• What we do

    Voice of the Customer  /  Customer Insights  /  Positioning & Value Prop  /  Branding  /  Messaging  /  Go-to-Market

We develop laser-focused and hyper-relevant positioning, value propositions, differentiators and messaging that are based on what is most valuable and meaningful from the target audience’s perspective. Sounds simple, but most companies are not fully in synch with what their customers are really thinking–and how they make decisions.  The insights we help you gain can help you at the corporate/brand level as well as in defining and positioning product and services.
We provide our strategy, advisory and management services in a variety of ways: We can take the reins and manage the entire process or give you the guidance and tools to do it in-house. When it comes to implementing the strategy, we can be as involved as you need us to be–or transition to your existing resources.

 Our sweet spots.

Assess / Diagnose / Synthesize

Customer Discovery (& Re-discovery)

Voice of the Customer

Buyer Personas

Win-Loss Analysis

Market Assessment

Customer Insights

Marketing Audit & Diagnostics

Strategize / Prioritize / Implement

Positioning (Company, Brand & Product/Service)

Brand Definition & Development

Value Proposition

Differentiation

Messaging

Go-to-Market Strategy

Marketing Plan (Prioritization, Budget, ROI)

Methodology

(From Rant-to-Revenue)

1. Discovery & Diagnostics
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2. 'Listening'
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3. Strategy & Priorities
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In case you're wondering...
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How do we engage? However works best for you.

Full Engagement

We lead and execute everything in Phases 1, 2 and 3 above, from insights to strategic plan. After Phase 3, we can also work with you to oversee the execution as an Outsourced CMO, essentially embedding with your organization to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Fees for Phase 1, 2 & 3 start at US $25,000.
Optional: Fees for Outsourced CMO services to oversee execution start at $7,500 per month.

Advisory Services

We provide oversight and guidance as you go through Phase 1 and 2 above. We then review outputs from Phase 2 to help you prioritize the insights and formulate the strategy. You also get our proven process and tools which eliminates guesswork and saves you time and money.
Advisory fees start at US $7,500. Fees for initial consultation/diagnosis start at $3,500.
Optional: Fees for developing creative concepts and copy start at $5,000.

Workshops & Coaching/Mentoring

We hold a half-day workshop covering the questions to ask customers and prospects, how to ask them–and how to listen.  We also show how to identify insights and translate them into positioning and messaging strategies.
Workshop fees start at US $3,500 per half day for up to 10 people.
Optional: Fees for post-workshop coaching start at US $2,000 per month.

Custom Engagement

Let’s figure out a way to get you what you need by combining some or all of the options on this page.
Fees start at: TBD

Start seeing the world from your customers’ perspective. Get a complimentary Elevator Rant diagnosis.

Or just reach out to chat.

    Bob London, Chief Listener & Strategist
    +1 240-994-7644
    bob@chieflisteningofficers.com
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    We facilitate an initial meeting with you and members of your team to ask approximately 20 questions designed to elicit and clarify your business goals and current trajectory, business and revenue model, competitive landscape, marketing metrics and materials and sales model.  We cover mutual expectations for the engagement as well as ballpark timing and cost. We also discuss your appetite for and readiness to embrace and implement new initiatives. We may request additional materials before or after this meeting.

    This meeting is key to scoping out your priorities–both the ones you have identified and any additional ones we recommend. In many cases this meeting happens before an agreement is signed. But if we agree that further diagnostics are needed to define the scope, then this meeting will be the first step in the engagement.

    We personalize our specially-designed questions and hold one-on-one conversations with up to 20 current and prospective customers to learn about their organizational and company priorities, major initiatives and challenges, perceptions of the market landscape–including competitors, alternatives and substitutes–and unmet or latent needs.

    We work with you to develop a target list of participants and draft an email invitation that you can send requesting their participation. Once the invitations are sent, we handle all scheduling with the participant or his/her assistant.

    During this phase we meet with your key staff to get their perspectives on priorities, opportunities and challenges. We also conduct a competitive scan to understand how other players in your space are positioned.

    Based on Phases 1 and 2, we present detailed findings, insights and recommendations, summarizing and prioritizing those that are most relevant to your objectives. All insights and themes are supported by verbatim quotes (anonymous) and synthesized into a specific and focused recommendation of your positioning, value proposition and messaging strategies.

    We also recommend an implementation plan with prioritized tactics, budget, timing and resource requirements across digital and traditional channels. Lastly, we show a range of creative concepts and copy to bring the strategy to life and give a flavor of how they can be executed. In many cases, clients have immediately begun using the concepts and copy to improve their messaging in numerous channels, including web copy, email campaigns, sales outreach and PR.

    How long does an engagement typically take?

    Typically 4 – 8 weeks, sometimes as many as 10 weeks, depending on client turnaround times and how many external and internal interviews are being conducted.

    How much time do we (me and my team) have to invest?

    Our goal is to minimize the amount of time required from you and your team. We estimate 3 – 4 hours for the Discovery and Presentation meetings (Phases 1 and 3) and 2 – 3 hours for you to identify and reach out to the target list, which is usually pulled from your marketing/sales database.

    How do we execute on the strategy it’s finalized?

    You have total flexibility on how to manage the execution. We can scope out a follow-on engagement to provide guidance and oversight–either hands-on or high-level–to ensure the strategy is properly executed. If you don’t have a marketing resource we can provide or recommend one. If you decide you can handle the execution without any involvement from us, that’s perfectly fine.