Hourly billing is losing ground in consulting, and compliance consultants are feeling the shift. Clients increasingly expect predictable pricing and tangible results. That’s why value-based pricing is becoming the new standard. It aligns incentives, rewards outcomes, and creates more sustainable client relationships.

For decades, consultants have billed customers by the hour. It is straightforward, measurable, and ingrained in most consulting agreements. But in 2025, time-based billing is starting to break. And for compliance consultants, especially those working in ISO 27001, GDPR, or NIS2 projects, the cracks are becoming impossible to ignore.

The problems with time-based billing for consultants

1. Limited earning potential
   There are only so many hours in the day. Even if you charge €150/hour, your income is capped unless you hire more people. Every project becomes a trade-off between delivery and growth.
2. Misaligned incentives
   You are rewarded for more time, not better results. Customers may begin to question long timelines and unclear deliverables. It leads to a transactional relationship, not a strategic partnership with recurring revenue.
3. Difficult to scale
   Time-based billing does not scale well. Each new customer means more hours, more admin, and more mental overhead. It becomes nearly impossible to serve multiple customers while maintaining quality.
4. Pressure to overdeliver for less
   Customers are getting smarter. They want value, not hours. They want clear outcomes and transparent pricing, and they want it faster. Time-based quotes often get undercut or questioned.

✅ What to do instead: offer a full compliance package

The future of cyber security consulting (and everything else) is value-based pricing. And in compliance consulting, that means offering a clear, results-focused package that includes:

• Framework selection and onboarding (e.g., ISO 27001, NIS2, SOC2, and much more)
• Risk and control identification
• Dokumentation
• Customer-specific automation and reminders (via tasks, notifications, etc.)
• Ongoing monitoring and improvement of your customers' ISMS
• Quarterly compliance health checks or audits or monthly reports for your customers

All this for a predictable monthly fee for your customer. This model allows you to transition from “hourly freelancer” to strategic compliance partner with a steady recurring revenue stream from your consulting in addition to subscription commission.

💼 The business model: vCISO or consulting-supported subscription

There are two main ways to structure your new offering

vCISO subscription (Virtual CISO)

‍You act as the customer's ongoing security and compliance lead, using a smart ISMS tool like Cyberday. For a monthly fee (e.g., €1000 to €4000), you manage their ISMS, ensure audit readiness, and provide strategic advice.

‍Good for: Larger clients, ongoing support, long-term growth.

‍Fixed-scope compliance packages

You offer a clear deliverable (e.g., "ISO 27001 readiness"), bundled with support and tooling (Cyberday subscription). Customers pay for results, not hours.

Good for: First-time customers, consultants transitioning away from hourly work.

How Cyberday makes it possible

Cyberday helps consultants automate the boring parts and focus on value delivery:

• Use pre-built compliance frameworks with up-to-date controls
• Manage documentation, risks, and responsibilities in one place
• Automate reminders, task tracking, and reporting
• Collaborate directly with customers inside the platform
• Scale several customers without adding headcount

Partners get access to a free internal license, training, and 25% commission on customers subscriptions. The more customers you serve, the more you earn without logging every 30-minute call.

🚀 Ready to move beyond the hour?

If you are tired of tracking hours and want to build recurring revenue, it is time to evolve.

Join the growing group of advisors who are packaging their expertise into high-impact, scalable offers with Cyberday as the engine behind it.

Join our advisory network today!