Case Study: Sales Support Tools

Methodical Approach Saves Money and Generates Leads

Neos has a client, Broussard Logistics, which we have been working with since 2007.  They have put faith in us to completely overhaul how they communicate with their prospects and customers.  The projects we have undertaken include foundational work like performing a competitive analysis, a sales process analysis, and customized customer satisfaction survey.  Our projects have also included strategic work like re-designing their Corporate ID (logo, brand ID, tagline), creating a new web platform, and developing several electronic communication templates.

Over the course of this client relationship, this company has also grown quite steadily.  They enlisted the help of a professional recruiter and methodically added sales representatives with industry experience to open new markets across the U.S. and add a physical presence to increase attention and lead generation.  The number of markets with a physical presence and salespeople within their organization quadrupled in a brief two-year span.  While this created great opportunity, it also posed challenges.

They asked Neos to help them capitalize on the opportunity in a strategic, integrated and methodical way.

New salespeople bring opportunity, challenges.

One of the challenges was integrating these new sales reps to communicate with leads, prospects, and potential clients in a consistent and strategic manner.  They all had their own style and talent, which did not necessarily serve the company in the most efficient manner.  One of the most effective ways to get the most out of a limited marketing budget is to get everyone singing from the same songbook.  Anyone in an organization coming in contact with prospects or clients needs to be communicating the same value proposition in the same way for it to have maximum impact.  Integrating so many new salespeople into a company rapidly with no prior platform or history requires some strategic thinking and planning to optimize performance in the field.

Our approach: start from the beginning.

We started by re-visiting the sales process analysis we helped them create in the first few months following our initial engagement.  In the analysis, we basically outlined each single step of their sales process in a flow chart, beginning with the first moment of contact with a prospect to the final step where a contract is signed.  There were about seven steps in all.  At each point, we counted how many contacts or calls were made in order to advance the sales process one step, then divided that number by the hard dollar costs (salesperson salary, materials & expenses).  This allowed us to arrive at an average cost per step to advance the sale.  That number at each step became our benchmark.  The benchmark is the primary reason for performing a sales process analysis at the beginning so you can measure improvement each time you undertake a new strategy or begin a new campaign.

Integrate communication: say the same thing, at the same time to different people.

The strategy we employed was to create a series of written communications (about 20 in all) that every salesperson could employ at each step in the sales process.  We reviewed the elements of the companies’ value proposition and emphasized the one that was most relevant for each step at the beginning, throughout, and at the end of the sales process.   Each communication (either in the form of a written letter, an email, or a handwritten note) emphasized only 1 or 2 points.  We also developed several strategic sales support / marketing flyers in the form of industry specific case studies or message specific 1-page flyers to accompany the communication and make sure our primary theme hit home.   All this material was rolled out during a bi-annual Broussard sales meeting and made available to each sales person through an online sales system developed by the company.  Specific instructions were provided as to when each communication and flyer was to be used at each stage of the sales process.  Chris Franzen, Director of Logistics whose additional responsibility includes managing Broussard’s sales force said it best.  “They loved it.  It removed the necessity of creating materials to send to clients and allowed them to focus on what they do best – selling.”  We set it up so all each salesperson needed to do was click on the document and personalize it with name, address and other pertinent or specific information, unless it was handwritten.  Even the handwritten notes, however had content guidance.  For each step, the marketing messages from salesperson to salesperson never varied.  This allowed for the removal of as many variables as possible to make sure the client was taking advantage of leads in a similar fashion across different markets and different salespeople.

The Results: methodical approach is working.

The benchmarks we established at the beginning of the process were hard dollar calculations including how much it costs to get a salesperson in front of a prospect for the first time (about $540), how many contacts needed to be made before an appointment got set up (about 22), and how many different face-to-face meetings it took to get to 1 signed contract and a new client (several steps in between, but about 45).  By establishing hard numbers and dollar amounts, we not only created benchmarks but also the formula to track them so we could judge the results in actual sales figures as well as acquisition costs.

Since the program rolled out last fall and allowing for the salespeople to integrate the program into their weekly routine in the fourth quarter of 2009, the number of new contracts signed and new clients is up significantly, while acquisition costs have remained steady or decreased slightly.   Thus far in 2010, the company’s new contracts have increased 40%, versus prior year.  While the economy could be a factor, we now at least have a relatively scientific way to measure the results of our sales and marketing efforts.

And in this economic environment, measuring return on marketing dollars is critical.