Crown Playbook

Driving a Winning Client Experience

Keys To The GamePLAYBOOK

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‘Winning is not a somet

ime

thing: it’s an all the

time thing. You

don’t win once in a

while; you don’t

do the right thing o

nce in a while; you d

o

them right all the t

ime.

Winning is a habit.

Unfortunately, so is

losing.”

A GAME PLAN

Vince LombardiHead football coach, Green Bay Packers

A GAME PLAN

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Chuck KnollHead coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

“Leadership is getting someone to do what they

don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.”

Tom LandryHead coach, Dallas Cowboys

“Pressure is something you feel

when you don’t know what you are doing.”

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A Game PlanRunning a successful business is a lot like running a successful football team. Those that do it best become the things of legend… and legends often produce enduring dynasties.

When you think about it, there aren’t that many rules in football. The goal is relatively simple and the path to the end zone is clear. So why is it that some teams that seemingly have the most talented players don’t find themselves in the playoffs at the end of the season? Why do some teams wind up great… while others barely achieve average?

It comes down to the preparation. To a mastery and execution of the fundamentals that leads to an ability to innovate awe-inspiring and game-changing moments. The ability to consistently deliver ground making plays is what separates the good from the best.

Building a successful team starts well before opening weekend. There is the critical recruiting process and pre-season training. There’s the actual execution of plays on game day. Then there’s the homework and study as the team reviews game film looking to reveal areas of needed improvement and areas of weakness in future opponents. When all works well, you’ll find your team in the playoffs, the division championship and perhaps victorious year after year after year in the Super Bowl.

There’s certainly a thrill in winning a contest… and it’s definitely exciting to be one of the few that actually gets to play this game at such a competitive level. But make no mistake, growing a successful franchise is not for the faint of heart. It requires a vigilance like none other. To be sure, a primary objective of the successful team franchise is the ability to make money. Ticket sales, logo licensing,

sponsorships, play off bonuses, and tv/radio contracts are just a handful of ways that significant amounts of money can be made.

And while making money is a significant driver, there remains a higher, often more prominent purpose as well. You see, doing the right things all the time paves the way for players to become legends… for coaches and coordinators to build a name for themselves… and for owners to become great.

From the outset, the most successful franchises cast a vision larger than the game of football – they aim to be a team admired by the nation (or the globe)… to be relevant in their home city… and to be widely discussed by loyal fans.

So, “What does all of this have to do with building a successful business?,” you might be asking.

Everything.

Have you realized that businesses of all types have to compete to recruit the talent that will help them achieve optimal success? Recruiting the roster that completes the assembled team and removes identified weaknesses is critical to winning games. But finding highly talented people is just one piece of the puzzle. Ensuring that this talented roster of players knows what to do, the routes they run, and how doing it in the prescribed way yields results is the next component.

And simply having talented people that know the “playbook” doesn’t change the hard work that will be required as they actually execute for clients day in and day out on the field. Of course, an opportunity to review the work that’s being done (the plays being run)

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on a regular and structured basis looking for ways to strengthen an approach, make improvements or close a gap is the way that you keep clients cheering for you year after year after year.

A Client Experience that WinsRecreating the feeling that a loyal fan gets week after week as s/he watches their team play is the aim of Crown’s business model. Teams that execute well regularly recruit the best talent, make the most money and, per-haps most importantly, earn additional fans. By putting it all together, we’ll produce a client experience that wins.

You see, it has to be about more than scoring results. Have you ever considered that how the client feels during the engagement and their overall experience (does the experience result in wins that are exciting to watch) can often be more important that the win itself?

Perhaps you can relate. Do you follow a team that seems to squeak out wins, but they’re not, how shall we say, pretty? Let’s be honest… they’re downright ugly. Fumbles, intercep-tions and turnovers leave you throwing things at your television set or watching with veiled eyes. These types of games happen, but if they’re the rule rather than the exception there’s a problem brewing.

Teams that consistently show their mistakes or fail to achieve winning results eventually fail to fill stadium seats. They earn disgruntled fans and find themselves surrounded by an aura of consistent criticism. Businesses that fail to live up to client perceptions and expectations suffer similar results. Decisions and recom-mendations they make are often scrutinized and questioned. Fees are considered too high, and achievements not good enough.

The Crown team has had success as it’s built itself over the last 12 years. It’s received recognition from the industry and has been lauded as a group to watch out for. In many ways this has happened in spite of ourselves. But, Crown desires to build a great company… an enduring dynasty. We’re seeking an oppor-tunity to play in a whole bunch of Super Bowls – and accidental success won’t be enough.

Crown has a vision to grow to 1,000 colleagues and $125 million in revenue by 2017. Moving to this next level requires a choreographed plan … a play book to document how we will deliver the type of customer experience that builds an epic company – a dynasty. This play book will seek to lay out how the Crown team does the things we do.

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The Guiding PrincipleMore important than the how we do what we do, is the why we do what we do. Tom Landry knew something about building a dynasty. As head coach of the Dallas Cowboys he set the foundation for a brand that to this day is still known as “America’s Team.” Landry said, “Leadership is getting someone to do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.”

This play book seeks to document and outline what we do. In some ways your natural reaction might be to want to do things differently… your way. You just might be one of those people that just flat out doesn’t want to do it that way. But here’s the guiding principle – the part we’ll all agree on: we want our clients, the people we serve, to be successful.

This playbook is notabout Crown.

It’s not even really about you or what you do. It’s about our clients.

As our clients win, team members become legends, our brand builds a name for itself and the company becomes great. But all of that happens because of the client. Where we can all agree is that we want our customers to achieve their goals.. And although there might be occasions that we’d prefer to take an alternate direction, the ability to scale our business and create well-choreographed wins is the benefit of aligning our actions with the “approved plays.”

As you study this manual, be sure to keep this ultimate client goal in mind. Does Crown want to grow? Sure it does. Does Crown want to build a name for itself in the market? You bet. But more than all of that, the reason this play book has been put together is to align our teams and ensure that everyone takes the field with a strategy that can result in clients winning CONSISTENTLY. While customer experience does have great benefits for Crown, in the end this has little to do with us and everything to do with doing things better for our clients.

A Culture DRIVEn to WinTeams often take on the personalities of the regions and cities they hail from. There is almost certainly a swagger that surrounds your favorite team. The Dallas Cowboys do not act like the Indianapolis Colts. The Green Bay Packers are different than the Pittsburgh Steelers. And everyone hates the Washington Redskins.

In all seriousness, the Crown team also has its own swagger… and it’s grossly different than the other companies we find ourselves in competition with. Understanding the Crown culture and using it to our clients’ advantage will result in an unmatched ability to drive a program or strategic project down the field and into the end zone.

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The people of Crown havean internal DRIVE. They help

clients excel faster. Excel analytically. Excel technically.

Excel creatively. Excel digitally. This has manifest into a can-

do team swagger that achieves client results. For Crown, DRIVE

encapsulates these things:

DedicationA commitment to clients, colleagues & ourselves. The development of quality solutions through team collaboration and determination. Relevance A constant value for clients through an intentional pursuit of meaningful innovations that positively differentiate them. The knowledge and ability to assist clients in achieving their goals faster than they could do themselves.IntegrityA respect for ourselves, our colleagues and our clients. The belief that we are honest in our actions and think beyond ourselves.VigilanceA hyper-persistent pursuit of excellence. With an eye toward what’s next, Crown is watchful, present and aware when it comes to creating opportunities for clients and colleagues.EvolutionA dedication to fostering continual, speedy improvement in all we do.

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Raising Our BannerVisit a professional football stadium and you’ll instantly notice a few key things.

You’ll see the legends of the game memorialized in bronze and concrete. You’ll see the banners that herald the team’s accomplishments achieved throughout the seasons. You’ll see sky boxes that recognize the players that are making a lasting impact on the local community. In fact, a quick scan of any stadium will instantly give credence to the success of the team, the partners that support them and the initiatives that matter to the franchise.

Providing an extraordinary customer experience will help the team at Crown build credibility by displaying the client stories and successful initiatives necessary to recruit top talent, take on larger challenges and compete in more Super Bowls. Crown will do this by showing future clients how it saves or earns revenue for the clients it serves. In fact, the vision is to more than double our business in the next three years by demonstrating how the Crown team has generated $1 Billion in revenue or savings for its clients. This is the type of banner that a Crown dynasty will be built upon.

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A ROLE TO PLAY

“If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team.”

Bud Wilkinson - Head football coach, University of Oklahoma

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“If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team.”

Bud Wilkinson - Head football coach, University of Oklahoma

“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.”

Mike Singletary - Head football coach, San Francisco 49ers

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”Jimmy Johnson - Head football coach, Dallas Cowboys

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Ever been confused at the place you work? Unsure of what to do… felt in over your head… wondering where you can go to just get started?

We all have. And it’s a great way to shake your confidence, make mistakes or fall short of customer expectations.

In the end it comes down to role definition. It’s about knowing what your contribution is expected to be. And it’s about understanding the other roles you can expect to support you – knowing you can count on them to be where you need them to be… when they need to be there. This section of the playbook aims to help you understand the role you may be asked to play.

Now in today’s world, it’s nearly impossible to not wear multiple hats. Here at Crown, most team members will certainly play multiple roles. But in most cases there will be a primary role you will be asked to assume. In fact, all plays you may be asked to run will be built off the roles defined in this section.

These roles were created with a few principles in mind:1. We will be pure in our execution of

these roles – not mixing functions on the field of play.

2. We are generating a standardized lexicon for communication internally and externally, to the point that they become acronyms like “QB”.

3. The players are the most important members of the team.

4. Positions have been designed so that plays can be pre-defined and practiced prior to getting on the field.

5. As a player, you might play different positions (roles) just not at the same time.

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Practice Director (Head Coach) (PD)Establish and Manage the Practice Game Plan to hit the revenue/margin numbersAccountable for Practice Business Goals (agreed upon goals)Manage the team roster and depth chart managementNet Promoter Score (NPS) >7

Practice Marketing Coordinator (PMC)Drive qualified leads from the target market into the sales funnel to support sales goalsCoordinate marketing campaigns and events with and without PartnersManage the development of practice specific content (ensure it exists)Identify outreach programs and schedule speaking engagements, blog posts etc

Sales Executive (SAE) (Sales Quarterback) Cultivate a qualified opportunity pipeline and close deals to achieve your annual sales goalManage Account Relationships on an ongoing basis to ensure continued business and references/referralsQuarterback the Development and Delivery of winning proposals and SOW’s to clients

Delivery Director (MDD | TDD - Marketing DD & Technical DD)Coordinate players to achieve balanced budget, quality of delivery and customer experience goals (call the plays)Train, Coach and Mentor PlayersManage Bench, Player Utilization and Team Composition- putting the winning team on the fieldProvide Pre-Sales support

Operations Manager (OM)Compile and analyze Project Financial and Delivery Reports

Generate and Deliver Accurate and Timely Customer InvoicesManage Practice Contracts and subcontractor relationships

Product Manager (PDM)Oversee the product development and produce product roadmap based on market forcesProvide Pre-Sales supportDevelop Value Propositions to Drive Product Sales

Managed Services Director (MSD)Deliver a stable and reliable client application infrastructure that meets our client SLA’sCommunicate standards, process and results clients and internal stakeholders and manage expectationsProvide leadership and direction to the technical and client support teamsNet Promoter Score (NPS) >7

Client Account Lead (CAL) - Cross PracticeEstablish, maintain and grow executive relationship for accountAuthority for P&L - the overall success or failure of the accountAccountable for providing direct feedback to the Crown team to raise the clients confidence in CrownAccountable for making Crown indispensable to the AccountAccountable for managing Crown across the practices (internally)

Client Program Manager (CPM)Deliver on client and program goals to achieve the target core scoreCommunicate with all Client and Internal Stakeholders and manage expectationsProvide Leadership and Direction across the project workstreamsManage Risk with Client and Crown

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Project Manager (PM)Manage scope, schedule, budgetPlan, forecast and control project resourcesProvide Internal and client project status communications and reportingProvide project coordination of deliverables

Project Associate Consultant (PAC)Project CoordinationProject Administration Support

Management Consultant (MC)Analyze existing business problems and develop plan for improvementConsolidate market research with business strategies for long term growth programsPresent and defend directional strategies for client transformation

Business Analyst (BA)Work with client Stakeholders to gather functional and business requirements through interviews, workshops and surveysDevelop manuals and conduct end user training sessions with users and stakeholdersProduce project documentation and artifacts including requirements documents, workflows, process analysis

Business Analytics Analyst (BAA)Analyze Data from a wide variety of sourcesPrepare recommendations based on analysisPrepare reports and multimedia presentations to communicate analysis to clients

QA (QA)Design and execute test scripts and scenarios to test for business and functional requirementsDesign and execute test scripts against new builds to verify bug fixesDocument deviations from expected behavior

Tester (T)Test execution

Enterprise Architect (EA)Define the technology standards across the client organizationAlign client corporate objectives with technical direction

Senior Solutions Architect (SSA)Integrates multiple applications/packages to deliver a solutionResponsible for setting the technology direction for the solutionDirect technical resources towards achieving technical success (Technical Lead)

Application Architect (AA)Configure and develop against specific platformAbility to drive best practices in configuring platform against business requirements

Custom Developer (CD)Develop custom componentsIntegrate to back end systems

Back End Developer (BD)Develop server side code using web services and APIsIntegrate applications/packages to back end systems

Component Developer (CPD)Develop application/package specific components

Front End Developer (FD)Develop user interfacesConfigure application to meet desired user experience

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System Administrator (SA)Build, Install, Configure and Deploy Client Applications and infrastructure Applications/ToolsConduct research to determine which infrastructure solutions that meet Crown’s requirementsAct as Security AdministratorFollow a consistent build, test and deploy process to ensure a quality customer experience

Digital Marketing Manager (DM)Conduct Business Assessment and Develop feasible marketing solutionsDesign, Plan and Execute Multi-Channel Marketing ProgramsDesign, Plan and Execute campaigns to achieve program goals

UX/IA (UX)Create and validate user interfaces and experiences for multiple platformsCreate wireframes, mock-ups and storyboards to gain acceptance of user interfaces and experiencesDesign solution information architecture

Creative Designer (CD)Produce creative designs that are aligned with branding, marketing and business goalsConsider technical constraints as an input to the design processCollaborate with Marketing and Technology to produce final designCreate graphics, icons and design elements

SEO/SEM/Social Media (SSS)Define plan and execute content search strategyDefine plan and execute ppc marketing strategyDefine plan and execute social media strategy

Marketing Research (MR)Collect and analyze market data and prepare recommendationsPresent recommendations and impacts to clientsTranslate recommendations and impacts into strategies for Clients

Copywriter (CW)Plan, write and edit copy for various mediaEnsure language and messages are appropriate to the audience and reflect the intent of the customer

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Pre-Sales

Pre-Sales

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“It’s not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.”Bear Bryant - Head football coach, University of Alabama

“If what you did yesterday looks big, you haven’t done anything today.”Lou Holtz -Head football coach, University of Notre Dame

“I have yet to be in a game where luck was involved.”Urban Meyer - Head football coach, University of Florida

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“It’s not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.”Bear Bryant - Head football coach, University of Alabama

“If what you did yesterday looks big, you haven’t done anything today.”Lou Holtz -Head football coach, University of Notre Dame

“I have yet to be in a game where luck was involved.”Urban Meyer - Head football coach, University of Florida

DEFINING THECUSTOMEREXPERIENCE

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Whether we think about it or not, every day we create some sort of customer experience. In fact no experience IS in fact an experience for the customers we work with. Good, bad or indifferent, we each have the ability to send a message about the customer experience that Crown delivers.

Because Crown has a differentiated approach in the marketplace, the ultimate client experience is the fulfillment of the expectations we have set. In business, as on a football field, this is often easier said than done.

Crown has the ability and caliber of talented individuals to introduce clients to perspectives and approaches they have likely not considered. A key aspect of the Crown approach is to open a client’s eyes to a new world of possibilities and create WOW! moments. Yet on a day-to-day basis advancing the ball is not necessarily about creating

WOW! moments but in being consistent and helping clients know what to expect at certain points in time.

It’s already been said, but it bears repeating. Customer experience is about just that: the customer. Crown will do well long term because the clients we serve do well.

So, whether we plan it or not, our clients do get an experience. The question is what are we doing to prepare ourselves to provide them a winning client experience? That preparation is what will separate the Crown team from the majority of all others that will seek to take the field against us.

The rest of this section will give you the Crown Plan.

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Pre-Sales

“So, What Do You Do?”When asked what Crown does, what do you say? You can bet that the football organization that is on its way to the Super Bowl does not hesitate on its answer. Our goal is to have that also be true for every player on the Crown roster.

ECOMMERCE Crown is creating $1b of incremental revenue for its midmarket clients by 2015

By captivating our customers’ customers with interactive solutionsEnsuring maximum online exposure & interaction

• Standing up and optimizing ecommerce systems• Driving traffic to sales-producing sites through the effective use of email and other digital messaging systems

BUSINESSANALYTICS

Crown saving millions per year for it’s clients through actionable enterprise performance insights

That are reinvested in improvements and enhancements of the offer

• Mining the gaps that exist within typical ERP implementations• Designing Enterprise Performance Management solutions• Connecting critical functions• Successfully implementing complex EPM solutions• Extracting valuable information that drives savings and increases performance• Providing ongoing actionable insights through combined business and technology services.

WEM Crown ensures global brands earn hundreds of millions in promotional revenues

Through effectively pushing the right messages at the right time

• Creating global platforms for

promotion of the world’s greatest brands• Empowering marketers to drive the business• Ensuring the right message all ways, always• Enabling all brands, business units, geographies, and teams (independently and collectively)

PROOF POINT HOW CORE COMPETENCIES

digitally. We help companies be what they want to be by leveraging what’s next in technology and marketing. And we do it FAST. Faster than our client can do it themselves... Faster than our competitors.

Chances are this will lead someone to ask just exactly how your company does that… And that’s good! Depending on your practice there’s more to say. That said, a working knowledge of all practices will serve Crown the best.

Here’s how Crown identifies and delivers competitive advantage by practice:

“So, What Does Crown do?”Crown is a full service, full lifecycle eBusiness consulting firm that helps growth-oriented companies outperform their competitors

• Delivering right message at right time across all media (email, mobile, social, web)• Effectively uniting business, marketing & technology planning and delivery • Xceler8 provides fast, integrated way to get started

DIGITAL MARKETING

Crown ensures brands get found by target audiences near and far

By providing a measurable return on investment of their digital channels essentially building an extension of a company’s existing sales team

ECM Crown is saving its clients millions per year in migration and reputation mgmt costs

By ensuring content access, availability and compliance across the enterprise

• Maximizing client investments in document and related solutions• Assuring compliance while mitigating business risk• Ensuring effective system performance and functional relevance for enterprise clients• Providing a long term path to the future of enterprise content management• With world-class colleagues and software services

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How Crown Gets FoundBefore Crown has the opportunity to deliver stellar customer experience, a client has to find out about us. This often happens as a result of other clients making recommendations to their networks on our behaves. In addition to this extremely valuable word-of-mouth channel, Crown tells the world what it does and how it does it in a number of high-profile ways, including:

PartnersOnline Web PresenceWeb siteCollateralEventsBlogsEmailsThought LeadershipPR ArticlesPersonal Relationships/ Friends of Friends

Then What?When a prospective client is made aware of us, what is it that we want them to hear? What does our brand promise to deliver for clients? How do we actually deliver? What is our differentiator in the market place? How we answer these questions sets us up for the type of client experience we will be expected to deliver for clients.

Brand Promise - Crown makes my business what I want digitally.

Delivery Mechanism - Insightful creativity across business and marketing and technology.

Unique Selling Proposition - Outperform your market, digitally.

Crown digitally integrates customer acquisition (online sales), digital experience (content management and marketing) and business analytics to develop, implement and operate services that sustainably outperform a client’s competition.

All of this leads to the company message as depicted in our tagline:

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Introducing Crown to YourCircle of InfluenceEvery member on the Crown roster has a network of people you know. A key play for winning additional business is leveraging your circle of influence to drive leads into our lead funnel. A program has been developed to provide an incentive for colleagues to actively help drive our client pipeline. If an account you refer becomes a client you will be rewarded with 5,000 points through the Crown Rewards system.

Never introduced a friend or colleague to Crown? No problem. Here’s a framework to guide you through the process. 1. Set a goal of introducing 3 companies to

Crown over the next year. You can set your own personal goal. The average goals will typically range from 5-10 companies per year.

2. Identify 10 people from your business or personal network who may be interested or know someone who may be interested in Crown’s services.

3. When you meet people ask them who they know that may be interested in Crown’s services

4. Write down all names and contact information

5. Create a call list from the names identified or generated

6. Make at least 2 calls per week to the individuals on your list

a. Introduce yourself and Crown.

b. Position it as an exploratory networking call.

c. Point them to our Homepage Video.

d. Give them the Crown overview (Script below).

e. Ask them if their company may be interested in our services.

f. Ask them if they know of anyone else who may be interested in our services.

g. Find out what their company does and see if you have any way of helping them drive business.

h. Send a LinkedIn request.

i. Stay in touch.

7. Add any new contact leads to your call list. Initial Contact Script “My company, Crown, is doing some really amazing things right now that are helping companies get huge returns out of web-based solutions.

What we are great at, is helping companies identify the ways the web can add serious lift to their business, and then helping them make that happen, fast. For some, it’s eCommerce. Others, its lead generation. Others, its value-add services that increase customer retention.

I don’t know if your company would be interested, or if we’d even be able to help, but it might be worth a quick discussion. Maybe we could set a short call with me and one of our Partners? We would probably just do a quick intro and ask you a couple questions - if something obvious surfaced, then maybe we could meet. If not, no big deal but so far, just about every company we speak with is asking for our help, so I thought it’d be worth mentioning. Think we could schedule a short call and see if there’s something there?”

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The Sales (Whale Hunting) ApproachCrown has a differentiated approach to winning business in the market place. While it is possible to win big business as a lone wolf, chances of success raise significantly when multiple team members are involved in landing the next deal.

This approach has some distinct processes that may include:

1. Scouting – Scouring the market for whales that match the target filters.

2. Business Acceptance Process – presenting the prospects dossier for sales management approval to “launch a hunt team.”

3. Issues Identification – Working with the client executive team to uncover the key issues for Crown’s focus. Issues defined in terms of time, money & risk.

4. Solution Definition – Mapping the client issues to actionable, outcome-oriented solutions.

5. Harpooning – The act of positioning Crown’s solution and managing the sales process.

6. Riding – The sales management aspect of managing multiple opportunities. Are we getting access to the right executives? Are we gaining access to the right information at the right times in the sales process?

7. Closing – Winning the deal by getting ink on paper.

8. Celebrating – Honoring the process by celebrating successful outcomes.

9. Transition to Delivery – crucial for ensuring we continue advancing the newly won client through the client lifecycle.

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Assembling the Right Sales TeamDepending on the size and scope of the prospective client, you will want to assembledifferent individuals to support the pursuit. Regardless of who is assembled, SalesExecutives are always on point for the statement of work and will work with othercompany executives to develop a sales strategy.

Consider the following “plays” when looking to assemble the right sales team and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

When a Sales Executive (SE) should work inside the practice only…

1. SE identifies a new client opportunity with a specialized need such as WEM, BA, EPM or eCommerce OR SE identifies a new opportunity inside an existing account that has specialized expertise such as WEM, BA, EPM or eCommerce.

2. SE verifies that new opportunity is not with an existing multi-practice

account supported by a CAL.

When a CAL should bring in a SE for a new deal inside an existing multi practice account…

1. CAL always includes a SE when proposing new business opportunities.

This helps our CALs avoid being in the tough spot of selling and working a

relationship.

2. CAL will identify opportunities and provide the intelligence a SE will need to successfully propose and close business.

3. CAL establishes the SE as someone that is effective and highly regarded for

his/her subject matter expertise… and sets the CAL up as a trusted client

advisor for multiple engagements for many years to come.

When a CAL should be brought in for new sales to new clients…

1. If the opportunity is with a large company and it is likely there will need to be an ongoing account liaison to earn the account, identify a CAL that can begin to build rapport and help construct a long-term vision.

2. If the opportunity is with a high-growth potential company, a CAL (or other

Crown partner) should be included in the pursuit to help SE sell all of Crown

and promote executive visibility.

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AGENDA TEMPLATE CROWN OVERVIEW

Conducting a Sales MeetingIn many cases, your preparation and communication style during a sales meeting will be the first customer experience a prospective client will have with Crown. These early sales meetings can set the tone for the entire relationship and are often a point of evaluation when a prospective client is trying to choose between Crown and another competitor.

Consider the following when conducting a sales meeting and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. Prepare an agenda of topics to be covered during the pre-sales meeting.

2. Send a copy of that agenda to your prospective client 24-48 hours in advance and confirm that the topics meet expectations.

3. Review the Crown overview and add/remove slides as appropriate – remember that the Crown brand promises “unexpected solutions that change the game for a company.” Look for insights and ways that Crown can provide an unexpected solution or present content in a thought-provoking way.

4. Conduct meeting – involve fellow Crown whale hunters as appropriate.

5. Within 24 hours of your meeting, send a thank you e-mail attaching the meeting notes and follow up action items.

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IGNITE AGENDA TEMPLATE IGNITE NOTES TEMPLATE

Thanks for

ZOOMSOME

new ideas and

into your business

LETTING US

IGNITE CARD

IGNITETM SessionsIGNITE sessions help align business stakeholders around what they want to accomplish with their marketing, technology and eBusiness strategies. These are highly targeted and completely custom for the prospective client. In some cases this session will take place after a proposal or statement of work is signed, but more often this type of session provides the information needed to create a valuable proposal for service. Crown generally charges a fee to conduct these sessions, which can be altered, discounted or waived at the approval of executive leadership.

Consider the following “play” when conducting an IGNITE session and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. Provide an SOW to prospective client outlining topics to be covered and expected areas of alignment.

2. Finalize attendees (as many key stakeholders as the company can commit), select an offsite location to hold session, and prepare the agenda.

3. Review agenda in advance of IGNITE session to ensure topics meet expectations.

4. Session is led by primary senior colleague.

5. Crown leader to present ZOOM! book (IGNITE ritual that speaks to Crown’s love of books and invites assembled team to consider new options and possibilities throughout the session).

6. Take electronic notes of the session in real-time and provide those notes to prospective client within 48 hours of session conclusion.

7. The Crown team should prepare and mail a physical card thanking attendees for coming to the Ignite session and signed by each Crown team member present (Hope we IGNITEd some new ideas as we ZOOMed into your business).

8. Final presentation prepared and a follow up call conducted with prospective client within 5 business days – agree on next steps.

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AuditsOne way that Crown can show how it excels analytically, technically and creatively is to perform early audits on a client’s digital assets or technological environment. Doing this work early on allows a client to get to understand how we think, points out holes in their approach they may not be aware of and provides Crown with invaluable information that can be used in the official sales proposal to sell a project or program.

Consider the following “play” when conducting an audit and use the templates at right to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. If possible, use the audit as a first-opportunity to make a small sale with your prospective client – Practice Directors can assist in pricing an introductory audit.

2. Assess the digital assets (branded web site, search marketing approach) or technical environment that needs to be evaluated.

3. Collect read only access to look at existing analytics and client databases.

4. Utilize the available templates to compile findings.

5. Work with skilled team to assign meaning to the available data and evaluate the assets or environment.

6. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation to share the findings and associated recommendations with the prospective client.

7. Review the presentation deck and findings documentation with appropriate internal team at least 48 hours in advance of client meeting.

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eCHANNEL AUDIT TEMPLATE

Estimating a Project or ProgramAlmost nothing can set a project up for success or failure more than the way it gets estimated. Ensuring that the company estimates in a similar way across practices will enable our team to scale faster and win more business together.

When done correctly, a proper estimate will provide the sales team with what it needs to compete for an opportunity and the delivery team(s) with greater insight into the expectations used to create a Statement of Work. A solid estimate will also help align Crown and our client with the major milestones, risks, roles and responsibilities.

Consider the following “play” when building an estimate and use the attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. Sales Executive or CAL to work with Practice Director(s) or Delivery Directors to identify the high-level approach and a “Proposal Estimation Lead/Team.” High-level approach typically would specify the contract structure (e.g.--Fixed Price or T&E), delivery methodology (e.g.--FoCUS, Waterfall, Agile) and risk tolerance (e.g.—Formulate only vs. Formulate and Construction). Sales Executive / CAL shall manage process of facilitating questions and answers with the client.

2. Proposal Estimation Team builds a work breakdown structure for the project and a list of all activities. The Proposal Estimation Team estimates those activities, documents assumptions and provides a high, low and reality benchmark to the Sales Executive/CAL and Practice Directors/Delivery Directors. Sales Executive/CAL in conjunction with the Practice Directors /Delivery Directors provide direction on what level of effort to use to build-out the final estimate. Best Practice: Consult previous estimates to vet your estimates against other historical data.

Best Practice: Leverage realistic or high estimates when building out final estimates and project schedule.

3. Based on the final effort estimates, finalize the assumptions your project needs to consider to ensure that the final estimate can be accomplished and create a project schedule with

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PFA TEMPLATE

appropriate roles and dependencies. All fixed price projects, projects over 2 weeks in duration and multi-resource projects should have a project schedule.

Note: Project Schedule can be waived at the Practice Director’s / Delivery Director’s discretion.

4. Create a corresponding PFA from the project schedule with the appropriate resource levels to match the assumptions used to create the final effort estimates. Final statement of work will not be accepted without the PFA.

5. Deliver final PFA, Project Schedule and Assumptions to Sales Executive/CAL and Practice Directors/Delivery Directors. All fixed price estimates over $125,000 and estimates generating less than 50% GM must be approved by the CEO and COO respectively.

Best Practice: 48-72 hours before delivering estimate and proposal to client, assemble the Practice Director(s) and appropriate leadership team members to review the proposal and estimate documentation.

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Completing a PFASubmitting a proposal for final review and signature is not possible without a completed PFA (Projected Budget, Forecast and Actual Sheet). This tool has two tabs that must be completed to help stakeholders understand the effort and margins on the proposed deal. In addition, the PFA helps stakeholders understand the roles to be played, length of project and expected bill rates. The PFA is a living and breathing document that will be updated by the Project Manager or Project Coordinator on a weekly basis for the duration of the project.

Consider the following “play” when completing a PFA to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. Sales Executive to fill out the grey cells (B3-B10) on the “SOW Info” tab. The information provided here will populate other sections of the tool and is critical for completing the PFA. The information requested in B11 – B25 on the “Sow Info” tab is optional… BUT is considered best practice and is useful for historical analysis. If you have this information, you should complete this section.

2. The Sales Executive delivers the PFA to the Proposal Estimation Lead/Team for completion of the “Forecast-Actual” tab. Cells A8 – A17 and cells C8 – C17 should be completed with the skill level and roles needed per the Project Schedule and assumptions developed during the estimation process (See Estimating a Project or Program Play). If you know the names of individuals that are potentially going to be assigned, you may include them in column B in cells B8 – B17. If you need additional resources, “Copy” an entire row and then “Insert Copied Cells”.

3. Insert the hours that each role will dedicate to the project broken out over the anticipated weeks (cells J8 – BR17).

4. Move to cell CB8 and define the expected client rate. It is advised that you leverage the standard prices provided and work with Practice Director when needing to modify resource prices.

PFA TEMPLATE

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5. Add anticipated rates for roles where Crown plans to leverage a contractor or off-shore/near-shore resource in column CL.

6. If the project is “Fixed Price”, enter your fixed price risk percentage in cell CB39 and your expense estimate in cell CB42.

7. Evaluate your pricing and margins in cells CE43 – CE47. This amount must meet minimum acceptable Gross Margin.

8. Proposal Estimation Lead/Team provides the completed PFA to the Sales Executive or CAL as appropriate for incorporation into the SOW.

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PROPOSAL TEMPLATE PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

Proposal DevelopmentPreparing a proposal is the ultimate step in the pre-sales process. Based on information gleaned during sales meetings and audit reviews, the comprehensive sales team (made up of sales, practice leaders, technical and marketing leads and executive leadership) weighs in on the hours needed to accomplish the prospective client’s expected goals. It is Crown’s goal to prepare proposals for 100% of the prospective clients we meet with.

Consider the following “play” when developing a proposal and use the templates at right to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. Sales Executive should log on to the proposal repository and select a similar client (if possible) to modify the template.

2. Identify the unexpected approach Crown will propose and explain why Crown is best suited to help a prospective client achieve those results faster.

3. Define the anticipated client team and consult with practice leaders to identify expected number of hours and associated costs required to achieve goal.

4. Completing a PFA” play to arrive at Crown-approved costs. Set up a review with the Delivery Excellence team on the forecast and get their approvals.

5. Submit to practice leadership for approval. Where appropriate for fixed price projects or multi-practice projects, submit to COO, CFO and CEO for approval.

6. Once approved, set up an appointment with prospective client to present the proposal and answer questions.

7. Follow up throughout signature process.

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9Proposal and PFA ApprovalNow that you’ve put in the hard work of understanding the client need, identifying a valuable solution and working out the financial numbers that you think will make sense, it’s time to get that statement of work, proposal and PFA approved.

In all situations, the following “plays” should be followed before presenting a proposal to the client.

If the SOW covers a single practice only…

1. CAL or SEs coordinate scoping/review sessions with Practice & Client to develop a full SOW.

2. Practice sales execs craft the SOW+PFA

3. Practice sales execs get approval from their Practice Director. Please ensure the SOW is complete, clear, & compelling before presenting to Practice Director.

4. If a multi-practice account, review the proposal and PFA with the appropriate

CAL for approval.

5. CAL approves and gets approval from CAL leader/Chief Strategy Officer and Delivery Excellence team.

6. If the SOW is less than $100,000 it may then go to the client; If the SOW is

greater than $100,000 it must also be reviewed/approved by CEO.

If the SOW covers a multi-practice account…

1. The CAL will quarterback the SOW+PFA development assembling and managing

Sales executives and/or Practice Directors through the SOW process.

2. The CAL will write the SOW executive summary and overview and coordinate

executive approvals.

3. Practice sales execs to craft their components of the SOW.

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4. The leading/dominant work practice of the SOW is responsible for the project estimate and schedule in conjunction with the CAL and other practices. In this way, the group that drives most of the revenue and/or technical requirements should begin the PFA and work in total collaboration with the other practice representatives.

5. CAL owns responsibility for final compilation of a proofed, completed document. He/she will work collaboratively with the practices to develop integrated and thorough solutions, timelines and budgets. The CAL will provide the upfront structure, and complete as much as possible. The CAL may employ a PM, an admin, a marketing colleague, a business development consultant, or other colleague to assist in proofing and formatting.

6. Practice sales execs get approval from their Practice Director. Please ensure the SOW is complete, clear, & compelling before presenting to Practice Director.

7. CAL approves all practice components and gets final approval from CSO and Delivery Excellence team if the SOW is less than $100,000.

8. CAL gains approval from CSO then CAL, CSO and relevant sale/Practice Directors gain approval from CEO if greater than $100,000.

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A FoCUS ON DELIVERY

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A FoCUS on DeliveryCrown believes that “how” its solutions are utilized, and “how” it delivers those solutions are equally – or more – important than “THE” specific solution itself. Crown focuses on the change management process from inception to go live and beyond as the primary indicator of whether a client will achieve the initiative’s goals and objectives. In the end, this will drive our customer’s experience.

Because it matters to the client and it helps us to deliver a better overall experience, Crown has developed and utilizes its proprietary FoCUS™ Methodology (Formulate, Construct, Utilize, Strengthen) to drive alignment, education, implementation, and long-term partnership between you and Crown. This is our documented management system and it helps every member of the Crown team know when something should be done and how we can do it in the “Crown Way.”

It is a vital framework that keeps the entire team “FoCUSed” on the driving reason (make a business what they want digitally) a client has chosen to work with Crown.

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Formulate

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Formulate

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Formulate Stage of FoCUS Methodology

for·mu·lateFormulate – verb – to state systematically; to devise

The formulate stage of the FoCUS Methodology is where strategy, eBusiness vision and technology architecture are devised and communicated. This is the blueprint from which all work will be completed. Formulate often includes a timeline and roadmap of initiatives. Any research that needs to be conducted will be done during this stage.

Processes that are universal to the overall Crown approach and should be known by every member of the Crown roster are captured in the following plays:

It begins with Account Excellence.

There are many companies out there who will say they can do what we do and are working hard to deliver what we deliver. And the number of competitors will only continue to grow in this evolving space... In the end what will separate Crown from every other business out there is our account excellence.

That’s why we invest the time to create a playbook like this one. That’s why we spend hours upon hours each month and quarter adding to it and updating the contents as conditions change or better ways to do things present themselves.

Crown has a vision for account excellence. We believe that craftsmanship truly matters. We desire to be a company that the world knows about and that produces flawless deliverables on par with brands like Porsche.

When we achieve this level of craftsmanship and excellence we will be changing our industry. We’ll be changing the trajectory of our clients. And Crown will be seen as a badge of honor... a place that anyone who wants to be anyone in the realm of eBusiness will want to be aligned with.

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Internal Team HuddleTransferring the knowledge gained and the expectations set during the sales process is critical at the beginning of the formulate stage.

Assigning the team and ensuring everyone has similar context is step one in delivering a positive customer experience. This is achieved through an internal team huddle. This huddle will cover the key players, personality dynam-ics, a walk through the finalized statement of work and client expectations.

Consider the following “play” when leading or participating in an internal team huddle and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CPM or Project Manager to assemble the entire assigned team as well as the Account Executive and/or CAL, COO and the Practice Director(s) for an internal huddle.

2. When possible, send the SOW to the team at least 24 hours in advance for pre-reading.

3. Use the kickoff presentation template to prepare a walk through of the proj-ect/program initiatives.

4. Establish roles and responsibilities – in nearly all cases, after the client kickoff the sales team should no longer be included in the day-to-day workings of the client project.

5. Answer questions and/or ask questions of the CPM or project manager.

CROWN KICKOFF TEMPLATE

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Client Team KickoffOnce an internal team huddle has taken place, the Crown Way is to hold a client/Crown team kickoff. Similar to the internal team huddle, this is an opportunity to confirm what the project/program is intended to accomplish and what the next immediate steps are going to be. Beginning a new client relationship is a big deal. As such, Crown likes to commemorate the start of a new relationship with a ritual. The CAL or CPM will have the ability to send new clients a view master from yester year. These view masters are intended to stand out and create a memory as we start this new relationship. It can help them identify in an unexpected (Crown) way what their experience with Crown will be like. (A view into what it’s like to work with Crown…)

Consider the following “plays” when leading or participating in a client team kickoff and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. Set up a client kickoff meeting within 72 hours of signed SOW.

2. Use the kickoff presentation template to prepare a walk through of the project/program initiatives.

3. Establish roles and responsibilities – in nearly all cases, after the client kickoff the sales team should no longer be included in the day-to-day workings of the client project.

4. Answer questions and/or ask questions of the project manager or CPM.

5. CAL or CPM to send view master to the key decision makers/team members for the client account.

CROWN KICKOFF TEMPLATE

7750 Paragon Rd. Dayton, OH 45459

WelcomeTo Crown

VIEWMASTER

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Establish CalendarSet the Date… Hit the DateA key component of creating a positive client experience is helping a client know what to expect… and when to expect it. The ability to establish a timeline at the start and communicate those expectations early will go a long way with the clients Crown serves. To that end it is always Crown’s approach to introduce an iteration milestone calendar at the kickoff meeting if possible or the first check-in meeting at the latest.

The Crown Way is to work to three iterations for each milestone with checkpoints and internal/client reviews at the end of each iteration.

Consider the following “play” when establishing a calendar and use any of the attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to select the template from the Crown confluence site to assist in developing the iteration milestone calendar,

2. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to develop the calendar and present to the internal team for feedback and review.

3. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to share calendar with client at regular review times.

4. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to physically set up meeting notices on the calendars of internal/client teams for the iteration checkpoints and milestone completions within 24 hours of sharing the calendar with the client.

ITERATION MILESTONES TEMPLATE

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Client Access to ConfluenceEnsuring clients have a way to access the materials developed by Crown on their behalf in a centralized place is a component of the Crown Way. At Crown, that centralized place is Confluence and every client will be given a section of that environment that they can access at all times and provide real-time comments if appropriate.

Consider the following “play” when establishing client access to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to work with technology team to establish a client-specific environment on the Confluence platform.

2. Work with Crown team to establish sections that should be available at launch.

3. Communicate url and login information to the internal and client team.

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5Multi-Practice Account Internal ReportingAccounts that span multiple practices are among the most valuable to the firm.They require vigilant attention and oversight to ensure a winning client experience.That’s why we take extra care to ensure that practice leaders, operations and seniorexecutives are regularly kept in the loop on account happenings.

Consider the following “plays” when you need to report out on multi-practiceaccounts and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crownimpression.

Keeping the Leadership Team Updated…

1. Chief Strategy Officer to provide a monthly report to the executive team as a regular item on the strategic planning meetings.

2. CALs to present a quarterly review of their accounts highlighting accomplishments, future opportunities, P&L, updated SFA and spotlighting exceptional colleagues on the service delivery team.

Monthly SFA Updates…1. As situations warrant it (changes in

organization, new gossip, changes in regulation etc.), CALs will make updates to their SFA sales tool and document ongoing activity.

2. Once a month, CAL will assemble leaders on the account team, appropriate practice directors, sales executives and other members of the leadership team and hold an SFA planning session.

Weekly CAL Huddles…

1. The entire CAL team will meet once a week with one another and the Chief Strategy Officer to discuss management of accounts.

2. CALS will use this meeting to discuss opportunities and problems and make appropriate strategy modifications.

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6Escalating for ResolutionWith as many talented players as Crown has working on accounts, it is possiblecolleagues will have different opinions on what approach to take. At every stage of account management,there is an opportunity for disputes to take place on how to service a client, whatis in scope or out of scope or how to resource or not resource accounts. As a firmdedicated to a winning client experience, we are committed to quickly resolvingthese disputes.

Consider the following “plays” to escalate for resolution and use any attachedtemplates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

When Internal Conflict Arises…

1. Within 72 hours of time of awareness, CAL, CPM or PM to call a meeting of all appropriate players – CAL (when appropriate), account service team and practice directors.

2. If this group cannot arrive at agreement on scope, timeline or any other delivery component, the item will be escalated to the Chief Strategy Officer, (MPA) or Practice Director (PD).

3. CSO or PD will make an account based ruling involving other senior leaders as needed.

When Client Raises a Dispute…

1. If a client contacts a member of the account services team with a dispute, team member will let client know that they will contact the ranking CAL, CPM or PM on the account before responding to the client.

2. If a client contacts a Leadership Team member, these leaders may ask additional clarification questions and let client know they will discuss with ranking CAL, CPM or PM.

3. Only the CAL, CPM or PM will respond to client with agreed upon resolution and future commitments. Clients will receive issue feedback within 24 hours of raising the concern.

Construct

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Construct

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Construct Stage of FoCUS Methodology

con·structConstruct – verb – to build; put parts together

The construct stage of the FoCUS Methodology is where the project team takes the strategy and overall approach to construct detailed wireframes, technical documentation, information architecture, user experience work and creative design… among other things. This is the stage where physical assets and development environments that will be sent to production are created.


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Weekly (Regular) Status MeetingsEnsuring that our clients have an established time to meet with the Crown team or leaders of that Crown team goes a long way in developing a positive client experience. A CAL, CPM or Project Manager should decide in conjunction with the Crown team and practice management just how often status meetings should take place with a specific client. In the majority of cases that will be every week. At a minimum, it is the Crown way that status meetings will take place at least bi-monthly.

Consider the following “play” when leading a weekly status meeting and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to establish with client a regular day and time for the client to meet with the Crown team.

2. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to work with senior leaders to complete the weekly status template.

3. Identify risks and opportunities that the team should be aware of. CAL or CPM should be prepared to address risk mitigation strategies for those risks and how to involve a Sales Executive for new opportunities.

4. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to lead the conversation with client and walk through the accomplishments of the Crown team on behalf of the client.

WEEKLY REPORT TEMPLATE

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Monthly Executive SummariesA key component of positive client experience is reminding a client often just how much the work Crown is doing is helping them move the needle over time. Crown has established a monthly executive summary meeting to accomplish this. The monthly summary provides an overview of all the accomplishments Crown has achieved in a given month, walks through how the Crown team has met the established roadmap timeline and provides links to client assets on their customized Confluence site.

Consider the following “play” when leading a monthly summary meeting and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to schedule monthly summary meeting with client.

2. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to work with project leaders to complete the weekly status template.

3. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to ensure that promised items on the roadmap are worked on throughout the month and delivered as expected.

4. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to ensure that team members load final documents into client Confluence site in advance of monthly meeting.

5. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to lead the conversation with client and walk through the accomplishments of the Crown team on behalf of the client.

6. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to send final monthly report to Executive Sponsor.

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MONTHLY REPORT TEMPLATE

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Maintaining FilesDelivering a consistent client experience requires that clients and internal team members know how and where to find pertinent information. This document retention process protects Crown’s intellectual property and creative assets and helps clients retain documentation, avoid reinventing the wheel and assists Crown in scaling more quickly with future clients.

Consider the following “play” when building a filing system and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. Practice leadership to establish practice filing naming standards and communicate that with partners. All files expected to be maintained on account pages created on confluence.

2. Develop a file naming system, such as: Campaign name_ type of content_ date_ version # (Ex: IAW Spring into Action_ prospect email copy_0411_v2.)

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Internal Pre-Meetings On a football team, it’s the drills you do to prepare for any situation that often win games and are momentum changers in an actual game. This is why it is Crown practice to host internal meetings in advance of milestone/iteration reviews and/or monthly executive reviews. The extra preparation and run-through often result in smooth review cycles and allow for team members and practice leadership to identify holes that can be closed in advance of client meetings.

Consider the following “play” when conducting an internal pre-meeting and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to establish dates of internal team meetings at time of iteration milestone calendar development.

2. Put meeting dates/times on Crown team member calendars.

3. CAL, CPM or Project Manager to lead the meeting as a dry run at least 24 hours in advance of client meeting. (Any deliverables to be presented should be reviewed during this meeting.)

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Escalating for ResolutionWith as many talented players as Crown has working on accounts, it is possiblefor differences of approach to take place. At every stage of account management,there is an opportunity for disputes to take place on how to service a client, whatis in scope or out of scope or how to resource or not resource accounts. As a firmdedicated to a winning client experience, we are committed to quickly resolvingthese disputes.




2. If this group cannot arrive at agreement on scope, timeline or any other delivery component, the item will be escalated to the Chief Strategy Officer, (MPA) or Practice Director (PD).






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Utilize

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Utilize

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Utilize Stage of FoCUS Methodology

u·ti·lizeUtilize – verb – to put to practical use

The utilize stage of the FoCUS Methodology is where a client’s technology or eBusiness campaign is debuted to the larger market place. At this point in the process data can begin to be captured. This data is intended to inform future decisions that can be taken by the Crown team to ensure continuous improvement and optimal results. The most differentiating part of the Crown approach is the utilize and strengthen approach of the methodology. In a phrase, it IS what makes Crown unlike most consulting companies and unlike most technology shops or creative agencies. To that end, Crown has adopted a belief that a “Go live date is NOT done date.” In fact, from a client perspective… this is when the game is truly changed for their business.


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Plus Delta Reviews – Grading the Game FilmThe best football teams leave a lot of heart, sweat and sometimes blood on the field in the pursuit of accomplishing a goal. Regardless of the ultimate result and how well the game was played, the most successful football teams gather to watch the game film. The purpose of these reviews is to identify where things worked well… which drills conditioned them to make game-time reactions that worked… and where there were holes that require immediate improvements before taking on next week’s opponent. Crown takes the same approach in its pursuit of game changing results for its clients by looking at what went well (pluses) and what should be improved next time (deltas). At Crown we grade our game film and perform better as a result.

Consider the following when constructing plus delta reviews and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CAL or CPM to conduct a plus-delta review with Crown team and client team within 2 weeks of completing a major milestone.

2. (Important – engaging in complex projects can be a messy process. This should be anticipated. Give your team some time to experience some successes with the functionality and some distance between go live and the plus delta review… this allows for rational, concrete and less emotional feedback that all can capitalize on).

3. CAL or CPM to explain the process, why we do it and ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and participates.

4. Note taker established in advance to record results – and need not record who said what necessarily.

5. End results sent to team almost immediately following the meeting (within one working day at the longest) to ensure all perspectives recorded correctly.

6. CAL or CPM to send results to executive sponsor so that they are in the loop.

PLUS DELTA TEMPLATE

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Celebrating Milestone Completions Have you ever seen a football team that accomplished its goals (it won the game, it won the championship) that didn’t celebrate its victory? It doesn’t happen. When a milestone is reached they celebrate, pour Gatorade on the coach, and go out for a big meal. To foster a positive client experience, Crown celebrates milestones achieved.

Consider the following “play” when celebrating completed milestones and use the any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CAL or CPM to communicate the scheduled milestone(s) date with the Practice Marketing Coordinator during project kick off.

2. For the first go-live milestone of any client engagement, Crown wants to celebrate this achievement in a similar way. See the attachment title GO-LIVE to understand all the specifics. This ritual has a client and internal team component. For milestone achievements beyond a first go-live:

23. CAL/CPM and Practice Marketing

Coordinator to familiarize themselves with the menu of milestone celebration options

4. Four weeks before milestone date approaches, the Practice Marketing Coordinator will check with the CAL or CPM to see if the original milestone date is still valid. Practice Marketing Coordinators will also ask if there is an additional opportunity with the client after the completion of the project or if this is a “one-project” client. These questions will determine the size and scope of the milestone celebration.

5. Practice Marketing Coordinator to communicate how the milestone will be celebrated and upon approval will begin planning the celebration. If the celebration is complex, it is advisable that Practice Marketing conduct regular review meetings with the Practice Director and the CAL/CPM.

6. 7 days prior to the milestone celebration, review final details with those that will be attending the Milestone Celebration, including how the celebration will be documented.

7. Within 7 days of the milestone celebration, the Crown team member who documented the event will send photos/videos to the Practice Marketing Coordinator who will upload the photos to Crown’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

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2. If this group cannot arrive at agreement on scope, timeline or any other delivery component, the item will be escalated to the Chief Strategy Officer (MPA) or Practice Director (PD).




2. If a client contacts a LeadershipTeam member, these leaders may ask additional clarification questions and let client know they will discuss with ranking CAL, CPM or PM.


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Strengthen

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Strengthen64

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Strengthen Stage of FoCUS Methodology

strength·enStrengthen – verb – to make stronger, enhance strength

The strengthen stage of the FoCUS Methodology is where Crown takes its solution and improves upon it. Our experience informs us that the “Go Live” date of any technical solution is never the end date; rather, it is the “Start Date” for taking advantage of the solution, learning from adoption and consumption, and iteratively improving it. Using market leading analytics, Crown consultants use this phase of the methodology to benchmark usage, activity, identify trends and make recommendations for iterative improvement based on detailed analysis. Processes that are universal to the overall Crown approach and should be known by every member of the Crown roster are captured in the following plays:

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Ongoing MonitoringNot only do clients choose Crown because we help them achieve things faster, they choose Crown because they know the team is keeping an eye on how their systems/campaigns are performing. They expect and depend on Crown to iterate on these initiatives ensuring they perform at optimal levels. To that end, a key component in the Crown approach is to engage in ongoing monitoring.

Consider the following “play” when monitoring systems or campaigns and use the templates at right to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. CAL or CPM to build into weekly discussions and monthly summaries insights gleaned as a result of ongoing monitoring

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Analytic ReportsMany clients choose Crown because of the company’s ability to identify and respond to emerging trends. This intelligence is a key differentiator for the company and a significant reason clients will achieve high results. Routinely presenting Crown findings and helping a client understand modifications made that improved performance will go a long way in creating an optimal client experience that results in a client for life.

Consider the following “play” when preparing analytic reports or campaigns and use any attached templates to help you deliver a consistent Crown impression.

1. Technical and Marketing account leads are to prepare findings/insights into consistent formats that clients can come to depend on.

2. CAL or CPM to include time in monthly meetings to review reports and let these leaders report on findings and present recommendations for discussion.

3. Analytic reports to be archived on client Confluence site.

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2. If this group cannot arrive at agreement on scope, timeline or any other delivery component, the item will be escalated to the Chief Strategy Officer (MPA) or Practice Director (PD).






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Notes

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JUST DO IT“There are few secrets in football. So execute.”

Hank Stram - Head football coach, Kansas City Chiefs

“If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” Herschel Walker -Hall of fame football player, Dallas Cowboys

“Three things can happen when you throw the ball, and two of them are bad.” Darrell K Royal - Head football coach, University of Texas

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“There are few secrets in football. So execute.”Hank Stram - Head football coach, Kansas City Chiefs

“If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” Herschel Walker -Hall of fame football player, Dallas Cowboys

“Three things can happen when you throw the ball, and two of them are bad.” Darrell K Royal - Head football coach, University of Texas

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When a game is run well it can appear glorious. Watching talented individuals do what they do with excellence can be a sight to behold and something that you might remember and talk about for years. But behind every elegant play is a lot preparation, sweat and learning curves.

Adhering to processes like you’ve just read through is certainly good for Crown… yet that’s not the reason we’ve gone to great lengths to prepare this playbook. This is good for the clients we serve and ultimately the people of Crown are DRIVEn by serving clients well. This play book has been compiled to give you a resource that helps you know the client experience Crown aims to deliver.

Meeting those expectations really comes down to one thing. Preparation. It truly is the mastery and execution of the fundamentals that will lead this Crown team to an ability to innovate awe-inspiring and game-changing moments. Understanding our plays will afford us the ability to consistently deliver ground making plays.

And separate the good from the best.

Just as important as what we do is how we do it. And the “how” is how we will differentiate ourselves in the market place and change the game for the clients Crown chooses to work with.

Crown is excited to have you as a part of our roster and expect you will achieve great things for your fellow team mates and the clients you serve. At Crown, we’re not looking to win a few games and have a few successes… we’re out to create a dynasty. It is our intent to build a reputation for achieving stellar results that lead our company to the Super Bowl time… after time… after time.

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xcel faster™xcel faster TM

Crown Playbook

Documents

Transcript of Crown Playbook