Services
My past experience as a designer, project, manager, and studio manager puts me in a unique position to offer the personalized attention of an insider, as well as the invaluable perspective of an outside consultant. My high-profile clients depend upon my firsthand knowledge of the creative profession — and you will, too. Let me help your business grow so you can spend more time doing what you enjoy most, the creative and the marketing side.
Everybody needs a great business partner, someone who has been in the trenches, who can advise you on what your company needs to be competitive. I know that the last thing you need is cookie-cutter, generic solutions that are only slightly tailored to your specific requirements. Trust me to provide personalized recommendations based on your company’s real-world challenges and needs.
- Win Rate–fromProposal & Pricing
Presentation
- Proposal Schematic–fromProposal & Pricing
Presentation
Process Evaluation
You are only as good as your staff and processes. This service is for those firms that need to improve their internal staffing structure and management systems in order to be more efficient, grow, or become more profitable.
Process
On-site studio/department visits and confidential one-on-one interviews with all team members.
Deliverables
A written report that identifies and leverages existing strengths and weaknesses and provides customized solutions and recommendations for a proactive, easy-to-implement plan of action. The Staff Management and Process Evaluation prioritizes short- and long-term goals and needs. Often includes development of organizational charts and follow-up consultation to ensure successful adoption and execution.
Optional services include
Revised or new job descriptions, performance evaluation tool, an employee handbook, and an independent contractor agreement.
Result
More efficient, adaptive staffing structures and management procedures that:
- › streamline communications
- › improve workflow systems
- › encourage and nourish creativity, teamwork, and collaboration, and
- › generate greater profitability.
What does your paper trail look like? This service provides an objective analysis of a design firm’s existing communication system. Proposals, marketing materials, contracts, and design/creative briefs are reviewed to ensure a more effective, integrated and professional presentation, positioning, and pricing strategy.
Process
Review and analyze a design firm’s existing documents, including, but not limited to, proposals, cover letters, marketing and promotional materials, contracts, and design/creative briefs.
Deliverables
A written report that provides a detailed evaluation of existing strengths and weaknesses. The Document Audit outlines recommended improvements that relate to information hierarchy, organizational structure, visual presentation, editorial voice and tone, positioning strategy, content, pricing structure, and terms. Includes follow-up consultation to ensure successful adoption and execution.
Result
More effective, succinct, powerful, and distinctive communications that:
- › speak directly to clients’ needs
- › differentiate and position the design firm
- › qualify services and fees, and
- › allow for customization and flexibility.
What do your clients really think about you? A series of confidential interviews with a design firm’s clients produces insightful, honest, and, often surprising feedback that helps a design firm strengthen and enhance its presentation style, positioning strategy, and account management process.
Process
With design firm staff, identify and select clients that represent a broad range of experiences and discuss the history of these relationships to provide the necessary framework for the survey. Recommend and refine a series of 10–15 questions and conduct confidential phone interviews with select clients.
Deliverables
A transcript of client responses organized by question. (Please note that specific clients are not identified to ensure their honest feedback.) A summary of the overarching messages, insights and related recommendations garnered from these interviews is also included.
Result
Invaluable feedback that will help a design firm:
- › understand its clients’ experiences and perceptions
- › identify strengths and weaknesses
- › improve presentation style and account management process and procedures, and
- › re-craft positioning, messaging, and new business development tactics.
It’s like having your very own staff writer. Clear and professional proposals, contracts, and client correspondence are written for you and customized for your clients. These documents effectively communicate your objectives, services, voice, and vision and are crafted to reflect each client’s or project’s unique needs. Pricing consultation is also included in this service.
Process
Creation of personalized proposals, contracts, and client correspondence using available RFP’s, design briefs and background information on project or relationship provided by the design firm.
Deliverables
Effective documents that are customized to reflect each design firm’s unique voice and positioning strategy as well as the needs of each project. This service includes writing concise and effective descriptions of the project’s objectives and parameters as well as the design firm’s scope of work/deliverables and pricing structure.
Result
Clear, professional documents that:
- › speak directly to clients’ needs
- › differentiate and position the design firm
- › win jobs and influences clients, and
- › qualify your firm, services, and fees.
You’re the boss. As-needed consultation on a range of topics including, but not limited to, effective positioning, marketing, public relations, staff, client, and project management tactics and strategies.
Process
Regular monthly or as-needed consultation, in person, via phone, or virtual meetings
Deliverables
As your virtual business partner, I will provide verbal consultation as well as develop customized materials such as performance review tools, contractor agreements, employee agreements, qualification criteria, etc.
Result
In-person or phone consultation that provides:
- › access to my expertise and “brain”
- › on-the-spot troubleshooting
- › short- and long-term goal setting, and
- › ongoing guidance to stay on track.
In-house creative and marketing teams have their own unique needs. Therefore, I have an entirely separate consulting practice focused on those needs: Cohen Miller Consulting. CMC combines best-practice insights with solid benchmark data and works with companies to improve operational and organizational effectiveness.
Representative Services
- › project tiering
- › staffing management strategies
- › workflow and process optimization
- › client surveys and account management strategies
- › funding structures
- › operational and project metrics, and
- › technology evaluations