Marketing Collateral Makeover
An
international leader in the connectivity solutions marketplace for the
data center environment required updated marketing collateral
consisting of brochures, product reviews, and technical articles with
executive bylines. The Ascent Solutions consultant took ownership of all
aspects of the program, including article development and media placement.
The materials greatly elevated the visibility and credibility of the company
and its executives in a very competitive marketplace, which positioned it
for a new phase of innovation and growth.
back to top
Monthly eNewsletter
A reseller needed a way to stay in touch with its 5,000 customers and position itself for new and add-on business. Ascent Solutions solved the problem with a two-step process. First, it coordinated a scrub of the customer database, verifying contact information and updating email addresses. Second, it developed and publishes the newsletter that keeps the reseller top-of-mind every month. The eNewsletter has proven to be a consistent source of sales and service revenue and a valuable source of decision-making information for its readers
for over 4 years.
back to top
Sales Team Success Stories
To help a
product management team effectively communicate goals and ideas to its sales
organization, employees and customers, an Ascent Solutions consultant met
with the sales and technical support teams in the field, discussed their
products and services, and the methods used to successfully complete sales.
From that information, the consultant drew up several in-depth case studies
of successful contracts, which modeled effective strategies for the entire
sales force. This program also included rewriting customer collateral,
preparing customer presentations, and refining sales material for new
product launches.
back to top
Telemarketing
An IT integrator wanted to take a more proactive approach to selling its new business protection services, starting with its own customer base. Ascent functioned as a boutique telemarketing firm, scripting, training and managing the full service project. Technically-savvy calling reps introduced the service offering, emailed interested customers more information, and referred leads to the client for follow-up. Along the way, customer contact information was updated and buying and relocation plans were uncovered. Information from the telemarketing campaign was used to launch a series of well attended customer seminars, which helped jump-start sales of the new offering.
back to top
Outsourced Marketing
A fast-growing Master Agency is now well on the way to building a national network of telecom resellers. Today, with 150 agents nationwide, this client outsources its marketing operations to Ascent Solutions Group, which is the technical administrator for its several websites and extranets, publishes the company's electronic newsletter, and assists member agents with their marketing projects.
back to top
Growing the Customer Base
Ascent noticed that two of its clients offered complementary products and services -- one focused on data equipment and telephone systems, while the other focused on integration and IT solutions. Ascent arranged a meeting with the executives of both companies at which an agreement was reached to promote each others’ products and services to their customers via monthly electronic newsletters. This created opportunities for both companies to increase sales and expand their potential pool of customers. More importantly, the arrangement offered value to both company’s customers, who gained access to a new source of products, services and expertise.
back to top
Product Relaunch
In
support of the overhaul of a telecommunications company's product, an Ascent
Solutions consultant pulled together a task force to improve the incentive
plan, marketing collateral, presentations and related sales tools. He
sponsored training for Regional Sales organizations to address their
specific local market conditions. In addition, he focused on service
capacity and contract issues, and developed a revamped process flow to allow
the business to win more non-standard contracts. After the product was
repositioned internally the sales force began selling the product again.
back to top
Online Sales Tools
When a
Technology company needed to build a web site for their internal sales and
support organization, an Ascent Solutions consultant took the lead to ensure
that the web site had the right energy, look and feel, and that it contained
valuable information to lure users to the site and keep them coming back for
more. In addition, he added media applications to make learning about new
technologies and products more fun! The internal site was so successful
that many departments reached out for help designing and programming their
web sites to increase the overall power of the Corporate Intranet as a
productivity tool.
back to top
Product Development
A
competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) with a presence in markets
nationwide wanted to increase data sales, but did not have the resources to
develop new products. An Ascent Solutions consultant determined that there
was demand for metropolitan-area Ethernet in many of these markets. A plan
was put into place that would leverage the CLEC’s installed base of
equipment to provide customers with Ethernet. By installing extra modules
in the SONET equipment as sales were made, the CLEC gained a new product
without engaging in a long development effort. This program was buttressed
with training materials and a FAQ that stepped the CLEC’s account teams
through the qualification process and order procedure. The new service
proved easier to provision than many standard products, providing a better
return on investment and higher profit margins than its other services.
back to top
Positioning VoIP
A Global service provider needed help positioning its VoIP offerings to address multiple target markets. Their Marketing team was swamped and their Direct Sales team and Sales agents were not happy with the materials they had available. Under pressure to tune up what they had, the carrier engaged Ascent, who surveyed the sales teams, recast the carrier’s flagship
Hosted PBX service materials and re-worked their Managed VPN, Colocation, IP Transit and Wholesales offers. Ascent integrated new elements to address the service and implementation concerns of prospects, which speeded up the sales cycle.
back to top
Internet Marketing
The owners of two complementary tech companies have enjoyed a successful, long standing business relationship. They wanted to introduce their capabilities to one another's customer accounts, numbering in the thousands. Ascent Solutions Group was engaged to develop the business overview message and then coordinate the email broadcast to the new prospects. Using existing CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and Contact Management tools, the companies were able to successfully and cost effectively reach receptive new prospects by mining each other's current customer bases. Both companies continue to use the Internet to expand their marketing efforts for mutual benefit.
back to top
Competitive Analysis
A national cable
operator was looking to enter the market with business-class data services
and required information about potential competitors already operating in
its serving areas nationwide. For each competitor, the cable operator
needed a description of its marketing, sales and pricing strategies;
financial condition; operations analysis; price point matrix; and market
outlook. Further, the cable operator required a complete analysis of its
own network versus each competitor--plus recommendations on what steps it
could take to position and augment its new services. The result of the
analysis was a 400-page report. With this information, the cable operator
made critical changes to its initial entry plan for data services.
back to top
Lead Referral Program
For more than a year the Retail Sales division of a Network Service Provider
struggled with an underperforming partner referral program. Prospective
partners had to wade through a cumbersome 15-page contract to sign up. Most
frustrating, was the long wait for their commissions. A member of the
Ascent Solutions team led the drive to revitalize this program starting with
a thorough clean up of outstanding issues. A new lead referral program was
then built from scratch. The company’s lawyers agreed to a 1 ½ page contract
and the commission plan was simplified. A communications strategy was
developed to sell the program in-house with Customer Service, Credit, and
Finance agreeing to administer the streamlined program. The deliverable was
so well organized and straightforward that sales people closed more than $2
million in new revenue from their new partner’s leads in the first year.
back to top
Extranet Content
A
1500-member healthcare association of community hospitals needed 50 fact sheets to describe and promote
services offered through its IP-based extranet. In addition to programs
offering discounts on hardware and software, the services offered through
the extranet ran the gamut from online medical references and clinical
documentation systems to anesthesia information management systems and
electronic data interchange systems. The project required extensive
knowledge of network technologies, medical systems, operating room
procedures, hospital administration, and physician practice management. The
quality of the fact sheets exceeded the client’s expectations and helped increase
the number of extranet subscribers from 70 to over 200 in less than a year.
back to top
Media Relations
A
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier wanted to augment its internet offerings
with a managed security service. This required media exposure to jumpstart
its product rollout. To coincide with the rollout, the CLEC needed white
papers that would bolster its credibility and stimulate interest in its new
service. To support Product Management, the CLEC also wanted articles to be
developed for publication in trade magazines under its byline. The white
paper and articles became the key elements of the CLEC’s media package,
which was distributed to the local press in all of its markets. In
addition, the CLEC wanted a pre-rollout training package to introduce its
sales teams to business security issues. The delivery of that training, via
an interactive distance learning session, involved sales offices across the
country.
back to top
Litigation Support
Ascent Solutions Group provides a source of independent expertise to investors involved in technology-related disputes. In a recent case, Ascent Solutions Group acted as the technical expert for minority investors who sued the owner of an Enhanced Service Provider for breaching his fiduciary responsibilities. The suit alleged that the owner did not disassociate the ESP from another firm he owned to which the ESP was paying unnecessary and exorbitant monthly fees for technical services. Such failure was deemed by the minority investors as a breach of their agreement with the owner. Ascent performed an analysis of the investors' allegations and found that the ESP owner had indeed delayed separating the two companies from each other and that there was no technical impediment to doing so in a timely manner. Within weeks of submitting that report, the case was concluded out of court with the minority investors receiving a negotiated settlement.
back to top
Advertorial Campaign
A large
computer systems manufacturer required development and placement of product
reviews on its new enterprise-class products, including a flexible SCSI disk
storage solution for open systems environments, high-performance RAID
solutions for the data center, and centrally managed backup and restore
solutions for distributed computing environments. To fulfill this
requirement, a “First Impressions” campaign was launched with the
cooperation of a magazine whose subscribers most closely matched the target
audience for these products. The articles were written in a no-nonsense
style IT managers and CIOs appreciate, sticking to the facts and leaving out
the marketing hype. Over the span of a year, the campaign built the
company’s reputation in their new product areas, and provided its telesales
operation and branch sales offices with a continuous source of qualified
leads.
back to top
Product Training
For a
networking client, a consultant developed courses and training materials
that would explain products to both new employees and experienced members of
the sales staff. The consultant learned the nuances of the company’s
products and designed a curriculum to meet the sales organization’s needs.
On evaluations that were completed at the end of the week long training
sessions, the consultant's teaching skills and materials received
exceptional ratings from the attendees.
back to top
Business Verticals Training
A Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) wanted to brief its salespeople and
channel partners on their top industries/vertical markets. They wanted their
teams to be more familiar with the business issues and applications facing
each sector to fine tune their consultative selling skills. The Ascent
Solutions consulting team planned, developed and delivered training modules
on such sectors as Health Care, Finance, Professional Services, Retail,
Manufacturing, Hospitality, and Real Estate. In addition to an industry
overview, each training module included a set of tools that Account Managers
and Sales Engineers could use immediately, including industry quick
reference guides, sample emails, customer collateral, PowerPoint
presentations, and sales success stories. Training was conducted both on
location at the carrier’s sales branches and online via WebEx.
back to top
Sales & Technology Training
A nationwide integrated communications provider (ICP) required that its
salespeople be trained in data communications technologies so they could
pursue sales opportunities in a consultative manner. An Ascent Solutions
consultant developed training modules on such topics as IP, VPNS, Frame Relay and
ATM, as well as Ethernet Services and Private Line. In addition to a technology overview,
each module included contrasts of the ICP’s service offerings and those of
its competitors. Also included in the training were consultative sales
techniques, pricing and order procedures. The training materials included
PowerPoint presentations on each module and a course book. Over the span of
two years, the training was delivered to over 600 employees at the company’s
training facilities.
back to top
Training the Trainer
When
cost-conscious investors began reducing budgets a resourceful telecom
company was able to save air travel, hotel and meal expenses with new “Train
the Trainer” sessions. The curriculum and coursework were developed for
City Sales Managers, who gathered at a central corporate location, learned
the material well enough to explain it to their home teams, and returned to
their local offices to host face-to-face sessions. The business was able to
continue skills development in spite of the aggressive budget reductions.
back to top
New Product Market Assessment
A growing
internet service provider was considering a new product offering and wanted
to assess its revenue potential before developing it. An Ascent Solutions
consultant did a strategic analysis of the proposed market and surveyed the
sales force for a reality check of their ability to close and implement the
new service. Based on his evaluation and beta test results the product was
launched. The consultant’s research and sales assessment were critical in
enabling executive management to allocate sales quotas and monthly targets
for the new service.
back to top
Expert Witness
Ascent Solutions Group provides professional, knowledgeable and independent expertise on patent disputes involving telephony and networking technologies. In a recent case, Ascent Solutions Group acted as the technical expert for an 800-number call center firm in an alleged infringement of a U.S. patent. Ascent performed an analysis of the plaintiff's patent and wrote an in-depth expert witness report that contended that our client's technology implementation preceded the critical date of the patent filing, negating the plaintiff's charge of infringement. Within weeks of submitting that report and defending it at deposition, the case was settled. Under the terms of the settlement, the plaintiff agreed to share ownership of the patent with our client and reimburse our client for legal expenses.
back to top
|
