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We are a specialized firm that engages with clients for whom we are very confident we can be successful. This page is long form because we think you deserve to know everything about us and how we work before you make a decision to hire us.
The Master Marketing Blueprint is our flagship service and where most clients begin. It includes the MASTER MARKETING Xray plus Customer Perception research and Competitive Intelligence.
Most importantly it includes our professional analysis, written recommendations and implementation advisory services to help you develop a marketing approach that delivers significantly better outcomes and a measurable return on investment.
The Blueprint is a unique and impactful solution for B2B companies wanting an experienced, objective and candid facilitator to advise their team(s) to develop and/or refine an overarching marketing plan and strategy.
In the first thirty days, we will identify known and/or unknown issues that may be holding you back. We will identify what’s working, what’s not working and what needs to happen to deliver the growth you desire.
Over the next thirty days, using our proprietary best-practices MAPS™ Framework we will build a cohesive and complete marketing plan that includes targeted research where needed, creative direction, positioning strategy and more.
But we don’t stop there. We will work with you for another thirty days to advise your team as you begin implementing the plan.
We won’t deliver a binder full of ten dollar words and wish you luck. We deliver a month-by-month, detailed Action Plan that includes every activity, responsibilities, timing, budget, simplified scope and more.
Then we work alongside you for 30 days as you get up and running, helping you find the right partners and providing advice and direction.
We don’t fly seat of the pants and neither should you. Our proprietary approach to rapidly solving marketing problems has been proven over thousands of implementations for hundreds of clients over dozens of industries.
The Blueprint began in 1993, and has been continually improved and refined over the years. Working with hundreds of firms, large and small has enabled us to know exactly where to look, how to interpret the situation and what it means within the context of your industry.
Our entire service is built on knowing what level of execution and budget is appropriate for different sized companies in different industries.
We utilize a proprietary, framework called the Marketing Action Planning System™ (or MAPS) to rapidly to model your company and it’s specific circumstances on a granular level. We invest the time and senior level involvement to first understand before we advise.
Getting Started
First, contact us by completing the contact form below. We will arrange a time to speak briefly about your situation and whether or not we are a good fit for you.
Assuming you are interested in moving forward… It’s a good idea to read our FAQ .
Next, We will send you acceptance materials. By email, you’ll receive a simple agreement (to sign and return), a list of materials to gather and upload to DropBox and the signed agreement back.
We are a professional firm and we believe in clear communications and transparency in all matters. Confidentiality is of utmost priority. Once you have formally accepted the engagement, you will receive an invoice.
Phase One: Lightning Strategy Sessions
Upon receipt of payment, we will schedule a series of Lightning Strategy Sessions with you and your team and set up our tools for your business. You will send us a list with names, titles and contact information for the following:
While you are gathering information, we will review the materials in Dropbox. These are fast paced question and answer workshops where we rapidly define what’s working, what’s not and what outcomes are expected.
We prefer to start with the sales team, then the marketing team, and finally the executive team.
As we interview and facilitate your team(s), we will be adding the information to our proprietary MAPS Framework (to which you will get complete access) so we can organize, analyze and correlate the data. These sessions last about 2 hours each and are conducted via Zoom.
Together we will identify any Critical Questions where more information is needed. We will prioritize these gaps together with your team and recommend specific actions to complete the picture of how to solve the challenge.
Phase Two: Targeted Marketing Research
We offer several different levels and types of research customized to your specific Critical Questions and situation. The base price includes the Basic Research Module. You can upgrade the research module for broader information if needed. We can also design custom research if our modules don’t fit your situation.
Typically, Critical Questions fall into one of three categories:
We will independently analyze and correlate external research and provide recommendations. These can be delivered in as little as four weeks, but more typically requires 6-8 weeks. Timing depends on your schedule, your customers’ schedules, our workload and other variables.
During this time, we will stay in touch with weekly 30 minute calls to the Executive team or our single point of contact to keep you informed of our progress and to discuss any questions that come up. This step requires very little of your time.
Various emphases will emerge from the process described above. For example, if the data reveals that you are not speaking to your customer’s top three concerns, we’ll fix that through your pain points, positioning and messaging strategy.
If the main problem is getting in front of more qualified buyers, that will be our focus. We’ll talk about where your firm is now, where it should be, how to get there and what it’s worth in dollars.
Phase Three: Collaborative Strategy Meetings
We will schedule collaborative strategy meetings with the Executive team to review research findings and recommendations.
We will present our analysis and specific recommendations based on the data gathered. It’s not our job to tell you what to do. We are highly collaborative. Together we will determine the best path forward for your company.
Our team will deliver a deck with our recommendations including: positioning, messaging, enhanced ideal customer profiles (EICP’s), key metrics, MROI, creative direction and more. We will walk you through the deck and recommendations and answer any questions your team may have.
Phase Four: Detailed, month by month execution plan
Once we agree on the strategy, we will create a detailed implementation blueprint that includes all marketing tactics, responsibilities, timeline, budgeting and tasks to implement the strategy. The Master Marketing Blueprint is designed to be implemented.
Our deliverables are produced to industry standards and in plain language. Some clients run with the plan using in-house resources, others seek an agency to carry out the marketing tactics. Often we provide advisory services to support implementation under separate contract.
What Happens After Delivery of the Master Marketing Blueprint?
We will be available during implementation, assisting you via phone or email over a period of up to 30 days or two significant phone calls, whichever is first. (These are defined more clearly in our service level agreement.)
You will begin to see positive change very early in the process. In fact, gathering the materials is a valuable exercise unto itself. Some of the changes can happen quickly, and others may take six to eighteen months.
Our recommendations are a balance between the eventual positive impact vs. the short term disruption, which we attempt to minimize as much as possible.
Location. Our team works remotely. If in-person facilitation is important to you, let us know and we may make an exception.
Duration. Typically from eight to ten weeks, plus one month of implementation advisory. This is highly dependent upon client participation, approvals and payment.
Scheduling. A Master Marketing Blueprint can usually be scheduled and locked in on the calendar within 2-3 weeks, depending on the time of year and our current workload.
Deliverable. Hours of industry-leading analysis and advice that follows a proven process, very carefully and concisely stated recommendations with later expansions as necessary.
We’ll deliver at least three decks with customer and competitive intelligence and overarching recommendations in clear language.
Finally, we will deliver a month-by-month implementation schedule in Google Sheets. This schedule and the Master Blueprint will become your property upon payment in full.
Implementation Guidance: Up to three months involving up to three significant interactions. These are agenda-driven, which means that you’ll keep a log of the questions you have and we’ll address them in a batch.
We don’t count the quick phone calls or any of the email exchanges during those three months. (Our work is not like a coach or hourly consultant).
Participation Requirements:
Investment. $27,750+ fee depending on options and other variables. Includes MASTER MARKETING Xray and Basic Research Module.
Payment Terms. 50% in advance and the balance due in 45 days unless other arrangements are made. (See our FAQ) for more information. We accept payment via ACH, or check. We do not accept credit cards for this service.
* Timeframes are dependent upon client participation, timely access and payment of fees. Past results do not guarantee future returns.