3. Vicki R. McCullough
Sequitur Marketing, LLC
www.sequiturmarketing.com
Elizabeth Rabaey
Cook-Joyce, Inc.
www.cookjoyce.com
4. Vicki McCullough works through checklists, plans, and processes. She believes in the value of a strong
marketing function as a foundation for business success. It was a natural move for to combine her
planning/process/project orientation with her experience in marketing, sales, and communications.
Sequitur Marketing focuses on helping businesses define and achieve success through marketing
planning and management.
Elizabeth Rabaey, is the marketing coordinator for Cook-Joyce, Inc. She has spent over 20 years working
for environmental engineering and consulting companies providing project management and technical
assistance on many innovative engineering projects. Elizabeth shifted from the technical side of the
business to the creative side by helping CJI highlight their unique characteristics in their marketing
activities.
Credit goes to Elizabeth for this session’s title. “We’re not selling cupcakes!” became her battle cry and
cheer as she supported and encouraged the CJI executives and staff through the marketing planning
process.
In this presentation, we will share what we learned in working together, and to give you insights and
inspiration to develop your own stronger marketing program. We appreciate your thoughtful
participation…please share your experience, observations, and comments.
5. Cooking Up A Marketing Plan:
A Tasty Case Study
Cupcakes are fun and delicious. Who wouldn’t love to product manage cupcakes? But most of us, including Cook-
Joyce, Inc., are not in the cupcake business. CJI is an environmental engineering and consulting firm. In considering
how to promote the firm’s growth, the firm did not think about recipes, the potential price of sugar, or where to
purchase eggs. They initiated a careful selection process and engaged Sequitur Marketing to lead and support them
in developing and documenting their marketing strategy and plan. They considered their product offerings and the
needs of their clients. They looked at staff skill sets and the regulatory environment. Based on their unique history,
resources, and goals, they built their plan.
7. THE COOK-JOYCE CHALLENGE
Strengths:
• Willingness to consider new ideas, to work hard
• Established client list, geographic focus
• Solid industry reputation
• Stable and consistent management and longevity of employees
Challenges:
• Clearly stated desire for GROWTH but had not defined what this would mean or how it would be recognized.
• Develop new work habits: defining specifics and maintaining focus.
• How to best use resources.
• Make marketing everyone’s job.
• How to incorporate effective use of social media into the marketing activities.
9. PROCESS
All process details were outlined in the SOW and were part of the services agreement between Sequitur and
CJI.
Key events:
• SOW and services agreement
• Kick off
• Marketing Inventory (review and assessment)
• Project Manager work sessions
• Executive Team work sessions
• Status reporting
• Wrap up
• Quarterly reviews to fine tune plan, accountability checks
11. PLAN DOCUMENTATION
Supporting, overview information:
• Firm history – with detailed timeline, industry trends, long-term clients, variety of projects
• Mission, vision, values
• Marketing history
• SWOT analysis
• The future
Essential plan components:
• Goals – Objectives – Measures – heart of the process.
• Goals – broad, less specific, longer term – target
• Objectives – more specific, immediate – what we do to hit the target
• Measures – the target - How will you measure progress? How will you identify success? Can include
measures, metrics, anecdotal
• Activities –list of what to do (tasks to complete) in order to meet Objectives and therefore Goals.
• Calendar – shows activities by month, good for planning of events, ultimately CJI did not use the marketing
calendar but does list marketing events on the firm calendar
13. LESSONS LEARNED
• It can be done! Focus on what you can do….baby steps are ok.
• Involve staff in a way that makes sense.
• Start at the very beginning, build common language and pace of work.
• Carefully manage the number of goals and objectives to take on.
• Do not focus on completing activities at the expense of completing Objectives and meeting Goals. That is,
completing Activities does not equal plan implementation/execution /success.
• Allow time for new ways of thinking and acting (habits) to develop.
• Don’t overlook what you have already accomplished. Bring current activities all to one central location; evaluate
and organize them. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
• Gathering information into central, organized library is valuable activity.
15. CURRENT STATUS AND NEXT STEPS
Meetings, work sessions, documentation complete
Last quarterly meeting (Dec. 2015) , we reviewed and evaluated the process and results to date.
CJI moving ahead:
• For now, CJI will continue on its own. The Marketing Coordinator and Executive Team are meeting weekly to
discuss ongoing activities.
• 2016 plan is currently being revised to reflect the lessons learned last year.
• Refined 2016 marketing calendar and activities by reducing the number activities and updating our calendar.
• CJI will consult Sequitur Marketing on an as needed basis.
Sequitur Marketing:
• Working with CJI great experience. They work hard, they want to grow.
• Available to them for moral support!
• Consultant available to help develop and implement a strong 2016 plan, serve as accountability partner. The
team communicates regularly and will work together as needed.
