About
Like marketing when it’s done well, falconry is beautiful to observe.
(c) JC Dill - licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.
Like sales when it’s done well, falconry is a smarter way to hunt.
Like business when it’s done well, falconry is about collaboration and great results.
Training a bird of prey — or allowing oneself to be trained by one — is experiential. Falconry can be taught, and learned, through experience. This requires a certain amount of time, patience, and commitment.
The business world demands quick results. And it demands that those results improve. Quickly.
But the connection and trust between a falcon and a falconer proceeds at its own pace. In most cases, it can’t quickly be reduced to an equation, automated, packaged, or securitized. Any seasoned salesperson knows that valuable business relationships develop in a similar way.
Yes, advanced tools and methods that can make marketing easier and faster to execute, analyze, and improve. We rely on many of them to do our work! But we are always mindful that marketing, like falconry, is about facilitating relationships for the exchange of value.
We build systems to help our clients do this. And we help them measure and improve those systems until they achieve predictable, profitable, revenue.
Tom Scearce is Principal of The Falconry Group, LLC, a Seattle-based marketing and sales consultancy launched in 2008. Tom’s clients have included Focus.com, Portent Interactive, XO Communications, and Executive Conversation. Previously, Tom was Vice-President of Market Development at Speakeasy, a leading provider of VoIP and data services now part of Megapath. After joining Speakeasy in 2003, Tom’s leadership helped transform Speakeasy from a consumer-focused ISP into a nationally-recognized leader in small business communications. Tom and his team implemented a unique B2B marketing system that resulted in annual revenue growth from $50 million in 2003 to $100 million in 2008. Additionally, Tom played a role in several key transactions, including Best Buy’s 2006 acquisition of the company, a co-marketing agreement with VA Software (Slashdot.org), and a wireless network divestiture to TowerStream, the largest such transaction in the company’s history. Prior to this, Tom served as Director of Sales at Visto Corporation (now Good Technology), negotiating private-label software distribution agreements with leading wireless carriers in North America and Asia. Tom previously held multiple positions in sales, consulting, and product management with Concur and Semaphore Corporation. Tom holds a Masters in Business Administration and two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Washington.
Jessica Dafni assists with operations and marketing activities for both The Falconry Group and Conscious Body Pilates, bringing together her passions for small business, marketing and mind-body wellness. Over the past 15 years, Jessica has worked with many small businesses, including a poetry press, a yoga studio, a meeting facilitation firm and a specialty tea shop. To complement her background in marketing, Jessica has completed over 300 hours of Yoga teacher training with Asheville Yoga Center in Asheville, NC and 1,000 hours in massage and bodywork training from the International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB) in San Diego, CA and The Naga Center in Portland, OR. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing and English from the University of Maine at Farmington. Outside of work and wellness, Jessica enjoys walking with her dog, cooking and eating and drinking tea.
Interested in B2B marketing? Please send your resume to info [at] falconrygroup [dot] com.
We are particularly interested in people with experience and/or certifications in these categories:
– Marketing Automation - e.g., Hubspot, Marketo, Eloqua, Pardot, Net-Results
– CRM - e.g., Salesforce.com, Sugar CRM, Microsoft Dynamics
– SEO/SEM - e.g., SEOmoz PRO tools, Google Analytics, Google AdWords, and Microsoft AdCenter
– Social Media Monitoring - e.g., HootSuite Pro, Radian6, Sysomos
TFG has worked with companies that are diverse in size and scope.
Telecommunications
- Speakeasy (now part of Megapath)
- XO Communications
- Nextel (now Sprint)
- Rogers Wireless (Canada)
- SmarTone-Vodafone (Hong Kong)
Media & Advertising Services
Software
- Concur
- Visto (now Good Technology)
- BMC Software
Medical Devices & Health Services
- Client (confidential) of Malaspina Healthcare
- Conscious Body Pilates
Management Consulting
Real Estate Management
As our business expands, we’re looking for proven, scalable strategies for growing revenue. On a colleague’s recommendation, we hired Tom to educate our leadership team on current marketing and sales best practices. We liked how Tom managed our time, and we learned a lot. Instead of speaking in abstract marketing buzzwords, he engaged us in plain business English. Rather than pitching solutions to problems we don’t have, he shared real-world case studies and then answered our questions. This helped us apply the concepts to the business we’re now building. Hiring Tom was a good investment. I’m pleased to recommend him.
President, Corporate Real Estate Management Firm
Tom's sales background, combined with his creativity, intellect, and entrepreneurial drive make him a highly effective marketing leader. Tom has a keen understanding of sales and marketing metrics. He is analytical and results-focused, but places a high value on relationships. It was clear that individuals at all levels of the organization enjoyed working with and for Tom. From a partner perspective, he was demanding but always open and fair. It comes as no surprise that he has chosen to pursue the opportunity to build a small business, and with Tom’s integrity, work ethic, and relentless passion for customer value I’m confident it will be a huge success!
Referral Partner
Tom has consistently demonstrated strong analytical skills in solving market development problems and highlighting customer insights, and he developed clear strategies to resolve these challenges. Tom is a great asset for any organization seeking to better understand its marketing and sales options and keep an eye on its customer acquisition costs.
VP Product, Telecom Firm
Tom lives up to his name as 'The Lord of the Leads'. I collaborated with Tom on a project for one of my medical device clients that involved developing several different demand generation ideas and programs in a very short amount of time. He is extremely knowledgeable, listens to client feedback and hits the mark delivering quality content. I would certainly work with Tom again.
President, Healthcare Consulting Firm
What a pleasure it was to work with Tom. I was consistently impressed with Tom's ability to articulate a clear connection between marketing program expenditures and both expected and actual returns. He was completely willing and able to hold himself and his team accountable for results over time, constantly adjusting tactics, identifying trends and leading indicators, confident in what he knew and also clear as to what was not yet knowable. As a plus, I found Tom to be personable and approachable. It was great to have him on the team and I would appreciate the opportunity to work with him again in another setting.
CFO, Telecom Firm
Tom is a consummate professional. Solid, articulate, professional, polite, appropriately pushes back when necessary. Tom gets along with everyone. He builds relationships and keeps the balance on the professional side, certainly with clients. I have a bird’s eye view of what he’s up to. He has strong relationships with everyone he interacts with. The one thing that you get with Tom that you can’t get anywhere else: you get to the meat of the matter. He’s very good at finding a different perspective. Five words to describe Tom: Consummate professional, smart, insightful, easy to work with and valuable.
VP of Sales, Business Media Firm
