It's that time of the year again…

It is already November and for most corporations the fiscal year soon comes to an end. As every year – and maybe even more in this special year – there are some unused budgets, as some of the things did not come as originally planned.

So, what to do? Save the budget for next year? Usually not the best idea. Why not take some of the money and investing it in some short-term but high impact initiatives.

Take a look at our suggestions for last minute sprint projects giving you a head start into 2021.

I. Understand what drives value

This project primarily helps you to identify, where the value pockets in your market are. On top of that, you get deep knowledge on the structure of your market. Per player you will get data on: market share, market positioning, acquisition performance, customer tenure and churn probability. Using our state of the art segmentation techniques, you will even see the customer structure of each competitor. And that is not all: you get an understanding what makes customers churn and what makes them stay (per product category, per segment), which brands are preferred by market churners and what their communication preferences are. With our experience from various industries, we know that this kind of analysis delivers an invaluable source of information. It finally helps you to size your opportunity and to shape your future strategy, in terms of go to market, marketing, innovation, service and communication. Use the outcome to validate your business plan, to make better strategic decisions, to improve your operating business or simply to grow your information advantage within your company. If we only had one project to put our budget on, this would be the one we took. Timeframe: 4-6 weeks Budget requirement: 25-30k EUR

II. Develop a new vision

Entire markets radically changed within the last months. And so did the needs of consumers. And we are all aware that some of the change is here to stay. Maybe it is time to re-think your business vision and get ready for the markets of the future. In close collaboration with you and your team we develop a new business vison for the future positioning of your company. We do this based on a profound analysis of your target group, the market you are active in as well as the company heritage you bring along. The new vision gives your entire corporation guidance, purpose and energy for the upcoming years and challenges. At the end of this project you will have a new business vision, a positioning statement, the future value proposition as well as a common set of values explaining the stance that sets your company apart. Timeframe: 4-6 weeks Budget requirement: 25-35k EUR Other: see our related article on the topic hier

III. Decode customer behaviour

Well, you collected a lot of data. Maybe you have dashboards for purchase-, churn-, complaints- and customer satisfaction- data. Maybe you constantly monitor your competition as well as the latest trends of your market. You apply the knowledge, but somehow the customer still does not act in the way you want him to. If this sounds familiar to you, it is time to go deeper and really understand the decision context of your customer. Applying ethnographic methods, we explore motives and behaviors of your target group within their real-life situations. As a result, you will be able to answer the question why a customer buys your product or even more importantly why not. You will get a much clearer view on your own strength and weaknesses as well as on those ones of your competitors. Combining this know-how with your existing quantitative data will be the most powerful tool to shape your future marketing and innovation strategy. Timeframe: 5-6 weeks Budget requirement: 45-60k EUR Other: see our related article on the topic hier

IV. Develop a new proposition/ product

No matter if you want to explore new business potentials, develop an existing idea further, or just to positively shock your colleagues with some fresh ideas. This is the right approach for you: Within a timeframe of four weeks, we can develop a validated concept for a new proposition. You will get a fully fletched concept, including the definition of the MVP (minimum viable product), high level business plan and an implementation roadmap. Of course, the idea is 100% aligned with customer needs and all elements are quantitatively tested and validated with the target group. In addition to that, you will get a convincing pitch presentation to promote your project within your organization or shareholders, a prototype of the solution and some emotional film material to convey the idea even better. Timeframe: 4 weeks Budget requirement: approx. 30-50k EUR Other: usually, we are able to develop the MVP to market readiness within a timeframe of 8 additional weeks

V. Understand the pulse of your organisation

The way we worked has changed a lot in the past 12 months. The situation forced us to reorganise the way we are working – and even the way we live in an unprecedented way. Lacking social interactions, distorted work-life balance and fear of what the future will bring are just a few very common topics. We strongly believe that only an empowered and positive minded organisation will lead to exceptional customer experiences. So, we suggest it would be a good time to really understand what drives your employees. What are their wishes and sorrows and – even more important – what are good measures to keep them committed in the future. Within a timeframe of 3-4 weeks, we can run a holistic pulse-check of your corporation. You will see the most pressuring topics for employees across your organisation and understand which areas within the organisation require special dedication. Furthermore, we will discuss the findings with you and transform the results into a tailor-made action plan for 2021 – including milestones and targets. If required, we also help to agree the targets with the leadership team of the organization. By the way: conducting the project demonstrates loads of empathy and will be positively perceived by your employees. So the project itself will already have considerable impact on the way the company and the leadership team are perceived by the employees. This is a no regret one. Timeframe: 3-4 weeks Budget requirement: approx. 20-25k EUR

VI. Immerse into the life of your customers

Your company sits on a valuable treasure of insights. The only problem is - nobody uses them. So how can we get senior management, product managers or service staff to understand the motivations and pain-points of your customers and apply the knowledge in their daily work routines? Customer immersions are a proven format to get employees into contact with real life customers. In a moderated group discussion (online or offline), participants get the chance to immerse into the life of their customers and ask their most pressuring questions. This is a powerful tool to inspire your colleagues and drive change within your organisation. Furthermore, it gives food for thought for the Christmas break. Timeframe: 3-4 weeks Budget requirement: approx.15k EUR

Contact us!

We are convinced that each of the measures above push your business further. By the way, all the approached described are proven concepts from recent customer projects. If you want to learn more or discuss the opportunities just give us a call or drop a note.