Client Projects
How We Drive Results
Next Generation strategic planning, Wild Card forecasting, Next Practices, and business risk assessment are game changers. They transform the way organizations perceive, prepare for, and interact with The Future.
They replace fear, worry, guesswork, and mis-steps with confidence, assurance, results, and success.
Real World Impact By the Numbers
- Midwestern regional financial institution achieved 15% first-year growth in customer base
- West Coast church grew their membership from 800 to 6,000 in five years
- County Government Special Taxing District was able to locate and develop a fourth cemetery location amidst land scarcity
Success Stories Across Sectors
Turning Life’s Milestones Into Market Share
The Client:
Midwestern financial institution
The Overview:
A Midwestern regional financial institution faced a familiar industry dilemma: growing market share where products are tightly regulated, nearly interchangeable, and priced within pennies of competitors. With limited room for product innovation and constrained margins restricting investment in staff and technology, the bank needed an unconventional strategy.
The Challenge:
The bank struggled to expand its customer base and deepen existing relationships. Cross-sell ratios were weak because frontline employees lacked both selling skills and motivation—and candidates with stronger capabilities were unavailable. Traditional differentiation was off the table; regulation ensured that most financial products looked the same everywhere.
The Insight:
Instead of trying to differentiate the products, we reframed the opportunity around differentiating the timing. People are most open to switching financial providers during major life events—moments when needs shift, priorities reset, and old habits loosen. We called these moments Turning Points.
The Strategy:
We built a Next Practice around Turning Point segmentation, a market approach competitors had overlooked.
- Identify key Turning Points — Graduation, first job, first marriage, first child, first home purchase, and starting a business emerged as the moments most likely to prompt reconsideration of banking relationships.
- Gather deep customer insight — Focus groups with individuals within six months on either side of each event revealed their decisions, anxieties, surprises, and new financial needs.
- Design tailored bundles — For each Turning Point, we created a suite of products and services with memorable, non-bank names. The first-baby package—The Bundle of Joy—became an instant standout.
- Engage local partners — Relevant businesses contributed discounts, samples, or services to each bundle. These offers were clearly separate from regulated bank products, maintaining compliance while adding real value.
- Market where the audience already is — We reached each segment through blogs, social groups, doctor-office flyers, partner businesses, earned media, and traditional advertising.
The Outcome:
The Turning Point strategy delivered measurable, rapid impact:
- 15% growth in customer base in year one
- 18% increase in deposit volume
- 22% increase in consumer loan volume
- Cross-sell ratio jump from 2.2 → 4.6
Why It Worked:
By aligning the bank with moments of personal transition, we bypassed the industry’s sameness problem entirely. Instead of competing on products, we competed on relevance—showing up precisely when customers were ready to make new decisions.
A Church That Became A Home
The Client:
The 800-member West Coast church
The Overview:
The 800-member West Coast church had always been a vibrant part of its community. But national trends were shifting in ways that could no longer be ignored. Research showed steady declines in weekly church attendance, shrinking identification with Christianity, and aging congregations across the country. One third of many churches were now made up primarily of seniors.
The Challenge:
For this church, the implications were stark: without new growth, membership erosion could eventually threaten its ability to meet mortgage payments and other financial obligations.
The Insight:
During a strategic planning engagement, the possibility of future insolvency surfaced as a plausible Wild Card—not inevitable, but real enough to demand attention. We guided the church board toward confronting the issue directly. Instead of hoping the trend would reverse, their strategic plan would place aggressive growth at the center of their Vision.
To make that Vision actionable, we recommended a formal, comprehensive church growth plan—one that would address the challenge head-on and chart a path toward long-term vitality.
The Strategy:
The strategy was built on purpose and presence, and the growth plan unfolded through a series of intentional, community-rooted steps.
- Define the future — We worked with leadership to describe what growth would look like five years out: expanded ministries, stronger programs, and clear targets for overall membership and key demographics such as children, young singles, and young families. We also articulated what made the church uniquely compelling—its personality, its strengths, and the qualities that would draw people in.
- Reach people before they arrive — Beyond traditional advertising and member invitations, we built a proactive outreach network. The church connected with Realtors to welcome new residents, joined the Chamber of Commerce, partnered with city agencies, engaged newcomers clubs and Welcome Wagon, and identified blogs, podcasts, and social groups that served people moving into the area.
- Bring the community inside — Most of the church’s meeting rooms sat empty during the week. We transformed them into a community gateway. Service clubs, hobby groups, Toastmasters, support groups, and potential ministry partners were invited to use the space. People became comfortable in the building long before attending a service—crossing the threshold in ways that felt natural and welcoming.
- Make every visitor feel wanted — When newcomers did attend, the church made the experience warm and personal. Coffee and a small gift in the foyer. A couple assigned to sit with them. An invitation to lunch. A handwritten thank-you note afterward, along with an invitation to return and reconnect with their “buddy couple.” And most importantly: consistent, caring follow-up.
The Outcome:
Five years later, the results were a story of renewal, expansion, and purpose:
6,000 members • 4 locations • more than a dozen ministries • 300-voice choir
thriving children’s department • support for three missionaries • fully paid-off mortgage
Why It Worked:
Because the church made growth personal. It met people where they already were, opened its doors to the community all week long, and treated every visitor as someone who mattered. By aligning its Vision with genuine hospitality and consistent follow-up, the church created a place where people felt welcomed and wanted—and that’s what fueled lasting growth.