Crafting the creative solutions for small business to navigated in a crowded digital environment. Working to help clients leverage the digital tools that the tech giants have been monopolizing for years. Helping people grow and thrive online.Creating custom online ordering options for restaurants, online gift card portals, Unique Sales Propositions, along side eCommerce solutions, and Point of Sale processing for businesses of all sizes to cope with the very real impact of the COVID-19 restrictions.Offering affordable, IT architecture, Project Management, and Business Development Strategies.

I consult with small and mid-sized businesses to isolate and target opportunities for new growth and revenue stream creation. * Consulted with Zeiss Sport Optics to capitalize on both growing popularity of nostalgia brands and increase in consumption of luxury brands by creating brand awareness for this specialized lens manufacturer.* Revitalized 100-year-old art gallery and custom frame shop, The Studio Shop, to realize immediate 16% lift in sales and 5% increase per order.

I built and promoted a database of movers nationwide segmented by region for pickup and delivery, on-demand, retail, Craigslist, storage, junk disposal, last-minute, and residential moves.* Boosted order volume 40% in targeted market segments.* Developed strategic partnership programs involving revenue sharing, co-branded marketing materials, and POS collateral.

I promoted this artisanal manufacturer of a niche market product for the power and energy industry to utilities and municipal electric companies. * Elevated brand recognition and awareness across the industry, resulting in major business deals with industry giants such as Tennessee Valley Authority and Pacific Gas & Electric and industry recognition, awards, and accolades.* Optimized SEO and drove organic search placement to first page “above the fold” on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo.

• Oversee and execute Omni-Channel marketing campaigns for International Event Organizing Company.• Develop operating strategies with cross-functional teams and 3rd party vendors.• Regularly utilized HTML, Excel, and Adobe Creative Suite to create content for online and traditional marketing initiatives for Nationally Recognized Brands.Content creation, storyline, and graphic design for online and print marketing campaigns to promote this international tradeshow organizer. Develop omni channel marketing strategies for recognized retail brands. Coordinating and organizing marketing campaigns with marketing departments, creative agencies and designers.When approached for a reference the CFO, Salvatore La Mantia, CPA, CGMA, CEBS, wrote this in an email:"Hi Michael, Here goes: I have worked with Michael for about 11 months at HA Bruno, LLC. He is very knowledgeable in his field, works very hard and has a super personality. It also appears that he is very well liked by his peers. I think that his skill set would be a treasured asset for any company he may work for. "

Challenge: With the launch of an e-commerce website this thriving local hardware store was striving to drive traffic and build social proofs.Strategy: To build trust and social proofs online requires interaction to that end we developed an interwoven omnichannel social media presence that paired with local craftsmen, handymen and contractors to provide homeowner tips, curated content on home improvement and created content on in-store products.During a period of heavy storm activity including 2 Hurricanes and paralyzing blizzards the social media audience was enlisted for travel and traffic suggestions, location and availability of fuel, batteries and generators even if it meant sending customers to other retailers. We used our posts to provide information on how to preserve food and where to pick up necessities, charge phones. The authentic helpfulness was very well regarded by the community and being timely with news items, road closures, weather reports helped build the audience.Results:Higher traffic to website and greater community support for the traditional brick and mortar locations. This network was created post Hurricane Irene and served 100s at its peak during Superstorm Sandy. Not only did this effort garner customer loyalty, but it brought in real dollars when customers knew in advance that ice melt, batteries, flashlights and the like would be available.

Challenge:Increase profitability of the Finance & Insurance Department of a high-volume multiline dealership.Strategy:Audit insurance products, warranty contracts & financial services on offer. Develop a complete understanding of the products and the contactsDetermine steps to the sale & establish a point for best presentation.I broke down the sales process into three point in an effort to determine when it would be best to present each present each insurance, warranty & financial product:• Sales presentation: This occurs on the floor with the sales staff & the machine, this is a good time to put it into the buyers mind that they can have everything taken care of in one stop Vehicle Insurance and Finance options can be touched on here, but it is best to stay away from warranty & service contracts as this casts doubt on the mechanical reliability of the vehicle.• Negotiation: This occurs at the desk with sales manager, this is the time to outline available Finance options & to touch on the available warranty only in so far as what is included in an effort to build value. Also by offering sales staff some incentive on the warranty and financial back end this incentivizes the staff to position these products favorably. I created a script and training program to help them do this.• Contract Signing: This happens in the office with the Finance & Insurance specialist. We created a new script for each product and saw sales increase when these steps were followed. Results:Best example being an esoteric “Tire and Wheel Replacement Insurance” this was hard for customers to understand & difficult to build value, until I saw a minor provision. There was a 24 hour roadside assistance component to this contract. Once we started selling a “24 hour Roadside Assistance Plan” that, oh by the way, also replaces a flat tire or dented rim sales penetration increase by 33% overnight. This was a huge win that was directly related to a creative rebranding of the product.

Challenge:Build value into the Honda brand of motorcycles for an upscale clientele accustom to purchasing luxury brands like BMW, Ducati, MV Augusta.Strategy:Building on my previous experience:• Utilized the technique of presenting the Honda Brand interspersed with the other upscale brands allowing the customers to compare build quality along with value and a long service life.• Revived “Motorcycle Movie Night” events for this east coast dealership to increase floor traffic during the slow winter months.• Trained Service Department to call customers with maintenance intervals coming due offering pick-up and delivery to keep the technicians busy during the cold winter months and avoiding a costly backlog during busy spring thaw.Results:By increasing floor traffic during slow periods, the parts and accessory department along with services staff had an opportunity to offer customers special attention. The addition of discounts and service promotions increased profit margins by a substantial 22% and gave rise to the CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) routinely scoring among the highest in the nation.Created a valuable pickup and delivery side business. Making use of the idle delivery van to earn extra money and bring in service business.

Developed and Designed comprehensive marketing strategies stressing strongly the high tech state of the art showroom which showcased smart-home technology, pioneered the "internet of things" connectivity and the latest in home entertainment integration. Demonstrated and understanding of mobile applications, and user interface design. Assisted with programming, system design and functional troubleshooting.

Challenge:A well-established car dealership needed to change its approach to client acquisition and find a way to connect with a whole new client base. Create a new culture in the dealership that highlighted the fun and utility of the motorcycle line. We also needed to find a way to appeal to a more adventurous clientele without tarnishing the luxury brand or turning off the existing customers.Strategy:Define, Identify, and Recruit local motorcycle specialists for sales staff as well as in the parts and service departments. Burly tattooed bikers were not our target demographic and so should not comprise our staff.Create and maintain a calendar of special events:• Deliver mobile test rides at motorcycle events• Hold remote “open house” events at local bars, restaurants, tourist attractions, and corporate campuses• Orchestrate “pop-up” event and “flash-mobs” at a time when social media was in its infancy• Host screening events such as live Formula 1 races, XGames, and “Motorcycle Movie Nights” Design showroom displays and signage that conform to BMW strict brand standards and integrate showroom to showcase motorcycles and autos interspersed on the floor so customers can browse the full line of either vehicles regardless of the reasons or area of interest.Results:These innovative events served to increase foot traffic and earned the dealership a reputation for being a destination location for BMW and motorsport enthusiasts. Branded and named items like tee-shirts and sweatshirts became hot commodities capitalizing on a previously untapped revenue stream.Upon creating Motorcycle Movie Nights, a screening of motorcycle themed movies, the dealership experienced increased floor traffic on the slowest night of the week. Coupled with special sale items in the parts and accessories department there was a measurable sales benefit. The end of the second year saw BMW of San Francisco ranked number 3 in overall sales of new motorcycles nationwide.

Challenge:Facing years of stagnation after 100 years in the same location under the same family, something new needed to be tried to spur growth.Strategy:An audit of processes from top down found they performed well in customer service & on design & construction. They were lacking on sales techniques. I was tasked with creating a tailored sales training program. Coaching both the retail staff along with the frame crafters.Were able to improve the sale of artwork, increase the value of frames designs• Audit the processes & performance of Staff• Tailor a training program for the gallery to boost artwork sales• Coach designers & frame fabricators teaching them to up sell frame values• Outline a plan for growing locationsThe family wanted to expand retail operation but the conclusion was to play to their strength which was design & craftsmanship. Renting a local industrial space to served as offsite storage & manufacturing location. Allowing the Studio to buy their moldings & materials in bulk using economies of scale. The designers were able to increase capacity & take on frame assembly for other shops. The designers applied their skills developing a line of custom frame molding opening an entirely new revenue stream & line of business.Results:The first year The Studio Shop was operating as a manufacturer of custom molding, a fulfillment service for frame assembly for other area galleries while increasing sales value of their own designs.The second year added two new retail locations.The gallery saw immediate growth in art sales with 16% rise. For the designers I created a process which allowed the crafters to effectively demonstrated & upsell various accessory options. Resulting in fuller frame designs & an increase of 5% per order on an average order of $350 & delivering 15 to 20 orders weekly.

Promoted partnerships with clients, manufacturers, distributors and vendors: fulfilling expectations, coordinating complicated manufacturing schedules and adhering to cost parameters. Utilizing sharply honed professional written/verbal communication skills proved a personable representative at multiple trade shows attaining and retaining clients. Managed brand development for many “As Seen on TV” products including OxyClean.