A useful growth strategy answers three questions: what is a customer worth, what does it cost to win one, and which channel brings in the most for every dollar invested. As long as those answers stay vague, every marketing expense is a bet. Our engagement makes them precise, then turns them into a 90-day plan.
This service is offered as a project or by the hour, depending on scope. Price ranges are on the Pricing page.
Who this service is designed for
This service is for owners of Montréal small and mid-sized businesses that already have customers and revenue, but whose growth is running out of steam. Typically the company has anywhere from a few employees to a few dozen, the owner still carries marketing and sales, and decisions are made on instinct.
It also suits businesses from outside Québec that want to sell in Montréal and are wondering how to adapt their offer and message to a French-speaking market. In that case the plan includes a section on marketing in French, covered in detail by our French-first marketing service.
It isn't a fit for a business without a defined offer, or for someone looking for a financial plan for a lender.
What's included
The engagement always follows the same logic, adapted to your sector:
- Kick-off interview. We talk about your history, your best customers, your worst jobs and your one-year goals.
- Numbers review. Average sale value, margin, repeat-purchase frequency, and acquisition cost by channel where it is known.
- Offer review. What you sell, to whom, at what price, and how you stand apart from three real competitors.
- Channel review. Word of mouth, Google, social media, partnerships, direct sales: what works and what costs without paying back.
- 90-day plan. A prioritised list of actions, each with an owner, an estimated cost and a success indicator.
All deliverables are written in French. An English version can be prepared if part of your team works in English.
Typical timeline
| Period | What happens |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Kick-off interview and data request |
| Weeks 2 and 3 | Analysis of numbers, offer and competitors |
| Week 4 | Writing the plan and reviewing it with you |
| Days 1 to 90 | Execution, with a check-in at 30 and 60 days if you wish |
The timeline stretches if the data is scattered. That isn't a problem: pulling your numbers together is part of the work.
How we measure results
Every action in the plan is tied to an indicator you can track yourself. For example: enquiries received per week, quote-to-contract conversion rate, average sale value or the share of customers who come back.
A simple example. If you currently turn 25% of your quotes into contracts and the plan aims for 33%, a business sending 40 quotes a month goes from 10 to about 13 contracts. With an average sale of $2,000, that is about $6,000 in extra sales a month, without a single extra customer at the top of the funnel. Our guide to the 90-day growth plan walks through this kind of calculation.
We don't promise specific results. We promise clear indicators, so you know quickly whether an action is working.
Mistakes to avoid
- Starting with tactics. Opening an ad account before knowing what a customer is worth is like shopping without a reference price.
- Trying to do everything at once. A 90-day plan rarely holds more than five priorities. Beyond that, nothing really moves.
- Ignoring language. In Montréal, a message conceived in English and then translated costs credibility. The plan has to provide for French from the start.
- Confusing strategy with a document. A plan sitting in a folder is worth nothing. Every action needs an owner and a date.
- Measuring too late. Waiting until year-end to judge an action wastes nine months. The 30- and 60-day check-ins exist to correct course.
What comes next
Once you have the plan, the logical next step depends on your priorities: becoming visible with local search, rebuilding a French-first website or handing over execution on a monthly retainer. To talk it over, go to the Contact page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a strategy engagement take?
Generally three to six weeks between gathering the data and delivering the plan, depending on how readily your numbers are available. The plan then covers the following 90 days.
What data do I need to provide?
Your sales for the last 12 months by service, your approximate margins, your marketing spend and where your customers come from if you know. Honest estimates are better than nothing.
Do you write a business plan for the bank?
We produce a growth and marketing plan, not a financial plan for a lender. For financial statements, tax or a financing application, work with your accountant.
What happens after the plan is delivered?
You can carry it out alone, with your team, or hand part of the execution to us on a monthly retainer. No follow-on work is required.