Jason L Zimmerman Strategy  and  Business  Design

+1  312  609  9950  Jason.L.Zimmerman@gmail.com    

Hi, I’m Jason I’m a passionate business strategist, researcher and storyteller. I use the tools of marketers, designers and strategists to identify customer needs and create the business that supports it.

Here, I offer a few stories and provide insights into the processes and principles that guide my work. Each provides a unique view that, when taken together, build a holistic model for management, employees and their customers.

I appreciate your time getting to know my work.

My Career Timeline

BS, Business Indiana Univ.

Ennis Knupp Research and Analysis

Mercer HR Consulting, International Markets

Discover Internal Strategy, Consumer Banking

Your Firm Strategy & Business Design

?

My Process The Creative Process The creative process was introduced to me out of school. Though working with traditional research methods, the process supplemented our most complex projects: it expanded the options to create out-of-the box ideas. Over the years, I applied and tailored the process against many projects. I began to adopt it to all business puzzles: it created a tailored, inclusive suite of solutions that saved time and money over the traditional process. Most importantly, it put the customer at the center of the solution…, and created businesses around them.

Research !+ Design!

Engineer !to Specs!

Test !+ Refine!

Market !+ Comm.!

My Personal Brand

Through my work, I’ve learned that the journey is as important as the solution. These five aspects have become a principle part of my work that serves as a guide for my interactions with the world and helps shape decisions, lead interactions, construct research and gauge success. These are the elements in my work that I consider to be a calling card of my personal brand.

Simplicity

Thoughtfulness

Elegance

Integrity

‘Rising tide…’

My Skills Profile I’ve curated a set of skills in the first decade of my career. The elements here are the building blocks that have allowed me to create solutions and transmit value. My profile is patiently refined, added to and supported with a tailored set of industry tools.

Visual Communication Design (PowerPoint, InDesign)

Understanding Empathy & Storytelling (Mentoring, Researching)

Technical Design Research, Data Analysis & Visualization

(Tableau, Excel)

Some of My Best Work

Operations

“Among Jason’s strengths are: work ethic; quality; comfort interfacing with all levels; and complex analysis.” -- Manager, Discover Lending Team

Strategy

Service

Design

Communication

How I Live This

Strategy Out client was looking to expand internationally and increase awareness of their banking services in key markets, but needed a launching point. The brand had significant clout with US customers. Initial research identified a substantial set of travelers unable to use their cards at international locations. Bank Management agreed to pilot a study tracing key customer-journeys. We identified a cohort of US to UK travelers in which we would overlay a multistage marketing effort. The campaign increased awareness more than 20% in two years, and is now being duplicated as the firm identifies launches in other international markets.

“Jason’s ability to synthesize and package complex ideas and metrics into cohesive, comprehensible deliverables adds critical value.”

-- Vice President, Discover Risk Team

Service A client – known for its industry leading customer service – acquired the product and staff of another firm. Our client needed to adapt an independently motivated workforce into a unit motivated by team-based problem-solving and customer satisfaction. Because cultures are only indirectly influenced, we tested a structure leveraging inherent, key human characteristics of socialization and peer learning. The design performed as intended and rewarded team problem-solving and knowledge sharing to improve the speed of customer solutions and increase customer (and employee!) satisfaction. The design continues to be refined and will be rolled-out across the business.

“Jason has an uncanny ability to view service at multiple angles to deliver a solution that marries customer wants with business needs.” -- Director, Discover Strategy Team

Design A client found that increased regulation was stifling growth across disparate products. Separate silos were too expensive for the Bank’s size, and a shared risk function limited innovation. Our research tested various designs on effectiveness and support of creativity. Traditional structures created unsustainable costs and complexities. Our final solution created a hybrid approach of internal specialists ‘loaned’ to each business based on need. We piloted 3 consultant teams managing 15 specialties supporting 5 products. The design allowed knowledge sharing across products, tailoring of legal and risk parameters by product, and a clear runway to innovate without hindering product or service delivery.

“Jason’s focus on the "voice of the customer" is woven throughout his work, and contributes to ensuring our commitment to our customers.” -- Sr. Manager, Discover Strategy Team

Operations “Jason’s analytical prowess and passion for discovering insights through in-depth data analysis is rivaled by very few that I have met.” -- Referenced from PhD Recommendation Letter

Mortgage is notoriously complex and often painful for customers. Our client was searching for ways to lessen this frustration. We identified an aggressive sales team that was creating an emotional barrier with customers. We proposed a simple, but complex solution: offer customers an experience by connecting them with a broker that expressed complimentary personality traits. We redesigned an existing online mortgage calculator to identify unique customer traits (Lead Scoring) and matched those traits with favorable brokers (Lead Routing). An algorithm calculated the best available match and created a corresponding contact for the broker. The design continues to be refined before integration across the business.

Communication “Jason is a natural teacher... ” -- Referenced from PhD Recommendation Letter

Communication is critical to any organization’s success. Our client’s regular reports to its Board were in need of improvement. The Board was worried that it was not receiving clear, timely insight into daily operations. Our design encompassed communication pieces from all corners of the organization and required simplicity as members absorbed complex information with limited time. Thus, reports had to stand alone and be self-evident in their information delivery. After mapping information flows, we redrafted reports to create uniformity, clarity and self-discovery at its core. We then focused on enhancing relevancy and breadth of information to provide a holistic view in digestible bites.

How I Live This “What I find most engaging in his character are his interests outside of his profession: long-distance cycling and Ironman Triathlon.” -- Referred from PhD Recommendation Letter

The elements of my work are a natural part of my character. My commitment to endurance triathlon is also designed with the same principles to allow my body to recover and evolve in health and sustainability. These principals are complemented by a supporting cast from professional coaches to nutritionists. My program has been carefully curated to improve my fitness and build upon itself with each successive year. To achieve success in triathlon demands years of practice and dedication in three disciplines. Though I am the one in the race, the success is an amalgamation of a team with unique expertise and a singular focus: a tenet I employ personally and professionally.

My Next Move! Over the past nine years, I’ve acquired skills that allow me to be creative and analytical. I’ve learned to value the gifts that all people bring to the table and to practice integrity as a minimum standard. At my core, I am a strategist and thought-leader; I’ve learned the art of communication in order for others to follow my passions. As such, I’ve grown into a natural mentor; an informed and passionate advocate for business principles and good design; and a trusted advisor on growth strategies. I believe peer cultures and interdisciplinary teams create the best solutions. As one aspect of the whole, I can offer the aspects here at the right.

“Jason helped us... ” -- Referenced from Your Firm?

Business/Service  Design  Designing  sustainable,  customer-­‐  centric  organizaEonal  models  

Strategist  Uncovering  and  communicaEng  the  heart  and  direcEon  for  future  growth  

Design  Research  Using  observaEon  to  create  new  products  and  advance  exisEng  designs  

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