Express Diagnostic
Two PDFs. Two calls. Two weeks. Ends with a signed Go / Hold / No-Go — dated, board-ready.
Before you spend, find out where you stand.
Most brand work begins with a rebuild or a refresh. We don't. The Express Diagnostic is the pause before either — a disciplined two-week read of what already exists, what's working, and what's quietly costing you.
You get two documents — a 10-page Desk Research Dossier of evidence and a 20-slide Diagnostic Doc of what it means — both written for the person who signs the cheque. No theatre. No assumption that you'll continue with us — many clients don't, and that's by design.
We score your brand against the 4C Framework — Clarity, Coherence, Consistency, Control — and end on a single line: Go, Hold, or No-Go.
Six pieces.
One decision.
Every Diagnostic delivers the same six pieces. Two documents, two calls, one verdict — no upsells, no scope creep.
Desk Research Dossier
The evidence base. Sector, competitors, your brand surfaces, the 4C raw data — every claim cited and traceable.
FormatA standalone document the boardroom can defend. Three competitors fully profiled, ten brand surfaces inventoried, twelve indicators scored with the source behind each.
Diagnostic Doc
The interpretation. Twenty slides — one atomic verdict per slide — that cite the Desk Research and land on a single decision.
FormatEach 4C dimension on its own slide. Go, Hold, and No-Go on their own slides too. No bullet walls, no infographic register — a presentation a CEO can walk through in fifteen minutes.
4C Baseline Scorecard
Clarity · Coherence · Consistency · Control — each indicator scored 1–5 with the evidence behind it. Your brand health in one defendable number.
FormatTwelve indicators across the four dimensions. No vague adjectives, no smiley faces — every number cites a URL, a screenshot, or a quoted line.
Decision Memo
Go, Hold, or No-Go — and the three reasons why. The line the boardroom will quote tomorrow.
FormatA defendable, dated, principal-signed call. Captured live on the Walkthrough — never sent as a follow-up email and never softened in revision.
Kickoff Call
Ten questions. Asset checklist. Walkthrough on the calendar before the call ends — every Diagnostic starts on the same Day 0.
FormatYou answer, we listen. By the end we know which brand surfaces to audit, who to talk to, and what files we need access to. No homework before the call.
Walkthrough Call
Two hours. Signoff authority plus one. The decision lands on the call, in writing — before we close.
FormatBoth PDFs land 24 hours ahead. We walk the Diagnostic together, surface the risks and openings, and close on Go, Hold, or No-Go before the two hours are up. No follow-up meeting required.
Two documents.
One verdict.
The Diagnostic Doc is the read — twenty slides a CEO can walk in fifteen minutes. The Desk Research Dossier is the evidence behind every line — ten pages a CFO can defend. Both land twenty-four hours before the Walkthrough.
- 10-page Desk Research — three competitors, ten brand surfaces, twelve indicators
- 20-slide Diagnostic — one atomic verdict per slide, each citing the evidence
- One decision — Go, Hold, or No-Go, signed on the Walkthrough Call
- Principal-led from intake to signoff — no juniors, no offshored audits
Two weeks. Two calls. Two PDFs.
Kickoff to decision in 14 days. One call to start, ten days of disciplined audit, one two-hour call to land Go, Hold, or No-Go — signed, dated, board-ready.
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1Day 0
Kickoff call · 45–60 minutes
You answer ten questions. We listen. By the end of the call we know which brand surfaces to audit, who to talk to, what files we need — and the Walkthrough date is on both calendars.
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2Week 1
Desk Research + Diagnostic Doc
We audit every surface you point us to — site, decks, social, packaging, internal docs — and score the 4C raw. Then we build the Diagnostic that interprets it. Both PDFs ready by Day 13. No interruptions to your team.
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3Week 2
Walkthrough + Decision
Both PDFs land 24 hours ahead. Two-hour walkthrough on Day 14 with the signoff authority. Go, Hold, or No-Go is captured live — in writing — before the call ends. No follow-up meeting required.
One decision. Three paths. Two hours.
Every Diagnostic lands on Go, Hold, or No-Go — signed before the Walkthrough Call closes. No middle ground. No "explore further."
Who this is for — and who it isn't.
The Diagnostic is calibrated for specific contexts. We say no to the wrong ones — saves everyone time.
- Founders or CMOs about to commission a rebrand
- Operators inheriting a brand they didn't build
- Boards deciding whether to fund a brand investment
- Teams that suspect drift but can't articulate where
- Anyone tired of agency proposals that begin with "let's get curious"
- Pre-launch startups with no surfaces to audit yet
- Teams looking for a logo review
- Clients who want a deck, not a decision
- Anyone hoping for "let's workshop it together for six weeks"
- Procurement-driven processes with no signoff authority in the room
Why $500? It seems low.
Because we want the signal, not the contract. $500 is the price of a board-grade diagnostic with zero pressure to continue. Roughly half our Diagnostic clients walk away with a No-Go — that's the system working.
Is the fee credited if we move forward?
Yes. If you engage on a Brand Master Book or Brand Governance retainer within 60 days of the Walkthrough, the $500 is credited against the first milestone.
Why two documents instead of one?
Because evidence and interpretation read differently. The Desk Research Dossier is the ten-page evidence base — every claim cited so the boardroom can defend it. The Diagnostic Doc is the twenty-slide interpretation — one atomic verdict per slide, citing the evidence rather than repeating it. Same data, two cognitive loads. CFO reads the dossier, CEO reads the deck, the verdict is the same.
Who needs to be on the Walkthrough Call?
The signoff authority — the person who can say Go, Hold, or No-Go without a follow-up meeting. One executive sponsor optional. Maximum two attendees on your side. The Walkthrough is a decision call, not a stakeholder presentation. If the decision-maker can't be on it, we reschedule.
Who actually does the work?
Luca Baldisseri — TISSA's principal — runs every Diagnostic personally. No juniors, no offshored audits, no "team of consultants." One operator reads, scores, signs, and presents both calls.
