The ideal client…

• Runs a small (3-120 person), privately held firm that sells services or intangible products.
 
• The decision maker works directly with us – not through another staff member.
 
• Is facing a significant hurdle or transition.
 
• Is hiring us primarily because of our depth of expertise and not our bedside manner (a mix of Detective Columbo and Gordon Ramsay).
 
• diagnose the problem accurately; Is willing to let us
 
• lead the process to decide which symptoms and issues are relevant;
 
• suggest the best solutions while minimizing disruption as much as possible.
 
• Is willing to be engaged from the very beginning, participating with intense focus, and then jumping into implementation with commitment and passion.
 
• Has no hesitation about our fee against the background of the potential impact on their firm, pays on time, without reminder.
 
• Is open to a different perspective, an objective third party looking from the outside. They don’t blindly accept our advice but test and measure for impact.

We have performed the most with firms that have 3-120 people. We have also worked with Fortune 100/500 clients. 

Our entire consulting practice is built on knowing what is appropriate for different size businesses with different levels of resources.

We possess no magical abilities to solve all your problems, however, our clients enjoy an outside perspective on how they are really doing.

• We don’t pull punches
 
• We never reinvent the wheel.
 
• We don’t use boilerplate.
 
• We care more about solving your problems, than taking your money. (We will earn your money.)
 

Our clients understand change is still dependent on them, but they want to leverage our knowledge of what has been successful for other companies. You will always know more about your business, but our knowledge of your firm will outpace any other consultant.

You can expect us to keep our word, come to you with solutions and give you 100% of our abilities 100% of the time.

You will work directly with the principals of the firm and senior level consultants and specialists. We have no junior people or interns. All of our team is US based. 

More about Pete Monfre’s background here.

Four things:

1. We have developed unique processes to get to the heart of the issue and solve problems quickly and more reliably. These processes center around rapid discovery, targeted research, positioning and putting systems in place that can be measured using the scientific method.
 
2. We have been doing this same work for over three decades with 400+ consulting clients and tens of thousands of others who have attended our workshops.
 
3. We only accept clients who are coachable and who are committed to changing the status quo. A recent client said, “I am amazed at the speed and accuracy of Pete’s approach in identifying the key issues, and then how well communicated the solutions were… we knew what to do next.” If we work together, you will be too.
 
4. We are very direct and candid, holding nothing back (though it’s always done with kindness). If we think your baby isn’t cute, we wouldn’t say “Your baby is ugly.” We might hold up a picture and say “See this ugly baby? Your baby looks just like this one.”

We have found that we are not a good fit for most would-be clients. It’s always a good idea to explore working with other talented advisors in this field. If we can’t help solve your problem, we will do our best to recommend someone who can. 

Many of our clients feel like they must first solve their problems so they can tell us what they want. We don’t need to be told what to do. We show up day one with a clear path forward.

If you have a marketing plan that is up to industry standards, we are happy to work from that plan and/or refine it. However, our biggest value is facilitating your team to develop the plan from the start. We can help you lower your risk and make more informed, more deliberate decisions.

We will systematically clear the fog and create a clear road to your objective.

Austin Texas is our home base and since 2003, have worked with clients remotely around the world.  We also work from a cabin in the Rocky Mountains and from our sister agency in London. Clients hire us because they think we know what we are doing and not because we are nearby.

If you are facing a particular hurdle where you need ongoing advisory (for example, during implementing the plan), we’ll craft a suggested engagement that includes regular status calls.

There are two phases in how we work. 

First, there is a period of time during which we are developing the plan. During this time, we are at your service. This typically takes 60 days.  

Once the plan is in place, we remain available for 30 days in an advisory role as the plan is implemented. For a few clients, we may also be retained to advise over a longer period during which we would have regular calls and meetings. 

Our main deliverable is insightful analysis and transformative advice. Our focus is not on long reports or even reports at all. Our clients gain instantaneous depth of marketing experience. 

Our written recommendations are short, concise, and in outline form and delivered as a deck. We can then expand personally where that would is helpful. We often work with teams and present recommendations. 

Of all the FAQs, this is the toughest one to answer and there are so many ways that you might misunderstand this or write us off because of it.

When prospective clients asked, we used to give references. We have worked with so many firms that the logistics of it are no problem.

After decades of doing this, we don’t and here’s why:

• • Our clients have not signed up to give you advice, or help us sell our services. There is no assurance that what worked for them is applicable to you. Finally, our clients don’t have time to field dozens of calls from people considering hiring us.

• • In most cases asking for references is a sign of skepticism. And if this is important, you may be too skeptical to benefit from a client relationship. We recommend that you read everything that interests you on this site to get a feel for how we think and work with clients and then just go with your gut. You can also Google “Pete Monfre.” I am well established in my field.

• •  Some prospects would abuse the process and ask them each more than a dozen questions. Why should a non-paid reference bother? Often they’ve had an assistant do the calling. If you don’t have the time to check us out yourself, we won’t be a good fit.

• • In many cases, the work we have done for a client is confidential, as our work with you will be. There are dozens of testimonials scattered through the site and on LinkedIn. Feel free to ask around.

We will sometimes make exceptions to this, but rarely. When we do, we will trade references so that each of us can call the other party’s references. Just give us the names and contact information for two or three professional advisors, consultants or agencies that you’ve worked with.

The Master Marketing Blueprint is billed 50% in advance with the balance due in 45 days. All other services are paid in advance and non-refundable, for any reason.

The reason is not cash flow. Rather, it gives us the freedom to be completely transparent with you, not harboring any fear that you’ll be upset and withhold payment. It also means you’ll have skin in the game.

This policy is applied uniformly with every client, from smaller firms to Fortune 500 companies.

The best way is to connect with us on LinkedIn or sign up for our steady stream of marketing know-how and knowledge through our blog, podcast, workshops and articles at the bottom of this page. 

Pete Monfre is also an artist in residence at the world-famous Saxon Pub in Austin, TX where you can find him performing to a hundred or so colleagues once a month. Join us.