Client Work

Each of these started with a specific request. Here is what happened next.

A professional services firm: Customers tell an outsider what they won't tell the company

Situation. The team wanted to know what customers thought of one of their products.

Work. I suggested I be the one to ask. People soften their answers when the company is asking, and they would be more honest with someone from outside. They said yes, and I interviewed their current customers.

Result. They came away with what their customers actually thought, in their own words. That became a go-to-market strategy, so the team had the plan and the research in one place.

A marketing agency: Three months became almost a year

Situation. A marketing agency was the agency of record for a state tourism office. A change in leadership was coming at the client, and the agency wanted international marketing depth on the account team.

Work. I joined as an executive client business lead and worked across strategy and account. I ran the international marketing work and an audience segmentation project alongside it, and I was in the day to day: client meetings, conferences, and everything in between.

Result. A three-month start became almost a year, on both projects, for the life of the account.

A business founder: The real problem got named on the first phone call

Situation. A founder came to me for an integrated messaging strategy because she saw a gap in her messaging.

Work. On the phone, I asked when she had last done brand work. Her answer told me messaging was not the place to start. We began with who she serves, why they choose her, and where she stands. I audited her platforms, and what she believed got tested against what her customers and clients said. Then we built the messaging on top of it.

Result. Two phases, one foundation: Audience, Value, and Positioning written down, and messaging written to match. The work also pointed her business at the clients she actually wants.

A museum in Chicago: 25 people on a rainy Monday night

Situation. A museum had an evening talk coming up with a visiting speaker from the Czech Republic, and wanted the right people in the room.

Work. I built the audience from scratch. I went to a Czech language school, the city's sister cities program, a professional association, and a university department whose students would want to be there, with a reason for each one to care.

Result. Twenty-five people came on a rainy Monday night, the night before tax day. The museum and the speaker were both happy.