Strategic Planning Client Questionnaire

¿eX-whY AdVentures? New Client Questionnaire

The answers to these questions will provide us the basis to make tangible offerings we will suggest to best achieve your stated goals.

Please let us know about your specific Marketing, Advertising, Promotions, Public Relations, Political Campaigns, Fundraising, Product Placement and Development, Electronic Multimedia, Event Planning, Film, TV, Radio, and Entertainment needs for products, services and talent. Your information will never be shared. All inquiries are held in confidence. A member of our ¿eX-whY AdVentures? team will be in touch to discuss your inquiry. Thanks!

1. Company Contact Information

What is the Subject of your inquiry

Your Name (required)

Company Name (required)

Your Position/Job Title (required)

Your Email (required)

Secondary Email

Business Address

City

State and Zip

Phone Number

Cell Phone Number

Fax Number

Web Site

Blog

FaceBook and/or Myspace

Twitter

Flickr

Preferred method of response:

2. Company Operating Information

What business or industry are you in?

How long have you been in business?

Date Business Started

How is the Company structured?

Date Incorporated

State of Incorporation

Stock Holders or Owners of Company:

Do you have a Board of Directors? If Yes, please list by position.

How is it managed?

How has the Company evolved over the past 5, 10, 20 years?

How many Employees in your Company?

Number of Minority Employees

Are you a Minority Owned Business Group(Possible MBE)?

NAICS/SIC Codes:

Fiscal Year Ends On?

What is the estimated Current Annual Revenue and Profits for the Company?

Please provide the Annual Gross Revenue with Profit or Loss for last 5 Years for the Company:

What are the Projected Gross Revenue with Profit or Loss for the next 5 years for the Company?

Is the Company profitable? If not, how do you plan on covering Operations and Cashflow?

What is the Value of your Company's largest single-contract in the past 3 years?

Other Information
Primary Banking Officer

Bank Contact Information

Primary Legal Counsel

Contact Information for Law Firm of Counsel

Primary Accountant

Contact Information for Firm of Accountant

Primary Business Advisor

Contact Information for Firm of Business Advisor

Publicist

Contact Information for Firm of Publicist

Social Media Manager

Contact Information for Firm of Social Media Manager

List Internet and Mobile Social Networks: Loopt, etc.

List Civic, Social and Professional Networks and Association Memberships: Rotary, Kiwanis, Elks, etc.

List City, State, National and International appointments to Public Civic and Social Services Bodies: i.e Board of Directors- Arts Foundation, Public Health Commission, County Sports Advisory Committee, etc.

List Philanthropy, Charitable Affiliations: Social, Public and Community Service, including contributions, support, donations, volunteer time

List Political Affiliations: Campaign contributions, support propositions, donations, volunteer time

List Religious Affiliations: Tithes, contributions, support, donations, volunteer time

3. Description of Company

Describe your Company in one sentence. (i.e."A Family Business with Family Values”)

What is the story behind the founding of your Company?

Describe where you want your Company to be in 6 months to One Year:

Describe where you want your Company to be in Five years, then Ten Years:

What is the Mission or Purpose of your Company?

What do you intend to accomplish with your Company?

What are the top priorities of your Company?

What Business are you in? Define your Business in terms of what you do for your Customer.

Define your Business in terms of the effect your Products or Services have on the life and work of your Customers and Employees.

Critical to every element of success in this Business venture is your ability to accurately identify the Customer whose satisfaction determines your success. Whom do you have to satisfy in order to survive and thrive in this venture, the Company, the Customer, your Owner/Boss, or the Employees?

In order to satisfy their essential needs, the Company, the Customer, your Owner/Boss, or the Employees, do you know what their needs are? Please list.

What does your Company value?

What does your Customer value?

What does your Owner/Boss value?

What does your Employee value?

What specific benefits does your Customer get from using your Products or Services?

What does your Customer want and need from your Company to be completely satisfied?

How does your Product change or improve the life and work of the Customer?

Knowing what you now know, is there anything you are doing today that you wouldn't do again if you had to do it over?

What are the activities that you should reduce, discontinue, or avoid altogether, based on the situation the way it really is today?

What will happen if things continue the way they are today at your Company? If you do not change, what will you be doing one year, two years, and five years from today?

Does your Company have the money, commitment, talent, abilities, ambition, energy, heart, desire and determination to successfully perform the work you should be doing to make this venture profitable and relatively problem free in the future?

What changes would you have to make today to create the possibility of making this venture profitable and relatively problem free in the future?

Who will your Customers be in the future if current trends continue?

Who should your Customers be if you want to rise to the top of the market?

Who could your Customers be if you were to improve your Product or Services with the tangible offerings we suggest?

How could you upgrade your Product, Service, knowledge, skills and your ability to satisfy that Customer with the tangible offerings we suggest?

Are there any Customers whom, knowing what you now know, you wouldn't solicit today?

An essential part of liberating yourself, your Company and the Employees from some of the decisions of the past, requires analyzing and identifying the qualities and characteristics of your very best and most desirable Customers. Have you identified and then sorted the Customers into High-Value and Low-Value Customer segments? By doing this, all the above parties can focus more of their time and attention on their Highest-Value Customers and on acquiring more Customers like them. Simultaneously, you spend less time on Lower-Value Customers, and in many cases, encourage Lower-Value Customers to take their business elsewhere.

What does your Company do especially well for your Customer?

What is your area of excellence, your area of superiority over the competition in the Products and Services you provide the Customer?

What is your professional competitive advantage over the other rival companies in your field?

What is the greatest area of excellence that your Company has that makes the greatest positive impact on the lives and work of your Customers?

Company Concerns
What keeps you awake at night about your business?

Describe the Management Issue(s) that you would like addressed:

How long has this concern(s) been an issue?:

What would you say are the three most important issues currently impacting the performance of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Overall Vision, Mission, Strategy of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Finances, Cash Flow, Banking of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Sales, Advertising, Marketing & Promotion of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Philanthropy, Charitable Giving/Donations of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Political Campaign and Social Programs Giving/Donations of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Administration of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Leadership of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Interdepartmental Cooperation of your Company?

On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate the Succession Planning or Exit Strategy of your Company?

Of these three, choose the most important attribute that your Company delivers to its Customers:


1. Financial Value – Your dependability brings your Customers a Quality Product at a low price.


2. Innovative Products – You are always bringing your Customers the very newest Products or ideas.


3. Customized Relationships – You can tailor your Services to meet the needs of your Customers.

List, in order of importance, the attributes of your Company that you would like to emphasize.

What does the Company do well?

What does the Company not do so well?

What do you think the Industry’s impression of your Company is?

Use three adjectives to describe how the Company should be perceived by the audience. (examples: conservative, progressive, friendly, formal, casual, serious, energetic, humorous, professional)

Is this different than current image perception?

What do you feel is the biggest challenge in getting this image across to Customers?

What is the most common misconception about your Company?

How is your Company currently perceived? Do you wish to carry the same kind of message through this Project or Campaign?

If the audience could come away with just one thought about the Company/Product/Service what would that be?

If the audience could come away with just two thoughts about the Company/Product/Service what would that be?

What are the Company’s major goals for the immediate future?

What are the Company’s major goals in 10, 15 years, 20 years and beyond?

Why do you want to reach those goals?

What problems must you overcome to get there?

What methods, tools and strategies are now being employed to get there?

4. Company Culture

How would you describe the work environment, the “Culture” of your Company?

What specific benefits does your Employees get from working at your Company?

What specific benefits does your Employees get from using your Products or Services?

What does your Employees want and need from your Company to be completely satisfied?

What specific benefit do your Employees feel is the greatest from working at your Company?

How does working for your Company change or improve the life and of your Employees?

How does your Product change or improve the life and work of your Employees?

What do your Employees feel is the worst thing about working at your Company?

What will you do to change your Employees feelings regarding the worst thing about working at your Company?

Knowing what you now know, is there anything you are doing today that you wouldn't do again relative to your Employees if you had to do it over?

Would your Company be interested in a “Quality of Employment Service Questionnaire” for the Employees examining their needs and the satisfaction of those needs with reasonable recommendations that are implementable?

Would your Company be interested in offering programs to it’s Employees to better meet their needs at a reasonable cost?

5. Industry Overview

State any technological trends – shifting trends, signs of obsolescence.

What trends are effecting the Industry and how is the company anticipating them?

What is the economic state of your Industry? Recession? Recovery? Prosperity?

List all Trade and Industry Publications that relate to your business.

6. Products/Services

What Products/Services do you offer?

What is the breakdown of your Product/Service mix?

What are the Forecasted Sales Volumes and goals for each product?

Where are the Products now in relation their lifecycle (inclining or declining)?

Which Products/Services are most important to your company and why?

How are these Products/Services unique to the Industry?

What are the features you are most excited about?

What would you like to change or improve about the Image of your current Products/Services? Why?

What new Products/Services will be offered in the immediate future? Distant future?

What perceived value do these new Products offer; how will your Customers react?

How are your Products distributed? (i.e. retail stores, catalogues, internet, trade shows, door-to-door, etc.)

What is the most compelling reason that someone would be motivated to sell your Products/Services over someone else’s?

Other Owner Entities
Does the Company have any business relationships with any other entities that are owned in part or whole, or subject to any other business arrangement(s) with the principals of your Company? If so, what is the estimated Current Annual Revenue and Profits for the business?

What is the estimated Current Annual Revenue and Profits for the other entities?

Please provide the Annual Gross Revenue with Profit or Loss for last 5 Years of other entities:

What are the Projected Gross Revenue with Profit or Loss for the next 5 years of other entities?

Are they Profitable? If not, how do you plan on covering Operations and Cashflow?

Is there a working, shared business relationship between the entities named above?

Are there Common Business Facet Amenities, including supplies, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, sales, finance with the other entities?

7. Competition

Name three Competitors, in order of most threatening first, and compare their strengths and weaknesses to your Company in the following areas:
• Target Market & Market Share
• Products / Services Offered
• Quality of Product vs. Pricing
• Corporate Identity & Consumer Awareness
Current Advertising & Promotion Efforts (Media Mix)

Competitor A vs. Your Company:

Competitor B vs. Your Company:

Competitor C vs. Your Company:

What is is your assessment of their apparent goals and strategies relative to their Product Characteristics?

What is is your assessment of their apparent Distribution goals and strategies relative to their Product Characteristics?

What is is your assessment of their apparent Communication goals and strategies with their Customers and other publics relative to their Product Characteristics?

Is there any current Marketing Research available?

8. Consumer & Marketing Analysis

Who is your ideal target consumer? Provide:
1. Demographics - characteristics of human populations and population segments;
2. Geographics - physical/geographic location of the population being studied;
3. Psychographics - attitudes, values, lifestyles, and opinions.

What are they looking for in a Products/Services?

What are their Problems, Needs and Wants?

Why do they want your Products/Services?

What do they want from your Products/Services?

Where do they come from? Where do they buy?

How are leads generated by Sales Associates?

How are inquiries handled?

How do they purchase your Products/Services in terms of frequency and purchase habits?

Describe the Consumer that you have been pursuing in past marketing efforts. (Age range, gender, household income, marital status, geographic location, etc.)

Describe the Consumer that you would like to do business with that you are not reaching today.

Is your ideal Customer knowledgeable about your Products/Services?

Does your ideal Customer have any known preferences or negatives to overcome?

Why do you feel these are profitable target Consumers?

List all Industry Publications that relate to your Target Market/Consumer.

9. Current Marketing

How are you currently attracting new Consumers?

How do you currently communicate with them?

Do you currently have Corporate Identity Standards in place? If yes, what are they and how closely are these standards followed company-wide?

How does your existing Graphic Identity support management’s vision?

Are there existing visual assets (photos, copy, illustration, etc.)?

Does the project require photography or illustration?

Are there particular Logos, graphic or colors?

What the the restraints of the project?

Is there any competitive literature available?

Are there similar existing pieces that you like or find interesting?

What key factors differentiate you from your competition?

Is that Identity distinct from the competition?

Is the Company’s Identity communicated consistently and cohesively?

What has motivated the Company to Redefine and/or Redesign its Corporate Identity?

What does it hope to achieve with a new Identity Program?

Do you have a formal internal process in place to evaluate creative solutions or do you rely on personal taste and experience? Focus Groups? Please explain how decisions are made.

What are the Advertising/Sales Promotion/Collateral systems are now in use?

What is the Geographic scope of the advertising/marketing/promotion effort for this project - local, regional, national, international? Please be as specific as possible in regard to cities, states, countries, etc. to be targeted.

What do you like most about your current marketing materials, corporate identity, or advertising campaign?

What do you wish you could change?

What role does your website or blog play in your promotional efforts?

Rank the importance of the following in your marketing efforts:(10 being the most important and 1 being the least)
*
Print
*Collateral
*
Direct Mail
*Campaigns
*
Advertising
*Exposure
*
Website
*
Corporate Identity

*Branding Strategy

*Other (Please Specify)

10. The Working Relationship

How did you hear about ¿eX-whY AdVentures? Global?

What is your advertising/marketing budget for this project? If a budget has not as yet been developed, what have you spent in the past for advertising/marketing on similar projects?

What advertising or marketing services do you think you need? (e.g., commercial ad, product endorsements, marketing, promotions, corporate sponsorship, product placement, ad campaign, event planning, label design, search marketing, product testing, brochure, newsletter, online publicity, etc.)

Are you interested in a Professional Athlete, Entertainer, or Celebrity for your advertising, marketing, or promotional services in a commercial ad, product endorsement, corporate sponsorship, personal appearance, product placement, political campaign, event planning, label design, charitable marketing, product testing, brochure, newsletter, online publicity, etc.)

What is the timeline/schedule, the desired beginning and end dates of your project? Please list any specific deadlines or milestones that must be met.

How will the project be distributed? Video, Audio, Mail, Handout, Internet, Other

Who is responsible for approvals? What are the names and organizational titles of the people in your company who will be involved in making decisions about advertising/marketing services we might provide in connection with your project?

What would constitute a successful project? What are the expectations and how will we measure achievement?

What are the most important qualities you consider when selecting a creative services house?

Which of the following best describes your work style? (Select the statement that best applies)
A) 

I’m very hands-off in marketing material development.

B) 
I rely on my creative firm to provide leadership and expertise 
to implement my marketing strategy.

C) 
I prefer a partnership approach – blending the leadership and expertise of my creative firm with my own – in developing an appropriate creative strategy.

D) 
I’m very hands-on with all aspects of creative development.


E) I rely on my creative firm for input and expertise, but I will provide very detailed direction and strong opinions and preferences

Have you worked with an advertising, marketing or Web design agency in the past? If so, which? Please describe your experience(s).

11. Our Tangible Offerings

The answers to these questions will provide us the basis to make tangible offerings we will suggest to best achieve your stated goals.

Who are your most influential advisors and how frequently do you contact them for advice?

What is your annual advisor budget?

Considering the tangible offerings we suggest to make this venture profitable and relatively problem free in the future, we will projected forward several years and identify core competencies you will need at that time to best serve your Company and Employees, and to dominate your industry in this market segment. Are you prepared to implement this strategic plan now to ensure that you have those core competencies in place when the future arrives?

Given the tangible offerings we suggest to make this venture profitable and relatively problem free in the future, what do you define are the core competencies, key skills, you will need to affect these changes for success three to five years from now?

How do they differ from your core competencies, key skills, today?

What can you do today to begin developing those additional skills and abilities demanded for success tomorrow?

Whatever competencies and key skills you will need to be successful to make this venture profitable and relatively problem free in the future, can you attain these goals with our tangible offerings we suggest as a plan, and begin working on developing them today?

What are the tasks your Company does today for your Customer that yield the highest returns and rewards relative to the cost and effort of providing those products and service activities?

What are the critical constraints on your Company’s ability to achieve the goals of your Company? Identify the constraint, the major bottleneck or chokepoint that determines the speed at which you complete the process and achieve your goal, where you are today and the result you want to achieve tomorrow.

Answer “Why aren't you at your goal already?”

What percentage of the reasons why your Company is not achieving its goals are inside the your Company?

Your Company and it’s Employees harbor most major constraints as they usually lie within ones own habits, beliefs, attitudes, opinions, skills, and abilities. Answer “What is it in each of these parties that is holding back the SUCCESS?”

What specific action or actions are you going to take immediately based on your answers to these questions and the tangible offerings we have suggested to make this venture profitable and relatively problem free in the future?

What do you expect from our services?

Do you have any expectations or requirements in regard to this project about which we should know, and which have not been touched on in your answers to previous questions? If so, please explain.

What Evidence do you need to see after 9-12 months to determine whether you have made the right decision by hiring us? Please describe what result you would like to achieve from our services.

If price was not an issue, what role would you want us to play in your business?

If best to achieve these goals and provide maximum benefit to all, would your Company be interested in arrangements for an In-House, On-Site advisor as part of their duties to address these concerns?

Would your Company be interested in a “Quality of Product/Service Questionnaire” for the Company to it’s clients examining their needs and the satisfaction of those needs with reasonable recommendations that are implementable?

Thank you for completing the questionnaire. Be assured that the information we have requested is essential to our understanding of your needs, and that it will remain completely confidential. Please watch for an e-mail from us within the next 7-10 days, after we have reviewed your questionnaire.

I Accept ¿eX-whY AdVenture? Terms of Submission.