Ways to work together

Start with the problem.

I interview, review evidence, test the brief, and stay involved through the agreed work.

Where I fit

Looking for a leader who can move the work forward?

I’m open to a leadership role, a defined consulting engagement, or a hands-on partnership with a team building something new. My work spans marketing, customer experience, data, and the operating decisions that connect them.

CEOs, presidents, and founders

When growth has stalled, the offer is hard to explain, or the business needs a sharper direction.

CMOs and marketing leaders

When positioning, content, measurement, or customer experience is failing to produce the result.

Executive and transformation teams

When priorities compete, ownership is unclear, or a cross-functional initiative needs senior leadership.

Best fit: a consequential business problem, room for candid discussion, and a commitment to act on the answer.

See how I lead across an organization

A candid fit check

When I am not the right fit.

Good work needs a real decision and the access to affect it. These conditions are reasons to choose another route or change the scope first.

You have settled the strategy and only need a production team to execute a clear brief.
The people who can make the decision cannot take part in the work.
You want me accountable for a result without access to the evidence, team, or authority needed to affect it.
You need someone to validate a decision that cannot be questioned.

I can point you toward a specialist or help define a smaller first step when that makes more sense.

Compare the options

02 · Understand the opportunity

The request is a clue.

Choose the result, then test where the leverage may sit.

01SignalName the result

02System scanWhere might it break?

03DecisionDefine the response

Choose a result and a system to build your starting brief.

03 · How I work

Truth first. Then the work.

I will say what others avoid, test it against the evidence, and stay involved until your team can act on it.

Listen

Hear the problem as each person experiences it.

Question

Test assumptions against evidence and behavior.

Decide

Name the constraint, choice, and owner.

Stay

Turn the decision into action, measure progress, and adjust until the problem moves.

CuriosityCandorProcessLeadership

04 · What you can buy

Four clear engagements.

Choose a starting point. Scope follows the problem, not a preset package.

Problem Definition Sprint

Buy this when: the symptom is clear, but the cause is not.

We: interview, review evidence, and test the brief.

Hear the different accounts. I speak with the people who own the result and the people doing the work. I ask where they see the problem, what they have tried, and what each person can actually decide.
Check the evidence. We look at the customer signals, work in progress, measures, and handoffs available to your team. I separate what we know from what we assume and identify gaps worth checking.
Test the brief together. I bring back a plain account of the likely constraint and the choices it creates. We challenge it with the people who must act, then name the decision, owner, and next step.

You receive

A one-page problem definition
An evidence and stakeholder map
A prioritized decision brief

Scope: A defined project. We agree on the people to hear and evidence to review before setting a timeline and fee.

Ask about the sprint

Positioning + Growth Direction

Buy this when: buyers do not see, believe, or act on your value.

We: examine the audience, offer, promise, and path to action.

You receive

A clear audience, offer, and promise
A friction and opportunity map
A focused growth action brief

Scope: A project shaped by the markets, customer evidence, and decisions your team needs to make.

See the engagement

Leadership Alignment Session

Buy this when: leaders disagree, decisions stall, or ownership is unclear.

We: surface competing views and force the decision into the open.

You receive

An agreed business outcome
Clear roles and decision rights
A sequenced ownership plan

Scope: Preparation and a working session with the people who can make or carry the decision.

Ask about the session

Strategy-to-Delivery Leadership

Buy this when: you do not need another recommendation. You need someone to help carry it through.

We: sequence the work, confront what stalls it, bring in support, and stay accountable to the result.

You receive

An implementation roadmap
The right specialist support
Measures, reviews, and next decisions

Scope: An ongoing role or engagement. We agree on authority, team capacity, milestones, and how progress will be reviewed.

See the delivery model

Choosing the right help

When should you bring me in?

The right choice depends on what is already clear and what your team can carry.

Hire a specialist or agency

Choose this when you know the task and need focused capacity to deliver it, such as design, media, or production.

Hire a permanent leader

Choose this when you need someone to own a continuing function, manage a team, and make daily decisions over time.

Work with me

Bring me in when the problem cuts across teams, the brief itself needs testing, or a decision needs an owner and a path into action. I can help define the work, lead a project, or join your team for longer.

If the answer is a specialist or a full-time hire, I will say so. My role is most useful when candor, alignment, and follow-through are part of the work.

Before we work together

Questions you may have.

What if we cannot define the problem yet?

That can be the first piece of work. We start with the people involved and the evidence you have, then agree on the decision the work needs to support. I will not sell a larger program before we understand the brief.

Will we end up with another deck and no action?

We agree on an owner, the next decisions, and what your team can realistically carry. A short brief may be useful, but the work is judged by what changes after the discussion. If you need me to stay involved in delivery, we can scope that separately.

How will you work with our team?

I listen to the people closest to the work, challenge assumptions openly, and make responsibilities clear. Your leaders keep their decision rights. We agree on my role, access, and authority before I join the work.

What will it cost and how long will it take?

A focused project can take as little as a week. Larger work depends on the people, evidence, and implementation involved. I propose a scope, timing, and fee for your approval before we start.

How we meet

You may have found me through the work.

People reach me through introductions from clients and collaborators, articles and conversations on LinkedIn and the Marketing Accountability Council, podcasts and media interviews, and partnerships where we are solving a shared problem.

You do not need a referral or a polished brief. Tell me what you are seeing, and we can decide if a conversation would help.

Start a conversation

Common questions

Before we work together.

Choose the scope that fits the decision. Compare your options ↗

What does Jay Mandel do?

I advise leaders on brand strategy and brand management. I connect positioning to customer experience, operations, and culture, identify what blocks a result, help make the hard decision, and stay involved through agreed delivery. See brand strategy services ↗

How do we start if the brief is unclear?

We start with the problem. I interview the people closest to it, review available evidence, and test the brief with decision makers. We agree on the first decision, owner, scope, and timing before work begins.

How long does an engagement take?

A defined project can be as short as one week. I also lead a larger project or work as an extended part of your team through a monthly retainer. The timeline follows the work we agree to do.

What does it cost?

I price by value and scope rather than the hour. A half-day training session starts at US$5,000; projects and monthly retainers receive a proposal. Read the pricing page ↗

Where does Jay work?

I am based in Yonkers, New York, United States, and work with organizations across the U.S. remotely and on site by arrangement.

What if Jay is not the right fit?

If you need a production specialist for a settled brief, a larger multidisciplinary team, or a permanent leader with daily ownership, I will say so. See the comparison ↗

What happens next

A clear start, then an agreed scope.

We talk. You describe what is happening, who is involved, and what needs to change. I ask where the current explanation may be incomplete.
We test the fit. If there is a useful role for me, we identify the evidence to review, the people to involve, and the decision the work should support.
We agree on the work. I propose scope, responsibilities, timing, and fee before we start. Your team owns the business decisions; I help make them clearer and carry the agreed work forward.

Some projects take as little as a week. I can also join for a defined project or work as an extended part of your team. We agree on the scope and timing before the work starts. See how pricing works ↗

I work remotely and on site by arrangement. Email or the scheduling link above is the best way to reach me.

Bring me the problem.

Tell me what is happening. We can decide together what work makes sense.

Start a conversation ↗