In my Marketing 321 group project, my team was given the task of providing marketing recommendations to our client, the Bryan/College Station Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (BCS CVB). We did a SWOT analysis to understand our client’s current positioning, and move forward to developing relevant recommendations for their business. Our team presented our ideas to the executives of the business, and they implemented several of our solutions.

​

When we were assigned our client, my team wanted to jump straight into possible recommendations for our client. However, I was not confident we fully understood their business and priorities. I was able to focus the team indirectly by asking questions to ensure we were thinking through the client’s problems thoroughly.  By posing the right questions, I was able to help my team members to recognize the gaps in our knowledge without calling people out or creating unnecessary conflict. It allowed each person to identify the problem and guided their critical thinking process to re-evaluate the client's situation.

​

As a result of understanding the client's business, we found that the CVB was lacking local support of their organization and was not effectively marketing to college students and their families. We also investigated competitors and found the BCS CVB website was far inferior to the tourism centers of other Texas cities. We recommended they target incoming students to reach both students and families at the introduction to the area. Secondly, we suggested host a photo contest to unite the local community in showcasing the beauty that Bryan and College Station has to offer. Lastly, we created an example Wix website to illustrate ways they could make their experiences more interactive and user-friendly. 

​

By asking questions, I was able to use my strength of seeing different possibilities to help my team develop more thoughtful and relevant recommendations. After we presented to our clients, they informed us that they had plans to begin marketing at New Student Conferences the following summer and could use the resources we compiled to aid the process.  The next semester, I revisited their website and found they had also implemented the improvements we had illustrated with our example.

​

I often feel uncomfortable taking charge, but I learned there are many ways to lead. Our group didn’t have an assigned leader, but I found by asking questions, I was able to keep our team focused on the goals of the organization. I used a democratic style of leadership to get everyone involved in the process. The experience gave me confidence in speaking up in a group environment, and sharing my thoughts and questions. I found that I enjoy working with others and facilitating their collaboration to create solutions.