Viewpoint
Solutions provides consulting services for a multiplicity
of customer challenges. Here are a few real-world
examples to help you understand more about how
I work, and how I might support your initiatives.
For more information, please contact
me directly and I'll be delighted to tell you more.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Courtney Behm, Principal Consultant
THE
CHALLENGE
A leading software provider needed a quick change in channels marketing
strategy.
The company had a long history of selling directly
to consumers, and had retained a focus on direct sales
in spite of overwhelming evidence that the percentage
of direct sales was dropping dramatically in favor of
sales through resellers, distributors, and other third-party
sales channels. At the time I became involved, the
percentage ratio of direct sales to indirect sales was
20/80! As a result, there was a severe process mismatch
between the way the products were developed and designed
for sale, and how they were actually being sold. They
needed assistance in validating current processes and
defining a process model that would accommodate both
the channel and the direct customer.
Unfortunately, the pain point had
been reached long before the engagement
began, and results were needed immediately. Within
two weeks of starting the project, a
four-month time line for recommendations
and action became a two-month time line,
and the pressure was on. A one-consultant
contract became a three-consultant contract
overnight, and we quickly regrouped and
divided up the work load. We interviewed
marketing professionals from the multiple
client divisions in person and, when
geographically challenged, over the phone
to collect their input. Everyone agreed
on the dimensions of the problem, but
there were, of course, wildly different
ideas on what the solution should be,
depending on the functional point of
view.
We had
to apply some judicious pruning to the many branches
of
the decision
tree in order to create the process
that was most likely to be successful in both
the long and the short term. Taking
the input from the interviews and our subsequent
analysis, we designed
a series of strategic marketing models,
obtained executive
buy-in at every revision, and began to evangelize the new process
throughout the organization, with
gratifying success. Though there
were still
some pockets of resistance to change of any kind, even positive
change, the majority of stakeholders
found value and relief in the recommendations
we were proposing.
At the end of 2 months, we had accomplished
all the deliverables we had originally
proposed for the longer time horizon, and
we completed our engagement by designing
and conducting an executive debrief
session, with representatives from
all the functional
groups. At the end of the session,
we delivered the process models to
senior
management for internal execution...
and went home to get some sleep!
THE
CHALLENGE
An executive was struggling to master a new role in the company.
I received a call from the VP of Human Resources
at a hardware manufacturing company asking
if I would be interested in coaching one of
their key executives. He had a long and
successful history as a sales manager, but
had recently taken a position in marketing
to broaden his horizons. In spite of his great
reputation, things weren't going as well as
anyone had expected. Feedback on his performance
from his direct reports was not encouraging,
and his boss was starting to worry. What could
have happened to turn this successful, entrepreneurial
executive into an underperforming, unhappy
guy? As it turned out, the manager was equally
clueless. Blessed with an energetic, extroverted
temperament, he had become accustomed to being
liked, and to being successful. This was a
situation that left him baffled and confused.
First, I helped him understand his
leadership style and its impact on
his work community. He turned out
to be a forceful, direct type, very
comfortable with speaking his mind,
and much preferring action to diplomacy.
In the sales positions he had previously
held, this style served him well, but
now that he was in a marketing role,
he needed a more conciliatory, collaborative
approach designed to collect the input
from different functions and factions,
and mediate a final decision. We developed
communication strategies to help him
listen longer and to be more thoughtful
in his comments. I impressed on him
the value of treating the members of
his organization as well as he had
treated his customers, which, considering
his success, was very well indeed!
I also encouraged him to think about
how people of different leadership
styles might perceive his behavior,
and what motivations they might ascribe
to him. As he was able to stand
more outside himself, and to observe
the reactions of people around him,
he began to modulate his approach to
meet the energies of a wide variety
of styles, and to dramatically increase
his effectiveness. He began working
through people, finding out more about
their opinions and gaining consensus
before moving ahead. He took extra
time to build his constituency with
other functional groups in the organization,
who began to see his marketing team
as an asset to their success.
In a relatively short time, my client
was finding his work life increasingly
more satisfying, and the feedback was
extremely positive. Though I know
I offered sound guidance, and important
insights, this engagement... like all
coaching engagements... succeeded because
of the willingness of the client to
put heart and soul into personal transformation.
He took the responsibility and made
the process his own.
THE
CHALLENGE
A multi-national technology company had an extremely short deadline
to develop, project manage and deliver a course on Customer-focused
Marketing to their internal marketing professionals.
I was sitting in a client staff meeting one day, in my role as executive
and team coach, when my client put an urgent project on the table.
A key marketing executive had requested an advanced marketing course
for internal marketing professionals, and the schedule was impossibly
tight. There was less than two months remaining before the first session.
As they went around the table, it was clear that everyone was already
eyebrow deep in projects... the outlook was bleak. Then my client got
a strange look on her face, turned to me and said, "You're a marketing
person, aren"t you?" And that was the beginning of one of the most
challenging, but most enjoyable projects I've had the opportunity to
work on.
I became the marketing content expert
and the project manager from the course
development group, and partnered
with the client Marketing organization
and a Professor of Marketing from the
Graduate Business School at the University
of California/Berkeley to develop the
content. We were a bunch of strong-minded
folks, for sure, but we genuinely appreciated
each other's different takes on the
process. Fortunately I have a good
sense of humor, and it came in handy
when I had to herd these very large
cats into something resembling an orderly
development group!
In six weeks, the team had finalized
the learning content, designed and
delivered curriculum binders, course
collateral and giveaways, and set up
the first pilot learning event. I
kept track of the deliverables, interfaced
with external suppliers of collateral
and trinkets, made the aesthetic decisions
and ensured that all elements of the
pilot were in place. When the curtain
went up, I was responsible for facilitating
the workshop process, and keeping things
on time, including our Berkeley professor,
who had more fascinating stories about
the importance of Customer-focused
Marketing than we had time for him
to tell. I felt a little like a game
show host, standing in the back of
the room, holding up large signs that
said "10 MINUTES," "5 MINUTES," "GET
THE HOOK!"
At the end of the workshop, I conducted a feedback session with the
participants to use for
the refinement of the pilot into the first official course. That information
was analyzed and submitted to the
client's marketing organization for review and possible inclusion in
subsequent sessions.
It was fast, it was furious, but
it was fabulous... a great project
with a great team producing a great
result... that's a consultant's dream!
