Susan Vogel Email & Phone Number

Easton, Ct

The beauty of lots of experience is that you learn what does, and doesn’t work. For me, the gift of acquired wisdom is only topped by the opportunity to share that knowledge. I truly enjoy solving problems and helping individuals (like you) or organizations (like yours) reach their full potential, so I decided to go all in and start my own consulting company. I love a good challenge, and the journey involved in digging deep and helping a business or an individual to really understand what they can become and how to get there. The result of my approach is greater insight into root cause and an action plan that leverages the strength of the people involved.As an active listener my goal is to positively impact business owners, leaders, teams, and organizations, both professionally and personally.My approach is tenacious - I am a creative problem solver and an astute diagnostician. As an experienced leader and consultant, I consistently help people hone in on what is really important to them, and guide them on how to achieve it. I am skilled in helping individuals and organizations implement change. I apply knowledge of the brain science behind changing behaviors in a pragmatic way for my clients. The assessment tools I utilize provide extensive data and individually specific action plans focused on achieving the desired outcomes.I help you get to the root of things - call me a “fixer”. We will dig deep, get real, and stop swatting at flies. Instead, I will help you find the pile of rotting fruit that is the true cause of all those problems keeping you from success. Sometimes it’s hidden away, and sometimes it’s right there in the middle of the room, and you are so used to stepping over it you don’t even see it anymore.

Fairfield County

The mission of Fairfield Alive is to build an organization of trusted professionals with a depth of expertise and experience that will champion and nurture each other and our businesses via referrals, strategic connections and tactical advice with respect, integrity and high ethical standards.Our membership is comprised of business owners and strategic employees of small and medium sized businesses who are charged with business growth. We meet twice per month in Fairfield, CT. Fairfield Alive is a member chapter of Alive Networks.

Greater New York City Area

Innovative CyberSolutions is a consortium of consultants, each an expert in their own field, who have designed a robust, integrated cybersecurity solution. We deploy a four-pronged approach to help clients protect their business, manage an environment of constantly-evolving cyber threats, and help ensure their organization is as well positioned as possible. My role is to support leadership teams to become change-ready and create a culture of compliance that will provide the foundation for a successful cybersecurity strategy.

Connecticut

Throughout my career I had been fascinated with the positive impact on business results that could be achieved by focusing on people first. The standard approach to big problems and enterprise wide initiatives is to focus on changing processes and systems. In reality, the only way to implement change is through people and their behaviors – how they do their jobs, how they think, how they respond, how they adapt.I was always interested in psychology and how our brains work, and actively educated myself to further understand what motivates people. The opportunity to work with Key Change Institute was a dream come true - it was the perfect marriage of best practice business and change management principles with the science of how to help people implement change. Key Change Institute is a privately owned start-up management consulting firm specializing in implementing difficult change utilizing methodology based on brain science research, working with senior corporate strategic leaders and business owners. Our approach resulted in faster implementation, less organizational disruption, and lower execution costs.Developed and executed all aspects of the start-up marketing and sales plan and managed all client relationships. Participated in the consulting process by providing in depth needs assessments and diagnostic interviews.

Easton, Ct

I wanted to use the experience gained from working with big companies and apply it to support a small business environment. I also craved an opportunity to integrate my love of all things artistic and creative into my career. Publisher’s Graphics is a privately owned corporate agency representing artists who provide illustrations for children’s books. Working together with the President/Owner in all aspects of the business operation, I utilized my business skills to support a network of talented artists all over the world. Negotiated contracts with publishers representing the interests, terms and conditions of artists. Developed expertise in contracts, legal, copyright, royalty and electronic rights issues related to publishing. Utilized creative approaches and problem solving skills to address the rapidly changing environment in the Publishing industry.Supporting the President in the execution of her business phase-out strategy to accommodate her retirement goals, ensuring all contractual obligations are met.

Easton, Ct

It became clear to me that transformative change not only impacted business results, but resulted in higher customer satisfaction and happier, more engaged employees. Ultimately, it was about people. I wanted to utilize the skills and experience I gained at Alcoa and use it to help other companies implement dramatic, and often difficult, change.With a partner, I started a Change Management consulting firm focused on helping clients develop value through people, processes and results. We established relationships with key decision makers (C Level Managers) at Fortune 100 clients to provide re-engineering, process improvement, change management and project management processes and services. Key to our success was an unwavering focus on people, and the critical role every employee played in achieving the project’s objectives.

Norwalk, Ct

I became deeply aware of changing customer needs and was passionate about positioning Alcoa CSI to be the leader in developing and executing the products and services required. It was clear to me we needed to do business differently. Reporting directly to the division President of Closure Systems International, I initiated, designed and executed Alcoa’s first re-engineering project. This was a true enterprise wide change initiative that redesigned every aspect of our customer interactions utilizing customer, employee and stakeholder input. Based on the success of that effort, I was asked to serve as Business Sponsor for a Marketing and New Product Development (Value Creation) re-engineering project. Our goal was to create and capture customer value and satisfaction while ensuring longevity of the business. Our focus was on development of innovative products that provided differentiation in the marketplace.

Norwalk, Ct

I utilized this senior management position to push for innovative approaches to meet the needs of our customers and grow the business. I initiated a Senior Lead Team comprised of the President’s direct reports with the goal of increased cooperation between departments. As a result we achieved a deeper understanding about how each aspect of the business impacted the customer experience.Developed a comprehensive 3 year plan for Technical Service organization, including new multi-tier job structure, training program, revised territorial structure and computerization. Achieved increased effectiveness and productivity by meeting customer needs, adding value with proactive calls and decreasing customer plant downtime.Successfully implemented new service products and charge policies resulting in doubling of technical service revenues.

Norwalk, Ct

I used my listening and influencing skills to train and lead all customer interfacing team members. Empowering employees to use their own strengths and knowledge resulted in increased motivation and engagement. I created a team environment where account managers, technical service representatives and distributors worked collaboratively towards customer satisfaction and superior business results.I was accountable for commercial strategy, sales and customer support execution and supervised a staff of 22 direct reports. By executing a highly collaborative and customer focused strategy we attained a market leadership position.

Norwalk, Ct

As a relatively young manager, I discovered the great value of listening to all employees and learning from their extensive experience and knowledge of customer operations. I applied this perspective to my own interactions with customers, resulting in a more customer focused, deeper needs analysis, ultimately increasing customer satisfaction.Managed three account managers and eight technical service representatives covering all commercial and technical service activity for the Eastern half of U.S. customer base. Negotiated increased market share from 85% to 100% sole supplier position at Pepsi, CSI's largest account by utilizing value added selling techniques cross functionally throughout customer organization. Recognized with “Quantum Leap Award” at national sales meeting.