Case Study: MosierMcCann - Spending Smarter

06.02.10

Welcome to Another Exciting Installment in my Case Study Series - where you get an insider's view as clients share in their own words what they've learned in our work together, and accomplished as a result.

Joli Mosier and Jordan McCann are co-owners of MosierMcCann, a project management firm that "provides resourceful, accomplished professionals for contract engagements." One lesson they discuss is that, for them, contracting out specialists instead of hiring a host of full-time employees effected a quantum savings in time, money and effort, streamlining their workflow and their budget.

Q: How did you meet Lenora?
Jordan: I met her at a charitable event, through a mutual business associate. I then introduced her to Joli.

Q: What did you work on together?
Jordan: I learned that Lenora focused on business development, which was very important to us. During the previous year, we had been building the infrastructure of our company with more traditional solutions, by adding staff. We were paying out a lot of money, but we weren't seeing the results we wanted. Lenora was a great resource to bring in - the objective person who could help us gain a different perspective and see more clearly what was not working for our type of business.

Q: What was it about your work with Lenora that you found particularly effective?
Joli: Lenora brought in needed objectivity, as well as expertise. She was a fresh set of eyes, coming in from the outside.
Jordan: Almost immediately, she identified the key pieces of the puzzle - the personalities and processes - and how they would fit together best. She showed us how to get the work done by playing to our strengths and experience. Joli and I have always collaborated, but Lenora taught us how to divide the responsibilities, so that each of us was working toward our particular strengths. She taught us to divide and conquer while keeping a collaborative environment.

Q: What impact has working with Lenora had on you personally?
Joli: I enjoyed validation that Jordan and I could divide the business. We still keep one another involved, but there's a relief in letting go that is personally valuable to me.
Jordan: It taught me how important it is to have an outside, objective perspective. It's possible to get too close to your business. That doesn't detract from what we bring to it, but an outside influence is critical. It also taught me that it was okay to hire specialists, rather than adding more employees, to handle certain functions of our business.

Q: And professionally?
Joli: She helped to clarify where we need to be involved, how to prioritize and encouraged us to take immediate action. We learned lessons about delegation that we continue to apply today. We often refer to elements of her guidance.
Jordan: We have a smarter work flow and structure for the business, utilizing specialists instead of bringing on more people. When I think back, it had a huge impact. We even went back to just Joli and me. It was a huge savings - a huge opportunity to hit the reset button and use the great concepts we'd learned from Lenora.

Q: How would you describe Lenora's professional skill set?
Joli: She has a great balance of warmth and professionalism.
Jordan: She's extremely professional and appropriate. She sees from day-one what we see only later, but she's patient enough to let her clients come around in their own way and at their own pace.

Q: What did you find qualified Lenora for this kind of work?
Joli: She has a unique quality to not just find a solution from a traditional aspect. She adapted to our environment and how we see things. She customizes her thinking based on the client's needs.
Jordan: Her experience, coupled with her natural intuitive sense in business. She knows how to connect with people, and combines that with experience and a good depth and breadth of knowledge.

Q: Is there anything Lenora provides that you feel you can't get elsewhere?
Jordan: Again, it's her personality and experience.

Q: What are some individual words you'd use to describe Lenora?

Joli:

• Connected.


• Networked.


• Insightful.


• Innovative.

Jordan:

• Warm.


• Professional.


• Expert.


• Resourceful.


• Creative.


• Confident.

Q: How would you describe "the bottom line" (i.e., net result) of your work with Lenora?
Joli: She brought us back to what was really important to us in our business. She provided clarity and brought us back to our basics, our fundamentals of the brand of our business.
Jordan: She saved us tons of money immediately. Everything went in a direction that created huge savings. We did it with confidence, and felt like we were doing the right thing. And things happened very quickly. She's very efficient, but understood that we were balancing many complex issues. Lenora displayed the utmost respect for that and gave advice from a positive perspective.

Q: Is there anything you'd like to add?
Joli: She really helped us move from order-taking sales to a consultative sales model. She helped articulate some fundamental successes that we took for granted. By observing how we would handle a sale, she was able to help us name a key brand and benefit. She was able to specify the division of responsibility based on our skill sets, and that took us to another level.
Jordan: That's it.