SOLUTIONS · CONSULTING FIRMS
CRM & Follow-Up Automation for Small Consulting Firms
Most small consulting firms sell the same way: a referral or introduction, a discovery call, a proposal, a decision, a client, and — if the relationship is nurtured — another referral down the line. Starward is the CRM and automation system built specifically around that lifecycle.
The Typical Consulting Sales Lifecycle
Lead → Qualified → Discovery → Proposal → Decision → Won → Onboarding → Delivery → Referral. Most firms run this in their head, a spreadsheet, or a generic CRM never configured for it.
- Lead
- Discovery
- Proposal
- Won
- Onboarding
- Referral
Where Consulting Firms Actually Lose Deals and Clients
Slow First Response
A referral comes in and sits in an inbox for days because no one owns the first response.
Proposals That Go Silent
A proposal is sent, and follow-up depends entirely on someone remembering to check back in.
Messy Handoffs to Delivery
A signed client gets re-explained from scratch because sales context never made it to the delivery team.
Referral Partners Who Go Quiet
A great referral source sends one client, hears nothing back, and quietly stops sending more.
One System From First Conversation to Repeat Business
Business Development
- New Lead
- Contacted
- Qualified
- Discovery Booked
- Discovery Complete
- Proposal
- Decision
- Won
- Nurture
Client Delivery
- New Client
- Onboarding
- Kickoff
- In Delivery
- Review
- Complete
- Expansion
Relationships & Referrals
- New Relationship
- Connected
- Partner
- Referral
- Active Partner
- Nurture
Stop Losing Deals After the Best Sales Call
- Discovery complete — completed
- Proposal sent — completed
- Follow-up — not started
- Follow-up — not started
- Decision — not started
- Nurture if needed — not started
Consulting firms often do a good job creating interest and a poor job managing the period between proposal and decision. Starward gives every proposal a defined next step.
A Signed Client Shouldn’t Create More Admin
- Opportunity marked Won — completed
- Client record updated — completed
- Delivery pipeline starts — not started
- Owner notified — not started
- Onboarding message — not started
- Kickoff scheduling — not started
Your Best Lead Source Shouldn’t Live in Your Head
Consulting firms often depend heavily on referrals but rarely manage referral relationships with the same discipline as active sales opportunities.
- Relationship — completed
- Partner — completed
- Referral — not started
- Thank-you — not started
- Ongoing nurture — not started
- Future referral — not started
We Install the System. Your Team Uses It.
1. Map
Map how leads, meetings, proposals, clients, and referral partners currently move through the firm.
2. Install
Configure the prebuilt pipelines, follow-up, reminders, routing, and handoffs.
3. Go Live
Begin using one operating system while repetitive follow-up runs automatically.
Start With the System. Add Control and Scale When You Need It.
Done For You
Core — $97/mo
The operating system is installed and runs for you.
Take Control · Most Popular
Core Plus — $197/mo
Unlock hands-on automation, marketing, and payment controls.
Full Platform
Team — $297/mo
Unlock the complete Starward toolset for growing teams.
Unlimited
Firm — $497/mo
Everything in Team with no user or contact ceiling.
From the Field
Starward is built directly on how consulting and advisory practices are actually run day to day — not adapted from a generic sales-team template.
Read more on consulting sales systems in the Resources library →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Starward another CRM I have to build myself?
No. Starward ships with the pipelines, follow-up, reminders, and handoffs already built and running — you’re not starting from a blank CRM.
Who is Starward designed for?
Independent advisors and small consulting or advisory firms that generate leads through referrals, LinkedIn, and events but don’t have a system turning those leads into booked calls and signed clients.
Does Core include automation?
Yes. Every prebuilt automation runs on Core. You simply don’t have self-serve access to the workflow builder until Core Plus.
Can I build my own automations?
Yes, starting on Core Plus, which unlocks full access to the Campaigns, Triggers, and Workflows builder.
Can I import existing contacts?
Yes. We send you our import template during onboarding. You export your contacts from wherever they live now — CSV or Excel, either is fine — and map them into that template, including a column for tags. We upload it from there. Mapping into a known format is what stops an import turning into duplicated or unusable records. Imported contacts count toward your plan’s contact limit, so it is worth checking the numbers below before migrating a large list.
Will my contacts be organised, or just dumped in?
Organised, because you decide the segments. Our import template has a tag column — you fill in the groupings that actually matter to your firm, and we load them so those tags are live from the first day. That is what makes it possible to mail a defined segment straight away instead of sorting a flat list for months.
Can multiple consultants use the system?
Yes. Every plan includes both user seats and a contact limit: 2 users and 2,000 contacts on Core, 5 users and 5,000 contacts on Core Plus, 10 users and 10,000 contacts on Team, and unlimited users and contacts on Firm.
How many contacts can I store?
2,000 on Core, 5,000 on Core Plus, 10,000 on Team, and unlimited on Firm. Contact volume is the most common reason firms move up a plan, so it is worth sizing against your existing list rather than your current team.
Does Starward connect to my current website?
Yes, forms and lead capture can connect to your existing site, or you can build directly on Starward’s included Sites tools.
Can I keep my calendar?
Yes, Starward’s calendar and scheduling tools are included on every plan.
What happens after a proposal is sent?
Starward automatically starts a defined follow-up sequence so no proposal goes quiet without a next step.
What happens after a prospect becomes a client?
The opportunity is marked Won, the client record updates, the delivery pipeline starts, the owner is notified, and onboarding/kickoff scheduling begins automatically.
Can Starward manage referral partners?
Yes, the Relationships & Referrals pipeline tracks partners from first relationship through active referral and ongoing nurture.
How long does setup take?
Setup is done-for-you and typically takes about two weeks from the point we have the inputs, access and approvals we need from you.
What does setup include?
Mapping how leads, meetings, proposals, clients, and referral partners currently move through your firm, then configuring the prebuilt pipelines, follow-up, reminders, routing, and handoffs to match.
How does billing work?
Monthly subscription billing through the live Starward checkout, with tiers based on user seats and contact volume.
Can I connect Claude or another AI assistant to my account?
Yes, on every plan. Starward Edge speaks the Model Context Protocol, so Claude can work against your real account — contacts, conversations, opportunities, calendars, invoices and more — with the scopes you approve. See the Claude connection for setup and the full list of what it can reach.
Where do clients log in?
Stop Managing Follow-Up in Your Head
Put every lead, discovery call, proposal, client handoff, and referral relationship into a system that knows what happens next.