Client Q&A Feature: TDM Specialists, Inc. |
Recently, we had an opportunity to chat with Elizabeth Hughes, CEO for TDM Specialists, Inc., about the company, how they navigated the pandemic and the positive outcomes they experienced working with Jeanne Reaves. |
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and TDM Specialists, Inc.
A: About Elizabeth – Since 2000, I have been working with Commercial Real Estate Developers to prepare successful Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plans that meet vehicle trip reduction entitlement and mitigation requirements. During this time, I’ve also worked with property managers to implement TDM/commuter programs at multi-tenant office sites and residential properties. I began my TDM career path working for The Hoyt Company and later with HDR Engineering. I started TDM Specialists, Inc. in 2012.
About TDM Specialists, Inc. – TDM Specialists, Inc. is a small boutique firm operating in a supportive team environment while encouraging entrepreneurial spirit. We have great clients and relationships with resources agencies and systems. We are naturally curious and always learning and growing within our industry.
What We Do: TDM Specialists, Inc. works with commercial real estate developers, architects, engineers, property managers, and employers to achieve vehicle trip and parking reductions required by local government regulations. TDM planning reports support development project entitlements and successful permit approvals.
We also have a Commuter Program Management, which implements and manages commuter programs. The commuter concierge team offers behavior-change marketing to engage employees and residents and coordinate transport solutions that include public transit or shuttles, carpool, bicycle, walk, vanpool, bike and scooter-share programs, flexible work shifts, and telecommuting. As an amenity concierge service, we offer one-on-one trip planning, commuter engagement, solve parking problems, reduce drive-alone trips and greenhouse gas emissions, and support building or site-wide sustainability goals.
Q: The pandemic has left no industry untouched. How have TDM Specialists, Inc. had to adapt and/or pivot to meet customers needs?
A: During the pandemic, TDM Specialists took time to enhance our technology and management systems. We launched OneCommute, a commuter relationship management (CRM) platform, which added tremendous capacity for our program managers. We also engaged with more real estate developers in the Sacramento Region and San Francisco Bay Area to expand our TDM Planning services.
Q: When partnering with Jeanne Reaves Consulting, what services were provided for TDM Specialists, Inc.?
A: Jeannie Reaves Consulting provided us with an interactive, facilitative, and out-of-the-box process to develop a Strategic Plan. The purpose of the Strategic Plan was to prepare for post-COVID challenges and growth opportunities for our business. The process helped us better understand the inefficiencies, how to reduce inefficiencies, how to work smarter, not harder, and what we can stop doing that isn’t necessary. The Strategic Plan gave us a road map for growing the business and expanding into new lines of business and measuring our success. In addition, Jeannie Reaves Consulting helped us create a Marketing Plan that included creating an ideal profile for new clients (market, demographics, geographically). Developing the Marketing Plan taught us how better to manage client relationships that encourage them to be repeat clients, leverage existing online resources, and network to generate a wider audience. The Strategic and Marketing Plan process also was a tremendous team-building exercise.
Q: What were the benefits and positive outcomes of working with Jeanne Reaves Consulting?
The immediate benefits include increasing real estate developer clients and TDM Planning work and improving our online visibility.
Q: Do you think those services provided by Jeanne Reaves Consulting will be helpful for your business moving forward?
A: Absolutely. The services provided by Jeanne Reaves Consulting have already helped our business move forward and focus our plans for 2022 and beyond.
To inquire about working with Jeanne Reaves and her team, we encourage you to reach out today. We can't wait to hear from you!
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How Will You Market Your Business in 2022? |
All companies – from large corporations to small businesses – employ a marketing strategy and establish a marketing budget because this is how you maintain clientele and attract new clientele. When times get tough, whether it be financially or a shift in the marketplace, the marketing budget can be the first on the chopping block. But the marketing budget is actually the last place to cut because you want customers and prospects to be reminded of your brand, the services you offer and the solutions you provide.
Tactically, how we market to customers and prospects today may be different, but the core of marketing remains the same. When determining a marketing strategy, this question still applies: How can we assist our clientele to make their lives easier and more productive in today’s climate? This question is a critical cornerstone in how we market our businesses because it forces us to think beyond how we think we can assist, and instead helps us determine what our customers and prospects perceive as their biggest need.
Like many other companies, our marketing strategy and tactics at Jeanne Reaves Consulting has continued to change and evolve to meet market conditions. However, the core of our marketing strategy remained, which was how can we help our clients grow as leaders, employ powerful, productive, and positive teams, and thrive in the ever-changing work environment. The pandemic gave us time to evaluate the market, listen to where it might go, and to understand what new challenges clients are facing and how we can help.
Perhaps the most common challenge many of our clients faced in the pandemic was remote working. Leaders were suddenly faced with a new challenge to maintain an engaged team and promote a collaborative company culture, but now with most (or all) employees working from home. Employees quickly became more siloed, new hires were onboarded having never met the team, and even with video platforms communication and how we communicate became infinitely harder. One of our business services, pre-pandemic and now, is to coach team members to work together, to be vulnerable with one another, to hold them accountable, and how self-awareness is a powerful tool for the employee and the larger team. While the core of our business remained the same, how we worked with our clients changed, and likewise, how we marketed these services changed.
One of our clients, TDM Specialists, Inc., a transportation demand management company, certainly understands how marketing continues to evolve. The company adjusted their overall strategy and tactics to enhance their company brand, which resulted in an increase in busines. Staff members, many of whom currently work from home and are in different departments, quickly realized the importance of communication to deliver projects in a timely manner. TDM is continually working to exceed their clients’ expectations, and their marketing tactics are reflected in the mindset that their clients are always number one. The company’s emphasis on marketing starts at the top with CEO Elizabeth Hughes, who has found that by enhancing the company’s communication skills and adjusting their marketing strategy that they are well primed to carry out all strategic initiatives.
Looking forward, how will you market your business in 2022? Do you need to make a pivot, or dust off your marketing plan? At Jeanne Reaves Consulting, we specialize in helping you identify your strategic initiatives, and likewise, a complementary marketing plan. Contact us today, for your free evaluation.
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