Mountain Stream Group, Inc.
About
Mountain Stream Group is a detail-oriented, results-driven, multidiscipline communications consultancy. Our mission is simple: help you engineer your success.
To help you achieve success, our team of senior-level, world-class communications professionals and industry specialists live by the following Albert Einstein quote — our mantra.
"We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
We believe communication is all about problem-solving. We apply scientific principles and multi-level cross-trained thinking to blend visual, verbal, and sensory communication into a multidimensional, behavior-affecting message stream that creates a physical, rational, and emotional connection between your stakeholders and your brand, products, or services.
To fulfill our mission, we provide a broad portfolio of engineering, management consulting, marketing communications, and workforce development services. With the ability to customize them to focus on an individual application or integrate them into a holistic organizational solution, we provide your business a singular place to obtain a clear, cohesive, consistent brand message for all your brand’s touchpoints — and memorable voice.
Since 1993, our customized strategies have launched, grown, or revitalized companies, brands, and products locally, nationally, and internationally.
We consistently engineer market inroads and your success by making it a performance standard — personalized for your situation. And, our business building formula has helped startups to Fortune 500 companies
• formulate a blueprint for success, develop a proprietary and sustainable brand position and creative strategy, and create breakthrough communications;
• improve their brand image and awareness, swiftly grow revenue, and gain market share;
• deliver value to their stakeholders by providing category dominance and enhance their return-on-investment.
We ensure your success by utilizing our 6-step, closed-loop design process. It combines principles from continuous improvement methodologies like Six Sigma with idea-to-launch product design processes. It provides structure, discipline, and persistence to resolve issues smartly, create communication that connects, and cause action — leading to sustainable, repeatable, and scalable success in an ever-evolving ecosystem.
And, through our strategic alliance with Brand Central Station/ECCO — a worldwide brain trust of over 65 independent communications agencies in over 40 countries — we provide our clients with cost-effective, fluid global communications reach.
Our proposal to you is this: sample our results-driven communications strategies. After all, your success could depend on it.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
We utilize a 6-step process (Discover, Define, Create, Test, Broadcast, Measure) for all projects.
We start each client project with an e-mail, in-person, video or telephone consultation, introductory meeting, or visit of up to one (1) hour free of charge. The consultation typically is used to identify your companies’ Goals, Challenges and Vision, and a presentation of how we can help answer your challenges and achieve your goals.
The consultation is designed to gather as much information about our client’s likes/dislikes, brand persona, and competition; establish objectives and timelines; define technical specification; identify client’s project involvement level; and what key people will be involved among other items utilizing a series of project development questionnaires and worksheets we have created. Additionally, we collect client information (e.g., products, images, and other files) that will be needed and/or used in the production of the Project.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
Depending on the type of project and the nature of the work to be performed, we will use one of the following fee arrangements.
Fixed project fee: We may apply a lump-sum or fixed-fee value-based contract for projects that have a well-defined scope, a set of deliverables, and schedule. Any projects less than $2,500 must be paid in full to begin work. Equal to or over $2,500, half of the project fee is required to begin work, and if project completion is less than 8 weeks balance is due upon completing work or if completion is equal to or greater than 8 weeks milestone payments are required.
Hourly: For projects that don’t have a clearly defined scope, set of deliverables and/or schedule we will utilize a time and material arrangement. We apply a blended rate or a variable hourly rate structure based on employee and service category. The client will be billed monthly and payment is due immediately upon receipt of invoice. Retainer. Retainer contracts are used with clients who wish to have a series of assignments or projects completed over a specified period of time, or who want to secure our availability to perform work. Client agrees to pay us, in advance, a fixed monthly fee to secure our Services. Our minimum retainer is 6 months at $3,000 for 20 hours.
Prepaid Hourly. Prepaid hourly is a form of a retainer. It is typically used with clients who want to have a series of virtual (e-mail, phone or web-based) consultations or who want to secure our availability to perform work on an as-needed basis. Time can be purchased in 10-hour increments.
Hybrid. We may employ a combination of the aforementioned compensation methods for projects where a large part of the scope can be defined, i.e. fixed fee, but where additional services may be required, i.e. hourly or day rate.
Our minimum billing is $500.
What types of customers have you worked with?
We serve, and have served, startup to Fortune 500 consumer, business-to-business, industrial, and professional services organizations across the continental United States and the world.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
An entrepreneur needed a business plan. They were confused about how and where to start the process. We started by asking them a series of questions about their education, business, customers, and competitors.
By putting their answers and the information we obtained during market research into a mind map we were able to get them to focus and understand their achievements. As a benefit, it improved their morale and sparked their enthusiasm for their business.
What questions should customers think through before talking to pros about their needs?
1. Do you have a clearly defined scope of work?
2. Have you created a design or project brief that fully states who you are, who your target audience is, your objective, what the use of the design or end product will be, what is the deadline for the work to be performed and what your budget is?
3. Do you have a clear understanding of the investment (budget) needs to be for your project based on the going rate in your market area and industry, and via resources like the Schonfeld & Associates Advertising ratios, Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines, et cetera?
4. Have you researched and pulled together your likes and dislikes (e.g., colors, fonts, styles, etc.)?
5. What is the reason for your need?
6. What do you want to achieve or have accomplished at the end of the project?
7. What are your SMART goals?
8. Who are you attempting to reach with this project?
9. Is there a well-defined (industry, demographics, title, geography, etc.) target audience?
10. Have you established a strategy to reach your audience(s) and to achieve success?
11. When do you want to start the project?
12. What is the deadline?
13. How will you measure or determine success?