Mark daly Strategic Advisor (Strategist)

As the strategic advisor at DSA, Mark has a proven track record of helping organizations build value-added cultures, earn superior profits, reduce risk, develop true competitive advantage, and win long-term. Below is an overview of Mark's strategic experience, three case studies, and areas where performance has improved due to his involvement.

strategic Experience

At DSA, Daly has helped clients achieve greater, sustained success since 2004. He gained additional strategic competence by directly leading businesses (Fortune 500 to the Inc. 5000) and through extensive board service. With over 40 years of business experience, Mark has learned what works and what doesn't. He gets to key issues fast. He helps clients discover and own the right solutions for long-term success.

CASE STUDIES

1: RETOOL HIGH GROWTH - A high growth business with a strong sales culture became stalled in its unprecedented growth path. The CEO reached out to Mark. As a first step, Daly set forth to truly learn the business, its culture, customers, opportunities, competitors, and challenges. Through collaborative strategic planning, we uncovered key obstacles to growth and developed specific, purposeful plans to get back on a continuous, high-growth track. At the time of engagement, the business was about $0.5 billion in sales. It was the sixth largest company in its industry. Today, there are over 8,000 employees. Customer satisfaction is 9.3 (out of 10). The company is now the second largest in its industry. Sales exceed $7 billion (virtually all organic growth).

2: ATTACK INNOVATION - A high quality international manufacturing company’s growth prospects were slowing and its risk increasing. The organization did an outstanding job responding to RFPs from large Fortune 500 customers. Working with the team, plans to generate innovative new products through significant customer/market involvement and intelligence were undertaken. The corporate culture was purposefully adjusted. An acquisition was targeted to add innovative product lines/diversify. DSA spotlighted a profitable product area that needed more attention. Innovation talent was added. As a result, revenues more than tripled and profits increased more than 5-fold (for perspective, the business had strong profit margins at the project start). The "spotlighted product line" is now the highest profit contributor. A successful acquisition was made. The business is less risky/more diversified. It is winning with purpose.

3: DIFFERENTIATE PRODUCT OFFERING/STRATEGIC EXIT - Faced with a declining market due to technology shifts and strong price competition (high supply/low differentiation), a fourth-generation family business reached out to Mark. After a thorough analysis of customer needs, market options, competencies, and opportunities, a strategic decision was made to innovate upstream with prototyping and package design services - the front end of the decision process (less price pressure/strong customer need for better solutions). New talent was culturally integrated into the organization. As a result, sales and profits more than doubled. Since a fifth generation was not a viable option, the decision was made to exit the business. Due to high trust, Daly was "handed the keys." He led and coached the company through the exit process. An industry leader purchased the business at very high multiples/excellent terms. Employees and the business were successfully assimilated.

Performance that measures up

Below are five areas where performance has significantly improved after engaging DSA:

  1. Better Defined Future, More Effective Strategies, and Priorities:

    • Clearer future

    • Sustainable competitive advantages with higher growth and profit

    • Greater outcomes leveraging fewer resources

    • Consistently winning (more fun, less frustration, lower stress)

  2. Game Changing Innovation:

    • Differentiated, own-able strategic niche offerings that truly improve customer's lives

    • Proactively creating the right stream of new product introductions with higher success rates

    • Measurably better customer delight and retention than competition

    • Defining and finding the right innovation talent that creates a better future

  3. More Effective & Efficient Organizations:

    • Simpler, easier to do work structures

    • Better alignment of all resources

    • More inspiring work with lower turnover

    • Superior talent, stronger talent pipelines, and proactive succession plans

  4. Healthier Cultures:

    • Meaningful values that employees embrace

    • Faster pace of learning

    • Higher accountability

    • Stronger culture of winning

  5. Successful Exits:

    • Greater valuations and better terms

    • Less stressful/smoother transitions

    • Leverage the wisdom of a trusted advisor that truly looks after shareholder, employee, and customer interests'

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