Translating TalentPeakAdvisors’ Extensive expertise into a cohesive and scalable coaching practice, centered on client outcomes and operational clarity.
Role:
Business Growth Consultant
& UX Designer
Duration:
feb - apr 2024
updates jul - aug 2024
10 wks + 2 wks
Tools:
Figma
Asana
fig jam
Photoshop
Skills:
Consulant
ux/ui design
Project Management
MR & Ops research
Project Overview
Talent Peak Advisors is a start-up consulting and coaching firm founded by Soojin, the former director of MBA admissions for the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. With over 25 years of experience in consulting, public service, and higher education, she was looking for an opportunity to continue her passion of transforming candidates into leaders through a hands-on venture.
OUr Purpose:
AS contracted UX designers & consultants, Overhaul website design and Provide strategic recommendations to optimize growth and streamline operations for Talent Peak Advisors
Four Initial Problems
1.
Startup Positioning & Differentiation
2.
Service Market Prioritization
3.
Operations & Management
4.
Advertising & Website Redesign
Transform decades of academic leadership experience into a marketable coaching practice and maintain professional credibility while expanding service offerings.
Original WEbsite
TalentPeakAdvisors was created to help empower professionals in transforming their career narratives. This website is meant to help showcase Soojin's expertise in storytelling, public speaking, personal branding, executive presence, and career pivots, while inspiring visitors to envision similar transformations in their own lives.
The need for better website design was urgent. Consultations and lead conversions were not being followed through. Bounce rate was 67%, and most leads were not her targeted audience. Most inquires were from connections and past clients.
Her website was a bit ironic. She preached and advocated for compelling narratives and personal branding, but her own website didn't portray what she championed.
outcome
KEy Deliverables
1
Competitor Analysis
of 13 direct and indirect firms
2
Pugh Decision Matrix assessing 6 service offerings based on set criteria
3
Operational Report
detailing the use of 27 different tools across 9 operations
4
Research Report
detailing our research processes and growth strategies
5
Website Redesign
& implementation based on research
TImeline
I initially took on role as project manager role to complement my graduate UX colleagues and gain confidence to contribute my share to the design process.
As the underdog, I clearly stated my experience and we were able to quickly establish a mutual purpose. With our egos down and our purpose clear, we were able to collaborate quickly for progress.
REsearch Methodologies
With so many problems in mind, we needed some guidance to do a deep dive into her service market and operational requirements for consulting firms like hers. We reached out to industry experts, entrepreneurship professors, and the Ross Business School librarian to find competitors and measure industry market sizes.
#1. Startup Positioning & Differentiation
How might we leverage OUr client's unique position as a former MBA Admissions Director to create a distinguishable practice to in the crowded market of coaching firms?
Having been in industry for 25 years, Soojin knows the best about the industry, however, we wanted to specify what exactly made other life coaching and development firms exceptional?
Competitive Analysis (Appendix A)
We analyzed 12 different coaching providers, from solo communication consultants to big institutional programs. We evaluated services offered, pricing, target audiences, and marketing/narrative.
By selecting based on service alignment and institutional prestige/credibility, we uncovered trasnformative insights about market positioning and website effectiveness.
Jordan Bower
Decker Consulting
Global Public Speaking
Jerry Won
Wolf & Heron
Speak by Design
Chicago Booth - Effective Business Comm
MIT - Persuasive Communication
Wharton Executive Presence and Influence
Diane Flynne
RebootAcel
SoulCaseMedia
Breaking down similar websites and services shaped our consultation of TalentPeak's website strategy. We determined the best website practices in the industry, guiding our decisions about design, content, and user experience.
This was all about differentiating Soojin to better serve her clients and provided a solid foundation for setting performance metrics and objectives as well as discovering different growth strategies & exposure methods used by her competitors to drive revenue.
This analysis served as invaluable, enabling us to better tailor and personalize strategies for impact and exposure later on.
Here were our website recommendations:
Enhancing personality and engagement to create emotional connections
Improving information architecture and clarity for intuitive navigation
Emphasizing impact by showcasing tangible outcomes and benefits
Defining a clear target audience and developing a compelling narrative
Offering customizable and flexible service options
#2. Service Market Prioritization
How might we evaluate and quantify which industry sectors are worth the effort to specialize within the crowded coaching market?
Soojin knows the best about the industry, however, she wanted a data driven approach to decide on a the most effective market entry.
Prioritization Decision Framework
To evaluate Soojin's services, we started by conducting secondary research analyzing IBIS Industry Reports on Life Coaches, Executive Development, Business Coaches, and Leadership development; coding notes and metrics on our criteria.
We collaborated closely with Soojin to accurately determine each criteria and the weight of each to accurately reflect her priorities. Soojin's attention to detail with labels and descriptions set a clear expectation for the quality of our approach and the need for an evidence based matrix.
^^^ Various Screenshots of IBIS reports data used to guide our analysis
Pugh Matrix
We scaled the matrix based off several key factors on industry sectors: how effective they are, customer demand, what qualifications we need, costs, market saturation, potential for recurring revenue, and overall profitability.
This approach gave us a quantitative method to see where each service has advantages or challenges, to make better decisions about which services to develop and prioritize.
Prioritizing high-potential service areas, we recommended Soojin to focus on Leadership and Executive Coaching as standout services due to high demand among corporate professionals and its impact. An appendix was delivered along with the Matrix
After 3 iterations of the Pugh Matrix and 2 meetings presenting out rationale, Soojin put a pause to Admissions coaching and invested more into Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, and Communications Coaching.
#3. Operations & Management
How might we develop an integrated system that optimizes Soojin's invoicing, lead management, website effectiveness, virtual delivery platforms, and operational strategies to enhance sustainability, professionalism, and competitive advantage ?
Soojin needed guidance and improvements in the operational aspects of her solo-coaching business. We aimed to provide strategic recommendations to optimize for growth and streamline operations.
Operational report
We began the process by understanding Soojin's existing operational setup which consisted of Stripe, Google Docs, SquareSpace, and Zoom. She mentioned an interest into Wave and Notion so we started there for invoicing and lead management.
We conducted a series of research into various platforms relevant to Soojin's operational needs detailing a total of 21 different platforms with detailed explanations of their features and suitability for Soojin's needs.
Invoicing
We prioritized invoicing as the highest impact, lowest complexity improvement area for Soojin. After evaluating multiple financial platforms based on user/client limits, customization options, fees, and reporting capabilities, we recommended QuickBooks as the best match for her specific circumstances and needs.
Note: We found Wave to have the least downside and Quickbooks was a close second, however based our client's standards and the fact that Quickbooks is the industry standard and, we determined this platform would fit her the best.
Lead management
We recommended HubSpot for Soojin's lead management. It's ideal for solo entrepreneurs like her who manage multiple business aspects. The platform features an easy-to-use interface with drag-n-drop functionality and intuitive navigation, allowing Soojin to manage leads without needing technical expertise or investing significant time.
WEbsite management
Soojin's only technical requirement was that the final website redesign needed to be implemented on SquareSpace, which was her preferred website management system.
When implementing our redesign, we ran into a few visual challenges translating our design into SquareSpace.
Group Sessions
We landed on Udemy for hosting group coaching sessions. Despite the known group interaction and market saturation concerns, Udemy's strengths in scalability, flexibility, affordability, and self-paced learning best aligned with Soojin's coaching delivery needs.
Growth Strategies
We utilized all possible impact strategies and marketing tactics we discovered from our CA and drew from the metrics and insights from the IBIS Reports to determine short term and long term growth actionables that a solo entrepreneur could do to promote short term exposure and long term sustainability.
Out of the 17 distinct growth strategies identified from our research, 10 strategies stood to benefit Soojin the most.
Develop scalable online courses
+passive income
+reach
Pursue ICF Certification
+credibility
+premium pricing
Host Collaborative Seminars
+reach
+network
Newsletter
+events
+insights
+reach
Utilize SEO
+visibility
+traffic
Collaborate w/Corporate HR departments
+scale
+RR streams
Address Current Corporate Challenges
+relevance
+market demand
LinkedIn Articles & Posts
+influence
+positioning
Templated Slides and Presentations
+professionalism
+reliability
Personalized Brand
+digital presence
+clarity
+credibility
Website Redesign
Improving ACcessibility And Clarity
We defined "clarity" by heuristically evaluating the current usability issues and defined the 'Jobs to be Done' for the TalentPeak Website to:
"Clearly advertise Soojin's capabilities and impact"
"Engage the user with Soojin's story and brand"
We deconstructed the website to approach the information architecture from a 'top-down approach.' Why top-down?
Before
Information Architecture
After
By providing context first, it creates memory anchors serving dual purposes. This approach establishes natural chunking that is consistent to how concepts are mentally organized. Allowing clients to quickly grasp the value of Soojin's coaching.
One challenge Soojin faced was defining her target audience. She wanted to attract clients who could afford her premium pricing while subtly discouraging those who couldn’t.
To achieve this, we embedded cues in our website content and categorized her services using industry-specific terms to add clarity and reinforce her positioning.
Before
Services
After
Improving Engagement and Storytelling
To address user anxieties and career goals, we created urgency and brought Soojin's UVP to the forefront.
This meant the structure and storytelling of the homepage was essential to effectively market her brand. Research from our competitive analysis, 4 iterations, user testing, and 3 client meetings depicted a storytelling formula to most effectively convey Soojin's services and compel clients.
The structure was : CTA, Stakes, Client network(Credibility), Value Proposition, Metrics(Proof), Plan, Testimonials.
Sketch
———>
Wireframe
———>
High-fidelity
We created engagement with candids from our photoshoot and added an "About Me' with a narrative driven career journey.
High-Fidelity
Browse through our final design!
Brand Identity Guidelines
A brand is more than just a logo and visual identity. It also represents your recognition & perception, trust & credibility, ability to market, and serves as the connection between you and your customers/clients.
This is why we created a brand identity guideline to act as a foundation for her website, presentations, seminars, online courses, workshops, etc.
Click to go through Brand Guidelines
Impact
(Metrics 2 months after implementation)
41%
Increase in unique visitors
26%
Decrease in bounce rate
300+
New followers on LinkedIn
Brand clarity and a foundation for sustainable growth
🎊 Following our consultation, Soojin has successfully 🎉
Soojin has followed through with some of our recommendations!
Participated in 2 collaborative seminars, expanding her professional network and client reach
Obtained ICF certification, boosting her professional credibility and ability to command premium rates
Created online modules through prestigious partnerships with University of Michigan College of Engineering and Emeritus
Regularly posts professional insights and personalized stories on LinkedIn, building her brand presence
Several other recommendations have been implemented but details remain confidential
A version of our design is current live! Client might've made some tweaks. talentpeakadvisors.com
Next Steps and Reflection
I was too locked into taking this photo T-T Team <3
We presented all our research and reports to Soojin as well as design changes and growth actionables. The released version of the website has been well received by our client, and launched on SquareSpace. However, there are still be improvements to be made, but now Soojin should be able to filter her data even more, and customize her brand based on its needs.
We helped revised a foundation that allows our client to build on top of, dissecting 5 industry services, and creating artifacts for growth. The patterns and designs created would later help expand Soojin's brand, network, and future products as we constantly strive to improve the TalentPeak Experience.
Reflection
This experience working with Soojin and my team has been invaluable. During the initial months, meetings with her were challenging due to rigorous professional standards. She set a level of excellence for her and her team. After 3 discouraging meetings that left us overwhelmed and her presence overbearing, I realized we didn't establish expectations and mutual trust. In essence she wasn't convinced we were capable of working with her. With this realization I was able to lead a meeting that boosted our momentum for future interactions, gaining her respect and nurtured a better team experience.