• WELCOME TO CALLAN CONSULTING


    Providing strategic marketing assistance to technology companies since 2000

ABOUT CALLAN CONSULTING


Callan Consulting has been providing executive-level marketing consulting services to technology companies since 2000. Our team brings decades of technology marketing expertise and has performed hundreds of strategic marketing projects for our clients.
We also believe in giving back to the world, and carve out 10-15% of our time to work on social good initiatives, with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.

Strategy

  • Marketing Strategy and Planning
  • Messaging and Positioning
  • Customer Decision-Making Process

Research

  • Research Strategy and Design
  • Focus Groups, In-Depth Interviews
  • Quantitative Research

Financial Modeling

  • ROI Analysis and Modeling
  • ROI Sales Tools and Training
  • Pricing Assessment

Execution

  • Marketing Materials Development
  • Sales Development and Enablement
  • Marketing Programs
  • “Callan Consulting has done exceptional work for me in support of several different technology startups at which I have been the CEO. Most recently, Callan Consulting performed a market opportunity assessment which was pivotal in a decision to dramatically change the market focus of AmberAlert GPS. This change has now been implemented and is yielding great success for the company.”

    — Alan Baratz, CEO, AmberAlert GPS —

  • “In today’s noisy and frenetic world, it’s critical that your company’s messaging and positioning hit the mark. Callan Consulting brought creativity, domain expertise, and a battle-tested process to ensure that we landed in the right place and walked away with what we needed to put their work to action right away.”​

    — Jody Shapiro, CEO, Productiv —

  • “Ed Callan is the consummate IT marketing and research consultant. If Ed says he will do something by Sunday night, you can expect to see it done, and done well.”

    — Scott McLarnon, Group VP and General Manager, WW Consulting, IDC —

    “Callan Consulting has done exceptional work for me in support of several different technology startups at which I have been the CEO. Most recently, Callan Consulting Callan Consulting Callan Consulting Callan Consulting

  • “Callan Consulting came through for us on this critical project when literally every major analyst and research firm balked at its complexity and depth. The result was a uniquely powerful content piece that has caused the sales and marketing world to stand up and take notice.”​

    — Justin Gray, CEO, LeadMD ​—

  • “Ed’s expert facilitation helped me and the Miller Center navigate a complex 2025 strategy building process, made even more complex by the coronavirus. He managed to retain the interactive and inclusive nature of the events by creatively employing a range of virtual tools. We literally could not have done it without him.”

    — Brigit Helms, Executive Director, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship —

LEADERSHIP TEAM


Ed Callan
Founder and CEO

About Ed

Molly Lienesch
Chief Operating Officer

About Molly

Sherman Griffin
Principal Consultant​

About Sherman

Maureen Martin
Principal Consultant​

About Maureen

John Har
Principal Consultant

About John

Kelley Noblet
Principal Consultant​

About Kelley

SERVICES


Practical experience, relevant results

Callan Consulting provides executive-level marketing services with emphasis on strategy, communications, sales development/enablement and research and analysis. Specific services include:

  • Strategy

    • Help clients identify and articulate strategic direction
    • Perform market opportunity assessments
    • Size markets, determine attractiveness, and develop go-to-market strategies

     

    Relevant Projects:

    DocuSign​
    Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship
    AmberAlert GPS​
    Productiv
    Busara​
    TaroWorks​
    Advocacy Accelerator​

  • Market Research and Validation

    • Develop end-to-end research strategies, both quantitative and qualitative
    • Perform market validation and executive-level one-on-one interviews
    • Facilitate and moderate focus groups

     

    Relevant Projects:

    LeadMD
    DocuSign​
    IDC
    AT&T New Product Development
    AT&T Consumer Panel Development
    TOPO​
    COHORT3​

  • Messaging and Positioning

    • Facilitate off-site sessions with senior management to develop company and product positioning
    • Build communication plans to support the strategy

     

    Relevant Projects:

    Applied Biosystems
    Reactivity
    Versata
    Zaplet
    AppStream

  • Sales Development and Enablement

    • Develop playbooks and operational strategies for inbound and outbound sales development (SDR, BDR, MDR, ADR) teams
    • Define the sales development process, including qualification and handoff
    • Develop sales enablement strategies, programs, and content
    • Create messaging, scripts, and materials
    • Lead training sessions tailored to SDRs, AEs and/or sales management

     

    Relevant Projects:

    Databricks​
    Gusto​
    Skedulo​
    AnyRoad

  • ROI Analysis and Modeling

    • Create and deploy web-based tools to automate pricing and ROI analysis
    • Perform detailed analysis of ROI value propositions for clients’ products
    • Develop comprehensive, intuitive spreadsheet models to articulate ROI
    • Develop customer-facing white papers, presentations, and case studies
    • Create “how-to-use” guides and conduct sales training

     

    Relevant Projects:

    Cisco Services/Support ROI Tool
    IDC Cost of Downtime Tool
    AT&T Pricing/TCO Automation Tool
    Cisco Application Messaging ROI
    IBM
    CNET Channel
    Covad
    MetaDesign

  • Pricing

    • Identify and optimize price structures and levels​
    • Quantitatively research customer price drivers and sensitivities​
    • Understand competitive pricing and implications for client​

     

    Relevant Projects: ​

    DocuSign​
    Bitly​
    OneLogin​
    ClearSlide

  • Marketing Materials Development

    • Drive corporate and product messaging into marketing materials
    • Develop new materials and sales tools, including corporate and product collateral, white papers, success stories, and more
    • Develop web site content, define design and layout requirements

     

    Relevant Projects:

    Google​
    DocuSign​
    IBM
    Reactivity
    MetaDesign
    Smartsheet​
    Nintex​

  • Marketing Programs

    • Manage and execute outbound direct marketing campaigns, promotions, partner marketing, and trade shows
    • Optimize lead management processes

     

    Relevant Projects:

    Sectigo​
    Inkling​
    DNN

  • Competitive Assessment

    • Research competitors’ messaging, positioning, and offerings
    • Perform gap analysis and recommend improvements in positioning as well as features/functionality

     

    Relevant Projects:

    DocuSign​
    AppDynamics​
    Bitly​
    OneLogin​
    VeriSign​

  • Contingency Staffing Services

    • Provide Interim VP of Marketing services
    • Provide Interim Director / PMM services
    • Support writing, editing, and other areas as needed

     

    Relevant Projects:

    DocuSign​
    Udemy
    Kitman Labs
    Cyxtera
    AT&T Interim VP of Marketing
    DNN

Projects


Callan Consulting has successfully managed and executed hundreds of consulting projects for the technology industry. The following is a sampling of projects across a variety of service areas.

Social Impact Projects


Since 2016, Callan Consulting has been allocating portion of its time to work on social impact projects, with the goal of giving back and making the world a better place. These projects have taken a number of forms, and primarily consist of supporting social entrepreneurs, non-profits, and NGOs to have greater impact on bottom of pyramid (BOP) consumers.​

Relevant Projects:​

  • Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship: designed and facilitated a series of workshops to develop a new five-year strategy
  • Busara Center for Behavioral Economics: advised senior management team on operational and organizational issues, led multiple annual strategic planning cycles
  • Advocacy Accelerator: led strategy development process to identify core mission, select target markets, understand competitive landscape, define services, and identify and methods to reach clients and constituents​
  • TaroWorks: provided strategic advice to social entrepreneur to modify and articulate business plan and secure strategic rounds of funding​
  • FiveOne Labs: provided go-to-market training modules for incubator’s clients as well as strategic annual planning facilitation​
  • COHORT3: performed quantitative research into non-profits to better understand their needs and concerns for this non-profit analyst start-up​

Library


The following documents are provided to you as a service free of charge from Callan Consulting. All samples of client deliverables are in the public domain and are carried with client permission.
  • Methodology and Guidelines

    • The Importance of Thought Leadership in Your Marketing Strategy
      How communicating a thought leadership story as part of your overall marketing strategy can help establish credibility and set you apart from competitors
      Download the complete PDF
    • Use ABM to Win More Deals
      How account-based marketing (ABM) drives both a higher win rate and higher ROI when used effectively, and best practices for getting started
      Download the complete PDF
    • Using ROI as an Effective Sales Tool
      Guidelines for developing and using ROI modeling to quantify the economic value delivered to your customer, and using this information to close more deals
      Download the complete PDF
  • Read More

CONTACT US


    CONTACT INFO

    61 Baywood Avenue
    San Mateo, CA 94402
    Phone: 415-609-0090
    Twitter: @EdCallan