CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENT
This is the first step in the process between initial brainstorming and the development of a formal plan. As such it lacks structure and may well proffer conjecture and supposition in equal measure to expertise and researched fact. It is also likely to impart thoughts and/or information that you either already possess or consider obvious. This is merely integral to the overall thought process and in no way represents an assumption as to your own depth of knowledge or understanding.
I trust you will find this document both enlightening and thought provoking and that it compels you to take this process forward to successful execution and the success(s) to which you aspire ...
THE BRIEF (AS I UNDERSTAND IT)
To explore avenues for business transformation/growth that fulfil your aspirations for - regular, guaranteed income through increased work volume and higher fees, the choice to work with both partners and clients who share or are aligned with your ethics and values, long term retainer based relationships with individual client organisations, greater variety in terms of both client type and project scope, and opportunities to develop passive revenue streams whilst retaining your current brand.
SEAHORSE
Has symbolic associations with Vigilance, Grace, Confidence, Strength, Guidance, Transformation, Courage and Forbearance
IDENTITY
Have looked at hundreds, if not thousands of images of Seahorses from natural history artwork to tattoo’s. They were either too complex to reproduce as identities, too simple to take seriously or just plain ugly. Sorry, I know you love seahorses. What I did think might fit the bill and appeal to both yourself and Seahorses’ clientele is roughly demonstrated over the page !
DESCRIPTOR
Coaching and Consulting
STRAPLINE
'Inspiring and Facilitating the Journey Between Aspiration and Reality'
CLIENT PERCEPTIONS AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS
For prospective clients, the reality of your offer is initially based on perception and then should they choose to engage you, on first impressions. These two things alone are, I believe responsible for where you will find yourself on their mental positioning map. This is in simplistic terms ‘talking the talk’ and will ultimately determine with whom you will get to ‘walk the walk’ and for how much ...
THE PITCH
This should be based on how you believe you will deliver on the corporate strapline. How about ‘Intellectual Creativity’ ? It supports the premise that one size does not fit all and that both businesses and the challenges they face are as different (in terms of remedy) as the people that work for them. Treating them otherwise gives them neither the respect they deserve, nor the value of service they are paying for ...
SERVICE OFFER
The opportunity exists to develop a service offer that is as value adding to both Seahorse and client as it is differentiating between Seahorse and any potential competitors.
What is truly exciting is how synergistic the service offer mix could be and the effect this should have on both the depth/breadth and value of client relationships, a case in point for the concept that the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of it’s constituent parts.
Although the matrix currently falls way short of articulating the true breadth (with respect to nuances) of the potential service offer and the diverse range of clients who would benefit from utilising the same it does demonstrate the potential parity between both service offer and the key components to client business success.
Herein lies seahorses’ USP. The ability to add value across the client business throughout its life-cycle.
The benefits to both consultancy and client include -
- The progressive accumulation of knowledge
- The resultant ability to both anticipate and solve multi-faceted business issues
- The many benefits inherent in long term Employee/Consultancy relationships
- Increases in service outcome performance
- The potential for building long term relationships and negotiating retainer based fee income
How about -
Career Coaching and Mentoring Self Confidence/Awareness, Informed Goal Setting, Personal Marketing, Career Management
Leadership Development and Executive Coaching Organisational Culture, Employee Engagement, Team Dynamics, Leveraging Talent
Recruitment and HR Selection, Retention, Succession and Appraisal
Business Coaching and Consulting Planning, Performance and Growth
Business Innovation Brainstorming and Creative Development
Special Projects Special Projects and Passive Income Opportunities
ENOUGH ABOUT THE CLIENT FOR NOW
How do we fulfil seahorses’ aspirations ?
By developing and retaining a loyal client base through either differentiation and/or establishing a market niche. I believe the most effective and exciting way to do both would be through breadth of service offer, (already revealed) and by introducing clients to quality of service and work practices ordinarily associated with those firms outwith the reach of non-bluechips and multinationals.
This isn’t about competing with those firms, it’s about imitating them and in doing so establishing a Consultancy committed to and capable of developing a market that appeals to clients looking for a service offer that sits somewhere in the upper space between ordinary* consultancies and those to which we aspire to imitate.
*By ordinary I mean seemingly medium sized companies who in reality employ the services of self-employed consultants based all over the UK and/or those who have the consultants in-house but who’s service in terms of offer and quality is similar if not identical. A good comparison (not in work practice but in stature) might be Accountancy Firms in Aberdeen. Seahorse would sit in the same market space as say Johnston Carmichael who are never going to join the “big four” but are one of a number of 'next best thing' firms in Scotland in terms of quality and affordability.
SO WHO MIGHT SEAHORSE LIKE TO IMITATE?
Based on the research I‘ve done so far, which was pretty comprehensive, I have selected the following for consideration. Why will be self evident when you read excerpts from their websites ...
Have excluded these but had included inspirational firms for each potential service offer
IMITATE AND CAPABLE OF...
Two key quotes in the paragraph 'How do we fulfil seahorses’ aspirations'.
In case you think I am suggesting Seahorse bites off more than it can chew, this is absolutely not the case. Imitating those (or similar) companies will simply enhance the credence of seahorses’ capabilities in the eyes of it’s target market whilst giving it lots of space in which to grow.
Capability will determine actual service offer and can start off as comprehensive, or not, as is conducive to maintaining/exceeding the quality of service the target market will expect and to which Seahorse should aspire.
Growth in capability whether through partnering, employing or a mix of both should be discussed later on ...
Here follows a rough basic outline for individual service offer content. The reason this is as rough/light as it is is because it is something we should/need to work on together ...
Have excluded these pages
SO, WHERE DO YOU START?
First and foremost we need to meet !
This precursor to what I trust will become Seahorses’ Business Plan needs to be hammered into a shape that both accurately represents your aspirations and details the journey through which those aspirations will become reality.
I was going to detail those steps but that isn’t really necessary prior to our meeting and so will leave things here for now ...
