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nova Blueprints SOP

This article will serve as a standardized operating procedure for how to use nova Blueprints

Jonathan Reisch avatar
Written by Jonathan Reisch
Updated over 7 months ago

Process Owner: Dani Powell

Last Updated: November 2024

nova Blueprints SOP Linked: HERE

nova Pivots SOP Linked: HERE

nova Blueprints SOP

Document Purpose: To have a standardized operating procedure for how to use nova Blueprints to execute any of the following:

  • Re-signs (Contract Renewals)

  • SEs (Service Expansions)

  • Pivots

  • Commissions

Resources

How to create a Blueprint in nova using Packages:

Create a new Blueprint

  1. Login to Nova and navigate to Blueprints > Package Pricing

  2. Select Create New Blueprint

  3. Add in client details, associated appraisal, type of contract, length of contract, pillar, guaranteed term, type of lead.

    1. Guaranteed Term may differ from total term length if there is an early out or termination clause in the contract.

      1. For example, if the contract term is 6 months, but they have an early out at 3 months in the term, the contract length would be 6 months, and the guaranteed term would be 3 months.

  4. Select if the Blueprint includes any ad spend overage fees (VABO)

  5. You’ll see the primary tabs at the top and once you add in Strategies & Pricing and Outsource Costs, you’ll then have access to Monthly Retainer & Profit tabs.

    1. Note: The Monthly Retainer & Profit tab shows the full price inclusive of the CS fee vs the Strategies and Pricing tab.

  6. Start with adding in Strategies that you’ll be adding into the Blueprint.

  7. Once you select all of the Strategies you need, another window will appear that may require additional information.

    1. There are three types: Fixed, Add-On Fixed and Spend

    2. There are recommended frequencies next to each strategy and those can be adjusted after.

    3. If a Strategy you select requires an input such as Spend, add the spend figure specific to the client in order for the cost to appear.

  8. You’ll then see the Avg Price per Month and Total Activation Price at the bottom

  9. Navigate to Next and you’ll see the Strategies you selected and the months in which they’ll appear.

    1. You have the ability to adjust these based on the specifics of the contract by removing certain Strategies in a given month than what’s included by default.

Confirming & Adjusting Price

  1. Once the Strategies are in, you’ll see two views: Timeline and Summary.

    1. The Timeline view will show you: the Strategy, the price and the months it’s expected to occur.

    2. The Summary view will show you: the Strategy, Service, Price Per Deliverable, Price Per Month and Total Price which helps you get to the Total Activation Price.

    3. The total price is based on the Strategy & Frequency in order to get Total Price

  2. Add in any associated Outsource Costs.

    1. There is an Outsource Cost guide in that tab, please use as a reference!

  3. If there are none, select No Outsource Costs Needed.

  4. Navigate to Team Commissions and if needed, apply those based on the SOP below.

    1. Note: The Account Director is not included in team commissions on this tab. Anyone who worked on the account prior to the renewal and/or service expansion should receive a commission based on their impact/scope on the account.

    2. The Account Manager should take the first pass on attributing commissions and the Account Director needs to QA and make the appropriate adjustments prior to deployment.

  5. Monthly Retainer & Profit will now be unlocked and you’ll see two tabs underneath: Recommended Price and Final Price

    1. You’ll see the monthly retainer based on the strategies & outsource costs that were input.

    2. Total Revenue is populated, which is a sum of all months retainer within the contract

  6. With this new Blueprint, Final Price will show you any discounts that are offered based on the number of services, in addition to a 30% consulting fee that gets allocated for Client Services management.

  7. In the Final Price tab, at the top right, you’ll see a box with the total recommended final price and underneath the absolute floor price.

    1. Note: you should begin the budget conversation with the total recommended final price, NOT the floor price. The floor price is listed as a means that you are able to discount as necessary, but we should always be coming with the recommended price. If you are looking to adjust below the floor price, you will need to get approval in the #blueprints-price-override channel on Slack from Sam Kress, Casady Tollgaard or Dani Powell. There is a template pinned in the channel that needs to be filled out completely for the request to be approved. There needs to be a business reason why we are discounting services, as we should not be pricing below the floor.

  8. Send the BP and contract to the respective department heads [blueprint reviewer tab] for every channel included in the scope of work for their approval and sign off.

Review Blueprint Overview + Summary Sheet

  1. You can now confirm all the services and months in which those services are set to activate

  2. Client details are no longer needed to be added. They’re pulled in automatically, from the Client Central section of Nova.

  3. Review Deal Costs & Profits section to confirm things like: Avg Monthly GP and Actual Gross Profit.

  4. In this tab, choose the different stages of the Blueprint. Appraisal, Legal, Nurture, Lost, Won, etc. There are definitions of each by selecting the ‘i’

    1. For example, you can mark as Won once the client signs.

      1. If the dropdown is unavailable to select a different stage, you’ll see a triangle error message that will require you to review and accept changes before finalizing the Blueprint.

  5. From here, you can select Generate a Proposal to generate the Schedule A

Creating Alternate Versions

  1. Oftentimes, we or the client will want us to draft different versions with some services added or removed.

  2. Now, rather than having to create a brand new version, you can select New Version on the Blueprint Overview tab.

    1. From there, it will create a duplicate and you’ll only have to make the adjustments to Strategies and costs that are relevant.

  3. These versions will be nested and available to use within the dropdown at the top of the Blueprint.

    1. There’s a checkbox next to the versions that will allow you to select which version should be noted as primary

Pivots

  1. As of 9/1/24, you will need to create a new Blueprint for any Pivots. Find the original Blueprint for the client that you’re executing a pivot for and duplicate make the respective adjustments for the months in which the pivot / services are changing.

    1. Note: this is the new process as of 9/1/24, for both package pricing blueprints and old hourly blueprints.

      1. For old hourly pricing, you will need to duplicate the “won” BP, rename as a “pivot” , make the appropriate adjustments and drop in the pivots channel.

      2. For package pricing, if the BP is marked as “won” you will duplicate the BP and assign to a new pillar “Addendum” to make the respective adjustments.

Note: If the service is not a 1:1 pivot based on the service/package pricing that will incur an additional fee, you will then include the additional cost into the addendum, in addition to the services we’re removing and the services we’re adding.

  • Once finalized, you’ll follow the same process of creating a new template for the addendum.

    1. Change in Fees HERE

    2. No change in fees HERE

  • Add in the relevant details for the client/pivot and send to GD for review and send the PDF to the client via DocuSign for signature.

  • Once signed, deploy in the #client_pivots slack channel.

Commissions

Don’t forget: When working on a Re-sign or Service Expansion, you’ll need to apply team commissions before marking the Blueprint as ‘Won’ and deploying in Slack.

Commissions SOP: HERE

  1. Navigate to the Team Commissions tab of the Blueprint you’re working on.

  2. Add in all team members that are existing on the account or have worked historically within the last term:

    1. Don’t forget to add in team members who are responsible for things like DI, Creative, or Tech SEO strategists. You can always refer to the original deployment to ensure you have accounted for all team members.

    2. Commissions should go to existing and historical team members who have worked on the account. Commissions should not go to any net new team members that will be joining with the deployment of any new services (they’ll be accounted for in the next resign/SE after they have worked on the account).

  3. When deciding on how commissions should be dispersed throughout the team, consider the following:

    1. Number of hours allocated to the client or size of service

    2. Level of difficulty or time commitment from the team member with the client

    3. If there are two people dedicated to one service, Creative for example, each person gets half of the total commissions for that service.

      1. Example: 10% is going to Creative but two people are involved from Creative. Each of them gets 5%.

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