Gelb Consulting Group Inc. Content Managers RSS Feed

Gelb Team

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:05:24 GMT

We realize that you aren’t faced with strategic marketing challenges every day, so we’ve built a team of experts in areas of research, strategy and technology. Our professionals support your team and provide a game plan. We customize our process to meet your needs and provide you with the extra help needed to execute the right plan, the right way. Our researchers, strategists and technologists guide our clients through developing market insights, planning winning strategies, and demonstrating results. Working with us, you will get a clearer picture of your market, develop consensus-based plans that are more effective, and efficiently demonstrate your input on revenues. Senior Management Our management team has decades of experience working with clients in a variety of industries. When you hire Gelb, our principals and directors remain engaged in the process. John Elmer Chief Executive Officer John McKeever President Christopher Levy Director of...

Industries Served

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:03:06 GMT

Marketing is a process, not just a department. Our expertise in strategic marketing can apply to almost all industries. At Gelb, we have chosen to focus on those industries that are complex by their nature such as from technically-oriented products to experiential marketing. To succeed, you need more than just a marketing research report, a great action planning workshop or implementation oversight – you need a potential combination of these to grow quickly and smarter than your competition. You need a strategic marketing firm. And Gelb is that firm. If you had an unlimited budget, it wouldn’t matter much where you put your marketing resources. But do you have constraints. And executives have exceptions of you and your marketing team’s performance. With over 45 years of experience in complex industries, Gelb is best positioned to help you to help you overcome strategic marketing challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. To help you, Gelb merges...

Careers

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:55:13 GMT

Gelb aims to become Houston’s premier strategic marketing firm. We are always looking for the best and brightest to support our research, strategy, and technology areas.

Our clients are major corporations located in Houston and around the world from industries including oil and gas, healthcare, and professional services. Gelb supports its diverse staff by ensuring each team member has the tool set he/she needs to do their job to the best of their ability.

Each employee at Gelb is encouraged to continue their professional education once on board and become members in local professional affiliations in efforts to add value to an already well organized team. Each of our full-time employees receives benefits including paid vacation, 401K, and health and dental insurance.

Director of Client Services
We are currently seeking experienced sales professionals to support our growing firm. Those with a passion and experience selling professional services should send cover letter and resume to John McKeever, President, at jmckeever@gelbconsulting.com. No phone calls, please.

About Gelb

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:53:05 GMT

Ultimately, we want marketing decision-makers to think of us as their trusted advisors. We’ve played that role dutifully for our current clients. We’re the people they call in the most trying situations because they know we can deliver. We listen, think and respond. Gelb differs from other firms in a few significant ways: First, we’ve been around for more than 45 years. That’s quite an accomplishment for a small business founded in Houston, Texas. We believe our longevity stems from our ability to consistently anticipate and meet our clients’ needs. We are client-driven, having expanded our scope of services over our history as the role of the marketing function as evolved. We value every client relationship which is demonstrated by the length of each. Second, we have successfully integrated marketing research, marketing strategy, and marketing effectiveness measurement. Most are able to execute one of those, but all not all three. Our teams are...

Create Winning Marketing Strategies

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:29:42 GMT

Strategic marketing planning is the process by which organizations identify and prioritize market opportunities to meet business objectives. Gelb's process maximizes the value of your existing information to describe market segments and identify potential knowledge gaps. By creating market segment profiles, we then lead your team through a series of exercises to prioritize them based on your business strengths and the attractiveness of each segment. We call this a Growth PlayBook. This information-based discipline provides executives with the guidance to allocate resources most effectively. We lead teams to develop specific action plans using elements of the marketing mix (product, delivery, promotion, and pricing) to seize market opportunities. Working with our partners, we can build a team of specialists to shape your sales, marketing, and product development programs. Through interim Chief Marketing Officer support, we provide on-site stewardship of your programs. ...

Trademark and Trade Dress Expert Witness

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:27:25 GMT

Specializing in IP and market analysis If you're an attorney faced with trademark infringement issues. . .. or a need to limit damages. . .or defending against a libel and slander allegation, Gelb has been there (among other places). The firm's two expert witnesses—Gabriel Gelb and Betsy D. Gelb, Ph.D.—have assisted attorneys in 26 states on both the plaintiff and defendant sides. Gabe Gelb's track record extends over a 20-year period, highlighted by acting as a witness in the precedent-setting trade dress case, Two Pesos v. Taco Cabana case that ultimately reached the U. S. Supreme Court. Betsy Gelb, Ph.D., a marketing professor at the C. T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston, has an extensive background in healthcare and advertising cases. She founded the University's Institute for Healthcare Marketing. Gelb's 16 professionals conducting research-based consulting, nationally and internationally, supports our expert witnesses with well-executed...

Well-Executed Marketing Research

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:25:57 GMT

Gelb provides a full suite of advanced marketing research services which serve as the core to our thoughtful, strategic recommendations. As our processes indicate, an effective marketing strategy cannot be developed without well-executed market research. Our professionals include expert moderators, skilled interviewers, statisticians, and excellent project managers to fulfill your marketing research needs. Some of our most frequently utilized techniques and tools: Qualitative Advertising/copy testing Customer Advisory Board Customer Experience Mapping Customer Needs Assessments Document Testing Empathic Design Interviews Lead User Voice of the Customer Website Testing Quantitative Awareness, Attitude and Usage Surveys Brand Equity Analysis Concept Testing Conjoint Analysis Customer Value Analysis Discrete Choice Modeling Legal Surveys Market Segmentation Maximum Difference Scaling Dashboards Brand Dashboard Customer Experience Dashboard Salesforce.com...

Effectively Launch New Products

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:22:16 GMT

Bringing products to market is the most expensive activity of the product development process. Successful launches of new products and services have clear financial benefits, but also support your organization overall in delivering value to customers. The process of commercialization is often complex as there are internal pressures to make something happen. The temptation is to rush to market, rather than develop the right strategy. Companies who fail to plan, plan to fail. By using our DRIVE process to new product development, you'll have a head start on the market's needs. Our approach to helping clients bring products and services to market builds on the same philosophy of understanding customer needs and market dynamics. We begin by helping our clients define their concept in customer-centric terms (e.g., focusing on benefits as well as features). These concepts are then evaluated by decision-makers and industry experts to help guide refinements for greater market acceptance,...

Deliver Exceptional Customer Experiences

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:13:51 GMT

The experiences your organization delivers represent some of the best opportunities to create customer loyalty. An exceptional experience typically includes a service component and resonates so strongly with your customers that it causes them to recommend you to friends and family members. There are many interactions your organization (and brand) has with prospects and customers. These interactions take place through a variety of channels, commonly known as touchpoints. Managing the customer experience is often difficult because of the variety of touchpoints or variability in this service experience. To help marketing and operations managers, Gelb has developed an experienced-based framework to organize customer insights and prioritize opportunities for improving customer loyalty. The final deliverable is a framework that contains the current and ideal customer experience. Marketing, operations and service improvement teams use this framework to orient the entire organization toward...

Gelb Consulting Group, Strategic Marketing for Business Growth

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:10:31 GMT

Are you feeling pressure to grow revenues? Since 1965, Gelb Consulting Group has worked with organizations to understand their markets, create winning strategies, deploy marketing resources and monitor successes. We offer strategic marketing solutions in the following areas: Strategic marketing planning Building trusted brands Delivering exceptional customer experiences Bringing new products to market New product development Brand protection We specialize in helping organizations in complex and service-oriented industries reach their potential. Check out Gelb's blog: Growing Smarter Download Gelb's capabilities Brochure Celebrating 45 Years of Client Success

Develop Innovative New Products

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:09:48 GMT

Studies have shown that, for most companies, only 1% of new ideas become product concepts and of those, only 25% become profitable products. This means that most new product ideas fail to create value for customers. Even though many companies use a Stage-Gate process to manage the risk of new product and service development, many have delivered disappointing results.

To identify best practices regarding product and service innovation, Gelb worked with the American Productivity & Quality Center to conduct several benchmarking studies. Gelb conducted site visits and interviews with several innovative Fortune 500 companies such as 3M, Xerox and Sony. The insights from these benchmarking studies have helped us see how world class companies use market information to understand customer needs, develop valued products and services, and nurture innovative cultures.

For more details about how we use research techniques in product innovation:

Advanced Techniques

Customer Needs Assessment

Customer Advisory Board

Concept Testing

Conjoint Analysis

Maximum Difference Scaling

Non-profit

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:39:08 GMT

We understand the passion volunteers, donors, and beneficiaries have for their cause. To harness this energy, we provide strategic marketing services to build exceptional experiences and create effective brand strategies to help others embrace the mission. We have enjoyed serving the following types of non-profits: · Marketing associations · Management associations · Hospital-based foundations · Food banks · Healthcare organizations · Retail fundraising · Performing arts · Venues The most commonly requests made of Gelb: · Conduct marketing research to support brand strategy engagements · Execute polls for press releases · Build a brand that creates enthusiasm for the cause · Create products and services to meet member needs · Define marketing strategies to build loyalty · Make go/no-go decisions on new products and services · Monitor...

Business to Business (B2B)

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:35:29 GMT

Companies selling to other companies have many important differences than retail. For this reason, we modify our processes to understand critical issues such as the buying center and influencers beyond the person your salespeople call on. With millions of dollars at stake with every relationship, B2B companies turn to Gelb to understand what matters most to their customers and organize sales and marketing efforts accordingly. Among the most frequent requests made of Gelb: · Build a B2B brand that’s an asset of increasing value · Define marketing strategies to build customer loyalty · Set pricing strategy to maximize profits and thwart competitive threats · Assess and improve customer experiences to increase market share · Make go/no-go decisions on new products and services Brand Research and Strategy Brand research and strategy for helicopter transportation companyBrand strategy for industrial distribution companyBrand...

Professional Services

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:31:53 GMT

As a professional services firm ourselves, we appreciate the effort needed to get clients and keep them. Working with other world-class professional services firms, Gelb has successfully designed enriching customer experiences to make advocates out of clients. Just like professional services firms, our work has been varied, including: · Marketing consulting firms · Brand consultancies · Human resources services · Financial and investor information services · Litigation support services · Publishers · Software providers · Building management The most commonly requests made of Gelb: · Build a brand that’s an asset of increasing value · Conduct marketing research to support brand strategy engagements · Execute polls for press releases · Define marketing strategies to build client loyalty · Assess and improve customer experiences to increase market...

Technology

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:28:51 GMT

Technology firms offer complex products and a meaningful customer experience. Technology companies have turned to us to understand perceptions of their brands, and to launch new products. Among the most frequent requests made of Gelb: · Build a brand that’s an asset of increasing value · Define marketing strategies to build B2B customer loyalty · Make go/no-go decisions on new products and/or services · Understand the importance of building valuable websites Brand Research and Strategy Brand equity analysisEvaluating brand performanceAwareness, attitude and usage surveyMarket segmentationBrand positioning testing New Product Research and Commercialization Website concept testingNew product innovation process designNew product design testingNew product pricing assessment using discrete choice modelingNew product attribute development

Banking, Insurance, and Financial Services

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:25:50 GMT

Firms like yours compete in highly-service oriented businesses. Consequently, marketing executives are faced with challenges on how to properly persuade prospective customers while building trust among current clients. In a competitive environment where it’s difficult to distinguish one organization from another, Gelb uses our innovative research techniques and strategic frameworks to build trusted brands. Among the most frequent requests made of Gelb: · Build a financial services brand that’s an asset of increasing value · Define marketing strategies to build investor loyalty · Assess and improve investor experiences to increase market share · Make go/no-go decisions on new financial products and services Brand Research and Strategy Brand strategy for financial services firmBrand strategy for community bankBrand positioning testing for national mortgage companyBrand confusionBrand equity surveys (national and international) New...

Monitor Your Customer Experience

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:23:39 GMT

Customer satisfaction and relationship management are key to a company’s overall success.

Traditional customer surveys, while valuable, only provide a snapshot of the customer relationship. All too often, the results are too broad or not timely enough to take meaningful action.

Gelb’s Customer Experience Dashboard provides a cost-effective alternative. This online customer listening post is an active, live tool to elicit feedback at times most relevant to the customer experience.

Most importantly, results are provided in real-time and escalated for immediate action.

Benefits of a Gelb Experience Dashboard

Real-time Responses Build Customer Relationships - You can ask questions at the conclusion of a proposal process, post-project, or even while a complex project is underway.
Escalation Feature for “At-Risk” Customers – Responses from customers deemed “at-risk” are placed into a queue. Each response is emailed to a specific designee within your organization for service recovery.
Cost-Effectiveness – For a nominal fee, we provide a live tool which allows for unlimited responses.
Customization - Each questionnaire is customized to your needs (with insight to your company, industry and customers ).
Accessibility – Users can access results anywhere and, depending on permission, view all results.
Actionable Results - Executives can view the queue to monitor problem resolution or examine trends.

See how the experience dashboard can work for you by viewing this overview, which will show you examples of some of the available features: Gelb Customer Experience Dashboard.

Read more about our experience dashboards: Responsive Marketing .

Healthcare

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:22:47 GMT

For our view of current healthcare marketing trends, visit our blog feed. Healthcare marketing executives are drawn to Gelb for many reasons. We help them successfully address the most difficult situations and grow from it – from organizational initiatives, addressing the needs of C-Level executives, or overcoming marketing challenges requiring pragmatic and swift solutions. We are personally rewarded when we help our academic medical center and healthcare system clients successfully transcend their challenges for growth. We understand the nuances of healthcare having worked with some of the largest and most respected organizations in the country. Our professionals have led marketing stakeholders to utilize marketing information to build and execute sound marketing strategy. Our approaches recognize the unique relationships between physicians, staff, patients, families, and donors. We uncover attitudes and expectations to help executives develop a common...

Energy

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:16:27 GMT

View our Blog feed regarding the energy industry. Gelb is the leading strategic marketing firm serving the energy industry. Our professionals have decades of experience helping upstream and downstream service and product companies achieve their goals for profitable business growth. Our oil and gas industry work includes oilfield products, oilfield services, and oilfield information technology. In addition, we work with downstream energy companies with industrial distribution, refinery technology, and refinery consulting services. From brand strategy development to product commercialization, we help organizations develop and execute winning growth strategies. We also help organizations monitor their customer experience through our experience dashboards, designed to replace annual customer satisfaction surveys and allow for real-time service recovery. Gelb offers marketing organizations the ability to demonstrate value in customer acquistion and retention using Salesforce.com. Gelb is...

Build Brand Loyalty and Trust

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:55:48 GMT

More than just a logo, your brand expresses and delivers a promise that earns customer trust, aligns employees, and earns stakeholder support. An effective brand strategy begins with a thorough understanding of the dynamics of your market: how customers develop their considered set, how brands are differentiated, and how customer experiences are delivered. Our Brand Trust model organizes these elements in at each phase of research, strategy, implementation, and on-going decision support. Our approach echoes and provides insight into the Voice of the Customer throughout strategy development workshops. Such activities help you mitigate risks and maximize potential. We believe that without market information, a brand strategy is a futile exercise. Understand Create Deploy Monitor How does the brand perform today among key audiences? What are the best opportunities for positioning the brand? What are the brand's primary touchpoints? How...