Uncommon Communication

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Pro Consulting is a social impact consultancy. We specialize in cross-sector partnerships and B Corp services. 

We help multinational organizations set up partnerships with nonprofits and the government to develop and deliver a product, program, or service for an underserved community or demographic. 

We also help organizations become B Corp (Benefit Corporation) certified. It’s an independent third-party verification that an organization meets social and environmental standards. We have offices in Sydney, Singapore, and Luxembourg and a bench of about 30 consultants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uncommon Communication?

We wanted to refine the work we were doing around how we introduce ourselves as an organization. We wanted to better communicate the impacts we’ve achieved, who we are as an entity, and who we are as a consultancy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

There were three different projects. The first project was refining our pitch deck and proposals. This involved demonstrating our work and refining how we speak about ourselves. Uncommon Communication provided marketing communications for this, but not branding services.

Then, we wanted to refine our specific proposals (a lot of our pitch deck content is used in the proposals). We wanted to make sure our proposals clearly articulate what the client has asked us to do, what we are going to deliver, and the IP and insights we bring to the process. 

We looked at an existing proposal and worked through what we were trying to achieve, analyzing gaps in its structure and messaging. There were a number of refinements to the way we articulated everything (e.g. the timeline, the deliverables, and the budget page). 

What is the team composition?

I was working with Nicola (Principal Consultant, Uncommon Communication).

How did you come to work with Uncommon Communication?

I was looking for someone with a McKinsey way of thinking. Nicola was recommended to me by someone that I really trust. Nicola’s background coupled with the strength of the personal reference was enough for me. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about £25,000 (Approximately $10,000 to $49,000 USD). This cost is the sum of three distinct projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November of 2018 and finished work in August or September of 2019. Through that time, we’d worked through three distinct projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve won 12 projects after refining our methodology for one of our service offerings. (We had the IP, but hadn’t properly codified it yet). 

The client has been finding the strategy work that’s embedded in the service offering very beneficial. The insight goes beyond the project deliverables to help the client align internally. 

Since our service delivery requires research, it forces strategy conversations that often hadn’t been taking place. Our work has enabled those conversations time and time again.

How did Uncommon Communication perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project delivery standpoint, she is excellent. I never waited for anything, and meetings were always kept. 

We both could have mitigated scope creep a little bit. From a budgeting perspective, we could have said, “if there’s scope extension, this is going to be the impact on the cost. What are the options if we can’t afford that?” 

However, I’m very happy with the end outcome. If we hadn’t agreed to go forward with the changes, I probably wouldn’t have been as happy. Yet, the cost was beyond what we thought it would be in the beginning.

We communicated using VOIP calls. I’m in Sydney and she is in London. She always accommodated my time zone as best as possible. We didn’t use a project board to manage tasks, but we blocked out time from the beginning. We learned how to accommodate my travel schedule as we went along. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Uncommon Communication produces very reliable, excellent deliverables. I would work with her again and highly recommend her. From a differentiator perspective, her critical thinking skills are fantastic. Also, her ability to create and view things from a strategic perspective was excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We got a bit caught up in the process of looking at the content versus the formatting. We went back and forth between the content and formatting, and this wasted time. We could have done a better job of not paying attention to the formatting of the content until the very end. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Future customers should discuss the content versus formatting issue upfront. I would divide those two pieces separately and just focus on the content to start. If there’s a formatting component, carve that out separately as a second phase once the initial work is done so that you don’t get confused.