M&J Post-Discovery — Strategic Positioning

Critical Pivot

What Changed on the Call

Google → Microsoft migration confirmed. Ellis: "The worst kept secret at M&J... we are entertaining moving from Google G Suite to Microsoft... massive platform ecosystem shift." This isn't hypothetical — it's "just a matter of time and figuring out the how."

Dead

Gemini-Specific Pitch

Alive

Model-Agnostic Training

~400

Untouched Survey Responses

May+

Earliest Engagement

Hiring

Dir. of Data, AI & Integrations

What We Pitched vs. What Landed

Topic	Reception	Next Step
Google Gemini Enablement	Invalidated — migrating to Microsoft	Pivot to model-agnostic
AI Training / CPE	Strong interest from both Brandon and Ellis	Send VOD access, draft survey
Data Retrieval / Agentic Layer	Intellectually interesting, but "not ready"	Park for 6-12 months
RFP/Proposal Automation	Ellis: "we've been having those conversations" but blocked on process	Keep warm, don't push
Survey Data Analysis	Emerged organically — "send you this data"	Await data share, then analyze

CIO Profile

Benjamin Ellis — What We Learned

Decision Style

Methodical. Won't commit without context. "I don't know the groups well enough to say which would be a good pilot." Prefers data-driven recommendations over intuition.

Technical Depth

Real CIO, not a figurehead. Asked about Microsoft Graph comparison, SQL vs. unstructured data access, data governance/permissions, vendor lock-in trade-offs. Needs architecture-level answers.

Posture

"I always want to be incredibly transparent with our vendors." Genuinely open. Doesn't posture or BS. Will tell you when he's not ready. Respects time.

Constraints

7 weeks in. Still wrapping his hands around priorities. Tax season blocks firm until April 15+. Google→Microsoft migration creates moving target. Multiple competing internal initiatives.

Key insight: Ellis is hiring a Director of Data, AI & Integrations. This person will become a primary technical stakeholder in 1-3 months. Our relationship with Ellis and Brandon positions us as a known quantity when this person arrives.

Opportunity Stack

Prioritized Engagement Paths

Engagement Timeline & Dependencies

Now — Pre-May (Light Touch)

1. Send Training VOD + Draft Survey

Skip sends coupon code for existing AI course to Brandon + Benjamin
Draft 5-6 question survey for post-tax-season deployment
Await Brandon/Benjamin's internal review of existing survey data

Goal: Stay warm without creating burden during busy season

May 2026 — Post Tax Season

2. Survey Data Analysis + Training Curriculum

Receive and analyze firm-wide survey data (~400 responses) with AI agents
Produce visual insights briefing showing pain clusters and automation targets
Design "AI for Professional Teams" CPE curriculum based on findings
Coordinate with Meredith (L&D) on CPE compliance requirements

Goal: First paid engagement — training course design + delivery at late May conference

H2 2026 — Post Microsoft Migration Progress

3. RFP/Proposal Automation + Targeted Agent Builds

Processes standardized across merged firms
Director of Data, AI & Integrations hired and onboarded
Microsoft platform settled enough for stable architecture
Brandon's "Teams chat agent" vision becomes buildable

Goal: Scoped technical engagement — RFP tool or practice-group agent

2027+ — Platform Maturity

4. Enterprise Data / Agentic Layer

Microsoft Graph fully deployed, permissions mapped
Internal data governance framework established
Cross-practice-group use cases proven from Phase 3

Goal: Enterprise architecture engagement — unified retrieval across Microsoft ecosystem

Key Quotes

In Their Own Words

"The worst kept secret technologically at M&J... we are entertaining moving from our Google G Suite to Microsoft... massive platform ecosystem shift." — Benjamin Ellis, CIO

"The only thing clear to me is we need to train our people on how to think about AI. Beyond that, we have to start building, we have to start transforming. But I don't know what to build." — Brandon Smith, Champion

"I have really good stats of how many FTEs we're wasting on manual processes... but it's like, step one collect underpants, step two, step three profit. What is my step two?" — Brandon Smith

"Every time we do an AI training and give concrete examples of here's a problem and here's how we solve it, we see it in our usage metrics. Our AI usage just jumps way, way up." — Benjamin Ellis

"On the back end and the business end, we're actually not ready for that yet... We need to be kind of... we're not ready, if I can be blunt." — Benjamin Ellis, on RFP/Proposal tool readiness

"I actually have a role posted for a Director of Data, AI, and Integrations." — Benjamin Ellis

Roadmap

Engagement Timeline

M&J Engagement Roadmap

Survey Data → Training → Engagement Pipeline

Actions

Immediate Next Steps

Action	Owner	Timeline	Status
Send AI course VOD access (coupon code) to Brandon + Benjamin	Skip	This week	Pending
Draft 5-6 question enablement survey	Skip + Jonathan	Before April 15	Pending
Review existing survey data internally	Brandon + Benjamin	When available	Awaiting
Research Microsoft Teams agent patterns	Jonathan	Before next call	Pending
Research CPE documentation requirements	Jonathan	Before next call	Pending
Schedule reconnection call	Brandon (coordinate)	Late April / early May	TBD

Do NOT do: Push for engagement during tax season (through April 15). Push Gemini-specific anything. Push enterprise data/agentic layer. Push RFP tool. Let them come to us on timing.

Internal Landscape

Political Map & Stakeholders

M&J Internal Stakeholder Map

Technology Environment (Confirmed)

Component	Current	Future
Collaboration	Google Workspace	Microsoft 365
Email	Gmail	Outlook
Chat / Video	Google Meet	Microsoft Teams
LLM	Gemini Enterprise	Copilot (assumed)
Intranet	Google Pages	SharePoint
Data Warehouse	Domo + Snowflake	Domo + Snowflake (retained)
Conference Rooms	"Owl" devices	Full Teams AV (1+ year)