Consultant User Guide

1. Becoming a consultant

Consultant onboarding is gated. Members can apply directly; non-members need an invite code from an existing consultant or the team.

1. 1Go to /consulting/apply.
2. 2Members: complete the application form (specialities, experience, references).
3. 3Non-members: enter your invite code first, then complete the same form.
4. 4Submit. Applications are reviewed within 5 business days.
5. 5On approval you receive an email and the Consultant Workspace activates.

2. How you win customers

Every consulting lead comes through The Motor Guild. There is no cold pitching and you do not need to source your own clients. Clients submit briefs through the AI Concierge on /consulting or the Direct Enquiry form on the same page. The team triages each brief and routes it to consultants whose specialities, sectors and availability match. Your job is to respond fast and well to the briefs you receive.

1. 1A client submits a brief via the AI Concierge or Direct Enquiry form on /consulting.
2. 2The team triages the brief, then assigns it to one or more matched consultants.
3. 3You receive an in-app notification and an email with a link to the brief in /consulting/my-projects.
4. 4Review the brief: scope, budget band, timeline, client context.
5. 5Within 24 hours (recommended), Accept, Decline, or post a clarification question in the brief thread.
6. 6On acceptance an Engagement is created at /consulting/engagements/{id} and you move into proposal.

3. Onboarding wizard

Once approved, the 6-step wizard at /consulting/onboarding sets up your public profile, brand, and payout details.

1. 1Welcome — confirms your status and what's ahead.
2. 2Profile — display name, headline, bio, photo, LinkedIn.
3. 3Brand Choice — Own Brand (3% platform fee) or TMG Brand (6% platform fee, requires admin approval).
4. 4Brand Setup — name, contact details, sign-off, colours.
5. 5Logo — upload primary and alt logos. Stored in the consultant-brands bucket.
6. 6Review — confirm and submit. You can edit any of this later from /consulting/settings.

4. Choosing your brand

Brand choice is consequential and visible on every proposal you send. It also sets the platform fee deducted from your earnings.

5. KYC and bank details

To receive payouts you must complete KYC at /consulting/kyc — identity verification and bank account details. Payouts cannot be released until KYC is complete.

1. 1Open /consulting/kyc.
2. 2Upload a government ID (passport or Emirates ID).
3. 3Add your bank account or IBAN.
4. 4Submit. KYC review takes 1–3 business days.
5. 5On approval your status updates to 'Verified' and payouts unlock.

6. Availability & settings

Manage availability at /consulting/settings. Mark yourself as Available, Limited, or On hold. Link your Cal.com URL so clients can self-book intro calls when relevant.

7. Incoming briefs & engagements

Briefs land in /consulting/my-projects (see section 2 for how they get there). Once you accept a brief, an Engagement is created at /consulting/engagements/{id} which becomes the single home for that piece of work — proposal, hours, comments, status changes and client emails.

1. 1Open /consulting/my-projects.
2. 2Click into a brief and read scope, budget band, timeline and client context.
3. 3Accept, Decline, or post a Clarification question — clarification is preferred when scope is unclear.
4. 4On Accept, an Engagement is created and the brief disappears from the open inbox.
5. 5Open /consulting/engagements/{id} to start the proposal.

8. Creating a proposal

Proposals are drafted from /consulting/proposals/{id}. The editor supports rich text, scope sections, timeline, deliverables and pricing in AED.

1. 1Open the engagement and click 'Draft proposal'.
2. 2Fill scope, deliverables, timeline and price.
3. 3Preview the client view — proposals render in your chosen brand.
4. 4Submit. TMG-branded proposals are reviewed by an admin before being sent.
5. 5Once sent, the client receives an email and a public proposal link at /proposal/{token}.
6. 6The client can accept, request revisions, or comment inline.

9. Logging hours

All billable work must be logged at /consulting/hours to be paid. Logs go through a lightweight approval workflow before they count toward your payout.

1. 1Open /consulting/hours.
2. 2Click 'Log hours' and pick an engagement.
3. 3Enter date, duration, and a brief description of the work.
4. 4Submit. Hours appear as 'Pending approval'.
5. 5Once approved by the client or admin, hours move to 'Billable' and accrue toward your next payout.

10. Earnings & payouts

Track earnings at /consulting/earnings. Payouts run monthly on the 5th, for the prior calendar month's approved hours. There is no minimum payout — every AED of approved billable work is paid out at the next run.

1. 1All hours approved by the last day of the month are included in the next payout.
2. 2On the 5th of the following month, the platform issues a payout to the verified bank account on file.
3. 3A payout statement (PDF) is generated and available on /consulting/earnings.
4. 4Funds arrive within 1–3 business days depending on your bank.

11. Worked example: an aftersales transformation brief

An end-to-end illustration of how a typical engagement flows from inbound brief to payout. Figures are illustrative.

12. Client communication

All structured communication happens inside the engagement thread. Use Messages for ad-hoc questions and the engagement comments for scope-level decisions.

13. Code of conduct for consultants

Consultants represent the Guild. You may not solicit Guild clients outside the platform once an engagement begins. Conflicts of interest must be disclosed to the team.

14. Getting help

Consultant support: support@themotorguild.com. For payout or KYC issues, mark the subject [PAYOUT] or [KYC] for faster routing.