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Paid strategy sessions for consultants booked in Calendly

Calendly lets prospects book and pay for a diagnostic session up front, instead of free 'pick your brain' calls. Including card fees, from about $23£17€20A$33C$32 a month.

At a glance

  • What it costs$23–24£17–18€20–21A$33–35C$32–34 a month

  • Worth, in extra profit or time saved in the worked example$798£600€714A$1,152C$1,128 a month

  • Pays for itselfIn a few days

  • Sign up and configure; no technical skills neededEasy to set up

Figures come from the worked example below, using its stated assumptions. Tool prices checked . How we check prices

The problem

Many consultants give away hours in free introductory calls that turn into unpaid advice. Six free 'pick your brain' calls a month at an hour each is 6 hours, and few turn into projects. A paid diagnostic session filters serious buyers and pays for the time.

What the AI does

Calendly is online scheduling: prospects pick a free slot from your booking link. Its Standard plan adds reminders, automations and payments through Stripe or PayPal at booking. You offer a 90-minute paid diagnostic session with a clear outcome, such as a written summary of priorities, and a short free 15-minute call for anyone unsure. People book and pay in one step, and reminders cut no-shows.

A worked example

An independent marketing consultant in Aberdeen replaces free hour-long intro calls with a $399£300€357A$576C$564 paid diagnostic session, booked and paid through Calendly. About 2 a month are booked.

Before

6 free calls a month at an hour each: 6 hours unpaid

After

2 paid sessions a month at $399£300€357A$576C$564 plus a few 15-minute calls

What it's worth

About $798£600€714A$1,152C$1,128 a month in session fees (2 sessions at $399£300€357A$576C$564), counted in full because they are almost all your own time, and the time spent on free calls falls from 6 hours to about 4 including the sessions. Calendly Standard is $10 (about $11£8€10A$15C$15) a seat a month billed yearly or $12 (about $12£9€11A$17C$17) monthly, and Stripe's fee for standard UK cards (1.5% + 20p) is about $12£9€11A$17C$17 on $798£600€714A$1,152C$1,128 so about $23£17€20A$33C$32 to $24£18€21A$35C$34 a month.

How to set it up

  1. Define the paid session: length, what the client gets afterwards and the price.
  2. Upgrade to Calendly Standard and connect Stripe or PayPal for payment at booking.
  3. Set up the paid event with reminders, and a separate free 15-minute call for questions.
  4. Put the paid session on your website and send it to anyone asking to 'pick your brain'.
  5. Offer to credit the session fee against a project if they go ahead, if that suits your pricing.

What goes wrong

  • Some prospects will drift away rather than pay. The ones who book are the point; track how many sessions become projects.
  • Calendly's free plan has no payments or reminders; this needs Standard.
  • Say clearly what the session is and isn't, especially if your field touches regulated advice such as financial or legal matters.
  • Payments and refunds go through Stripe or PayPal under their terms; set your cancellation policy before the first booking.

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Last updated October 17, 2026.