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I highly recommend The Daniel Group, especially to those companies that are in good financial shape. We are now in the seventh month after the initial project and EIC's profits are coming back in line and the business is becoming more streamlined. We have extended our contract with The Daniel Group so that we stay the course.
Ed Redman
Chairman
Environmental Inks and Coatings Corporation
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Click here to see the measurable results we have delivered for other clients.
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Often, potential clients have questions about working with a consultant and about our firm. On this page, we provide some answers to these questions. Simply click on the question. If your question is not answered, call us at (704) 367-4242, toll-free (877) 976-4242 or send us an email at information@thedanielgroup.com for additional help.
Have a Question not listed here?
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You can also call us at (704) 367-4242
or toll-free at (877) 976-4242. |
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With what types of companies does The Daniel Group work?
We typically work with companies whose sales range from $15 million to more than $200 million. We have experience working with companies in the manufacturing, distribution, and service sectors.
While the clients we serve cover a variety of different industry segments and competitive environments, many of the issues and challenges they face are similar. Our services have proven particularly reliable for clients facing one or more of the following milestones:
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A younger, rapidly growing company that needs to more clearly define its strategic direction. |
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An older company that needs to reinvigorate itself, grow, and improve profitability. |
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A company whose owners plan to sell it in 2 to 5 years and a plan for improving performance is needed in order to enhance value. |
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A company facing a management transition or one that has recently gone through a management transition. Such changes present great opportunities to revisit strategies and tactics. |
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How do I know if The Daniel Group can help?
The Daniel Group can be of help if you are facing one or more of the following issues:
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Revenue and/or profit goals are not being achieved. |
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The company is not meeting financial performance benchmarks for the industry. |
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You sense that people do not clearly understand the strategic direction of the company. |
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You have a plan in place but implementation is not happening. |
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You are spending more and more of your time dealing with “fire-fighting” or urgent issues as opposed to more strategic issues. |
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An outside, unbiased viewpoint is needed to help understand the issues facing the company. |
If your company is facing one or more of the following milestones, The Daniel Group can be of help:
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Growing company needing to clearly define its strategic direction. |
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More established company wishing to reinvigorate growth and profitability. |
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Company wishing to enhance business value for a sale in the next two to five years. |
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Company with new management or one facing an upcoming management transition. |
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What is involved in developing a strategic plan?
Our Envisioned Strategy Development Process typically has three phases.
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In phase one, Daniel Group consultants gather and analyze information about the business. This information comes from customer research (generally telephone interviews with key customers and prospects), market research (generally conducted online), employee surveys, and internal financial information (analyzing financial performance trends, etc.). This information is presented to the client planning team. |
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In phase two, the work shifts and the client management team becomes much more involved. In a series of two to three meetings (generally one-half day) the client planning team interprets the results from the research conducted by The Daniel Group. This research provides a “mirror” to the planning team through which they can better identify the key business issues. Working with our consultants, the planning team establishes the key elements of the strategic direction of the business (vision/mission, values, objectives, and strategies). |
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In phase three, we work with the planning team to identify the specific actions and responsibilities that need to occur to make the plan reality. A written plan with clear accountabilities results at the end of this phase. |
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What are the deliverables that result from a project with The Daniel Group?
Our most important deliverable is for our clients to ultimately have a more profitable business. This means providing services and insights that help increase sales, improve profitability, lower costs, and strengthen the competitive position of the company. In addition to a financially healthier business, there are two other tangible deliverables. The first is a report detailing The Daniel Group’s findings and recommendations from the customer and employee research and our financial review. The second tangible deliverable is a strategic plan document that clearly establishes the company’s direction and the initial steps needed to implement the strategies.
Our clients typically tell us that the true value is not found in the tangible reports or the plans that result from the process. Rather, it is a deeper understanding of the competitive position of the business and the potential for future growth and profitability improvement. The best illustration of our deliverables is found in the comments in a letter from Carolina Cat (click here for PDF copy).
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How can I justify spending money on a consultant?
Prospective clients often ask this question. In most all cases, the investment made with The Daniel Group has resulted in a significant financial return, far beyond the cost of the investment in consulting fees. One such client is Environmental Inks & Coatings Corp. To read more about the financial impact of our work with Environmental Inks & Coatings click here. In the first year after our initial project, the company's net income almost tripled compared with the previous year. To justify the investment, talk with our existing clients. Ask them specifically how The Daniel Group made a measurable difference. In the initial interview/proposal development process, consider specific measurable outcomes you wish to achieve. While these may or may not be achievable because of The Daniel Group’s involvement, having such outcomes in mind, greatly helps us to understand what a prospective client wishes to achieve.
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We are already doing strategic planning. How can The Daniel Group help?
We may not be able to help you. However, if you sense that few new ideas are coming from your planning efforts, you are falling short on implementation, there is a disconnect between strategies and implementation, or you want to bring in some different perspectives that can help a management team rethink its strategies, using The Daniel Group can be a profitable investment.
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What is involved in getting a proposal?
The Daniel Group meets with the key managers of a prospective client. With your management team, we conduct a needs workshop to better understand what you need to accomplish and how we might be able to help. This workshop allows us to better understand the critical issues and clearly define the project objectives. It also allows the prospective client team to determine if there is a good fit between the organization and our professionals.
There is no charge for this visit if it is a local or regional organization. If significant travel expenses are involved for prospective client out of the area, we bill for these.
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