Maximize your company’s potential
Often the response to the question, “How are you going to grow your business?” is “We are going to work harder.” That’s not a strategy. Spending more time and effort on the wrong things is not going to get you results. Do you have a clear strategy for revenue generation? Are you communicating your brand? Does your sales team work strategically, or are they just winging it?
Sometimes it’s easy to blame the outside conditions such as the economy or “evil” competitors for your company being stuck in neutral, and maybe even losing ground. The reality is that the reasons companies find themselves in that position are primarily due to internal conditions. Lack of a plan, lack of communication, lack of training. Do you know the expression, “you can’t see the forest for the trees?” It can be challenging to take a step back and assess yourself in order to understand what you need to change, to do or stop doing.
It often takes an outside perspective to help you see the inner workings at your company, to help you plan and develop a strategy to move you out of neutral and back into drive so you can move forward.
That’s where I can help. I have 30+ years experience as the leader of a small business, where I increased sales significantly by developing products and the strategies for selling and driving revenue while generating a profit by operating efficiently. And during that time I met with hundreds of business owners to help them with their sales efforts. Now I can share my expertise with business owners and managers who need a bit of a push along with some new ideas to help them maximize their company’s potential.
Donna is smart and practical - a great combination for any small business with limited resources. I would recommend her service to any business who would benefit from objective, perceptive analysis and appropriate, targeted solutions.
—Client Testimonial
I like how efficient and direct she is – when working with a consultant, time is money. In these two short months, she has already helped us implement some great changes to our sales efforts and sales materials. I appreciate her willingness to be hands on, including writing and editing where needed.
—Client Testimonial
About
I'm Donna Brassard. My career has been as a hands-on, goal-oriented and sales driven leader. In addition to leading and managing a small business, our objective was to help other businesses meet their sales goals.
My resume outlines where I have worked, my education and what kinds of success I have had. What it doesn’t tell you is what I have learned from these years of experience.
Here are some key takeaways about running a successful business: Don't fall in love with your product. Don't assume "everyone" knows who you are. Perception is reality. Treat everyone with respect. Solutions need to be creative and practical. Victories should be celebrated. Learning is a life-long experience.
It's been my job and my passion to help businesses develop and implement strategies to sell more, be profitable and work efficiently. I look forward to helping you.
Here’s a bit of personal information about me. Married to a wonderful man who is an English teacher. Mother to three great kids (who are now adults). Grandma to my beautiful granddaughters. We have lived in Cape Elizabeth for over 20 years and have no plans to ever leave Maine. I love the beach, I read at least one book a week, and I am really into cooking and baking. I love to feed people. In fact, I’m working on two cookbooks.
How it Works
I’m a firm believer in setting clear expectations. Most problems that arise between people and organizations are because someone’s expectations were not met, whether or not their expectations were realistic to begin with.
Here’s what you can expect from me. I will be on time for our sessions. I will keep your confidence. I will listen and keep an open mind. I will offer counsel and advice based on my years of experience, my common sense, and my personal code of ethics. I will be absolutely direct and candid with you. I can’t do your work for you, but I can offer suggestions on how you can get it done.
To begin: You can reach out to me via email or phone and tell me what you are looking for. Then, if I think I can help, we’ll set up an hour long assessment session (no charge) so you can tell me more about what you need and what you are looking to have happen as a result of our working together.
In the assessment session we will determine if and how I can help you, how much time we both want to commit (at least for the first 30 days), my rates and fees.
My expectations of you are that you will be on time for our sessions. You will participate with an open mind. You will commit to working the process together (which doesn’t necessarily mean you will agree with every suggestion I make). You will be direct and candid with me. You will follow through on any agreements we make together.
Seems simple enough? Let’s begin.
Resources
I have read my share of “business” books, and am always reading articles about how to manage a successful business. Below are some items I find valuable.
Seven Habits of Highly Successful People by Steven Covey
I first read this in the 1980’s and have re-read it several times. This book changed my life. It seems like common sense, yet these seven habits are difficult to master.
The Accidental Salesperson by Chris Lytle
His philosophy and approach to sales really resonates with me, and I have based a lot of my sales training and systems on his book.
Good to Great by Jim Collins
You really need to ask yourself, “am I willing to do what it takes to be great?”