The Customer Corner – Linda Pesonen Consulting

I’ve spent a career in the field of automotive sales and marketing.  I spent several years working in assignments that directly supported automotive dealers.  I also worked in a variety of brand marketing assignments while at Chevrolet, GMAC Financial Services and Pontiac.  I’ve had the good fortune to spend time in many facets of marketing, including brand management, advertising, Customer Relationship Management, Sales Promotions, and Product Planning, Digital Media and Social Media.

 At the beginning of the year, I took a buyout from my employer.  As I began thinking about the next phase of my career, I was asked by companies I’d previously worked with if I’d consult with them to help grow their business.  I said yes and before I knew it, I added a few more clients.  It was an unexpected turn.  I was open to the challenge and I’m glad it turned out this way.  I’ve enjoyed going to work on behalf of other companies.  Every client is different.  I’ve been exposed to new challenges, new perspectives, and new opportunities.  I’m learning a lot, that’s for sure.  Most gratifying of all is being able to put my 25+ years of experience to work for other people, helping them see growth opportunities that they, themselves might not otherwise see. It’s also helped to see things through the eyes of others, outside of my previous “client” role.  That perspective has helped me grow personally and professionally.

I support a variety of marketing services, from new business development, marketing strategy, brand positioning, customer acquisition and loyalty initiatives, organization design, and media/advertising planning.  I’ve spent the past eight years focused on digital media, which is at the forefront of leading-edge marketing for many companies.  Consumers have access to so much information across the internet.  I’m able to help clients identify key drivers of consideration for their product or service, show them how to create demand for their product, through traditional and digital media, and then intercept that demand as customers do research and shop online.  I also show clients how to fuel their business growth through new customer acquisition tactics as well as loyalty or customer retention efforts.  Both are important to any businesses’ success.  And that applies whether they’re selling direct to consumers or to other businesses (B2C and B2B).

Great question! I’d like to be able to give back to others by sharing the knowledge I’ve learned through a major career transition.  There is a great life to be had beyond your long-term employer.  So many of us will go on to have new careers.  It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding work.  Yes, it takes a plan (a flexible one at that), determination, and a passion for something you believe in.  It also takes practical business know-how and being surrounded by people who support you.  I have had support from several colleagues who are also consultants.  They’ve helped tremendously, some right from the very beginning when I first formed my LLC.  I’d love to assemble a formal team to be a resource to others, helping them see the way forward based on our collective experiences.  To be able to pay it forward and see success through the success of others is the greatest reward of all.

Running your own business might seem like a daunting task.  I’ve found that having the right resources and tools available has helped me immensely.  My tax professional recommended QuickBooks, which I bought soon after forming my company.  While I was able to do some basic things on my own, I quickly realized I needed one-on-one guidance.  That’s when I hired Christine.  She has helped me shortcut my learning curve by helping me understand QuickBooks capabilities I had yet to discover (and may never have without her help) that meet my pressing business needs.  Things like associating costs with a specific client, creating an invoice template that reflects my business, submitting an invoice, tracking unpaid invoices (which I had previously done manually, a tedious chore in keeping track), using the time tracking and mileage tools, receiving payment against an invoice and making a corresponding deposit.   These are all basic essentials that would have taken considerable time on my part to learn.  I appreciate that Christine organizes our discussions around what my business needs are.  What’s more, because Christine understands how businesses are run, she’s been able to show me capabilities I can use as my business grows, many of which I’m already using.  Having a professional accounting coach is time and money well spent.  It has freed up my time to focus on working with my clients.