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Our ApproachGetting StartedA number of the companies we've consulted with over the years had never worked with a market strategy consulting firm before meeting us. Often, when they first approached us, they were reluctant to ask the question: "How do we do business together?" This made us recognize that talking to an outside consulting firm about difficult marketing issues is, at best, discomforting. To ease this discomfort, we like to suggest the following guidelines to our new clients. The Initial Contact Initial contact usually takes the form of a letter or telephone call to inquire if the type of work we do coincides with market strategy issues of concern to the company. Our objective for this initial contact is to identify the product and market areas that the company is concerned with and to determine if it is worthwhile to meet and discuss these issues in more detail. If so, we usually ask the caller to send us relevant product or service information prior to the meeting. The objective of the first meeting is twofold: To enable the company to assess the extent to which Frank Lynn & Associates' experience and capabilities are consistent with the marketing issues the company needs to resolve. To enable the Frank Lynn & Associate's team to generate a more in-depth understanding of the company's market system strategy and the issues of primary concern at the time. "What materials should I bring?" is the question we are asked most frequently before the initial meeting. Our response is simply: "Bring your head!" We want to listen to the potential client describe what they believe the market system issue is and not just read about it in a marketing or business plan. During our discussion, we will ask a number of questions to help us put the company's market system issues into the Frank Lynn & Associates' framework. We use our insight tools and years of experience to gain a quick understanding of the issues involved and the time and effort that will be required to resolve the issues. Additionally, we try to provide the client with a ballpark estimate of a budget for the project. If the company has budgetary constraints, we discuss them at this time. Note: We view the initial meeting as a normal part of our client initiation efforts and, therefore, we do not charge a fee unless we are required to make extraordinary travel arrangements in order to meet with the client. The Proposal The purpose of the proposal is to present our assessment of the company's market strategy issues based on the discussions held at our initial meeting. Often, companies view our proposal as cast in stone. However, we view it as a starting point in designing a market strategy project that brings both parties into agreement regarding the issues to be resolved, the means for arriving at answers and the budget for the undertaking. Therefore, our initial proposal may need to be revised and enhanced several times. Ordinarily, our proposal includes the following:
The FL&A Difference One point that needs to be stressed is the difference between a market strategy consulting assignment and most other engagements: market strategy consultants spend most of their time and effort in the marketplace - outside the four walls of the company. We typically find that companies have a good understanding of the segments of the marketplace in which they are successful, but have little understanding of the market segments with which they do little or no business. To provide solutions for the company's market issues, we must have an in-depth understanding of both segments of the marketplace. Moving Forward We want to make your experience with Frank Lynn & Associates as pleasurable and productive as possible. To do this, we work hard to tailor our project programs to fit the needs of our clients. They can choose to be extremely involved in the project process or to step-back and let us do all the work. It's up to the client! Normally, we provide our clients with weekly/monthly feedback on their project status and findings. This regular communication allows us to make any necessary changes to the project and helps to eliminate surprises at the end of the project. When all the work is complete, we set up a time to present our final recommendations. We pride ourselves on delivering actionable answers that are tailored to meet the needs of our clients. To learn more about our consulting process, click here. International Capabilities If you need to develop and execute a market strategy outside of the United States, Frank Lynn & Associates has the capabilities and know-how to handle the job. For nearly 20 years we have had a presence in Europe through our London office. In 2001, we developed a partnership with Magnus Landmann in Sao Paulo, Brazil, allowing us to expand our consulting coverage into South America. Additionally, we work with several partner firms in the Asia-Pacific region. Logistically, doing an international project with our firm is no different than any local project. The knowledge of how to work internationally is quite another matter. Frank Lynn & Associates brings invaluable international expertise to all of our consulting assignments, including knowledge of local and regional markets and issues. This knowledge is critical when a company is unfamiliar with a country's local practices, government standards and other business issues. |
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