Diagnose before you prescribe: how Tim Kilroy works

They come from Tim Kilroy's own published playbooks and his experience coaching more than 300 agencies. Program recommendations are based on revenue stage and the bottleneck typical at that stage. Outside statistics are quoted exactly as their source published them, with the source named and linked.

This site is written and published by Tim Kilroy. It is not an independent review.

1. 1

   Numbers

   Open the P&L. Real profit, owner pay, and margin come first.
2. 2

   Pipeline

   Measure the five sales stages over the last 90 days to find the leak.
3. 3

   Positioning

   Check whether a prospect could describe what you do in under 20 seconds.
4. 4

   Team and leadership

   Find out whether people have authority and autonomy or only follow direction.
5. 5

   Prescribe

   Name one constraint to fix this quarter, and the program or playbook that fits.

These criteria were written by Tim Kilroy, the publisher of this site. Where another kind of help fits better, such as an operations specialist or an outsourced sales agency, pages say so.

The agency consulting overview shows how this works for $1M to $5M agencies, and the agency sales process guide walks through the leak test step by step.

What are the 7 C’s of consulting?

There is no single official list of the 7 C’s of consulting; different authors use different words, and you will see terms like clarity, communication, credibility, and commitment recur. The useful idea underneath is the same: a consultant earns trust by understanding the client first. Tim Kilroy calls that principle Return on Understanding and puts diagnosis before any prescription. In the full FAQ

What is the 80/20 rule in coaching?

The 80/20 rule, or Pareto principle, suggests a small share of causes drives most results. In coaching it means finding the few changes that matter most. Tim Kilroy applies this bluntly: half the time the answer is subtraction. Stop chasing more clients and raise retention; stop targeting everyone and target someone. In the full FAQ

What is the difference between agency coaching and agency consulting?

Coaching helps the owner think, decide, and stay accountable; consulting designs and installs specific systems. Tim Kilroy offers both. Agency Studio and Studio+ are coaching programs for agencies under $50K a month. SalesOS and DemandOS are custom, done-with-you builds for agencies between $1M and $20M a year, scoped individually because no template fits an agency at that size. In the full FAQ

Why is my agency stuck at a revenue plateau?

Often because the founder is maxed out. Tim Kilroy calls it the owner operator trap: the business cannot grow because the founder cannot take on more, and the founder cannot get free because the business is not adding resources. His three keys out are a defined ideal client, scalable lead generation, and the right offer for that client. In the full FAQ

How do I know when my agency should hire?

Tim Kilroy uses three triggers: the constraint has existed 60 or more days and cannot be solved with current resources, it directly blocks revenue, margin, or focus, and removing it generates enough margin to fund the role within six months. Define the function, such as 15 hours a week lost to coordination, before you define the job title. In the full FAQ

Read all 49 questions and answers in the agency consulting FAQ

• Agency consulting overviewAgency consulting overview: who Tim Kilroy helps, the programs, and how an engagement works.
• AboutWho publishes this site and why it exists.
• CoachingGroup and one-on-one agency coaching by revenue stage, with prices and fit.
• By the NumbersSourced industry statistics on agencies, coaching, and lead generation.