Consultancy
I can help you to focus your resources where they will have the biggest impact.
When you’re stuck in the day-to-day running of your organisation it can be difficult to step back and see the wood for the trees. Through consultancy I aim to shine a light on your organisation and your key competitors so you can see them as your would-be customers do and to use this insight to make informed decisions, improve profitability and maximise growth.
- I can provide marketing advice and help create a marketing strategy that focuses on WHAT to do. This includes looking at how best to position your services, pricing and geographical coverage so you can best compete in your chosen market.
- Using my 25 years of relevant experience working with organisations just like yours I can identify WHERE best to focus your time and financial resources on sales and marketing activity.
- And if you need a helping hand as you work through the transition I can also create and oversee the implementation of a plan that outline HOW to do things, where possible tying this in with existing roles, responsibilities, systems and processes.
This input has given my clients the confidence to increase their prices, introduce new services, identify how much money to spend on winning a new customer, redirect their limited budget to more effective promotional activities, turn their operational staff into sales people and increase the number of prospects that become customers. I can do this for your organisation too!
“Of those who have had experience organising care for loved ones…. Four in five (78%) found the system complex and hard to navigate, three quarters (77% found the process stressful and nearly nine in 10 (88%) were shocked at how expensive care is.
(Just Group Care Survey 2020)
Find out more about my background and expertise
See what more of my
customers have to say
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organisations like yours
Start with a minimal investment
In an ideal world I’d take a few days to help you create a comprehensive marketing strategy and detailed action plan. I understand however that we don’t live in an ideal world and that your time and budget have never been more limited. Depending on the size and complexity of your organisation it may be that a single day of consultancy is just what is needed to get an objective view of how your organisation is perceived by potential customers; understand what you may be up against in terms of competition; and identify a range of zero and low-cost quick wins that can easily be implemented.
We can start small with as little as one day of consultancy (potentially spread over a period of time) and extend the scope of the project if required once you’ve seen the benefit.
The typical consultancy process
Internal analysis
Whether it’s a bigger project or one day of consultancy I’ll usually kick off the project by asking probing questions of one or more key stakeholders to understand your current situation, future objectives, effectiveness of previous marketing activity, how your enquiry management process works and what you know about your competitors. At this stage we’ll identify internal data, reports, stakeholder feedback and market intelligence that would be useful for me to consider whilst developing the strategy. Occasionally it is helpful to carry out additional research at this stage.
The aim of looking outside of your organisation is to help you understand demand for your services; the competitors and alternatives available to would-be customers; how your offering compares to your best and most visible competitors; which marketing channels and messaging your key competitors are using to recruit service users and staff; which individuals and organisations could sign post (more) people to you; and ultimately who your potential customers are choosing and why?
Much of this can be gleaned through online analysis, however the real value is often found in follow-up telephone and face-to-face mystery shopping of your key competitors as well as your own organisation.
Strategy development
Whether you opt for a discussion or a detailed report I will cover the following areas in order to identify quick wins as well as helping you to prioritise longer-term opportunities:
- Your offering: What specific services do you provide to which type of people and in which geographical locations at what price?
- Audiences: Who are all the people you need to talk to and are you reaching them effectively?
- Visibility: How visible is your organisations online, in the community and when potential customers consult trusted sources?
- Brand & perception: Are you creating an impression that matches your offering and pricing?
- Promotion: Are you using the most appropriate marketing channels? Is some of your money being wasted? Are there other channels you should be considering?
- Communication: Do the things you say match the needs and wants of your target audiences and overcome their fears?
- Website effectiveness: How well does your website perform in terms of search engine visibility, storytelling, lead generation and staff recruitment?
- Managing the sales pipeline: Are you handling telephone calls, proposals, visits and assessments in a way that turns the maximum number of potential customers into actual customers at every stage in the sales process?
- Operational marketing: How well are you capturing contact details, evidence of good practice and integrating marketing intelligence into your existing processes and IT systems? Are your staff acting as ambassadors or are they unwittingly creating barriers to your success?
- Tracking return on investment: How much should you invest in marketing? And how will you track return on investment?
A host of supplementary information is also provided, and this can be fed into the production of a more detailed marketing plan.
Project management
Some clients prefer to implement the strategy themselves, whilst many ask me to create a detailed project plan and oversee its implementation.
Ad-hoc consultancy, critical friend & mentor
Following the initial piece of work I can provide ongoing support as you implement your plan, develop content, implement new systems, expand your catchment area, test new marketing activity, carry out research, develop a website and update your processes. This can be on an ad-hoc “as needed” basis or in a more formal capacity.
Cost-effective solutions and a low up-front commitment
I keep my overheads low and my income below the VAT threshold which helps me to provide a cost-effective offering.
Find out more about my background and expertise
See what more of my
customers have to say
Read about how I’ve helped
organisations like yours
Get your FREE telephone consultation
If you are a service provider, social care provider or membership organisations with some demonstrable strengths that can be leveraged I’d love to talk and explore how I can help grow your business.