Right Chord Leadership had loyal clients who kept coming back. It needed a steady way to meet new ones. By the fall of 2024, new engagements were arriving, and by November the workload was heavy enough that the firm paused outreach to deliver the work.
Overview
Right Chord Leadership delivers leadership training, keynotes, and organizational development. Founder Mike Brenner is also a working musician, and the firm's name and brand carry that music theme. The work is strong, and clients know it. A loyal base of repeat clients keeps coming back.
Mike was also writing a book, *Strike The Right Chord*, which launched in spring 2025. Right Chord Leadership partnered with Rockstarr & Moon to reach decision-makers who didn't know the firm yet, build a system to capture and nurture those leads, and make sure the book brought in clients as well as readers.
The Challenge
A Loyal Base and a Hard Road to New Clients
Repeat clients are a sign of great work. They can also hide a growth problem. Growth at Right Chord Leadership relied on the same clients coming back, and winning new ones was difficult. The firm had limited visibility with the decision-makers who buy leadership training, and no system for capturing and nurturing the leads it did get.
The website added friction. It leaned on music imagery that confused buyers about what the firm sold. Mike saw it clearly. "Subtlety doesn't work with 99.9% of the population," he said in June 2024. "So let's make sure that in the first few, that their initial impressions at least guide them toward, this is a consulting company. This is a training company."
Then there was the book. A book can sell copies and change nothing for the business behind it. Right Chord Leadership needed a way to turn readers into clients.
The doubt was real, too. Relationship sales take time, and in May 2024 Mike said so plainly: "If someone would ask me, well, Mike, do you think with all the effort we've done, you would have gotten a new client by now? I'm not sure how I would answer that... Maybe I'm in the kind of work where it really takes quite a bit of time and effort to crack that nut."
The Impact
Key Wins at a Glance
The Solution: Every Piece Playing in Harmony
Mike named the strategy himself in June 2024: "That's how the people that get traction, that's what they do. That's the secret formula. You have all of these different... pieces working together in harmony." Right Chord Leadership put every piece to work at once, with its expertise and stage presence at the center.
Put Mike in Front of Decision-Makers
Right Chord Leadership ran a targeted LinkedIn outreach campaign to decision-makers. Consistent follow-up kept warm prospects from slipping away, and prospects who missed a first meeting were rebooked. The campaign produced 44 decision-maker appointments in its first three months.
Rebuilt the Website to Say What the Firm Does
Right Chord Leadership launched its new site in fall 2024. On first impression, it tells a buyer that Right Chord Leadership is a consulting and training company. Clear programs and keynotes pages lay out what the firm offers. Contact forms and gated resources turn interested visitors into leads the team can follow up with.
Sharpened the Message
Right Chord Leadership refined its brand messaging so the music theme supports the story without hiding the offer.
Kept the Firm in Front of Its Audience
Right Chord Leadership used a LinkedIn newsletter and an email newsletter to give Mike a regular place to share his thinking and stay in touch with past and future clients. The LinkedIn newsletter passed 1,000 subscribers. Workshop promotion emails, a social series, and blogs filled in the rest of the calendar.
Built the Book Into a Lead Engine
Right Chord Leadership planned the launch of *Strike The Right Chord* around the business. Gated resources inside the book send readers to the Right Chord Leadership website and email list, so a reader has a next step with the firm instead of only an Amazon page. A national press release announced the book in November 2024, and a podcast guesting strategy matched Mike with shows to carry the book's message further.
Trained the Team to Run Outreach
In 2025 Right Chord Leadership set up an outreach system, and in May Mike's team trained to run campaigns themselves. The team can now run the same motion that first opened the door to new clients.
The Results
From "Not Sure" to "They're Coming In"
The first movement showed up early. "So yeah, man, team's doing good work. I'm starting to see like more engagement," Mike said in April 2024. Engagement is a long way from signed work, and a month later he still wasn't sure the effort would produce a new client.
The team kept pressing. Outreach put Mike in 44 meetings with decision-makers in three months, and the newsletters kept Right Chord Leadership in front of people who weren't ready yet. In the fall, the new website gave prospects a clear picture of the firm and a way to raise their hand.
By the end of September 2024, Mike's tone had changed. "Engagements and assignments, like new clients. I don't know where they're coming from, but they're coming in," he said. "And so I just think we have to keep pressing, keep the presence out there, and just keep doing what we're doing. Because I feel like we're starting to, like our efforts are finally starting to pay off."
By November 2024, Right Chord Leadership's workload was high enough that the firm paused LinkedIn outreach so Mike could deliver.
In 2025 the book became the next channel. *Strike The Right Chord* launched in the spring and created a new lead channel for the firm.
Before and After
From Repeat Business to New Clients
Before
- Growth relied on repeat clients
- Limited visibility with decision-makers
- A website whose music imagery confused buyers
- No system to capture and nurture leads
- A book on the way with no plan to turn readers into clients
After
- 44 decision-maker appointments in the first three months of outreach
- New clients and engagements coming in, enough to pause outreach while Mike delivered
- A website that tells buyers this is a consulting and training company, built to capture leads
- A LinkedIn newsletter past 1,000 subscribers
- A book that sends readers to the firm and opened a new lead channel
- A team trained to run its own outreach campaigns
I don't know where they're coming from, but they're coming in... our efforts are finally starting to pay off.
Why It Matters
The Bigger Win
Right Chord Leadership had the reputation. It needed reach, and a way to catch the interest that reach creates. Outreach, the website, the newsletters, and the book now work as one system.
The bigger win is consistency, and Right Chord Leadership proved it. In May 2024, Mike wasn't sure the effort would pay off. The team kept the presence out there anyway, and by fall the new clients were coming in. Mike put it this way: "One of the most impressive things about them is their reliability. Whether it's meeting deadlines, keeping promises, or ensuring that quality is never compromised, they consistently deliver on time and to a very high standard."
What This Means for You
If your firm runs on repeat clients, your work is already good enough to win new ones. The gap is how many decision-makers know your name, and what happens when one of them shows interest. Right Chord Leadership closed that gap with outreach, a clear website, steady newsletters, and a book that sends readers to its door. The first few months can feel slow. Keep going.