Consultants make businesses faster, better, and more profitable. But because consultants are outsiders coming into a company, you need to have your ducks in a row before completing any work.
Overcommunication and clarity are the name of the game here. From contracts to project time frames to client metrics, a consulting business needs professional templates to get on the same page with the businesses they serve.
Whether you’re a consultant or a company working with a consultant, the right templates can help you save both time and hassle. It’s as simple as finding a template that works and copying and pasting your project details. That’s the best way to ensure you leave no stone unturned—while making the process more efficient for everyone. 🙌
Check out this guide to learn what consulting templates are, how to spot a good one, and 11 options to make your work more efficient.
- What are Consulting Templates?
- Elements of Good Consulting Templates
- 11 Free Consultant Templates for Your Consulting Business
- 1. ClickUp Consulting Agreement Template
- 2. ClickUp Consultant Time Tracking Template
- 3. ClickUp Consulting Business Contract Template
- 4. ClickUp Consulting Business Plan Template
- 5. ClickUp Consulting Report Template
- 6. ClickUp Client Success Collaboration Template
- 7. ClickUp Client Success Template
- 8. ClickUp Client Discovery Template
- 9. ClickUp Project Management Services Contract Template
- 10. ClickUp SWOT Analysis Template
- 11. Signaturely Microsoft Word Consulting Proposal Template
- Consulting Template FAQs
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat are Consulting Templates?
A consulting template is a reusable document that consultants or their clients can use to speed up the collaboration process. Consultants can create templates for just about any document, including contracts, project deliverables, reports, time tracking, client discovery, and a lot more.
Sure, you could create a new document from scratch every time, but we’re willing to bet that you’re too busy for that. Templatizing some of the more repetitive parts of the consulting process makes plug-and-play possible for your business, clients, and potential clients.
Just make a copy of a consulting template, drop in the relevant details, and get down to business. This way, you can spend your time focusing on what really matters: getting results for your clients.
Summarize this article for me pleaseElements of Good Consulting Templates
Every consulting business is different. The “right” template for your consulting business might not be a fit for a different company. Even so, there are some tried-and-true signs of a quality consultant template, including:
- Clear organization: There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen during a consulting project. The better organized your templates are, the better off the project will be. Make sure the templates you select are intuitive and easy to follow. Headers, bullets, and images should be your best friends.
- Visual aids and color: Pretty colors are easy on the eyes, but they also serve a purpose. Visual aids like graphs, images, and charts draw your attention to the right areas of a document and help viewers make sense of complex ideas. It doesn’t hurt that visual aids and eye-catching colors make a bigger impression, too.🤩
- Repurposable fill-in-the-blanks: A solid consultant template will allow you to quickly fill a document with the relevant details. This functionality allows you to use a template again and again without the need to edit PDFs or rework the entire document.
- Automations: The right template will allow you to take action the moment a form is complete. For example, a client collaboration tool might automatically create custom fields that allow you to drop in task details.
Summarize this article for me please11 Free Consultant Templates for Your Consulting Business
Whether you’re in the market for a consulting proposal template, service agreement, project deliverables document, or contract, there’s a template for it. Luckily, you don’t have to create your own templates; we’ve created dozens for you! Check out our 11 favorite consulting business templates to streamline your workflow. ✨
1. ClickUp Consulting Agreement Template
It’s tempting to jump right into a consulting project, but you need some kind of written agreement in place. A consulting agreement helps everyone get on the same page about the project scope, payment information, and other details about the consultant’s workflow.
A consultant agreement covers compensation, payment methods, contractual rights, tax payments, indemnification, subcontracting, and a lot more. Not only does it protect the consultant, but it also gives the client a better idea of what to expect when working with a consulting team.
ClickUp’s Consulting Agreement Template makes it easy to generate a consulting agreement that protects your interests. This consulting agreement is customizable, so you can fill in effective dates, client names, and project milestones. You can even add more content blocks if you want additional headers.
Be sure to update the fonts, layout, and cover image to really make your template sparkle. If you create a lot of templates, follow branding guidelines to create a consistent image every time.
When your document is ready to send, simply export it and send it to the client for signing. Just keep in mind that a free consulting agreement isn’t a replacement for a consulting contract. If you’re on the hunt for a contract template, check out templates #3 and #9 on our list.
2. ClickUp Consultant Time Tracking Template
Time is literally money for consultants who often bill by the hour. But trust is built on transparency, so it’s a good idea for consultants to log all of the time they work for a client in a beautiful, easy-to-read timesheet.
The ClickUp Consultant Time Tracking Template makes it a cinch for consultants to not only track their time and turn it over to their clients but also to keep tabs on how they spend their time.
Use this template’s formulas to estimate costs for a prospective client, or track time for your accounts payable. The Time Tracking Template includes nine custom fields like effort level, account, hourly pricing, payment due date, and estimated costs to help consultants manage their time and earnings. It also includes different view types to see your payment statuses in one sheet and your tracker and task logs in another.
3. ClickUp Consulting Business Contract Template
Your consulting agreement is important, but a contract is a must-have. Consultants can use ClickUp’s Business Contract Template with their clients, as well as with any vendors or subcontractors they employ, to quickly create a binding contract.
You’re free to customize this template however you want, but out of the box, it includes sections for:
- Services offered
- Consulting fees
- Cancellation policies
- Governing law
- Warranties
- Severability
- Waiver and amendments
- Acknowledgment
If your client wants to tweak the terms of this agreement, ClickUp makes it easy to make changes with a few taps. Add your client as a contributor to the document if they want to drop in specific terms. Or include clauses including the laws of the state where you’re doing business, as well as agreements on confidential information, intellectual property, and non-competes.
This template covers different items than a consulting services agreement but it puts everyone on the same page—and could cover you legally. Always sign a contract before starting any consulting projects.
4. ClickUp Consulting Business Plan Template
Project plans are the master strategy for what you’re going to do, and when. They also assign tasks to contributors so you can hold everyone accountable. Project plans are usually internally facing tools for consultants, but you might share them with a client if you’re collaborating closely.
Businesses hire consulting firms for social media marketing plans, operations, branding, training, management consulting, and a lot more. Fortunately, you can use the ClickUp Consulting Project Plan Template for just about any type of consulting project.
This advanced business consulting proposal template comes with 12 statuses and a custom field for the project stage. You can also toggle between different views for activities, project schedules, tasks by stage, and a helpful quick-start guide.
It’s also worth mentioning that you can add automations to this ClickUp template too. For example, when someone checks off a task, the system can automatically change assignees.
Or if you’re doing a writing project or building a consulting website, the system can automatically push the copy from the writer to the editor. This means you can worry less about task handoffs and spend more time focusing on your clients.
5. ClickUp Consulting Report Template
Think of a consulting report as a project proposal you send to potential clients humble-bragging about your subject matter expertise. Consulting proposal templates should detail both your know-how in a certain area, as well as your business plan for achieving results for the client.
ClickUp’s Consulting Report Template includes an introduction, which is like a cover page or an executive summary. This is the area of the business consulting proposal where you explain the objectives of the report, the scope of work, and the methodology.
In the Results & Discussion section, you’ll detail the current status quo and highlight what can and can’t be improved with this plan. For example, you noticed the potential client’s website has some backend issues.
But that may or may not be fixable if they’re hiring a content marketing consultant. From there, create an action plan for how you’ll improve the business. In the Conclusion & Recommendations section, you’ll provide a high-level, tl;dr-type of overview of the report and project that ends with your recommendations.
6. ClickUp Client Success Collaboration Template
You’re working with a lot of people to make your client’s big dreams a reality. But it can be tough following a set process without a clear structure, which is where this consulting template steps in to save the day.
The ClickUp Client Success Collaboration Template simplifies passing tasks between different teams and tracking the progress of each phase of the project. This template includes several views, including a list view and an endorsement pipeline.
It also stores critical information about clients, including contract sign dates, decision makers, project budget, industry, and contract length. Within the template, you can track project statuses for multiple clients, add tasks, track time, upload attachments, and add collaborators.
This template also provides automation baked in to set a custom field when you create tasks.
7. ClickUp Client Success Template
If a client asks, “What have you been working on?” you can pull out a client success document to show just how busy you’ve been.
This document tracks all of the activity on your client’s account, as well as contacts, account renewals, and risks. The ClickUp Client Success Template includes views for renewals, engagement, feedback, and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
It will even report on an account’s health to tell you if a client is at risk of churning based on their engagement level, Net Promoter Score, and last touchpoint. If you’re trying to deepen the bonds you have with all of your clients, this template is a must.
8. ClickUp Client Discovery Template
Consultants are drinking from the firehose every time they onboard a new client. You need to get up to speed fast, and ClickUp’s Client Discovery Template will help you do just that.
This is a discovery call script template that you can customize before each new client call. You can use it to qualify leads over the phone and improve the overall flow of the conversation.
This template includes a script template you can swipe, plus a question bank to help you ask the right questions. The color coding, headers, and graphics make it easy to flip through the digital script, so you can still think on your feet and adjust the flow of the conversation as needed.
9. ClickUp Project Management Services Contract Template
We’ve covered a consulting agreement and a general business contract, but this ClickUp Project Management Services Contract is specifically tailored to consultants who offer help with project management and project execution.
This specialized contract includes sections on:
- Scope of consulting service
- Contract term
- Payment terms
- Contract termination
- Commitments
- Proprietary information
- Liability limitation and indemnification
- Independent contractor
- General terms
- Consulting proposal
It also includes an Exhibit A document, which covers the related services you agree to as a project manager. Think of this as a document detailing your job description and what the client can expect from you.
10. ClickUp SWOT Analysis Template
Understanding a client’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) is crucial for delivering sound and strategic consultancy services. The ClickUp SWOT Analysis Template can be a game-changer for consultants, enabling them to conduct an efficient and comprehensive SWOT analysis.
With this SWOT analysis template, consultants can easily organize and visualize their findings, facilitating deeper insights and clearer strategies. The template is fully customizable, allowing consultants to tailor their analysis to each client’s specific needs and circumstances.
By identifying and documenting potential challenges and opportunities using the ClickUp SWOT Analysis Template, consultants can deliver profound, actionable recommendations to their clients. Make your strategic analysis process as seamless and thorough as possible with this brilliant SWOT analysis tool by ClickUp.
11. Signaturely Microsoft Word Consulting Proposal Template
This is another form of a sample consulting agreement that’s been run by legal experts and proofreaders. If you need a quick Word Document to fill out and send by a client, this free resource will get you started in just a few minutes.
This free Microsoft Word Consulting Agreement Template from Signaturely comes with a summary of services, a retainer schedule, and an expense reimbursement agreement. While a lawyer reviewed this piece, it isn’t legal advice, so you should still review it to ensure it touches on applicable laws in your area.
Summarize this article for me pleaseConsulting Template FAQs
What is a consultancy plan?
A consultancy plan, also known as a consulting project plan, outlines the scope of work to be undertaken by a consultant. This usually includes project objectives, key milestones, deliverables, timelines, and roles of team members. It serves as a roadmap for the entire project ensuring all parties understand the project workflow.
What is a consulting business plan?
A consulting business plan is a comprehensive document outlining the structure, services, target market, marketing strategy, and financial forecasts of consulting businesses. This plan is essential for providing a strategic direction for the business and can be instrumental when seeking financing.
How do you structure a consulting project?
A consulting project is typically structured in stages including initial discovery, research and analysis, strategy formation, implementation, and evaluation. Each stage has specific tasks and deliverables. For proper organization and effective collaboration, a project management tool like ClickUp, with its set of consulting templates, can be beneficial.
How do I write a business plan for a consulting business?
To write a business plan for a consulting business, begin by detailing the executive summary of the business followed by your business description, including services offered and target market. Carry out a market analysis for a comprehensive understanding of the market condition and competition. Also, detail your organizational structure, marketing, and sales strategy. Lastly, provide a financial projection and plan.
What is the importance of consulting templates?
Consulting templates are vital tools that assist in simplifying and standardizing routine business processes. They allow consultants to save time by reusing pre-made documents for diverse client needs. Furthermore, they help foster clarity and coordination between the consultants and their clients by keeping all project details organized and accessible.
How are consulting templates used?
Consulting templates are as simple as find, replace, and use. These pre-designed templates come with replaceable placeholders where you input the specifics of a new project. Consulting templates can be used for a variety of documents like consulting agreements, time tracking, project plans, reports, and more.
What elements does a good consulting template have?
A good consulting template should provide clear organization, visual aids, and be repurposable. It should have headers, bullet points, and graphics for easy navigation, and be adaptable to suit various projects needs. Ideally, the template should also have automation capabilities to improve productivity and efficiency.
Can consulting templates be customized?
Yes, consulting templates can be customized to fit the consultant’s specific needs or preferences. They can be modified to match the company’s branding, specific client needs, or legal requirements. This adaptability makes them a fundamental tool for consultants as they work on a variety of projects.
What tools are available to create consulting templates?
Several project management and productivity tools are available to create consulting templates, ClickUp being a key one among them. ClickUp offers a variety of consulting template options such as time tracking, consulting agreements, client reports, and project plans. These templates come with custom fields and automation capabilities, significantly enhancing productivity and collaboration for consultants.
Related Readings:
- Time Tracking Software for Consultants
- Consultancy Software
- Consulting Certifications
- Consulting Skills
- CRMs for consultants
- AI Tools for Consulting
Summarize this article for me pleaseTry Consulting Templates for Your Consulting Business
Consulting work makes businesses better, and templates make consultants more efficient. Busy consultants don’t have the time to generate new documents for every client, which is why templatizing your workflow is so important.
ClickUp’s huge library of consulting templates gives you peace of mind by bringing all of your work into one simple platform. 📚
Check out ClickUp’s templates now to do more in less time.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
