Strategy and Marketing Partners

We are a small organization that focuses primarily on market assessment, voice-of-the-customer and strategy development and management. Our founder and president, Mike Tumbarello, is a seasoned consultant and corporate marketing executive with four start-ups in his experience-set. In addition, Mike has successfully honed his personal value proposition via extensive experience teaching graduate-level strategy and marketing courses at the Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University. Mike has also developed and delivered courses at the undergraduate level in entrepreneurship and financial services.

Mike has surrounded himself with bright, seasoned, energetic and proven consultants in a variety of marketing mix disciplines including: social media, web development, CRM technologies, appointment generation, SEO/PPC, public relations, training and sales. These individuals are available for individual projects yet are considered virtual resources. This virtual portfolio of specialists has allowed us to bring expertise to client problems, while maintaining a low-cost structure and optimum flexibility.

We supplement our experience and expertise with proven methodologies centered around assessment, strategy development, decision support and return on investment. We do NOT jump right into the implementation stage, but rather ask questions, assess the internal and external client environments and only then propose a plan of action to meet client needs.

We believe that “everything starts with the market.” A simple concept, but one that is often overlooked by today’s marketing practitioners. Our experience has shown us that many marketing dollars are wasted on programs that are not strategic in nature, not part of an overall plan, were spontaneous or ill-conceived and are not generating the desired ROI.

Our experience shows us that developing a simple, market-driven plan starting with an assessment of who the target market is, whom the optimum client should be and insight into the clients’ decision criteria and the competitive environment will more than pay for itself.

The bottom line is that organizations, including non-profits, need to have a clear picture of who they are selling to, as well as insight into other stakeholder groups, before spending resources on programs. The good news is that building a “knowledge foundation” does not have to take a lot of time or budget dollars. The bad news is that NOT embracing target markets could leave an organization in the dreaded ready – shoot – aim mode that often leads to frustration for owners and senior managers and wasted efforts.

We use a number of proven tools to formalize the process and to enable clarity of approach and continuance of any programs by the client. For example, our assessment tool box includes IFE, EFE, BCG, GE and other models. Our strategy efforts are enabled by SWOT/TOWS, Porter’s Five Forces, Ansoff, and the Grand Strategy Matrix models. Depending on the situation and client needs we can draw upon these tools to build a hard-hitting, cost-effective marketing program.
Regardless of our skill-sets and the tools we employ, we recognize that most clients want the following:
1.) Cost effective solutions that yield measurable results
2.) Consultants that do not seek “lifetime engagements”
3.) Consultants that “get it” and that don’t waste their clients’ time

We can enable performance improvement and strategic decision-making on a project basis, as an on-board part-time adjunct to the client team or as a fully outsourced Marketing arm of the organization, that includes Mike or another partner serving as the virtual Chief Marketing Officer for an organization. In addition we can help you scale you marketing efforts by working with you to profile and screen potential candidates for the job.

Our engagements are all about YOU. While we have the experience, skills and tools to get the job done in a best-in-class fashion, our intention first and foremost is to delight our clients and exceed expectations. We do this by listening and understanding client needs and wants as well as those of their organization and those relative to the specific project.
We believe our approach, from assessment, through market-driven strategy development and through to implementation management and program measurement is the best on the market. We focus on the front-end of marketing – assessment and strategy – and are absolutely fanatical about the importance of both those components in the marketing value chain. Whether large or small organization, start-up or 100 year old Fortune 100 business, for-profit, governmental or not-for-profit, we can help you build the market-based foundation and strategies to help ensure your success now and in the future.