Strategic Consulting Services

Section Content

Part-Time Communications Manager

Full Cycle Business Development

Bridging the IT-Business Unit Divide

Services For Telecom Providers

VoIP Business Opportunity Development

"When I first contacted Steve Bergman, I was developing a business plan for a firm that would provide Internet services to go along with a Web edition of my specialty newspaper, Manufactured Housing Today.

Steve demonstrated a thorough background in telecommunications. He also has an up-to-date awareness of software and hardware products useful for Internet applications. Most important, he was able to ask the right questions. This process [helped] me to identify areas that needed further study and helped me clarify the market approach [for] the service.

At the same time, Steve had to become knowledgeable about my specialty, the manufactured housing industry. He was able to quickly grasp the nature of this unique industry.

Our collaboration did result in a finished business plan with key investors identified to provide funding. Just when the funding effort was moving forward, I was approached by another company which also provides Internet services to the industry.

Based on the work I had done with Steve, I was able to probe their marketing strategy and identify potential problem areas. As a result, I entered into a joint marketing arrangement with the company that should be beneficial to both parties.


Scott Dalton, President,
Manufactured Housing Today

Strategic Consulting Services directly serve the longer-term needs of upper management, rather than satisfy day-to-day operating requirements (as do our Communications Consulting Services).  They may be limited to telecom, include telecom, or have nothing to do with telecom. They are strategic engagements that frequently have a marketing component, perhaps in product planning or documentation, or in using Conflection Point Planning to help an organization determine a strategic future that will give it a sustainable competitive position. 

We have worked on a project, for instance, where the correct solution simply did not exist. We specified the solution in detail and then worked with a manufacturer who incorporated our specification without change into a future release as a condition of making a sale to a client.  That's the sort of win-win that only comes from using a consultant with a product management background.  What kinds of companies have we helped? Telecom companies, of course, but also a kayak distributor, A Brazilian DVD kiosk operator, a naturopathic physician, and more.

Strategic Consulting Services include our Telecom Retainer, whereby we serve as the part-time communications manager for a client, frequently working alongside the IT department, complementing it in areas where our expertise is not duplicated in-house.   As an example of our strategic competence, our expertise in telecommunications coupled with our background in marketing enables us to guide management not only in both virtual and mobile situations, but also in integrating CRM, vendor management software, and other relevant applications into those solutions. Other strategic telecom services we provide directly to management for their internal needs successfully bridge the It-Business Unit Divide.

Similarly we provide services for startups though established companies who are either already in telecom, adding telecom to existing competencies, or who are considering entering the telecom field.  These services are of particular appeal to small IT shops, VARs seeking to add telecom to their line cards, and to entrepreneurs wishing to enter the VoIP arena. The relevant sections are listed to the right.

The combination of Conflection Point Planning (methodology) and Full Cycle Business Development largely reflects our marketing orientation and expertise, both generally throughout the entire marketing cycle, and specifically in product development and product management.  Unlike the Teleconvergence Approach, where we begin with a client's current needs and establish a platform that both satisfies those needs and builds to the future, Conflection Point Planning visualizes a sustainable competitive position for the client at some point in the future, then works backward to create it over time. 

As usual on this site, you can either read more in the descriptions to the right (which contain links to the appropriate pages), or or by following the sitemap to the left, as you prefer.