About Deacon Lloyd Associates

From Strategy to Product to Market

Deacon Lloyd Associates is a product management and marketing consulting firm helping organizations achieve their growth and profitability objectives. We help clients identify, assess, and pursue product and market opportunities that strengthen their business for long-term success.

As a result, our clients become more effective in developing, launching and marketing new products and features that deliver meaningful value to customers; more effective in orchestrating product launches that accelerate market adoption; and more effective in defining and executing product and market strategies that work.

Getting It Done

Broadly speaking, we help businesses in three ways:

improve product management function with best practices
assist in developing product and portfolio strategy & plans
provide professional manpower to help quickly execute

You see, we are not career consultants -- all of us have real-world operating success in product management and marketing. Each has enjoyed the challenges of corporate executive responsibility and most have experience with start-ups. As a result, we like to get things done. We like to make a difference. And we understand many of our clients' challenges, as we have already faced similar ones.

About Our Product Management Consulting Services

The Team

Founded in 2002, we are a product management and marketing consulting firm comprised of a core group of experienced professionals -- all former product or marketing executives with F500 enterprises as well as start-ups. We utilize a federated structure comprised of autonomous consultants where each of us develops new clients while working together to deliver our services. This model enables each of us to maximize our capacities and enables the firm to efficiently deliver expertise that best fits each client's needs.

Although our team is geographically disbursed, we have found that location really makes no difference. Our client projects have been located throughout the U.S. and overseas.

About Deacon Lloyd Product Management Consultants

Core Operating Principles

Our approach is guided by core operating principles that our consultants apply in each engagement, including:

Leverage Client Knowledge: Our clients know more about their business than we do. We'll augment your knowledge and collaborate to develop fresh, objective insights, but your knowledge of your business is foundational to effective outcomes.
Collaboration: Collaboration yields the best results, so we operate as an extension of your team. As a result, new insights and ideas are more fruitful and impactful.

It Starts with Customer: Successful products and marketing start with an intimate understanding of customer problems, wants, and needs. We always strive to develop a clear picture of the target customers.
Execution Counts: Good strategy poorly executed is meaningless. That means part of our job is to help execute your strategies. We are 'hands-on' consultants ready to do what it takes to help you convert strategy to reality.
Communication: Prior to every engagement, we develop a clear understanding of your goals and expectations. We design a work plan that maps out what needs to be done, when it will be accomplished, and the results that should be realized. Our clients know costs and expected results prior to spending a dime with us.

Capability, Perspective, Flexibility

Why Deacon Lloyd? Because we offer a unique blend of capabilities, perspective, and flexibility that provides you with the kind of value we wanted when we were in your shoes.

Expertise: None of us is a career consultant. We all have real-world operating success in product management and/or marketing with Fortune 500 companies as well as start-ups. We don’t hire freshly minted MBAs nor do we have a career track for young consultants. Result: You gain the kind of practical, unbiased insights and perspective that that can only be attained through years of operating experience.

Product Management & Marketing Focus: We stick to what we know best, which is helping companies grow through well-designed and executed product and marketing strategies. We are not experts in HR, IT, M&A, Finance, etc. Result: You receive expertise aligned with your needs from professionals with the right functional experience.
Attitude: We don't have it. We have been described as 'candid' and 'hard-working' but never 'arrogant.' Sure, we have great track records, but we've also experienced the kinds of challenges and difficulties faced by our clients. Result: You get a true partner who respects and relates to your challenges and provides the kind of perspective and collaboration that yields success.

About Deacon Lloyd Product Marketing Consultants

Flexible Model: We structure fees and billing based on the project and client preferences. Typically, we charge a project fee based on the scope of work, often defined with our input based on experience with similar projects. In cases where the scope is more fluid or the client needs help performing day-to-day functions, we charge a monthly fee based on agreed-to hours for budgeting purposes. Result: Known cost upfront that minimizes risk of sad surprises.
Passion: We’re not a consulting body shop designed to maximize our own ROI at the expense of our clients’. We are executives who enjoy working to help companies grow through great strategies and innovative products & services. We get our thrills by seeing the results of our work in our clients' success. Result: Truly engaged professionals who roll-up their sleeves to get the job done. As they say, when you like what you do, you do it well.

Deacon Lloyd Product Marketing Consultants

Is your product management function strong? Read our article "Six Signs of Weak Product Management."