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Note: Portions of this Case Study
are available in audio format.
 Click
for Cylvia Hayes' Audio Interview (MP3)
  The
Client: Cylvia Hayes is the Founder and Executive
Director of 3E Strategies, a public service and consulting
firm with a mission of accelerating the transition to sustainable
building, energy and economic practices. The organization
has been in business for eight years. Two years ago, they
began offering consulting services, as Cylvia says, "due
to popular demand."
The Situation:
Cylvia was frustrated with the constant struggle to maintain
significant funding reserves. This led to constant limitations
to fulfill their mission. Cylvia recognized that the consulting
arm of 3E Strategies had the potential to fund the not-for-profit
side. She needed to begin thinking differently about how she
approached consulting for that potential to become reality.
"I would
recommend an EnergizeMarketing Action Group for anyone
not completely clear on the services they provide or
to the structure they will use to insure they are adequately
compensated"
– Cylvia Hayes |
The Process:
Cylvia had met Lisa Nirell on several occasions around Central
Oregon. She decided to join one of her EnergizeMarketing
Action Groups in an effort to further develop the consulting
side of her organization. "We've always been a pretty entrepreneurial
non-profit," says Cylvia, but adds that she was not as
savvy as she could have been when it came to things like pricing
services and her marketing message.
"Lisa helped me realize that I was still working within
an industrial age paradigm – exchanging hours for dollars.
Our main value is our knowledge base," says Cylvia. While
working with Lisa and her EnergizeMarketing Action
Group, Cylvia began to see more clearly how to leverage the
knowledge that she and 3E Strategies held – not just into
more consulting work, but into the kind of consulting work that
her company was ideally suited to do.
Cylvia admits to being skeptical when she first joined her EnergizeMarketing
Action Group, and was even skeptical after her first session.
But, she says, "By the second session I knew I was onto
something good." Cylvia committed herself fully to the
process, read the supporting materials, and met with her group
members between the sessions facilitated by Lisa. Cylvia appreciated
the quality and high level of commitment of the other people
in her group and the excellent feedback they offered. "There
is diversity in the work we do, which is valuable. If we were
all non-profit, mission-driven folks it probably wouldn't be
as productive."
"In
eight years we'd never had three months of funding
in place. Faith had been my business plan. Now we're
positioned to scale. It's exciting for me to think
about the impact we'll have with a stronger financial
base."
– Cylvia Hayes |
The Results: Cylvia
initially struggled with concisely describing the benefits of
her company's consulting services. Her struggle paid off.
"I'm much clearer now about the kind of consulting
work we will and won't do, and how to talk about that,"
says Cylvia. She also came to view the not-for-profit side of
her company in a more business-like way.
Cylvia says she's approaching her business with greater focus
as a result of working with Lisa and the EnergizeMarketing
Action Group. "This will get us the projects we want and
help us avoid getting into projects that we can't deliver on,
or are more trouble than they're worth."
"We have a goal that by the end of 2008, all of our organization's
expenses will be paid for by our consulting services. Grants
and contributions will go directly to programs," says Cylvia.
What itŐs
like to be in an EnergizeMarketing Action Group:
"It focused me to work on my business more than
in my business. That's easy to think about but difficult
to do when you're as busy as we are. It's a group of committed,
sharp people who help you flesh out materials and work through
things and give you feedback. It's well worth the time and
money invested."
 Click
for print version (PDF)
Click
for Cylvia Hayes' Audio Interview (MP3)
|
