Description of Mandate: Assessing the drivers of brand perception, segmenting the market and developing strategies to pursue specific portions of the market opportunity
Scope: Sizing and segmenting the North American market and reaching over 2,500 customers
Approach/Activities:
Conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative customer focus groups and surveys (“talked to customers”) to build customer insight, segment the market, and prioritize growth opportunities;
Conducted multiple brand-building workshops with cross-functional work teams;
Defined what the brand stood for, how the company would evolve, its core strengths, and its competitive position;
Implemented changes in service levels, merchandising, and marketing by segment
Outcomes:
Achieved dominant share, positive brand image and over 90% customer satisfaction;
Identified key questions that stream customers at store level and on the web to the right type of merchandise and service level, leading to reduced time to serve and increased satisfaction;
Maintained leadership position, well in front of its competition
Exceed sales plan, with projected continuing growth
Created a comprehensive strategic plan that increased sales by +20%; driven by two newly identified customer segment opportunities
Duration: 12 months (2004) – multiple phases
Client Situation:
One of the most successful one-stop-shop specialty retailers in the U.S., with over 250 company-owned locations nationwide
The senior executive team was challenged by competition and aggressive growth targets.
There was the need to create a differentiated customer experience and size the market to isolate pockets of growth
Description of Mandate: Coordinating the project management office in the context of a cross-border merger that created a new market leader in the natural resources sector
Scope: Coordination of transition teams from all functional groups and business units
Approach/Activities:
Formalization of teams’ action plans
Development of project schedules in MS Project
Identification of interdependencies
Continuous tracking of activities
Definition and resolution of issues
Identification and assessment of key risks
Oversight of all communications
Kick off of synergy teams
Outcomes:
Detailed integrated project schedule across all transition teams
Continuous issue/risk tracking and resolution that ensured Day 1 readiness
In parallel, a separate SECOR team also delivered a thorough Market and Competitor Assessment for the new market leader
Duration: 6 months (2007)
Client Situation:
Client’s Steering Committee felt a need for help to identify interdependencies between numerous project teams and to drive issue resolution
Client wanted to ensure that all structures, processes, systems, and policies would be ready for transaction close and that teams would be in place to go after synergy targets
Description of Mandate: Assessing the opportunity to enter the Canadian wireless market in the context of the 2008 spectrum auction
Scope: Benchmarking, market assessment, business modelling
Approach/Activities:
Benchmarking of similar offers in foreign markets: key success factors, key issues, level of success
Assessment of the competitiveness of wireless in Canada (compared to major foreign markets: US, Europe)
Review of technological options available, assessment of proposed solution (leveraging external network expert)
Financial modelling for the proposed venture, analysis of key performance indicators and their level of sensitivity
Outcomes:
Recommendation regarding the attractiveness of the project: in just four weeks, we provided our client with an objective and documented analysis on whether or not it made sense to invest a very significant amount of money in this venture
Duration: 1 month (2008)
Client Situation:
A major private equity firm is considering the opportunity to back a foreign investor willing to launch a new wireless brand in Canada
Key questions include the following: what are the barriers to entry in the Canadian wireless market? Is the proposed entry strategy a winning one (technology, pricing, distribution, positioning, etc.)? What is the likely competitive response? How profitable can this be?
