Branding for a service-focused business
This client had been in business for some years and in common with many businesses, their corporate image looked tired and dated, its application was inconsistent and they weren’t capitalising on the value of their brand. Our solution was to undertake an internal audit with a representative selection of staff to establish their core values; to work with senior management in clarifying their vision for the way forward and to work with a designer on creating a new corporate image for which we supplied a compelling brand statement.
Following this, we provided copy for a range of new promotional items including brochures, leaflets, a company newsletter, and new website and also created a house style guide for the application of the brand and brand values to future promotional items and service standards. This was communicated to staff through a number of workshops during which staff were encouraged to think creatively about the adaptation of brand values to their particular areas of work.
We continue to work with this client to undertake ongoing staff training (for new employees) and develop new promotional items as required.
Strategy and copywriting for an entrepreneurial consultancy
This client’s business was advising other businesses, but marketing was a specialism they lacked. In common with the majority of our clients, the business was doing well, staff were motivated, hard-working and loyal and the only real problem seemed to be keeping pace with it all. However, the business had no clear and defined strategy for growth and its image suffered from poorly written and designed promotional materials which didn’t do justice to the professionalism of the company and its people.
We undertook some customer satisfaction research to find out exactly what the company’s customers perceived as its strengths, then used the results to hold a facilitated meeting of the company’s senior staff in order to help them agree the way forward. From the outcomes, we drafted business and marketing plans to cover the next three years.
Following this, we have acted as a marketing and copywriting resource for the company as and when needed. We have created a new website, written sales letters and proposals and undertaken training with all management and staff in relationship building, networking and sales.
Marketing support for a medium-sized enterprise
In the space of ten years, this service-focused organisation had grown from a handful of people to nearly 200. In the meantime they had restructured several times, appointed Financial and HR Managers and given responsibility for day to day marketing activities to one of the secretarial staff. However, they lacked strategic marketing support, felt they were poor at generating new ideas, and required some ongoing inspiration and impetus to move their marketing effort to a higher level.
Our input involved holding internal workshops with management and staff at all levels in order to help them understand and appreciate the importance of marketing and to accept individual responsibility for the implementation of particular activities. Our workshops also focused on improving internal communication, which over the years hadn’t kept pace with the organisation’s rate of growth.
Following our suggestion, the organisation set itself a goal of entering and winning a local business award for marketing the following year and we devised a plan towards this end. Fifteen months later, they achieved their goal, their profile in their local business community had soared, and their profitability and staff retention had all improved considerably.
Team-building for a professional services firm
In many organisations, pressure of work and financial targets cause staff to look towards achieving their own goals at the expense of working as a team and supporting the organisation’s wider goals. This can be a particular problem in professional services firms where traditionally partners and Directors have tended to be specialists working in isolation except for a small number of support staff.
This firm realised that it was failing to take advantage of cross-selling opportunities and was suffering from low morale in certain areas due to poor team-working and lack of staff loyalty to anyone other than their immediate colleagues.
We facilitated a meeting with all Directors in order to help them agree a vision for the future in terms of improved morale and motivation and helped them devise a new structure. We then held a number of workshops with teams over several days, addressing issues of change, cooperation and positivity. These culminated in the organisation’s first Annual General Meeting, followed by a celebratory social event. Subsequent to this, we also helped introduce a new performance appraisal system, mentoring scheme and ongoing developmental focus groups at all levels. The organisation reports vastly increased new levels of enthusiasm, energy and profitable new work.
Motivation and change management for a public sector team
Public sector and not-for-profit organisations have particular issues and challenges, but great progress can still be made if management are enlightened and staff are willing. However, with increasing pace of change and pressure on resources throughout the public sector, issues of negativity and low morale can inhibit progress at all levels.
This team were undoubtedly efficient at what they did, but focused heavily on process rather than people. As a result, their staff felt undervalued, dispirited and overworked. There was a high level of staff turnover amongst good staff, while poorly performing staff remained, providing an even greater source of de-motivation to others. Attracting good staff was an increasing problem.
Our involvement started with an initial audit of all 200 staff and management within the team to ascertain their attitudes towards their employers, their jobs and forthcoming changes. We also asked for their suggestions for improvements. Following our report, we undertook a number of workshops with operational and management teams over a number of months, helping them to create their own attitudinal and behavioural changes and an overall ‘barometer for success’. This has involved an ongoing programme of one-to-one coaching with particular individuals as well as the introduction of an improved internal communications system.
Management and marketing strategy for a commercial company
This long-established family-owned firm recognised they were good at management, but poor at leadership and felt they were in a position where they were unable to move forward without outside help. Although several family members were involved in running the company, they lacked clear job descriptions and mutually agreed responsibilities and openly admitted that they spent their time avoiding conflict rather than taking constructive decisions.
Following individual one-to-one discussions with family members and other non-family managers, and a review of the firm’s financial systems, we suggested a new way forward in terms of a specific succession plan, a company restructure and the creation of specific management roles. All senior managers were then involved in a programme of one-to-one coaching which included working on leadership and presentation skills and general confidence and communication issues.
Having helped bed in the new management structure we then devised a marketing strategy and helped recruit and train a new sales manager. We also created a range of new promotional materials (including website) for the company and assisted them in finding a local PR consultant.
Coaching and mentoring for senior management
This organisation, like many others, felt they suffered from an inability to recruit and retain the next generation of senior managers and believed they needed to improve their support and training of those who they did consider to be ‘rising stars’.
Our input involved working with Directors to devise a number of Key Performance Indicators which would form the basis of an ongoing mentoring programme. Alongside this we helped them introduce a new Appraisal system and undertook some ad-hoc training sessions on Time Management and Personal Branding in order to set the scene.
We then delivered a Mentoring training programme to Directors, followed by individual coaching for some in areas relating to leadership and team-building. Following this, further mentoring training was undertaken with those staff who were currently being considered for future promotion. Our involvement continues in terms of acting as an intermittent sounding board for leadership, team-building and performance issues within the organisation.
