Eight Strategies

8/6/2019 Eight Strategies

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Eight collaborative strategies to help you

win customers, increase sales and achieve

marketing success

Team Profit:


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Contents

Inspiration for battle-weary executives 1

Where business comes unstuck 2

The way it could be 3

Web collaboration delivering team profit 4

Team drivers 5

Web Collaboration the benefits for sales professionals 6

Web Collaboration the benefits for marketing professionals 7

Eight collaboration strategies 8


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Inspiration for

battle-weary executives

Experience shows that when sales or marketing teams collaborate

dynamically, the impact on the bottom line can be dramatic.

If youre in a senior sales or marketing role, you know how hard it is to win customers and deliver aprofit in a ferociously competitive climate.

There are a lot of worried people out there, all trying to meet their targets and turn a profit in thesedifficult times. The fact is, the old surefire ways of winning business no longer seem so sure.

Organizations have never had to work so hard to satisfy their customers and stay ahead of thecompetition. Every time your company launches a new promotion, a competitor retaliates with aneven better offer. You squeeze your margins and cut costs to the bone, but as soon as your rivalsfollow suit, your hard won advantage disappears. Every year, it seems you need to be quicker, smarter,more flexible, more creative just to stay in business.

Todays sales and marketing managers need to find new sources of competitive advantage. This guidereveals the collaborative strategies that will be key to achieving your sales or marketing goals. Toillustrate this, we have selected eight practical examples of how simple but innovative collaboration

strategies could help your organization drive sales, accelerate lead generation and improve overallfinancial performance.

You may ask why we decided to write a guide that focuses on collaboration as opposed to moreestablished sales and marketing disciplines. Put simply, its because our own experience tells us thatwhen sales or marketing teams collaborate dynamically, the impact on the bottom line can bedramatic.

Collaborative sales and marketing is not about creating some kind of idealized, touchy-feelyorganization. Instead, this guide provides a number of simple measures you can adopt to overcome

key sales and marketing challenges even in the most unforgiving business climate.

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Where business comes unstuck

Lift the lid on the average company, and you will probablyencounter a number of all too familiar problems.

The sales team complains they spend more time on paper work and admin, or working out how to usethe latest sales software, than actually closing deals. In theory theyre supposed to spend 90% of theirtime selling to customers; in practice they waste hours travelling to meetings. Meanwhile, the salesdirector can see those challenging Q4 targets slipping ever further out of reach.

The marketing function has its own problems. The company needs to manage product brands acrossmultiple territories, but its a real nightmare trying to coordinate activities involving personnel in adozen different countries. Plus theres the issue of how to produce campaigns that will delivermeasurable results, often on a shoestring budget.

If you asked these people whether sales and marketing share information effectively, you wouldprobably be laughed out of the room. In theory sales and marketing are two sides of the same coin;in practice, however, the two camps rarely work as a team. Even between departmental heads,communication is infrequent at best. On the ground floor, the workforce complains they are kept inthe dark about key decisions affecting their roles.

There is a common theme behind these and countless other inefficiencies in the sales and marketingoperation. Put simply, todays sales and marketing professionals lack the tools they need tocollaborate effectively in a distributed organization.

This is bad news for you as an employee, as it reduces your effectiveness and ability to realize yourfull potential. But its also bad news for business as a whole. We all know the importance of teamworkin achieving sales and marketing goals yet in most companies the barriers to effective collaborationare becoming greater every day. This in turn is having a hugely damaging effect on productivity, oninnovation, and ultimately on profits.

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The way it could be

We need to rethink the way our sales and marketingteams operate. In the wake of globalization, sales

and marketing teams have become dispersed.

For many of us, the office is wherever we happen to be when we turn on our laptops. Yet teamwork whether its with colleagues, business partners or customers remains the key to getting the jobdone efficiently and to the highest standards.

The irony is that there have been huge advances in communication technology that can enable better

collaboration between dispersed teams. Think of the Internet, for example, and how it hasrevolutionized the way people communicate and work together. Yet many organizations dontunderstand how to apply this technology to change the way they manage teams and supportcollaboration in the business environment.

Proven technology exists to enable professionals to meet, exchange views and ideas, solve problemsand collaborate on projects all from the convenience of their own PCs or laptops. Companymeetings, product demos, marketing campaigns, training sessions, customer seminars and a range ofother crucial activities could be made so much more productive if the right people could worktogether at any time and from anywhere in the world. This is perfectly achievable today, yet only a

small proportion of companies are doing this in practice.

Whether youre a sales executive pursuing tough targets, or a marketing professional who needs toget more value from your marketing spend, you need to assemble winning teams capable ofcompeting at the highest level in global markets. Equally, you need to look beyond the traditionaldepartmental silos, and start sharing strategy, knowledge and processes in ways that deliver realcustomer value. Collaborative sales and marketing is about turning this vision into everyday reality.

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Web collaboration -

delivering team profit

Lets move beyond the limitations of the office-based culture, and think about the kind ofenvironment that would help sales and marketing people excel in their roles.

More than anything else, success comes down to the ability to assemble, train, motivate and supportthe best teams in the business. Web collaboration is absolutely essential to achieving this goal.

What do we mean when we talk about Web collaboration? Essentially, Web collaboration enablesdispersed teams to meet, discuss issues and generally interact just as they would if they were sittingaround the same table. The key difference, however, is that the Internet offers the ability do this fasterand more cost effectively, at any time and from anywhere in the world.

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Sales Marketing Corporate

Increase selling time, reduce deadtime Deliver and manage global brands Enable online collaboration to reduceprocess costs

Communicate sales targets Reduce time to market from concept Support flexible working modelsand strategy to launch suited to distributed organizations

Develop time-efficient, high quality Create opportunities for greater Harness collective talent and skillssales training interaction with customers

Shorten the sales cycle Develop cost-effective ways to reach Encourage an innovative,more customers and develop leads knowledge sharing culture

Manage and motivate widely Plan and implement integrated, Increase visibility in new marketsdispersed teams multi-channel campaigns

Maximize cross selling/upselling Track customer experience and measure Understand customers requirementsopportunities with existing customers marketing effectiveness

Add value during the sales process Obtain maximum value from your Gain competitive advantage through(build a picture that doesnt compete marketing spend enterprise-wide collaborationon price alone)

Build more rewarding channel Gain greater channel exposure Build stronger alliances andrelationships and promotion channel links

Key areas where a strategy for dynamic teaming can make a difference

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Team DriversNew tools for collaboration

So much for the basics, but the most advanced Web collaboration solutions go a step further. Forexample, organizations can now host live sales and marketing meetings where global teams can talk,negotiate, share presentations and applications, all in a real-time, online environment. The result is

less time and money wasted on travel, and more time spent being productive.The latest generation of Web collaboration tools enable your company to schedule online conferencesinvolving hundreds of prospects at a fraction of the time and cost of a traditional conference. Virtualclassrooms can also be used to deliver regular team training, as well as updates on new tactics,products and promotions, without the disruption associated with traditional classroom training.

Companies can also exploit knowledge-sharing tools to quickly create and publish multimedia salesand marketing tools on the Web. Any sales and marketing professional using just a PC and a browsercan then access these tools.

Web collaboration offers huge advantages within the organization but it becomes even morevaluable when you extend it to your customers and business partners. Imagine being able tocollaborate with channel partners on new product launches or promotions, or share ideas andconcepts with agencies and suppliers in a real-time environment. Equally, think how the ability tointeract and build relationships with thousands of customers quickly, conveniently and cost-effectively could impact your bottom line.

As you can see from reading the Team Strategy illustrations in this guide, the potential applicationsfor this kind of technology are huge and varied. In fact, many of Centras customers are already using

Web collaboration to enhance their sales and marketing performance and achieve a decisivecompetitive advantage.

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Web Collaboration -

the benefits for sales professionals

Five ways to improve your sales performance:

Shorten the sales cycle. Web collaboration tools can transform your traditional sales callsinto convenient, mutually rewarding interactions with customers and prospects. Using Centra,sales representatives can conduct product demonstrations online, demonstrate ROI, share

content and presentations, negotiate deals, and interact with other key players all withoutleaving the office.

Collaborate to win pitches and proposals. In a competitive situation, the ability to

collaborate effectively on contract bids and client pitches can make the difference betweenwinning and losing a major deal. Centra enables sales and bid teams to collaborate onproposals, share market intelligence, and develop professional, well-researched propositions

faster than the competition.

Better equip your sales force. Online sales meetings and training sessions can help youkeep your sales force highly trained and informed about the latest developments, opportunities

and competitive threats. Since sales representatives can log onto meetings even while in thefield, they are free to spend more of their time closing deals.

More effective sales channels. Building channel loyalty is always a challenge. Howmuch mind share is the channel giving you? Frequent communication and continuous accessto product experts and sales resources builds channel loyalty and increases their success inselling your products.

Build customer relationships. Developing sales opportunities with existing customers isthe key to rapid revenue generation. Regular Web presentations, remote consultations, andonline product training are all powerful ways to accelerate your next sales opportunity within

existing accounts.

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Web Collaboration -the benefits for marketing professionals

Five ways to increase your marketing effectiveness:

Rapid lead generation. Interactive Web events provide a powerful yet cost-effective way to reachnew prospects on a global basis. Todays rich media Web events enable you to offer your customers andprospects rewarding, entertaining experience, without the inconvenience and expense of travelling to a

physical venue. This is one reason why return on investment for online events is typically much higherthan for traditional face-to-face events.

Turn prospects into buyers faster. By using Web collaboration tools to educate your prospects

and the market, you can accelerate the process of converting interest in your products into real desireto make a purchase. Online seminars involving industry experts and reference customers enable you todevelop compelling propositions in your key markets.

Get users more involved. Use the Web to conduct virtual user conferences and training sessions.These events can put users in touch with each other, allowing them to share ideas, interact with yourkey executives on future strategies, and learn about new products in a way that builds customer loyalty

and accelerates use of your products.

Reach a wider audience, more often. Web events allow you to reach audiences big and small

with greater frequency. Marketing professionals can use Web collaboration tools to interact withindustry influencers such as press and analysts, large internal audiences, or to put customers andpartners in touch with each other.

Enhance customer care and development. Demonstrating your ongoing commitment tocustomer success is a powerful way to build customer loyalty. Web collaboration enables you toaccelerate product and service upgrades with timely, personalized online demonstrations and training,and integrate those events with marketing programs such as executive briefings.

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Collaboration Strategies

Team Strategy 1:

Bank uses Web seminars to build market share

Victoria is responsible for growing SmartBanks small business share. Shed triedsome of the usual tools like leaflets and

direct mail, but nothing seemed to work.She needed something that woulddifferentiate Smart Bank as the companythat offers the most value, innovation andsupport to the small business sector.

Having recently participated in one ofCentras online marketing events, Victoriawondered whether a similar approachmight work for her. She knew conferencescould be a powerful way to attract newprospects, but an expensive traditionalevent was not viable. By contrast, a Webseminar offered a cost effective way forSmart Bank to generate leads and make amark as an innovator in the smallbusiness banking sector.

Setting up the Web seminar was easy.

Victoria found a well-respected businessexpert to give a flagship presentation onMigration to Electronic Banking. Theevent was then promoted through a

marketing campaign specifically targetedat small business clients.

Using Centra software, Victoria built the

seminars in weeks for a fraction of thecost of traditional conferences. The firstseminar she ran attracted 400 smallbusiness managers well over target.

Small business customers can now logonto Smart Banks seminars withouttravelling to physical venues. Duringthese events, customers can participate in

live presentations, and have their say withnumerous interactive polls and surveys.They can also access a number of smallbusiness guides, or view previousrecorded seminars at their leisure.

As for Victoria, she has dramaticallyaccelerated her lead generation activitiesand passed hundreds of strong leads to hercolleagues. Web seminars provided a cost

effective way for Smart Bank to reach awider audience, and Victorias team cannow track, measure and pursue valuablecustomer leads with speed and efficiency.

The following stories

are designed to

illustrate a range of

the collaborative

strategies and

applications that canhelp organizations

attain their key sales

and marketing

objectives.

Conclusion: Online marketing events provide a powerful,

cost-effective way to accelerate lead generation and

measure your return on marketing investments.

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Team Strategy 2:

CPG company launches new global brand

KissCurls Inc was about to launch Eve, arange of organic hair beauty productsaimed at low income, environmentally

conscious consumers.Everything now depended on KissCurlsability to execute a successful productlaunch in multiple countries. Knowing aglobal launch can easily become alogistical nightmare, KissCurls implementedCentra to enable faster, more efficientcollaboration between key personnelworking around the world.

Two months before the launch date,KissCurls ran an online seminarpresenting the brand strategy to everymarketing and product manager in all thekey countries. As a result, KissCurls wasable to communicate detailed launchplans to hundreds of employees in asingle hit a process that would have

required dozens of time consumingmeetings in the past.

KissCurls collaborative launch strategydid not stop there, however. KissCurlsmarketing managers used e-meetings to

brief PR and advertising agencies in manycountries, and provide feedback oncreative concepts. This alone ensuredthat the Eve line was ready to launch witha global yet locally tailored advertisingcampaign well ahead of schedule.

KissCurls also conducted regular onlineconsultations with key retail partnersto help streamline Eves introduction

into the major supermarket chains.Several times a week, KissCurls countrymanagers were able to report on progressand discuss problems in a live, interactiveenvironment. These online meetings provedvital to ensure that KissCurls maintaineda focused, coordinated approach acrossall elements of the product launch.

Conclusion: Web collaboration can help companiescoordinate complex, global product launches and

accelerate time to market.

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Everything now

depended on

KissCurls ability toexecute a successful

product launch in

multiple countries.

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Team Strategy 3:

Global bid team wins high value contract

EFS was bidding for a major contract toprovide technology services to the UKsMinistry of Defense. With such a high value

deal at stake, the company needed toassemble a world-class team capable ofwinning the bid against stiff competition.

The project required expertise and supportfrom EFS consultants based in manydifferent countries, as well as theinvolvement of several key businesspartners. Initially, however, this distributedteam struggled to make progress against

demanding deadlines. Telephoneconferences proved unproductive, andimportant proposals and documents weredelayed as the team had to circulate eachnew revision via email.

With time ticking away, EFS decided aradical approach was required. Webcollaboration software was implemented to

enable team members to meet and interactin a live environment, using standard PCsand browser technology.

The pace of progress changed almostovernight. The project leader could now

schedule live interactive meetings within amatter of minutes. During these meetings,every member of the team could discuss

tactics, provide feedback, and shareapplications and documents in real-time.The solution also enabled the team toaccess documented research much moreeffectively.

Web collaboration allowed the bid teamto develop new ideas much faster, and acompelling proposition quickly began totake shape. The ability to collaborate on

proposals in real-time also cut the reviewcycle for key documents from days tohours.

EFSs consultants worked closely with thecompanys key business partners to build acomplete solution that would address allthe clients needs. Web collaborationenabled each member of this extendedteam to contribute their specialized

knowledge, without any unnecessarydelays. As a result, EFS was able to delivera winning response to tender, well inadvance of the Ministry of Defensesdeadline.

Conclusion: Web collaboration enables client-facing teams

and business partners to interact more effectively, helpingthem to develop more compelling customer propositions

and pitches.

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Web collaboration

allowed the bid team

to develop new ideasmuch faster, and a

compelling

proposition quickly

began to take shape.



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Team Strategy 4:

Pensions advisors clinch sales with online

consultations

Lets face it, its hard to get consumers

interested in complex financial products.A lot of people also feel uncomfortableabout inviting a sales representative intotheir home.

Merchant Associates, a company ofIndependent Financial Advisors, found aninnovative way around this problem byoffering free customer consultations overthe Web. Instead of sending advisors outto peoples homes, customers can nowdiscuss their financial plans forretirement in a live, online environment.

The beauty of the solution is thatMerchants advisors can offer the samepersonal, one-to-one service withouthaving to travel to as many meetings.Using Centra collaboration software,

advisors can chat with customers in real

time. They can visually illustrate a

products past performance, anddynamically generate pension fundprojections right in front of thecustomers eyes. The advisors can also talkthe customers through on-screendocuments, which can be downloaded forcloser inspection at a later date.

The new sales model offers a win-win

situation for the company and itscustomers alike. Many of Merchantscustomers find it more convenient andless intrusive to meet salesrepresentatives in this way. At the sametime, the productivity of Merchantsconsultants has radically improved. Thecompany is now reaching a wider market,and translating a much higher proportion

of prospects into satisfied customers.

Conclusion: The ability to demonstrate a products

capabilities and performance over the Web can be decisivein many sales situations. contents

The beauty of the

solution is that

Merchants advisors

can offer the same

personal, one-to-one

service without having

to travel to as manymeetings.



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Team Strategy 5:

Confectionary company runs online focus group

Changing the packaging of an old-timefavorite chocolate bar is a risky butsometimes necessary business. For years

one of Swirl Confectionarys most popularchocolate bars went by different names indifferent countries but the time hadcome to create one easily manageableinternational brand.

Several new names were developed, alongwith new packaging options that weredesigned to take the brand forward whilepreserving some of the old products

traditional look and feel. Swirl needed totest the new names, packaging optionsand marketing strategy in key markets toensure consumers would respondpositively to the new brand.

The traditional approach was to test theproduct in consumer focus groups, butthis would be a costly and time consuming

exercise to run in multiple countries. So

instead, Swirl used Web collaborationsoftware to run an online focus groupwith a representative mix of international

consumers.The focus group was able to view differentnames, then vote for their preferred brandwith a click of a button. Differentpackaging options were also shown usingstreaming video. Throughout the process,a facilitator was able to provide guidanceand answer questions in real time.

The online focus group was a much faster,more cost effective way to test consumerreactions to different brand options thantraditional methods. The research gatheredin these trials enabled Swirl to deliver thenew brand into the market much morequickly. Known as MilkoBite, the newlybranded chocolate bar is now one of thehighest selling snack products in North

America.

Conclusion: Online focus groups provide quick, cost

effective ways to market research new products and brands.contents

The time had come

to create one easily

manageableinternational brand.



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Team Strategy 6:

Phone retailer revolutionizes its sales

force training

Dial.Me.Up is one of the worlds leading

mobile phone retailers, with a reputationfor offering friendly, knowledgeableadvice to help consumers find the rightpackage to suit their needs.

Of course, maintaining this high level ofservice throughout 400 branches is noeasy task. Dial.Me.Up needs to update its3000 sales representatives about new

product features, taxes and promotionalpackages on a weekly basis. In the pastthey relied on training bulletins combinedwith less regular classroom training butthis was far from ideal. More recently, thecompany has implemented a Web-basedsolution to provide more flexible, costeffective online training.

Dial.Me.Ups e-Learning solution makes

it easy to create and distribute highquality training content. Now salesrepresentatives spend an hour every weekupdating their knowledge on the latest

product lines. To do this, they simply

access recorded training sessions using aPC in the staff room. During these sessions,they can view product demonstrations,watch colleagues role-play typical salessituations, and test their knowledge usinginteractive questionnaires.

Sales representatives also participate inmonthly interactive workshops where

they can interact with tutors andcolleagues, ask questions, and collaborateon a variety of training exercises.

The companys online training programhas resulted in improved sales figures andan industry award for high qualitycustomer service. At the same time, thedisruption and costs associated withtraditional classroom training have been

almost eliminated all of which hashelped Dial.Me.Up deliver another set ofimpressive financial results.

Conclusion: Web-based training offers all the benefits of

classroom training, but at a fraction of the cost.

contents

The company has

implemented

Web-based training

to provide more

flexible, cost effective

online training.



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Team Strategy 7:

e-Meetings help medical specialist reverse

sales decline

When Peter Kinsey took the role of

Medical Sales Director for a specialistvendor of medical supplies, he knew hefaced an uphill struggle. Sales werefalling, morale was low. Out of a team of100 medical sales representatives, eightof his best performers were alreadythreatening to leave.

The sales reps spent most of their time on

the road demonstrating medical productsto doctors. Years of poor managementand inadequate support had left themfeeling isolated, and sales inevitablysuffered as a result.

Peter wanted to initiate regular salesmeetings to help set clear team objectivesand foster a go-getting culture. Butbringing 100 people together in one place

at the same time was so difficult thatmeetings were regularly postponed orabandoned.

The solution was to run a weekly salesmeeting online. Centra e-meeting now

allows the sales reps to attend meetings

using their laptops from any location,with minimal disruption to their busyschedules. At each meeting, Peter givesan update on progress, asks the weekstop performers to share sales successes,and informs his team about the latestopportunities and threats.

The impact on morale and the companys

sales performance has already beenimpressive. Employees know exactly whattheir targets are, and what they need todo to achieve them. In fact, the new salesmeetings have been so successful, thecompany now plans to hold onlineconferences enabling its sales andmarketing teams to exchange valuablecustomer intelligence and developcomplementary strategies. These kind ofcollaborative initiatives have restored thecompanys fortunes and put it back on thepath to growth.

Conclusion: Online meetings can improve team

management and motivation, while enabling moreproductive collaboration between different functions

and departments.

contents

But getting 100 people

together in one place at

the same time was so

difficult and disruptive

that meetings were

regularly postponed or

abandoned.



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Team Strategy 8:

The Call Center Company makes the most of CRM

The Call Center Company recently madea multi-million dollar investment ina well-known customer relationship

management (CRM) solution. This complexsoftware promises to revolutionize theway the companys outbound sales teamsand customer support function interactswith the customer. Trouble is, no oneseems to know how to use it.

In a last ditch attempt to recoup theirinvestment, the company organized CRMKickStart, a training and support program

to help employees make the most of thenew technology. Given the time pressuresof a Call Center environment, this programhad to be delivered in a highly flexible,cost effective and non-disruptive manner.

The company had already used Centra formanagement training in the past, anddecided to see if a similar Web-basedapproach would help now. Using Centra,they were able to develop a multi-phasedtraining program that could be delivered

over the Web to any of the companysglobal call centers.

Product experts were able to talk sales and

customer support teams through each ofthe key steps in using the new CRMapplication, and answer questions in a liveenvironment. Later on, the employees wereable to review recordings of the sessions toreinforce key lessons. The company alsoused Centra as part of its CRM helpdesk.Now if employees experience a problemwith the CRM application, the helpdesk

technician can resolve their issues in a liveinteractive session.

As a result of the online training program,the CRM solution is being used correctlyand on a daily basis by nearly allthe companys employees. Productivity ison the rise, and the latest survey oncustomer satisfaction is very positiveindeed. At last, The Call Center Companyis beginning to realize real value from itsCRM solution.

Conclusion: Online training and support can help employeesadopt new processes and technology quickly and with

minimum disruption.

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Productivity is on the

rise, and the latest

survey on customersatisfaction is very

positive indeed.


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IVCi Corporate Headquarters

180 Adams Avenue

Hauppauge, NY 11788

U.S.A.

Tel: 631-273-5800

Fax: 631-273-7277

Email: [email protected]

For more information, visit www.ivci.com.
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Eight Strategies