Inside 5sum’s Project Enquiry-first website model
5sum’s website is designed around a simple operating principle: Project Enquiry comes before calls. That route is not intended to create distance from serious buyers. It is intended to create better context, better qualification and better scope control.
For consultancy-studio work across strategy, brand, digital experience, product and growth, a call-first route can create premature assumptions. Written context helps identify the problem, capability fit, timing, budget band and decision path before any recommendation is made.
Why the model exists
The work 5sum takes on is often ambiguous at the start. A buyer may know something needs to change, but not whether the right route is a diagnostic, identity system, UX sprint, content system, campaign framework, CRO review or staged programme. A short call can surface some of this, but it can also move too quickly into solution language.
A written Project Enquiry slows the right things down. It asks for the context needed to recommend a route responsibly.
How the website supports it
The website must explain what 5sum does, how the five capabilities connect, what proof exists and how work is scoped. The Project Enquiry route should be visible but not aggressive. Buyers should be able to read capabilities, view work, understand process and then submit a serious enquiry when ready.
This is why CTAs need discipline. Start a Project is appropriate when the buyer has enough context. View Capabilities or View Work may be more suitable earlier in the journey.
What the enquiry collects
A useful enquiry collects the business problem, area of interest, project description, budget range, timeline, success definition, source and optional supporting materials. These fields help review fit before scheduling a qualified call.
The form is not a generic contact box. It is a qualification tool.
What happens after submission
The enquiry is reviewed against capability fit, problem clarity, budget band, timeline, decision access, delivery fit and risk. The next step may be clarification, a paid diagnostic, a scoped project, a staged programme, referral or decline. Calls happen only after the written context suggests plausible fit.
This protects senior time and reduces the risk of vague proposals.
Why it helps buyers
Serious buyers benefit from a clearer route. They are not pushed into a call before the problem is understood. They can share context, receive a more considered response and understand whether the work should be scoped, staged or handled differently.
What to do next
Use the website to understand the capabilities and proof base. When there is a defined problem, submit a Project Enquiry with the context needed to qualify the route. Related route: Start a Project.
