Time-to-Value: The Hidden KPI That Makes or Breaks Service Businesses

Time-to-value is the KPI that makes or breaks a service business.

A third of our agency contracts since 2010 have been closed on weekends or around Christmas.

50% of all prospects face a critical pain that needs attention NOW.

– SERP results going down after a poor migration
– Site speed horrible, increasing bounce rate and churn
– Current offers don’t convert
– Upcoming events and no suitable landing pages live
– Static building experience (can’t build new product pages)

The second question I ask on a prospect call is: “What’s your most pressing problem right now that needs immediate attention?”

(The first one is “how did you find us” = self-reported attribution).

If we manage to overcome a portion of the problem in a matter of days, we’ve automatically built trust in the eyes of the client.

Compare that with tedious onboarding cycles, kick-off calls, due diligence, discovery sessions, internal setup, reporting dashboards… A month spent on just setting the foundation before getting to the meat of the problem.

I don’t neglect the importance of laying the groundwork – but half the business has a pressing problem that needs attention, now.

The reason Fiverr is laughable on the outside yet growing steadily is:

– Solving a very specific problem
– Clearly outlined
– Fixed price
– Delivery in 1-5 days

Solve the “time-to-value” equation, and you’ll be cruising at the speed of light.