The BB Brief · Vol. I, No. 02Internal StrategyApril 24, 2026
The Outcome Model
A Revision by Jay OwenFoundation + Focus + Plays3 Tiers · 6 Outcomes · 1·2·3 Plays
00Growth Partnerships
Their outcome.
Their pace.
Our plays.
Standfirst
For the Team
This is how Growth Partnerships work — the new way we'll package, sell, and deliver
client engagements. Every partnership is built around three pieces: the
outcome the client is chasing this quarter, the
pace they want to move at, and the
plays we run to get them there. The AM leads the
diagnostic and commits to the outcome with the client — six to choose from. The
client picks the tier, which sets the pace: Foundation runs one play per quarter,
Growth two, Scale three. The pod picks which plays execute the outcome — that's
the strategic judgment we get paid for. Each play is productized internally with a
defined scope, toolkit, and definition of done. That's what makes the work
repeatable for us and
flexible for them.
01The Architecture
Two Layers, One Partnership
Layer Two · Outcomes
I
Generate Demand
II
Convert Pipeline
III
Protect Reputation
IV
Launch Something
V
Build Authority
VI
Retain & Expand
↓ Directs Capacity Toward ↓
Layer One · Foundation
Tier One
Foundation
$3,500 / Month
1 play / quarter
Tier Two
Growth
$6,000 / Month
2 plays / quarter
Tier Three
Scale
$12,000 / Month
3 plays / quarter
Client Picks Tier ✦ Outcome Picks the Point ✦ Team Picks the Plays
02Layer One · Foundation
The machinery under every partnership.
The tiers don't change. They define what's always running in the background — hosting,
website, CRM, baseline content, SEO fundamentals — and how many plays the team runs
per quarter against the chosen outcome. Pick your tier once. Let it run.
Tier I
Foundation
$3,500 / Month · 12-Month Agreement
1 play per quarter
Growing businesses, often the first real marketing hire. One outcome, one
focused play per quarter, steady monthly rhythm.
Always Running
Starter website + hosting
HubSpot CRM management
Monthly review call
Baseline content rhythm
SEO fundamentals
Google Business Profile
Tier II
Growth
$6,000 / Month · 12-Month Agreement
2 plays per quarter
Established businesses scaling up. Dedicated AM, weekly cadence, two parallel
plays in pursuit of the outcome, meaningful paid budget.
Everything in Foundation, Plus
Standard website (8–15 pages)
Full HubSpot pipeline
Up to 2 paid channels
Full SEO program
Email nurture automation
Quarterly business review
Tier III
Scale
$12,000 / Month · 12-Month Agreement
3 plays per quarter or 2 + custom build
Market leaders, multi-location, complex operators. Jay or Chris as fractional
CMO, three-front execution, custom tools when the outcome demands it.
Everything in Growth, Plus
Advanced website + custom tools
Multi-channel paid media
Full marketing automation
Executive dashboard
Fractional CMO access
Bi-weekly strategy calls
03Layer Two · Outcomes
The aim we chase together.
Every quarter, the client and AM commit to one outcome. That choice reframes the
monthly call, the sprint planning, and the way we report. The tier doesn't change —
but the point of the tier does.
ITop of Funnel
Generate Demand
"Fill the pipe."
The business has capacity to serve more customers but not enough inbound
volume. Every sprint is measured in leads, traffic, and audience growth.
The Team Leans Into
SEO pushes, paid acquisition, lead magnets, content engine, landing pages, GBP optimization, partnership outreach.
IIMiddle of Funnel
Convert Pipeline
"Turn interest into revenue."
Leads come in, few close. The focus shifts to nurture, sales enablement, and
the systems that move someone from curious to committed.
A bad review cycle, a competitor's attack, an industry that lives or dies on
trust. The team defends the search results, the reviews, and the brand story.
The Team Leans Into
Review generation programs, GBP + branded search defense, crisis comms templates, PR placement, testimonial harvesting, content that outranks the noise.
IVThe Push
Launch Something
"A campaign, fully integrated."
New product. New location. Event. Capital raise. The business has a date on
the calendar and needs every surface covered. Deliberately time-boxed.
The founder or the firm needs to be known. Content, presence, and positioning
compound over months into recognition. The outcome is reputation as an asset.
The Team Leans Into
Thought leadership content, LinkedIn personal brand, podcast production, video shorts, speaking support, book or lead magnet development.
VIThe Inside Game
Retain & Expand
"Grow from the inside out."
The customer base is the gold. Upsell, referral, loyalty, and community become
the growth lever — often far cheaper than net-new acquisition.
The Team Leans Into
Customer newsletters, referral programs, upsell campaigns, loyalty mechanics, community building, NPS and lifecycle sequences.
04The First 60 Days
How a new client enters the partnership.
A repeatable onboarding that ends with a committed outcome and play menu for Q1.
Same rhythm across all three tiers — only depth and velocity change.
i
Week 1
Discovery & Blueprint
15-min qualifying call, then a Growth Blueprint session.
Chris · AM
ii
Week 2
Foundation Setup
Tier signed. Hosting, HubSpot, kickoff call set.
PM · TM
iii
Week 3
The Diagnostic
AM runs the 10-question diagnostic, names the real problem.
AM · Chris (Scale)
iv
Week 4
Outcome Commit
Pick the outcome and the plays. Define what wins look like.
AM · Client
v
Wk 5–12
Quarter One Sprint
PM runs weekly. CM produces with AI. AM hosts monthly.
Full Pod
vi
Day 90
Quarterly Review
Measure. Keep going, rotate, or layer. Plan Q2.
AM · PM · Chris
05The Annual View
One year, four chapters.
Worked Example
Ridgeline Orthodontics
Growth Tier · $6,000/Mo
Q1
Jan — Mar
I · Generate Demand×2 Plays
SEO Engine RebuildService pages optimized for intent across all three locations.
Paid Acquisition LaunchLocation-targeted Google Ads, $3K/mo, review automation.
Ridgeline opened its third location in late 2025 and quickly
discovered the problem. Two existing locations ran at 85% chair capacity on
referrals alone — the third sat at 38%. The founder, Dr. Lena Ridge,
had never needed marketing beyond a directory listing and a competent website.
Suddenly she needed a pipeline.
The Growth Blueprint revealed a harder truth. Referrals weren't declining;
they were being absorbed by the new chair count without any system to replace
them. Ridgeline didn't need marketing. It needed a manufactured demand
engine that could eventually match organic growth. The team committed
to Growth tier and a Q1 outcome of Generate Demand, with two plays.
By Q2, paid acquisition was producing reliable consultations, but the
consultation-to-start conversion had flatlined at 42%. Industry average is 65%.
The outcome rotated to Convert Pipeline. The team rebuilt the nurture
sequence and instrumented the CRM to trace every lead from ad click to signed
treatment plan.
Q3 was a launch. Ridgeline had been planning an adult clear-aligner service
line for months and finally pulled the trigger. The outcome shifted to
Launch Something — landing page, dedicated funnel, targeted paid,
simultaneous press push, plus a coordinated back-to-school campaign for teens.
Q4 turned inward. Dr. Ridge had become recognizable in her market — but
inconsistently. The outcome moved to Build Authority. Weekly
short-form video, a local podcast tour, a year-end patient newsletter that
doubled as a referral asset. Same tier all year. Four different aims. Eight plays total.
"We didn't buy a marketing package. We bought a team that changed what they were doing every ninety days because the business needed something different every ninety days."
— Dr. Lena Ridge, Founder, Ridgeline Orthodontics
08The Pod at Work
Three roles. One pod. AI in the middle.
The pod you already have — AM, PM, CM — is the right shape. The outcome model just
clarifies what each role owns. Jay and Chris provide strategic lift on
Scale-tier diagnoses and quarterly reviews. TM runs the foundation underneath.
Account Manager
The Relationship.
Own the client. Lead the diagnostic. Run monthly outcome reviews. Defend the chosen outcome when tactics drift.
Owns
Client trust and retention
Diagnostic conversations
Monthly outcome reviews
Quarterly outcome commits
Scope conversations
Tier upgrade recommendations
Project Manager
The Rhythm.
Translate outcome into a sprint. Keep the week moving. Co-run quarterly review. Enforce scope discipline.
Owns
Sprint planning and execution
Weekly pod standup
Timeline and budget tracking
Quarterly review delivery
Client status updates
Pod capacity tracking
Creative Manager
The Production.
Produce creative output at volume with AI. Direct the AI — don't be directed by it. Protect brand voice.
Owns
Copy, content, and creative
AI direction and editing
Brand voice consistency
Visual and video production
Asset library management
Creative quality control
AI, the fourth seat.
AI is not a tool the pod uses — it is a pod member.
It drafts, researches, and produces volume. The team directs and edits.
Every sprint assumes AI has done the first pass on writing, keyword research,
design variations, and reporting. The human hours go into judgment, taste, and relationships.
Responsibility Matrix
Activity
AM
PM
CM
AI
Jay/Chris
Diagnose outcome
—
—
Present & sell the tier
—
—
—
Pick the plays
—
Weekly sprint planning
—
—
Content & creative production
—
—
—
Monthly outcome review
—
—
Quarterly outcome commit
—
—
Client reporting
—
—
Scope defense
—
—
Tier upgrade / upsell
—
—
—
Primary owner Supports— Not involved
Pod Capacity · Clients per Role
Tier
Account Manager
Project Manager
Creative Manager
Strategic Lift
Foundation · 1 play/qtr
10–12 clients
12–15 clients
12–15 clients
Monthly touchpoint covered by AM
Growth · 2 plays/qtr
5–7 clients
7–9 clients
7–9 clients
Chris on quarterly reviews; Jay for complex diagnostics
Scale · 3 plays/qtr
2–3 clients
3–4 clients
3–5 clients
Jay or Chris as fractional CMO, bi-weekly strategy
09The Diagnostic
Read the signal. Name the outcome.
Clients rarely know which outcome they need. They describe symptoms. The AM's job
is to hear the signal beneath the complaint and translate it into the right
quarterly aim.
"We have a date on the calendar and need every surface covered."
→
IV
Launch Something
"I need to be known as the expert in my field."
→
V
Build Authority
"Acquisition is expensive. Best customers would buy more."
→
VI
Retain & Expand
The Diagnostic Call
Ten questions the AM asks every time.
What would have to happen in the next 90 days for you to call this a win?
What is your current monthly lead volume, and what's your capacity to serve?
Of the leads you receive, what percent close? Where do the rest drop off?
How do your best customers describe what you do — in their own words?
What's your current average review score, and how many reviews per month?
What dates are on your calendar in the next 12 months that require a campaign?
Is the founder a public figure in the industry? Does the business want them to be?
What percentage of new business comes from referrals today?
If you had to cut all marketing except one thing, what would you keep?
Which outcome on our list sounds most like the one you need right now?
The Commit Rule
One outcome per quarter — every tier. The team picks which plays
execute it: 1, 2, or 3 by tier. Scale may run a second concurrent outcome only as
a rare judgment call by Jay or Chris.
10Six Playbooks
A menu of plays for every outcome.
When a client commits to an outcome, the team picks plays from this menu — based
on the diagnostic, the business, and the tier. Foundation runs one. Growth runs two.
Scale runs three.
ITop of Funnel
Generate Demand
The Plays
SEO Engine Rebuild · service pages, topical map, GBP
Paid Acquisition Launch · Google + Meta campaigns
Review Generation System · automation + response SLA
Lead Magnet & Funnel · offer, landing page, nurture
Content Hub Build · pillar pages + topic clusters
Partnership Outreach · referral and co-marketing
Foundation 1 · Growth 2 · Scale 3
Toolkit
Atlas Brain · Google Ads AI · Review platform · Claude · HubSpot
Metrics
Qualified leads/mo · Cost per lead · Organic traffic · Branded search
Done Looks Like
Lead volume up 30%+ or the client's capacity is filled.
Referrals are a measured channel, upsell revenue is a line item, LTV trending up.
11Scope & Scale
What stays, what rotates, what requires a conversation.
The model only holds if everyone — AM, PM, CM, and client — knows where the
boundaries are. These rules protect the margin, the rhythm, and the relationship.
The Fixed Parts
Always true.
Hosting, website, and maintenance
HubSpot CRM management
Baseline content rhythm for the tier
Monthly outcome review call
Quarterly outcome commit
Foundation SEO and GBP hygiene
Review monitoring and SLA
The Rotating Parts
Shifts every quarter.
The single outcome we chase
Which plays the team runs (1/2/3 by tier)
Where creative capacity points
Paid channel mix and emphasis
What the monthly report highlights
Which AI tools get heaviest use
The KPIs the client cares about most
Conversation Triggers
Requires a talk.
Work outside the current outcome
Net-new service lines (video, AI Solutions)
Crisis comms that pre-empt the plays
Client wants more plays than tier allows
Mid-quarter outcome swap request
Scope expansion beyond tier capacity
Concurrent outcome — Scale only judgment call
The Seven Operating Rules
Foundation doesn't flex.
Hosting, website, HubSpot, and baseline rhythm are always on. They never get traded for more plays in a given quarter.
One outcome per quarter — every tier.
No secondary outcomes at Foundation or Growth. Scale may run a second concurrent only as a rare judgment call by Jay or Chris — not a feature to sell.
Tiers buy plays, not outcomes.
Foundation gets 1 play per quarter. Growth gets 2. Scale gets 3 (or 2 plus a custom build). Client picks the tier, the team picks which plays execute the chosen outcome.
The team picks the plays.
Clients don't shop a menu. The AM and pod choose which plays best execute the outcome for this business right now. Strategic judgment is the product — don't give it away.
Rotation at quarter boundaries.
Both outcomes and plays are locked for the quarter once committed. Swapping mid-quarter is a scope conversation, not a silent pivot.
Upgrades triggered by ceilings, not upsells.
When the client wants more plays than the tier allows, or their business legitimately needs multi-threaded execution, the AM initiates the upgrade conversation.
Add-ons live outside the tier.
Video production, AI Solutions blueprints, HubSpot onboarding, branding — separate products priced separately. Plays are included; add-ons are sold. Keep the line clean.
12The Migration
Moving the existing book.
25 clients are currently on the old menu model. A six-month migration — triaged
by readiness, timed with renewals, with a clean decline path for anyone who
doesn't want to come along.
i
Days 1–14
Triage
Score every existing client on fit, monthly revenue, relationship health, and renewal date.
Move the rest as contract anniversaries hit. The renewal is the natural moment.
10–14 clients migrated
iv
Ongoing
Decline Path
Clients who won't move transition to hosting + maintenance only at existing pricing.
3–5 clients likely
Who Moves First
Criteria for the willing wave.
Strong relationshipAM has at least six months of healthy rapport. No open complaints.
Tier-ready revenueAlready spending near or above Foundation/Growth pricing.
Clear outcome fitThe AM can already name what they need. The sell writes itself.
Low delivery frictionFoundation already in place. No major rebuild required day one.
Case study willingThe kind of partner who'll let us write about the results.
If They Say No
The decline path.
Move to Protect onlyHosting + maintenance at existing pricing. Chris Wright's side of the house.
Keep the door openMake clear the upgrade path stays available when business needs it.
Free up capacityDeclined clients free the pod for higher-tier work. Margin over headcount.
Document the reasonPatterns of refusal feed back into model adjustments quarterly.
13Why It Works
Four shifts that change the shape of every client relationship.
I. The Sales Call
Clients see themselves.
"What are you trying to accomplish this quarter?" opens a better conversation than "how many blogs do you want?" Prospects recognize their problem in an outcome category long before they'd know what a Tier 2 SEO package is.
II. The Quarterly Review
We report against the aim.
Instead of "we produced 36 posts," the review becomes "leads grew 42%, cost-per-lead fell 18%." The outcome is the scoreboard. If we don't move it, we address it together.
III. The Natural Upsell
New plays as new chapters.
"You're hitting the play ceiling for Growth. Next quarter let's move you to Scale and run three plays simultaneously." Upgrades stop feeling like renegotiations and start feeling like momentum.
IV. The Team's Role
Strategists actually strategize.
The AM isn't a traffic cop for deliverables — they diagnose the outcome, pick the plays, defend the focus. That's the job we want them paid for. It's also the job AI can't do.
The Counterpoint
The diagnosis is the hard part.
Clients often don't know which outcome they actually need. They'll say "more leads"
when the real problem is poor conversion, or ask for a launch campaign when the
brand can't sustain the attention. The AM has to diagnose before they direct.
That's a heavier competency than running a checklist — and it raises the bar for who
can hold that seat. Autumn and Mary will need training, plus a diagnostic playbook.
Get that right, and this is the most defensible product we've ever sold.