Tune in to the people.
Hear more from your data.
What do you want to understand better from customers?
As the new leader coming into the business, I need a fresh look at what’s driving customers. What are we not seeing?
Customers are wrestling with big changes like AI too. How is AI showing up in their world in ways that we should pay attention to?
Growth has slowed, needs to be more efficient, or both. What value creation levers might we be missing?
Revenue health signals in the data are mixed. How well do we know why customers turn to us, what tells us they might leave?
We’ve served similar customers with the same core products for a long time. What could our next direction be?
CX/product resources are limited. How do customers value the roadmap directions we’re considering?
We’re so close to our story that it’s hard to fully see what most sets us apart. What do customers think makes us special?
We’ve seen a lot of change (scale, M&A, market shifts). How does our POV & market position need to evolve to be most effective?
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“We got a lot of customer input through normal channels but Robert helped us understand our customers on a whole new level that we could act on. Like with the new product we created, based on customer learning clues, that was our top seller in its 1st week.
Looking at customer needs this way was a real eye-opener when it came to CX improvement and growth. I called on Robert in my current company and again we've uncovered new dimensions that have reinforced our go-to-market in important ways."
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—Vivek Kumar, CEO, TeePublic, former CRO, UrbanStemsKnow who to listen to
& what to listen for
Audiences we’ve listened differently to:
Investors
Board members
Learning and development leaders
Product managers
Ecommerce and Health & wellness consumers
CEO’s, CIO’s, CISO’s
Software/tech CFO’s
Business unit/division heads
Financial aid leaders
Investment bankers
Healthcare leaders
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“We regularly call on Robert/Highland to look for clues on potential product growth paths in conversations with customers and new prospects we'd like to serve. The resulting insights have revealed important opportunities, including a new product that we then worked with Highland to flesh out and recently brought to market.
Really valuable to get fresh perspective from someone who's also led go-to-market from within companies, and then act on potential solutions that Robert’s analysis teases out of real-world buyers.”
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—Jim Hermens, CEO, REGENT FInancial AidFlexible Engagements for Discovery + Doing Something About It
Listen + Learn.
Every engagement starts with internal and external interviews to get a fresh look at what is driving customer behavior.
AVERAGE PROJECT LENGTH: 8-12 WEEKS
LISTENING CHECK
What do we know already?
Where are we listening now?
Full review of
Existing messaging and positioning
Customer feedback resources
Marketing and Sales Collateral
Competitive terrain + related ecosystem
End-user experience
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2
LISTENING ROUNDS
What can our people tell us?
What are we not hearing today?
Includes full execution of
Team member interviews
Leadership interviews
1:1 direct conversations with customers, prospects, and lost leads
Surveys as needed
SYNTHESIS + PLAYBACK
What did we learn?
What can we do about it?
Includes input on
Use case discovery and validation
In-depth analysis of high-value customer characteristics, patterns, and drivers
Key brand and go-to-market strategic elements, like customer perceptions, competitive dynamics, and more
Internal team listening dynamics, including systems and tooling gaps
3
“It’s really hard to get unbiased insight on your strengths/weaknesses when you’re so close to customers day to day. We called in Robert and team to interview some of our key stakeholders from an independent distance, analyze the response within a competitive context, and apply the learning to a more distinctive positioning for our brand.
The resulting work influenced how we talk about ourselves almost immediately and is impacting how we show up across the go-to-market effort. Their combination of operator experience and open ended inquiry proved a great match for finding the perspective we were after.”
—SCOTT STEVENS, PARTNER, Pamlico CapitalPosition + Plan.
Apply what you learned to strengthen the key planks in your go-to-market platform and capture your brand at its best.
AVERAGE PROJECT LENGTH: 4-8 WEEKS
POSITIONING + POV
Review and revision of brand fundamentals, like
Mission, Vision, Values
Core Beliefs
Envisioned Future
Development of fresh Brand POV and Positioning Framework
Differentiation Map
Net Impression
Positioning Battlecard
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2
ADDED APPLICATIONS
Insights also inform:
GTM strategy and mix evaluation
Content strategy roadmap
CX journey mapping and growth test roadmap
Product concepting
Customer segmentation and LTV
Listening strategy and infrastructure
Quantitative exploration from listening findings
3
TEAM DEVELOPMENT
Listening training to improve ongoing discovery across teams
1:1 and group coaching to feed better communication and collaboration for teams bringing the learning to life
“We regularly call on Robert/Highland to look for clues on potential product growth paths in conversations with customers and new prospects we'd like to serve. The resulting insights have revealed important opportunities, including a new product that we then worked with Highland to flesh out and recently brought to market.
Really valuable to get fresh perspective from someone who's also led go-to-market from within companies, and then act on potential solutions that Robert’s analysis teases out of real-world buyers.”
—Jim Hermens, CEO, Regent Financial AIdActivate + Execute.
Whether we serve as quarterback, contributor, or consigliere, we’ll help you bring your fresh perspective to life across your brand and customer experience.
PROJECT LENGTH VARIES
EXTERNAL EXECUTION SUPPORT
Market-facing presence application
Content and Website Development
Selling Tools
Creative/Growth Agency guidance resource on customer behaviors/beliefs
“Expert” support for lead generation and thought leadership events
Growth tests and iteration
Counsel to internal teams on design, iteration, performance evaluation
Listening systems and tools
Listening post (systems, channels, activities) design, selection, implementation.
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2
INTERNAL EXECUTION SUPPORT
CX/Listening team member onboarding support
Support for build-out of internal customer discovery responsibilities and roles
Analytics and segmentation counsel
Ongoing coaching and training - 1:1 & group
Leadership
Listening/discovery
Communication and collaboration
Accountability and performance
“Robert's ability to bring clarity and calmness to chaotic situations was central to the progress I made in our coaching engagement. I could always trust Robert to listen, ponder, and respond to my challenges in a comforting manner, with clear thoughts and sage advice. Robert was excellent at reminding me that the situation at hand was the story I was telling myself and there were always other ways to think about a series of events. I really appreciate the perspective that Robert brings to coaching.”
—GREG LORENZO, SVP, HEAD OF MARKETING, CPG