It is very important early on to define the formal goals for your professional services business.

Is your professional services business expected to:

• Be profitable

• Drive customer adoption of your organization’s products and solutions

• Support your Sales organization

• Be a differentiator in the market

• Drive innovation of your products and services through providing services free of charge or highly discounted to bolster your compani’s product or solutions

• The list goes on and on!

You can do one or few of these items very well, but rarely can you master a multitude of goals without the other areas suffering. It is important to focus on the most important goals without trying to multithread your efforts into a variety of areas.

You must gain alignment from your C-Level organization and all key stakeholders throughout the organization including from:

• Sales

• Product

• Customer Success

• Finance

• Support

If you do not gain consensus from these key areas of your organization on the specific goals for your PS business, misalignment and chaos will most definitely ensue.

You will need to have open and honest dialogue on the challenges that come with focusing on both being profitable and driving customer success and product adoption at all costs. Often Sales will want Services to give away work free of charge to win a deal. Is this in alignment with your C-Level’s view on PS being profitable?

Often your C-Level will want Services to be highly profitable. Is this in alignment with the goals to drive customer success and adoption of your products which may or may not be matured to the point where they are easily implemented. Add to the mix poor scoping and expectation setting during the sales cycles, and you can clearly see the recipe for disaster.

The bottom line: Work closely with your stakeholders throughout the business to gain alignment on the role and goals for your PS team actually are. Don’t be afraid to bring up these goals when you see them being challenged.

It is natural over time to have the main goals and measurements for your PS business change as the market or your overall business changes. You must adapt. But most of all, you need buy in and alignment across your organization to maintain a cohesive alignment. This is where not only PS can thrive, but the entire company.

Your mission should capture your organization’s purpose while reinforcing a commitment to adaptability and collaboration. It should:

• Highlight how you deliver value through close-knit teamwork and rapid problem-solving.

• Reflect your ability to evolve alongside customer needs.

• Be simple yet impactful to energize employees and engage customers.

Example:
"Delivering innovative, customer-first solutions through a nimble, unified team approach."

The vision should be ambitious yet flexible, reflecting your long-term aspirations without locking you into rigid structures.

• Emphasize the importance of learning, innovation, and responsiveness to change.

• Focus on how your organization’s agility positions it to lead in your industry.

• Unite teams around a shared goal of creating value collaboratively.

Example:
"To be the go-to partner for transformative solutions, driven by a unified, agile team dedicated to customer success."

Core values are the glue that holds cross-functional teams together and keeps your organization aligned, even as you grow. These should:

• Encourage close collaboration between departments.

• Support rapid decision-making and innovation without unnecessary bureaucracy.

• Reinforce a shared sense of responsibility for customer outcomes.

Examples of Core Values:

• Customer-Centric: Prioritize delivering meaningful outcomes for clients over internal silos.

• Teamwork: Foster close collaboration across all roles, with a “one team” mindset.

• Agility: Stay responsive to change and proactive in addressing challenges.

Transparency: Share information openly to keep teams aligned and empowered.

Your target market should be specific enough to guide your efforts while allowing room for opportunities. A startup-like organization thrives by being able to pivot when needed.

• Focus on High-Value Niches: Target industries or customer types where your agility and collaborative approach offer a competitive advantage.

• Adapt to Customer Needs: Be prepared to refine your target market as trends evolve.

• Promote a Collaborative Relationship: Market your ability to work as an extension of your customers’ teams, breaking down barriers to success.

Exercise:
Create “flexible” ideal customer profiles that outline attributes of your target customers while leaving room for iteration.

Your offerings should reflect your team's ability to collaborate and customize solutions to meet client needs. A startup-like organization thrives on delivering unique, customer-centric services.

Steps to Develop Agile Offerings:

1. Identify Core Strengths: Focus on areas where cross-functional collaboration leads to standout performance.

2. Stay Iterative: Pilot and refine service offerings based on real-world customer feedback.

3. Co-Create with Clients: Work closely with customers to design offerings tailored to their evolving needs.

Example of Specialized Offerings:

• Quick-start digital transformation packages for scaling businesses.

• Custom analytics solutions built through collaborative design workshops.

• On-demand consulting services to adapt to customer challenges in real-time.

Cross-Functional Planning: Involve representatives from all departments when defining and executing your mission, vision, and offerings. Everyone should understand their role in delivering the broader strategy.

1. Streamlined Processes: Avoid rigid hierarchies—adopt lightweight processes that empower teams to act quickly.

2. Continuous Feedback Loops: Regularly gather insights from employees and customers to iterate on your strategy and offerings.

3. Unified Tools: Use collaboration tools that keep all departments aligned and informed.

By defining your Business Strategy & Vision with a focus on agility, collaboration, and customer-centricity, your professional services organization can maintain the flexibility of a startup while building the foundations for scalable, sustainable growth.