Questions
These are the questions directors usually ask before the first conversation, and a few they ask just after it. The answers are the same ones we give on a call. If your question is more specific than this list, write to us. A short note is enough.
We keep this page long on purpose. A short frequently-asked list often hides the trade-offs. Each answer below is meant to help you decide whether to spend ninety minutes with us, and whether our way of working would fit how your organisation takes decisions.
The first conversation is ninety minutes and there is no charge. We ask how demand has been arriving, where it has slowed, and what you have already tried. You do not need a written brief. If we believe the issue sits outside marketing, we will say so in that same call. If it looks like work we can take, we will outline which of the four formats fits and what we would need from you next.
Please bring the person who will actually decide. In most cases that is a founder, managing director or commercial lead. You may include a marketing manager if they hold the data, though the conversation is easier when one person can approve a next step. We can work over video if you are travelling. We keep the group small so the discussion stays specific.
We do not buy media and we do not take a commission from channels. Production of sites, films and design systems is done by firms you hire directly; we can help you brief them once the recommendation is agreed. Our work stops at diagnosis, positioning, programme design and standing advice. If you need a studio that also executes, we will tell you early so you can choose a different kind of partner.
Fees sit in published ranges and are confirmed in writing before work starts. The range moves with the number of markets, the number of products, and the quality of data you can share. Payment is usually in two parts: a start payment and a payment on delivery of the written recommendation. Travel outside Singapore is quoted separately. Standing advisory is billed monthly with a three-month minimum.
A typical wait for a diagnostic session is about five working days from the first conversation, provided you can share analytics access and make people available. Positioning and programme work take longer to schedule because they need more interviews. If your dates are tight, say so on the first call. We will be honest if the calendar cannot hold the quality of work you need.
Yes, when the commercial centre of gravity is in Singapore or another Southeast Asian market we already understand. We regularly advise firms that sell across the region from a Singapore office. Work that is entirely based in a market we have not studied would need a longer diagnostic, and we may decline if we cannot stand behind the recommendation. Travel is arranged only when a session is better in person.
Then we will say so. Pricing, product delays, a sales team that has no capacity, or a channel conflict with partners can look like a demand problem from the outside. We would rather end a conversation early than write a marketing plan that cannot succeed. In most cases we can still help you describe the issue clearly for whoever should own it next.
We ask for access to analytics and the customer system you actually use, three to five conversations with people who sell, previous agency briefs and reports, and one named decision-maker. You do not need a perfect data room. Gaps are useful information in themselves. If legal or privacy rules limit what you can share, tell us at the start so we can design around that constraint.
Yes, when the agency is executing channels and we are advising on direction. We will ask to read recent reports and to speak with the account lead so we do not duplicate work or contradict a live campaign without cause. We do not manage the agency’s day-to-day output. If the relationship itself is the issue, we treat that as part of the diagnosis rather than as a reason to replace anyone in a hurry.
We work with mid-sized organisations whose directors are close to the commercial numbers. Typical clients sell business services, software, education, healthcare services or industrial goods, often with a Singapore base and regional reach. Very early ventures with no revenue pattern yet are usually too early for our method. Large enterprises with a full in-house strategy team may find our format too small. We will say if we are a poor fit.
Advisory sessions and written recommendations are in English. That matches how most of the boards we meet already operate in Singapore. Source material in other languages can still be useful; we will agree in advance how it is summarised. If a market entry depends on copy in another language, the translation and local review sit with specialists you appoint. We remain responsible for the argument those specialists are asked to carry.
Write to us through the contact form or email [email protected] with a short note on what has changed in demand and when you would like to talk. We reply on working days and propose a ninety-minute call. There is no questionnaire to complete first. If it is clear we cannot help, we will say that in the reply so you do not hold a slot for a conversation that will not go anywhere.
Still unsure
Write to [email protected] or use the contact form. Tell us what has changed in demand and when you need to take a decision. We reply on working days. If we cannot help, we will say so in the reply so that you do not hold time for a conversation that will not go anywhere. If we can help, we will propose the ninety-minute call and leave formats and fees until we have heard the actual problem.
If you already have a diagnostic from another firm and want a second reading, say so in the note. We can often work from existing material, provided you are allowed to share it. If the question is whether to renew an agency, bring a recent report. The first call is still ninety minutes, and it is still at no charge.