555bfa82 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"555bfa82\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p><i>Every person that works at Pointerpro is imbued with the value of purposeful assessments. Not only the developers of our platform but also a \u201cnon-essential worker\u201d like myself. As a marketer and copywriter, I try to understand what users of our software go through every day. One way is to talk to them. More often than not they are consultants with highly diverse domains of expertise. Probably the most effective way to understand them \u2013 and how they assess their clients \u2013 would be to crawl into their skin. I did the next best thing:\u00a0<\/i><b><i>developing a quantitative maturity model,\u00a0<\/i><\/b><i>as if I were a consultant myself.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12507\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/SURVEYxANYPLACE-27-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/p>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-1ptk6v {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 2.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-1ptk6v {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-1ptk6v-container  #f5f5f5 custom-padding \" id=\"section-1ptk6v\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-1XmEDK .heading h2 {\n        color: #421f3c;\n        font-size: 2.5rem;\n        line-height: 3rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-1XmEDK {\n        margin-top: 1rem;\n        margin-bottom: 1rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-1XmEDK {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-1XmEDK  px-0\" id=\"heading-1XmEDK\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-1XmEDK\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"what-is-a-quantitative-maturity-model\"><\/a>\n            <h2>What is a quantitative maturity model?<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    .lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt p,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt p a,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt h1,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt h2,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt h3,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt h4,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt h5 {\n        color: ;\n    }\n\n    #content-Z1gM9Pt {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-Z1gM9Pt {\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n        #content-Z1gM9Pt {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-content-container lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt-container  px-0 \"\n     id=\"content-Z1gM9Pt\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start  lazyblock-content-Z1gM9Pt\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7ec2a065 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7ec2a065\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>A quantitative maturity model is a\u00a0<b>framework that objectively assesses an organization\u2019s level of maturity in a specialized area,<\/b>\u00a0using measurable metrics. It helps consultants by providing a clear understanding of the organization\u2019s current state and identifying areas for improvement. With a quantitative maturity model, consultants can establish baselines,\u00a0<b>develop benchmarks<\/b>, set realistic goals, and create actionable strategies to guide the organization\u2019s growth and track progress.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>Ultimately, a quantitative maturity model can be converted into a maturity assessment. This article focuses on the development of the model itself.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/maturity-assessment-tool\/\">Find out more about maturity\u00a0<i>assessment\u00a0<\/i>building (with Pointerpro) here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-2ngaGA {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 2.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-2ngaGA {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-2ngaGA-container  #ffffff custom-padding \" id=\"section-2ngaGA\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-23alQd .heading h2 {\n        color: #421f3c;\n        font-size: 2.5rem;\n        line-height: 3rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-23alQd {\n        margin-top: 1rem;\n        margin-bottom: 1rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-23alQd {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-23alQd  px-0\" id=\"heading-23alQd\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-23alQd\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"why-is-it-so-valuable-to-use-a-quantitative-maturity-model\"><\/a>\n            <h2>Why is it so valuable to use a quantitative maturity model?<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    .lazyblock-content-ZIS48G p,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZIS48G p a,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZIS48G h1,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZIS48G h2,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZIS48G h3,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZIS48G h4,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZIS48G h5 {\n        color: ;\n    }\n\n    #content-ZIS48G {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-ZIS48G {\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n        #content-ZIS48G {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-content-container lazyblock-content-ZIS48G-container  px-0 \"\n     id=\"content-ZIS48G\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start  lazyblock-content-ZIS48G\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dab9088 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dab9088\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>First of all, for any consultancy that wants to grow,<b>\u00a0standardizing its methodology<\/b>\u00a0to evaluate clients is essential. There are many ways to substantiate that claim, but the two most important ones in my opinion are these:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">It increases efficiency: faster <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flowlu.com\/blog\/crm\/client-onboarding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">customer onboarding<\/a> and delivery of business value.<\/li>\n<li>It leverages specialized know-how that competing consultants may lack.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Using a standardized approach with quantifiable data \u2013 in other words, a quantitative maturity model \u2013 also facilitates effective communication with stakeholders. It\u00a0<b>objectifies\u00a0<\/b>and therefore\u00a0<b>justifies your recommendations<\/b>\u00a0to get the necessary buy-in from decision-makers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-DBsDN {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 2.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-DBsDN {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-DBsDN-container  #f5f5f5 custom-padding \" id=\"section-DBsDN\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-1wyiRz .heading h2 {\n        color: #421f3c;\n        font-size: 2.5rem;\n        line-height: 3rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-1wyiRz {\n        margin-top: 1rem;\n        margin-bottom: 1rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-1wyiRz {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-1wyiRz  px-0\" id=\"heading-1wyiRz\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-1wyiRz\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"3-key-steps-to-develop-a-quantitative-maturity-model-for-your-client-intake-process\"><\/a>\n            <h2>3 key steps to develop a quantitative maturity model for your client intake process<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    .lazyblock-content-jwO2P p,\n    .lazyblock-content-jwO2P p a,\n    .lazyblock-content-jwO2P h1,\n    .lazyblock-content-jwO2P h2,\n    .lazyblock-content-jwO2P h3,\n    .lazyblock-content-jwO2P h4,\n    .lazyblock-content-jwO2P h5 {\n        color: ;\n    }\n\n    #content-jwO2P {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-jwO2P {\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n        #content-jwO2P {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-content-container lazyblock-content-jwO2P-container  px-0 \"\n     id=\"content-jwO2P\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start  lazyblock-content-jwO2P\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60d1450 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"60d1450\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px; color: #421f3c;\">Preliminary steps<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42a6263 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"42a6263\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>In another blog article, I argued for one of Pointerpro\u2019s key visions for consultancy in this digital age. Namely, that there is a natural evolution in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/blog\/the-evolution-of-consultancy\/\">how to be a consultant<\/a>\u00a0today. Developing quantitative maturity models is a pivotal phase in that evolution. But a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/blog\/maturity-model-to-generate-leads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">good maturity model<\/a>\u00a0is also a specialized one. Therefore, you first need to discover and decide\u00a0<b>what you want to specialize\u00a0<\/b><b><i>in<\/i><\/b>\u00a0as a consultant. What will be your\u00a0<b>service offerings?\u00a0<\/b>Let\u2019s say you\u2019re a digital marketing consultancy. That could mean you build attractive websites for clients, but it can just as well not mean that at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For the purpose of\u00a0<i>this\u00a0<\/i>quantitative model-building exercise, I decided I would pretend to be a marketing agency that decided on<b>\u00a0email marketing consultancy as its specialized service offering.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-ZRBerj {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 1.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-ZRBerj {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-ZRBerj-container  #ffffff custom-padding \" id=\"section-ZRBerj\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-zb2mj .heading h2 {\n        color: #421f3c;\n        font-size: 2rem;\n        line-height: 3rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-zb2mj {\n        margin-top: 1rem;\n        margin-bottom: 1rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-zb2mj {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-zb2mj  px-0\" id=\"heading-zb2mj\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-zb2mj\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"step-1-define-the-maturity-levels\"><\/a>\n            <h2>Step 1: Define the maturity levels<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    .lazyblock-content-Z9yto1 p,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z9yto1 p a,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z9yto1 h1,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z9yto1 h2,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z9yto1 h3,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z9yto1 h4,\n    .lazyblock-content-Z9yto1 h5 {\n        color: ;\n    }\n\n    #content-Z9yto1 {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-Z9yto1 {\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n        #content-Z9yto1 {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-content-container lazyblock-content-Z9yto1-container  px-0 \"\n     id=\"content-Z9yto1\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start  lazyblock-content-Z9yto1\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b00537 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7b00537\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">How many levels do you need?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fee059d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fee059d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Whoever says \u201cmaturity model,\u201d says \u201cmaturity\u00a0<i>levels.<\/i>\u201d I have noticed that the online maturity assessments from Pointerpro clients often tend to apply 4 different maturity levels, so I\u2019m inclined to go for that as well. A maturity model needs to be\u00a0<b>sophisticated\u00a0<\/b>so having more than 3 levels seems like an obvious choice.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>When researching online for\u00a0<b>email marketing and other maturity models,\u00a0<\/b>you\u2019ll mostly come across 4 or 5 maturity levels. Even though having\u00a0<b>5 levels<\/b>\u00a0is justifiable because it allows for sophistication, there\u2019s\u00a0<b>more room for ambiguity than when applying 4 levels<\/b>. As an email marketing consultant in this exercise, I will go for using 4 maturity levels. To visualize my model, I could consider integrating a \u201clevel 0\u201d to represent no presence of any email marketing whatsoever.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56c86fa elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"56c86fa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">How to name your maturity levels<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0437295 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0437295\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Beyond being a truly useful tool, a maturity model also increases your credibility as a consulting brand. Therefore, it\u2019s a good idea to be creative when naming the maturity levels. Let\u2019s say my digital marketing consultancy is called \u201cRumble In The Jungle\u201d.\u00a0<b>A client with maturity level 4 could then be labeled as a \u201cLion.\u201d<\/b>\u00a0A client with maturity level 1 could be labeled as \u201cLeafhopper.\u201d A client who simply does no email marketing at all (level 0) could be labeled as something inanimate, like a \u201cPebble,\u201d representing the absence of the client\u2019s activity in email marketing. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #fff; font-size: 24px; padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px; background-color: transparent; background-image: linear-gradient(165deg, #421F3C 0%, #421F3C 100%); border-radius: 10px 10px 10px 10px; width: 100%; display: block;\">Key takeaways &amp; other tips:<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"margin: 10px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 10px 10px 10px 29px; border-radius: 10px 10px 10px 10px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 10px 0px #421F3C;\">\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Having 4 levels is probably the sweet spot (sophisticated and unambiguous).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Differentiate yourself by giving your maturity levels original names.<\/li>\n<\/ul>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-ZCUep2 {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 2.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-ZCUep2 {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-ZCUep2-container  #f5f5f5 custom-padding \" id=\"section-ZCUep2\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-1TYIuu .heading h2 {\n        color: #421f3c;\n        font-size: 2rem;\n        line-height: 3rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-1TYIuu {\n        margin-top: 1rem;\n        margin-bottom: 1rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-1TYIuu {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-1TYIuu  px-0\" id=\"heading-1TYIuu\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-1TYIuu\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"step-2-define-the-questions\"><\/a>\n            <h2>Step 2: Define the questions<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    .lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q p,\n    .lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q p a,\n    .lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q h1,\n    .lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q h2,\n    .lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q h3,\n    .lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q h4,\n    .lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q h5 {\n        color: ;\n    }\n\n    #content-1Lkc7q {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-1Lkc7q {\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n        #content-1Lkc7q {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-content-container lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q-container  px-0 \"\n     id=\"content-1Lkc7q\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start  lazyblock-content-1Lkc7q\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d46bf5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0d46bf5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Finding questions to ask<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a9cd1a3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a9cd1a3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Asking the right questions during the client intake process is a crucial skill for any consultant. And so it is when developing a maturity model. Working in marketing myself, I have some intuition about what could be potential questions to measure the email marketing maturity of an organization. As a consultant, there\u2019s no doubt you\u2019re an expert in your field and have such an intuition too.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>Nonetheless, this wouldn\u2019t be the year 2023 if I didn\u2019t make a case for using ChatGPT. With the right prompts, the AI tool can give you a great starting point. In fact, it can come up with endless excellent suggestions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12506\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Scherm_afbeelding-2023-06-06-om-09.26.35-1024x677-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9fb2362 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9fb2362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Also, diverse sources share\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.slideshare.net\/demandmetric\/email-marketing-maturity-model-81212242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">email marketing<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/managing-digital-marketing\/capability-performance-review\/benchmarking-digital-marketing-capability\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digital marketing maturity models online<\/a>. They don\u2019t disclose the exact questions, but the visual representations of their models provide plenty of inspiration. In fact, it made me realize that you can\u00a0<b>categorize your questions<\/b> into different domains within email marketing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12505\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/email-marketing-maturity-model-1-1024x724-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"724\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/case-studies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12504\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Email-marketing-model-2-1024x599-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"599\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6547dea elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6547dea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/case-studies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db76af2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"db76af2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>For instance: one domain could focus on \u201cstrategy and operations\u201d, while another could focus on aspects like \u201cdesign and content\u201d or \u201cautomation.\u201d Organizing your questions in this way, helps you to maintain a good balance and\u00a0<b>take different domains into sufficient consideration<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89904a6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"89904a6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">What questions to favor?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b948bdd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b948bdd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>That said, remember I mentioned before that a quantitative maturity model allows you to leverage your know-how and skills? It\u2019s in this step you make that happen: By\u00a0<b>focusing on questions that relate to the services and know-how<\/b>\u00a0that differentiate you from your competitors.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>An example: If you or someone in your consulting firm is an absolute expert in writing high-quality copy for emails, by all means, provide enough questions about the content and quality of the emails above questions that focus on domains your consultancy maybe doesn\u2019t master as well.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>You want\u00a0<b>the total\u00a0<\/b><b><i>number\u00a0<\/i><\/b><b>of questions<\/b>\u00a0in your maturity model to allow for enough sophistication, the same way you did when choosing the number of maturity levels. Five questions aren\u2019t going to cut it for you to come up with very useful feedback or advice. I came up with 15 questions, although a true email marketing expert may come up with 20 quite easily. Online\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/case-studies\/\">assessments created by consultants who use Pointerpro<\/a>\u00a0generally have somewhere between 10 and 20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12503\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Question-list.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1042\" height=\"368\" \/><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8cdc05c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8cdc05c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">What answer options to provide?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e476e92 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e476e92\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Coming up with questions for your client intake process isn\u2019t enough. You need to know what the potential answers are, of course. After all, you\u2019re the expert. Providing answer options \u2013 as opposed to coming up with open questions \u2013 is what allows you to make your model\u00a0<i>quantitative<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12502\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Answer-options-v5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1478\" height=\"682\" \/><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-309dd77 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"309dd77\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>When thinking about my answer options, I reflexively assumed each answer would have to correspond to a maturity level. But some of the questions I came up with simply didn\u2019t have four possible answers in them. Sometimes the answer to a question is just \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno.\u201d No problem.\u00a0<b>That\u2019s why a great quantitative model uses<\/b>\u00a0<b>scoring<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1778469 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1778469\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">The importance of benchmarks<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e7b8b5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8e7b8b5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Before I discuss how to attribute scores to answer options in your maturity model, let me emphasize one last essential to-do when deciding on your answer options:\u00a0<b>finding industry benchmarks.<br \/><br \/><\/b>Even if you specialize your consulting in something as narrow as email marketing. Things may still\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mailerlite.com\/blog\/compare-your-email-performance-metrics-industry-benchmarks#metrics-by-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">differ from industry to industry<\/a>. For instance, the open rate for emails sent out by government or healthcare entities tends to be much higher than for emails sent out by construction industry companies. In other words, you may have to\u00a0<b>adjust your model a bit for each of the industries\u00a0<\/b>you\u2019re targeting as a consultant.<br \/><br \/>To stay in touch with industry benchmarks, find out what publications and reports are being published, join professional networks, and really dedicate some time to researching and learning. And of course:\u00a0<b>use your eventual quantitative model to gather and leverage the data<\/b>\u00a0you collect. That\u2019s right. Reward yourself for your hard work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-210ea97 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"210ea97\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Key takeaways &amp; other tips:<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64eb659 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"64eb659\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Inspire yourself with online research for questions and models.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">If you have salespeople, find out what questions come up when meeting prospects.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Provide at least 10 questions in total for the model so that it\u2019s sophisticated enough.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Categorize your questions to ensure a balanced assessment.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Provide enough questions that relate to your core know-how and skills.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use multiple answer options. No need to have as many options as maturity levels.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Don\u2019t forget to research for benchmarks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-1lqjSo {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 1.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-1lqjSo {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-1lqjSo-container  #ffffff custom-padding \" id=\"section-1lqjSo\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-1ChRVd .heading h2 {\n        color: #421f3c;\n        font-size: 2rem;\n        line-height: 3rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-1ChRVd {\n        margin-top: 1rem;\n        margin-bottom: 1rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-1ChRVd {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-1ChRVd  px-0\" id=\"heading-1ChRVd\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-1ChRVd\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"step-3-define-the-scoring\"><\/a>\n            <h2>Step 3: Define the scoring<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    .lazyblock-content-fHaqj p,\n    .lazyblock-content-fHaqj p a,\n    .lazyblock-content-fHaqj h1,\n    .lazyblock-content-fHaqj h2,\n    .lazyblock-content-fHaqj h3,\n    .lazyblock-content-fHaqj h4,\n    .lazyblock-content-fHaqj h5 {\n        color: ;\n    }\n\n    #content-fHaqj {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-fHaqj {\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n        #content-fHaqj {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-content-container lazyblock-content-fHaqj-container  px-0 \"\n     id=\"content-fHaqj\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start  lazyblock-content-fHaqj\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a6221e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7a6221e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">The final model<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-754ca88 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"754ca88\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Now it\u2019s time to make the maturity model\u00a0<i>quantitative<\/i>. It\u2019s time to attribute scores to all the answer options. If you look at my final quantitative model, you\u2019ll notice there are 15 questions in total and that for each the maximum score is 4. That means a potential client who applies nothing but best practices would score a perfect total of 60 points.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Of course, such a prospect is almost certainly not going to become a client. It\u2019s also extremely unlikely that this type of prospect exists because I\u2019ve made my maturity model demanding enough. In fact, I\u2019ve tried to set up my model so that most respondents end up in the zone I want them to. Based on a maximum score of 60 I was able to define the maturity levels as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Maturity level 1: 0 \u2013 15 points<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Maturity level 2: 16 \u2013 30 points<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Maturity level 3: 31 \u2013 45 points<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Maturity level 4: 46 \u2013 60 points<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0493d21 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0493d21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Aiming for low scores (but not too low!)<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3f9a70 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f3f9a70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>When you\u2019re assessing an organization with your quantitative maturity model during the client intake process, you\u2019re generally in a very early stage of working for them. Your ultimate goal is to provide concrete advice and services down the road. Therefore, you need the maturity score of that client to clearly indicate that there\u2019s<b>\u00a0room and need for improvement.<\/b>\u00a0At the same time, the score shouldn\u2019t be so low that the client gets discouraged or becomes defensive and refuses your help.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>Ideally,\u00a0<b>60% of the assessed<\/b>\u00a0clients would end up with\u00a0<b>maturity level 2<\/b>. At least, you should set up your scoring so that the majority of the\u00a0<b>clients you\u2019re assessing end up in level 2 or 3<\/b>\u00a0(based on 4 levels). 2 motivates them to move away from being underperforming. 3 motivates them to move towards excellence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5056e54 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5056e54\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Applying more weight to questions of expertise<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-54a823e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"54a823e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>I mentioned earlier that to leverage your know-how and services as a consultant, it\u2019s important to dedicate enough questions to the domains you master most. If I were really an email marketing consultant,\u00a0<b>\u201cdesign and content\u201d would probably be important for me<\/b>\u00a0because I would\u00a0<b>differentiate myself<\/b>\u00a0from competitors with services like copywriting. I am also going to assume for the purpose of this exercise that, as an email marketing consultant, I would excel at giving strategic advice.<br \/><br \/>For my quantitative model, that means I\u2019d want to make sure\u00a0<b>low-ranking answer options<\/b>\u00a0on \u201cdesign and content\u201d and \u201cstrategy and operations\u201d questions have<b>\u00a0a more negative impact on the total maturity score.\u00a0<\/b>Here\u2019s what I did: For a few of the questions associated with \u201cstrategy and operations\u201d and \u201cdesign and content\u201d I applied a low score for the already likely answer options 2 and 3. Instead of applying a proportional score of 2 and 3 \u2013 as I did with the other questions \u2013 they only deliver respectively 1 and 2 points.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12501\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Scoring-v4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1077\" height=\"666\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cb71beb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cb71beb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Defining yourself as a consultant through your quantitative model<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-472130f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"472130f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>This account of applying weights to answer options for the sake of emphasizing your own key skills and services may not seem very objective. That\u2019s because it isn\u2019t.\u00a0<br \/><br \/><i>Yes<\/i>, a quantitative model is about giving an objective indication of a client\u2019s maturity. But that\u00a0<b>objectivity is always going to be nested in the subjective point-of-view of the consultant<\/b>. I am a copywriter at heart. Applying more weight to content-related questions in my model is actually nothing more than explicitly\u00a0<b>defining my vision<\/b>\u00a0as an email marketing consultant. I in fact\u00a0<i>do\u00a0<\/i>deeply believe that content is key.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>There are\u00a0<b>many potential nuances<\/b>\u00a0you could consider in a quantitative model. When defining the scoring of questions related to \u201cstrategy and operations,\u201d I also wondered whether sending 1 marketing email per month was necessarily worse than say 3 emails. So, I reflected on ways to score the different answer options here. The conclusion? In my vision as an email marketing consultant, I believe that\u00a0<b>sending out only 1 email per month is synonymous with not exploiting the potential<\/b>\u00a0email marketing has for any organization. Hence, I attributed a\u00a0<b>lower score<\/b>\u00a0to the answer option \u201c1 email per month.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12500\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Scoring-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1091\" height=\"233\" \/><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1193323 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1193323\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Scoring to develop professional assessments down the line<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ee1f77c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ee1f77c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>The effort of defining scoring is also valuable because it\u2019s the basis for a top-notch online assessment you could develop later on. In the user help video below, my colleague Stacy explains how to apply scoring in Pointerpro. Just to give you an idea.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-048f205 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"048f205\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=fq0uqZCYKNE&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\"><iframe id=\"widget2\" class=\"elementor-video\" title=\"#howto use formulas and custom scoring with Pointerpro \u23ae Pointerpro\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fq0uqZCYKNE?controls=1&amp;rel=0&amp;playsinline=0&amp;modestbranding=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fpointerpro.com&amp;widgetid=1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ec83b0e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ec83b0e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Key takeaways &amp; other tips:<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e1a7f6f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e1a7f6f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Set up your scoring so that the majority of assessed clients would end up with maturity level 2 or 3.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Favor your strongest domains of expertise and service by penalizing \u201clow-ranking\u201d answer options that are related to them.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Applying weighted scoring is a useful exercise to define your vision as a consultant.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Scoring is the basis for a professional online assessment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-1D4ukh {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 2.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-1D4ukh {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-1D4ukh-container  #f5f5f5 custom-padding \" id=\"section-1D4ukh\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #f5f5f5;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-Z1LQbYp .heading h2 {\n        color: #421f3c;\n        font-size: 2rem;\n        line-height: 3rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-Z1LQbYp {\n        margin-top: 1rem;\n        margin-bottom: 1rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-Z1LQbYp {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-Z1LQbYp  px-0\" id=\"heading-Z1LQbYp\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-Z1LQbYp\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"the-outcome-and-the-next-steps\"><\/a>\n            <h2>The outcome and the next steps<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n    .lazyblock-content-ZYsixP p,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZYsixP p a,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZYsixP h1,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZYsixP h2,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZYsixP h3,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZYsixP h4,\n    .lazyblock-content-ZYsixP h5 {\n        color: ;\n    }\n\n    #content-ZYsixP {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-ZYsixP {\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n        #content-ZYsixP {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-content-container lazyblock-content-ZYsixP-container  px-0 \"\n     id=\"content-ZYsixP\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start  lazyblock-content-ZYsixP\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f06c18 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7f06c18\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Testing the model<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-77041078 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"77041078\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>If, like me, you\u2019re no mathematical wonder, the proof is in the eating of the pudding. I put my own model to the test by answering the questions, as if I were assessing one of the companies I used to work for as a marketing employee. Based on my experience there at the time, my assumption before taking the test was that maturity level 2 would apply.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4802b81 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4802b81\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">The result<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd1dce7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fd1dce7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>In the image below, the applicable answer options are marked in green. For the majority of questions, the applicable answer turned out to be indeed a \u201clevel 2 answer\u201d, generally corresponding to 2 points out of a maximum of 4.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12499\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Full-model-v3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1417\" height=\"688\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7507933 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7507933\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>I ended up with a total score of\u00a0<b>27 out of 60<\/b>, which corresponds to an overall level 2 maturity score. The difference between ending up in level 2 (a score between 16 and 30) and ending up in level 3 (a score between 31 and 45) was made by the questions I decided to apply a custom score on. If I hadn\u2019t done so, my total score would have been 31, corresponding to maturity level 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That comes to show that the\u00a0<b>impact of weighted scores<\/b>\u00a0is not so impactful as to completely derange the result, but\u00a0<b>enough to be a subtle push<\/b>\u00a0towards accepting the need for some consulting service.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re interested, you can view my\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1zDKuaE0DcZiR12jJSsllJMzO8xb5i2TIDKdWnR7B5rc\/edit?usp=share_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Sheet<\/a>\u00a0here and from there download the format you need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8a87e35 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8a87e35\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Next step: attach feedback and advice<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-80530ff elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"80530ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>Now that my model is finished I have what is called a\u00a0<b>descriptive model<\/b>. One that describes the as-is situation of my potential email marketing client.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another nudge for that client in the direction of accepting my services, based on the as-is evaluation, is to kick-start things by immediately providing them with some relevant advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One way is to associate generic advice based on the maturity level. A more powerful one would be to\u00a0<b>utilize the data you\u2019ve just gathered<\/b>. In other words, if the answer options that applied to your client illustrate some sort of weakness in one or more specific domains, it\u2019s the chance for you to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markup.io\/blog\/how-to-share-feedback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">share feedback<\/a>, relevant best practices and gain the client\u2019s trust. In that case, your maturity model becomes a\u00a0<b><i>prescriptive\u00a0<\/i><\/b><b>model,\u00a0<\/b>as it literally prescribes solutions. You can follow up by suggesting concrete services to help them bridge the gap your maturity model has exposed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45e3f5e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"45e3f5e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Take it further: Automate the entire process<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d3c21e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0d3c21e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>I\u2019m not going to lie,<b>\u00a0developing this quantitative maturity model\u00a0<\/b>for email marketing took\u00a0<b>quite a bit of effort and work<\/b>. Reading this article, you may have already concluded that it would be wise to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/maturity-assessment-tool\/\">turn your model into a full-blown maturity assessment<\/a>. One that you could have your potential clients fill out, instead of having to invest more time yourself in evaluating each one individually, through calls and meetings.\u00a0<br \/><br \/>As a member of the Pointerpro team, I\u2019d like to urge you not to stop there. With our platform, you are able to not only build and distribute digital assessments \u2013 to prospects directly or via your website. You can\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/features\/pdf-report-builder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>automate the entire process, from assessment to advice delivery<\/b><\/a><b>.<\/b>\u00a0Based on the principles of a quantitative maturity model with custom scoring, Pointerpro allows you to\u00a0<b>build report templates that auto-generate custom advice<\/b>\u00a0for each respondent, in a branded\u00a0<b>PDF format.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-98e21fa elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"98e21fa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span style=\"color: #421f3c; font-size: 24px;\">Download our quantitative maturity canvas for free<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cb41495 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"cb41495\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div data-id=\"cb41495\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Canvas-Pointerpro-digital-links.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12498\" src=\"https:\/\/proweb.p.blends.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/Canvas-1024x717-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"717\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div data-id=\"cb41495\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-67bcaa9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"67bcaa9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>But let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves here. Before anything else, I invite you to start building your own quantitative maturity model. I hope this article will help you do so. To get you started,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Canvas-Pointerpro-digital-links.pdf\">here\u2019s a canvas you can use as a hands-on guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-2hQu4N {\n        padding-top: 4rem;\n        padding-bottom: 2.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-2hQu4N {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-2hQu4N-container  #ffffff custom-padding \" id=\"section-2hQu4N\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #ffffff;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #section-Z26r2mo {\n        padding-top: 2.8rem;\n        padding-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-Z26r2mo {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; background-color: #421f3c;\">\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n    <div class=\"container-fluid lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-Z26r2mo-container  \" id=\"section-Z26r2mo\"\n         style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #421f3c;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"container-md \">\n            <div class=\"row col-lg-12\">\n                \n\n<style>\n    #content-image-2mhkuv {\n        padding-top: 0rem;\n        padding-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n        \n    @media (max-width: 767.98px) {\n        .p-0 {\n            padding: 1rem !important;\n        }\n    }\n\n    #content-image-2mhkuv {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    #content-image-2mhkuv .content-wrapper {\n        padding-left: 0rem;\n        padding-right: 0rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #content-image-2mhkuv .content-wrapper {\n            padding-left: 0 !important;\n        }\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 1440px) {\n        #section-2mhkuv {\n            \/\/padding-left: -2.8rem;\n        }\n    }\n\n    \n \/*   .lazyblock-content-image-container {\n        position: relative;\n    }*\/\n\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"lazyblock-content-image-container lazyblock-content-image-2mhkuv-container -container px-0 mx-0\">\n    <div class=\"row lazyblock-content-image \"\n         id=\"content-image-2mhkuv\">\n        <div class=\"content-wrapper col-lg-6 col-12 pe-4 mb-lg-0 mb-4 order-1\">\n            <div class=\"d-flex flex-centered h-100\">\n                                                <div class=\"d-flex flex-wrap\">\n                    <div class=\"container-md px-0\">\n                        <div class=\"row lazyblock-content justify-content-start\">\n                            <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start ps-4\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-ZT50Bs .heading h2 {\n        color: #ffffff;\n        font-size: 2rem;\n        line-height: 3rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-ZT50Bs {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 2rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-ZT50Bs {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-ZT50Bs  px-0\" id=\"heading-ZT50Bs\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-ZT50Bs\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"create-your-own-assessment-for-free\"><\/a>\n            <h2>Create your own assessment <br>for free!<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"row lazyblock-cta w-100\">\n    <div class=\"col-lg-12 text-start\">\n        <a class=\"btn btn-primary  \" href=\"https:\/\/app.pointerpro.com\/register?trial=true&amp;plan=professional\" target=\"_self\">Get started today<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n                            <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"image-wrapper col-lg-6 order-2\">\n            <div class=\"d-flex flex-centered h-100\">\n                                                                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"on-the-fly-2mhkuv\" src=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PP-BANNER-GetStartedToday.png\"\n                         alt=\"\" title=\"\"\/>\n                            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n    document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() {\n        var containers = document.querySelectorAll('.lazyblock-content-image-container');\n\n        function checkViewport() {\n            var screenWidth = window.innerWidth;\n            if (screenWidth > 320 && screenWidth <= 768) {\n                containers.forEach(function(container) {\n                    container.classList.remove('px-0', 'mx-0');\n                });\n            } else {\n                containers.forEach(function(container) {\n                    container.classList.add('px-0', 'mx-0');\n                });\n            }\n        }\n\n        checkViewport();\n\n        window.addEventListener('resize', checkViewport);\n    });\n\n<\/script>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n                <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- end -->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n\n\n\n<style>\n    #section-snaNG {\n        padding-top: 0rem;\n        padding-bottom: 2.8rem;\n    }\n\n    @media (min-width:1024px ) {\n        #section-snaNG {\n        ;\n        ;\n        }\n    }\n\n        .custom-padding {\n        padding-right: 0 !important;\n        padding-left: 0 !important;\n    }\n    @media (max-width: 1024px) {\n        .custom-padding {\n            padding-right: var(--bs-gutter-x, .75rem) !important;\n            padding-left: var(--bs-gutter-x, .75rem) !important;\n        }\n    }\n    <\/style>\n\n<!-- if container is fluid -->\n<div class=\"full-width\" style=\"position: relative; opacity: 100%; \">\n    <div class=\"container-xl lazyblock-section lazyblock-section-snaNG-container recommended-reading-single-post-container  custom-padding \" id=\"section-snaNG\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; \">\n                        <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-12 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n\n<style>\n    #heading-j8ssN .heading h2 {\n        color: #ff7418;\n        font-size: 1.5rem;\n        line-height: 2rem !important;\n    }\n\n    #heading-j8ssN {\n        margin-top: 0rem;\n        margin-bottom: 2rem;\n        margin-left: auto;\n        margin-right: auto;\n    }\n\n    @media (max-width: 768px) {\n        #heading-j8ssN {\n            margin-left: 0;\n            margin-right: 0;\n        }\n    }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-heading-2-container lazyblock-heading-2-j8ssN  px-0\" id=\"heading-j8ssN\">\n    <div class=\"row heading lazyblock-heading-2 justify-content-start  lazyblock-heading-2-j8ssN\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-12 text-start\">\n            <a class=\"heading-2-anchor heading-anchor\" id=\"recommended-reading\"><\/a>\n            <h2>Recommended Reading<\/h2>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"container-md lazyblock-teasers \">\n\n    \n    \n            <div class=\"row-wrapper child row row-cols-1 row-cols-lg-2 row-cols-xl-3 grid-gutter\" id=\"content_HOsUn\">\n                                                <div class=\"col pb-5\">\n                        <div class=\"card h-100 px-0 recommended-posts\">\n    <div class=\"recommended-item-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"recommended-item-card\">\n                            <div class=\"recommended-item-img-wrapper\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SURVEYxANYPLACE-27-1024x683-1.jpg\" class=\"recommended-item-img\" alt=\"How to boost your client intake process with a quantitative maturity model\">\n                <\/div>\n                       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This guide will...<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"recommended-item-cta\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/blog\/how-to-boost-your-client-intake-process-with-a-quantitative-maturity-model\/\" class=\"arrow d-flex align-items-center\">\n                Read more \n                   <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-content\/themes\/project-child\/assets\/img\/icons\/arrow-right.png\" alt=\"read more arrow\">\n                <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                                                                <div class=\"col pb-5\">\n                        <div class=\"card h-100 px-0 recommended-posts\">\n    <div class=\"recommended-item-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"recommended-item-card\">\n                            <div class=\"recommended-item-img-wrapper\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SURVEYxANYPLACExZAVENTEMANTWERP-61-1.jpg\" class=\"recommended-item-img\" alt=\"How to use a maturity model to generate leads as a consultant \u2013 and scale your business\">\n                <\/div>\n                        <div class=\"recommended-item-body flex-column h-100\">\n                <div class=\"recommended-item-title\">\n                    <h4><a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/blog\/maturity-model-to-generate-leads\/\">How to use a maturity model to generate leads as a consultant \u2013 and scale your business<\/a><\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"recommended-item-excerpt\">\n                    <p>Discover how Maturity models can help consultants boost their lead generation and scale...<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"recommended-item-cta\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/blog\/maturity-model-to-generate-leads\/\" class=\"arrow d-flex align-items-center\">\n                Read more \n                   <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-content\/themes\/project-child\/assets\/img\/icons\/arrow-right.png\" alt=\"read more arrow\">\n                <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                                                                <div class=\"col pb-5\">\n                        <div class=\"card h-100 px-0 recommended-posts\">\n    <div class=\"recommended-item-wrapper\">\n        <div class=\"recommended-item-card\">\n                            <div class=\"recommended-item-img-wrapper\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SURVEYxANYPLACExZAVENTEMANTWERP-274.jpg\" class=\"recommended-item-img\" alt=\"How to create an assessment: A step-by-step plan for professional service providers to create questionnaires and reports\">\n          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custom-padding \" id=\"section-nhPW5\"\n    style=\"opacity: 100%; background-color: #553550;\">\n                            <div class=\"section-bg-color\"\n                 style=\"opacity: 100%;\"><\/div>\n                <div class=\"row justify-content-center px-0 mx-0\">\n                <div class=\"col-lg-12 px-0 custom-padding row\">\n                    \n<div class=\"row mx-0 lazyblock-form\">\n    <div class=\"form-pretext px-0\">\n        <h2><span style=\"font-size: 36px; color: #ffffff;\">Want to know more?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Subscribe to our newsletter and get hand-picked articles directly to your inbox<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n    <form id=\"form-Z1CBtTG\" class=\"mailchimp-form\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"col-md-7 px-0\">\n                <input type=\"email\" name=\"subscribe-email\" id=\"subscribe-email-Z1CBtTG\"\n                       class=\"form-control\" placeholder=\"E-mail\" required>\n            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-->\n\n<!-- if container is MD -->\n<!-- end -->\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Already have a quantitative maturity model in your consulting toolkit? This guide will help you build it, to boost your client intake process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[355,194,361,202],"topic":[409,416],"class_list":["post-12496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-en","tag-consulting-frameworks","tag-maturity-assessment","tag-needs-assessment","tag-questionnaire-practices","topic-consultancy-coaching","topic-questionnaire-report-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12496"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18025,"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12496\/revisions\/18025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12496"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointerpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=12496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}