BatesMeron Sweet Design

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is Happy Work Spectacular Life, and we do career coaching for people at any stage of the work world’s life. I’m a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

We needed an initial branding campaign. We had our wonderful baby of an idea, and we needed BatesMeron to figure out our logo and how to position ourselves soup to nuts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BatesMeron has a pretty neat process that they follow. They make it super easy as a client to take the anxiety out of the overwhelming task of figuring out who you are and how you want to represent yourself. It started off as an initial meeting where we got to go around the room in what they called a “visual buffet” where we got to identify looks and feels of images and campaigns that we liked and didn’t like. This helped to get more of a look and feel for what we wanted visually and emotionally out of our brand, and they were able to drive that out of us.

We had a great facilitated discussion that BatesMeron's team led around what mattered to us and why. It also helped us identify who we were and why we were different from any of our competitors. It was like a clarity session after coming from something that was fuzzy. We had done quite a bit of work ahead of time before coming in with them, and we knew we needed something professional to really spruce us up. We thought we had all of our ducks in a row in our answers, but then they came in with the session and helped us take the fuzzy lines and sharpened up the edges. Then BatesMeron took all of our discussion away. I’m not sure how they did it because it was so convoluted and crazy the way we gave them all this information, and they came back with a brand, a personality brief, and rounds of logo iterations.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

Becka Bates [President, BatesMeron Sweet Design] is a member of a monthly CEO organization called Vistage. That’s where I knew her from.

How much have you invested with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

Our engagement was $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BatesMeron in October 2016. Our project will be completed within the next few weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I wish we had metrics because that would mean we are up and running. The results have yet to come up because we haven’t launched the website. At this point, it’s purely anecdotal. So far, folks we’ve shared our logo with, even though it’s not finalized, have really liked it. Preliminary feedback from our advisory board is that they like the wording and essence of how BatesMeron captured who we are and who we want to be.

How did BatesMeron Sweet Design perform from a project management standpoint?

It has been very positive. The BatesMeron team is very well organized. They use Basecamp, but we didn’t really adopt it. We mostly used emails, phone, and face-to-face meetings.

What did you most impressive about BatesMeron Sweet Design?

BatesMeron does great artwork. They are also really cool to work with. It was cool to see that they really got us from the beginning. They are so intuitive and smart that it didn’t take them long to figure out who we are, what we want, and a great way to present our brand.

Are there any areas BatesMeron Sweet Design could improve?

In a world where I am all about improvement, I honestly can’t think of something that stands out for them to work on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Axion is an employee benefits and brokerage firm. I was the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

We had an old, antiquated brand as well as a different name that came with the transition of some ownership.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BatesMeron worked on everything from logos to materials redesign to a brand-new website as well as a social media campaign. We coupled the effort with a public relations solution for which we used a third party. I asked BatesMeron to work together with that agency, and they did. In fact, I'm still doing business with both parties for my current company.

BatesMeron helped us initially with the copywriting for a press release. We launched the main work from there, and BatesMeron had a campaign around notifying our current clients of the name change, the reasoning behind it, and the brand that we'd be adopting. The timing of the change needed to be immediate, but the branding wasn't ready. Because the name needed to hit the streets and start the year for taxation purposes, we went with a mini brand launch. Ultimately, it wasn't the brand that we landed on, but we had a name and temporary logo in place.

As we approached the final deliverables, I mainly cared about what the front-end process would look like. At the end of the day, I'm a sales executive, and I follow a sales process for every one of my clients, gathering data and making full analyses. Then, I can show clients that we have better consulting ideas than other companies. This is essentially what BatesMeron did for me through the sales process. Right out of the gate, they went through a thorough personality brief and brand assessment. Many groups would shy away from putting in that much work within the first 60 to 90 days, but this paid all the dividends in the world. The finished result truly represented me, the other executives, and all other associates of the firm.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

I reached out to my network, asking for help regarding a firm that could lead us into a true strategic direction for developing and relaunching our brand during a 12- to 18-month period. When it was all said and done, I chose BatesMeron because they had the most comprehensive analysis of understanding what we were all about.

How much have you invested with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

Our project with BatesMeron had a cost of between $80,000 and $120,000 in the first year. Ongoing, we cut that cost down to about a half to maintain a continuation of the brand, rather than launching it and stopping the effort. If we did that, we'd need a rebrush 5 years down the line. We wanted a proactive approach to keeping branding up-to-date. For perspective, we were a $10 million firm at the time.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BatesMeron in January 2015. I am no longer with the company, but the work is still ongoing. As a testament to the work that BatesMeron accomplished for the firm on a tight schedule and budget, we've engaged them for a proposal for my current company.

In the first quarter of 2015, we tackled our personality and brand profile. From April until October, all our materials were developed, printed, and reached the hands of people. In the 4th quarter, we started working on social media. By the 4th quarter of 2015, our project was essentially complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

BatesMeron created some amazing before-and-after pictures for our branding. To me, the work tells the story, but I don't have any concrete metrics to share, given the sensitivity and cutthroat nature of my business.

We were very pleased with the reactions received. My firm specialized in employee benefits insurance. Ultimately, we delved into the "why?" of what we did, instead of just describing what we did. We came up with the tagline "A promise that starts with people." We didn't go into this project thinking that we wanted or even needed something like this but, the more we talked about it, the more we realized that our work was not just about our clients, it was our employees, stakeholders, partners, and business associates in the marketplace. The tagline was well received and continues to be one of the things people remember as a part of our organization's culture. We will do whatever it takes to take care of clients, internal team, and stakeholders.

How did BatesMeron Sweet Design perform from a project management standpoint?

BatesMeron delivered on time and had good communication. They used Basecamp as a project management software, which became useful whenever I was asked what we had to show for our money.

What did you find most impressive about BatesMeron Sweet Design?

BatesMeron has all the creative power in the world, but the data-gathering process for arriving at creative suggestions is something that I continue to appreciate. If we were going to spend a lot of money on the project, we couldn't rush into design work. BatesMeron wanted the designs to be custom for what we were trying to achieve. We spent a lot of time on this topic, peeling back the onion, and understanding what each of the stakeholders was trying to say with the company's name and brand. In some cases, it was a matter of where we wanted to be, not where we were. BatesMeron helped clarify our present, near-term, and future stay and built a plan around those.

Are there any areas BatesMeron Sweet Design could improve?

Early on, before rolling out Basecamp to me, I was constantly asking BatesMeron for an active status on where we were and what the project plan looked like. BatesMeron told me that they were a week or 2 away from launching our Basecamp instance. After that, everything sat at my fingertips. I could pull up a dashboard of the projects we'd completed easily as well as in-progress and future ones. BatesMeron could have rolled out Basecamp a little earlier but, at the end of the day, I probably wasn't ready for it anyway.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Axion Risk Management Strategies is a healthcare employee benefits consultancy and brokerage firm that specializes in the middle market.  We partner with our clients to develop innovative 3 to 5 year strategies to support their business objectives and help mitigate the rising costs of healthcare for them and their employees.

I am the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron?

We engaged BatesMeron to help facilitate the rebranding of our company.  We had selected a name that we felt better conveyed our relevance to the marketplace and we needed a logo and marketing materials that was attention-getting and portrayed us as innovative.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BatesMeron was responsible for our logo, media, color palette, and website design. BatesMeron reworked our website starting with a clean slate. They reworked our marketing materials, business cards, and anything else forward-facing.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron?

BatesMeron was referred to us from someone who had used them. I was not involved in the selection process.

How much have you invested with BatesMeron?

The cost of our rebranding project with BatesMeron was around $90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BatesMeron in September 2014. The relationship has been ongoing, and we continue to rely on BatesMeron for advice on keeping our website current and providing other marketing ideas.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We were very satisfied. I don't have any anecdotal stories, but one of the things that BatesMeron did for us was to come up with a 6-color scheme. Our business cards come in a variety of colors and our clients have noticed that.

We moved into a new office space in April 2016, and used the color palette developed by BatesMeron as the scheme for our office.

We also engaged BatesMeron to design opaque privacy films for some of our glass walls in the space.  The films they designed carried our logo over into the space, which has been positively commented on by visitors to our office.

What did you find most impressive about BatesMeron?

BatesMeron is a very vibrant, fun group of people to work with. They're always receptive and responsive.

Are there any areas BatesMeron could improve?

No. We have a great relationship with BatesMeron.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Investment Answers provides basic income and retirement planning for people who are in or nearing retirement. We are an independently-owned investment and insurance firm.

I am a co-owner along with my husband, who founded the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron?

We separated from our partners at the time, landed a great federal trademark for our company, and bought investmentanswers.com and investmentanswers.net, as well as other domains. We wanted to rebrand the company and go out on our own.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BatesMeron interviewed us, learning who we were, who our prospective clients were, and what our professional network is. Following this, BatesMeron developed a brand, collateral, as well as a business strategy and implementation.

We helped develop the look of the brand by coming up with basic collateral pieces around our logo, tagline, and so on. BatesMeron developed multiple potential logos for us, helping us define the message for our target audience. We chose the options which we liked, and started developing our visual brand in terms of tone, language, and compliance standards. Once this understanding was reached, we moved forward with a website and a large variety of print collateral, most of which is reordered on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron?

I had seen the quality of their work and the essence of what they were doing, so I contacted BatesMeron. Once I started talking to their owner and asked questions about their structure and billing, as well as what the turnaround time would be for each project, I found her answers to be straightforward and true. We've pretty much stayed on deadline and budget, and took some of the more complex projects further than we anticipated. I didn't need to shop around very much because I was already impressed with the look-and-feel of BatesMeron's work.

How much have you invested with BatesMeron?

The total cost of BatesMeron's services has been above $100,000. There is a cycle to marketing. We spent money in the beginning and maintained our collateral on an ongoing basis.

They're a boutique firm, which comes with a personalized experience, so I wouldn't try to undercut costs, and expect to get the same kind of work from my nephew. I always had to fight for our budget for BatesMeron, given that they've met so many of our needs across the board. The budget always gets approved.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BatesMeron in 2011, and we're still going strong. BatesMeron is one of my favorite vendors, even though I've worked with many companies.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We tried to do the work ourselves at one point, also giving the work to friends or cousins. As a result, BatesMeron is still undoing the mistakes done by non-professionals. Everyone thinks that they're an expert in marketing, especially if they have a degree, but we've learned a lot from trying to do the work ourselves. 

We love using our printed material, and it makes working with it more fun by how beautiful it is. I went through a mailer and lined out our letterheads, which went together with our trifold brochure aimed at directing people to our website. I found the process that much more pleasant, given how the material looks.

At one point, we ordered some branded mugs which had sharp edges. BatesMeron was there with us, and they took care of the problem. This was the only deliverable with which we ever had a problem, and I was relieved of the responsibility around it.

How did BatesMeron perform from a project management standpoint?

BatesMeron has provided good reporting, making it easy for me to review numbers from even a few years ago. They're an organized company, which is very useful for us as a finance company. We need to take our budget to the team for it to be approved.

Whenever I needed additional resources like an illustrator, BatesMeron was able to hire someone who had worked with them in the past. They're flexible in this regard.

What did you find most impressive about BatesMeron?

BatesMeron is a very organized and straightforward group. They're creative and able to produce art with some depth. When looking at and interacting with it, people will be more compelled by our material.

BatesMeron was a significant part of our budget, but the things that they've accomplished for us are wide-ranging. We feel more confident during face-to-face sales meetings, because of the collateral and branding built by BatesMeron. Even doing a mailer, which is a monotonous process, will be more enjoyable for the sales team. Clients have told us that they enjoy getting faxes from us, which we find awesome.

Are there any areas BatesMeron could improve?

I don't know what their business structure is, but BatesMeron has met all of my needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Insights in Marketing is a marketing research firm providing custom qualitative and quantitative solutions to a variety of different industries, bringing them actionable insights aimed at growing businesses. By working with us, clients end up having the confidence that they need in order to make the right decisions for driving their businesses forward. I am the Senior Director of Marketing and Sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron?

Our website was fairly dated and had suffered many Band-Aid fixes which created issues. The more patches we made, the less we were able to do, from a functionality standpoint. The design of the website also didn't fit with our brand personality. It was flat and basic, which is the antithesis of our personality: a fun, quirky, collaborative, and smart company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The work fell into a couple of areas, one of which would constitute as overall project management. One of the issues of our websites was that it had been designed with a very specific backend programming language, which couldn't be handled by many web developers. Even though it was outdated, it connected to our CRM, so we needed to keep it.

The design work was done by BatesMeron, as well as the overall project leadership and management of the backend developers contracted from another partner. Those resources were hired by our company; we had worked with them historically for all of our backend programming, but they weren't designers.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron?

BatesMeron worked closely with another team member from our company prior to me joining the company. They had performed a lot of branding work, as well as developing our company personality. BatesMeron did a fabulous job on those efforts, so it was a natural decision to contract them when we decided that we needed to get our website aligned with our brand positioning and personality. There was no reason for me to bid the project out to multiple people. BatesMeron's team was simply that strong, and I felt confident that we'd get what we needed. BatesMeron was also more than willing to collaborate with another party for the backend development.

How much have you invested with BatesMeron?

I do not have this information.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our project timeline was 6 months, and the work was completed in October 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have seen a 20% increase in traffic. Our bounce rate declined by around 18%.

What did you find most impressive about BatesMeron?

Other creative agencies I've worked with in the past didn't always have an overall creative process. What I found unique about BatesMeron was that, not only were they awesome on the creative side, they also had a very good process for keeping everyone on track. We knew what to expect, when to expect it, and what was needed from us along the way. That was shocking and amazing at the same time.

Are there any areas BatesMeron could improve?

The work could always have been done quicker and cheaper, but I don't know how possible this really was. The timeline depended more on our company delivering material.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a standard boutique nail and waxing salon. I am the owner and Operating Manager of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron?

I had a brand-new business and went through a soft launch. I needed to create a website for it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BatesMeron developed my website and designed some promotional material and business cards as well.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron?

BatesMeron's owner walked in as a client in our first week of business and mentioned that we didn't have a website yet. I looked at a couple of smaller agencies, but we hit it off with BatesMeron, found them easy to talk to, and they had a game plan for my business.

How much have you invested with BatesMeron?

The total cost of my project with BatesMeron was between $20,000 and $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with BatesMeron in September 2008 and have continuously used them for additional card designs and website updates. The initial website development took a couple of months to complete.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The cards designed by BatesMeron allowed customers to set appointments and had a larger format than average. They served as a relationship-building tool, featuring discounts for the scheduled appointments. I have maintained the same clientele over the years.

I've received a few reviews on Yelp, but over 50% of my customers have visited my website.

What did you find most impressive about BatesMeron?

BatesMeron is great at relationship building and have come to know me as a client, measuring what my particular needs are. BatesMeron was able to think for me on creative issues, and was easy to work with. I had just opened a business and was more focused on day-to-day activities, so I appreciated BatesMeron's ability to lay out a plan. BatesMeron conceptualized my website based on the logo design that I provided.

Are there any areas BatesMeron could improve?

No. I have a short attention span, but BatesMeron was great at focusing my options and getting answers from me. Other businesses I've collaborated with let me take my time, which could mean up to 3 months.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with BatesMeron?

BatesMeron has been wonderful to work with, so I haven't had to think about that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Ernst Benary of America breeds and produces flower seeds for the horticulture market. Our headquarters are in Hann. Münden, Germany, but we have a breeding facility in the US, in California.

I am the marketing specialist for North America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron?

Being an international company with a marketing team in Germany, some of the designs were not always in-tune with the North American colloquialisms and differences. We wanted to build a piece which would be adequate for the local market and needs, so we reached outside of our company for some fresh eyes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BatesMeron assisted us in reaching out to consumers, which was something that we'd never done. We determined what was important to our clients, and what made things fun and fresh for them. We had always had a B2B [business-to-business] approach, and never tackled consumers because that can be expensive.

We've worked with BatesMeron on 2 magazines about our product, which could help appeal to consumers. Our B2B customers could print the material, or use bits and pieces of it in order to sell more of our product. It was a cross-breed between a rebrand and a marketing campaign.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron?

We met BatesMeron through a business colleague who had done some projects with them in the past. We asked BatesMeron to redesign an ad for our company but ultimately decided that it wasn't the right approach. We decided to stay with our current ads, but when it came time for the new projects, we contacted them. The ads designed by BatesMeron for us initially were very innovative and had a clean aesthetic which matched our corporate look while still being fresh.

How much have you invested with BatesMeron?

The total cost of our project with BatesMeron was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our initial project with BatesMeron started in November 2014 and finalized in April 2015. We've worked on a second project with BatesMeron from May to July 2016. We're working on something for 2017, which BatesMeron will probably help us on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We don't have metrics on our project with BatesMeron, but there have been many positive comments from customers. They've told us that ours was the best piece they'd seen for the horticulture industry, and it helped them sell the product. The piece captured clients' needs and we've received praise in terms of creativity and artwork. The material is fresh, fun, and appealing to millennials.

What did you find most impressive about BatesMeron?

BatesMeron's team had open minds and was made up of young people. Our company is a bit older, so BatesMeron has been able to better speak the language of millennials, and we've really leaned on them in this area. BatesMeron is knowledgeable in their field but they're also young and fun enough for the work.

Are there any areas BatesMeron could improve?

We've had some good brainstorming sessions with them, but BatesMeron should ask more questions upfront about what the customer's needs are, and what the final outcome should look like. We hashed this out along the way, but the process might have been smoother if it had been determined in the beginning.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're small business advisors, helping owners grow their businesses. I am the principal of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron?

I had a business identity, including a website and logo which were designed in the beginning, but now that the company had matured, I no longer felt that that identity was a reflection of how I was perceived by clients. I needed to gain a more professional image.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BatesMeron provided branding for 2 different entities.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron?

BatesMeron was working with a business coach whom I'd partnered with on a different occasion. I looked at several other design firms, but found BatesMeron to excel in expressing a sophisticated, premium image, without it being off-putting or snobby.

How much have you invested with BatesMeron?

The total cost of BatesMeron's services was between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with BatesMeron 5 years ago. The project was completed within 2 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I received great feedback about the branding once it went out. When looking at my business cards, people have said that they heard about my company, even though there was no chance of that. This indicates a favorable impression, connected to a higher-end experience. I encountered less price pushback after the rebrand, and the effect has been durable. Even though the work was done 5 years ago, I still feel that it looks fresh, and I don't need to do a lot in order to keep it up-to-date.

What did you find most impressive about BatesMeron?

BatesMeron is good at finding the essence of what's unique about a business and expressing it in the design work. The point of difference can often be hard to find.

Are there any areas BatesMeron could improve?

Because BatesMeron looks for essential pieces from a creative standpoint, there is uncertainty in terms of how long the process will take, from the outset to the finish.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with BatesMeron?

It's important to let BatesMeron's team do their thing, instead of trying to take over the process. BatesMeron needs to receive feedback and have access to all the information, but oftentimes clients tend to cut off good ideas too soon, instead of letting them run.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I've worked with BatesMeron on several projects for different companies, but the majority of my experience with them was when I worked at medical associations.

What is your position?

I was the director of marketing and communications at both the American Osteopathic Association and the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

We engaged them to help us create some membership retention pieces. We also had them working on campaigns where we approached our members. We worked with them on other print deliverables as well. Usually for anything where we had a design challenge or a piece that needed to be produced, we would use BatesMeron.

They were great at coming in and not just talking about the design, but the overall purpose and approach to the piece, making sure that we understood what the objectives were beyond what a traditional design agency might bring. More of a deliverable that is just the right tool for the right audience, with the right message.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

In addition to the design work and the print materials, sometimes we would give BatesMeron a challenge and ask them to solve it, and we'd get a proposal back from them. This would involve helping with project scope, project management, everything from copywriting to designing concepts to working with the print house and whoever was producing the piece and working on the logistics involved. They have the capability to be all-encompassing and oversee a project from start to finish.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

They have done awesome work for me and I had a great relationship with them, so whenever I had the chance, I would go directly to them. There were times where I had to ask multiple agencies to bid, so I would usually reach out to three agencies, get three quotes, and take it from there. We had to compare and contrast costs when the project was a little bit larger.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Our projects each ranged from about $10,000 to $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first started working with them nine or 10 years ago. I haven't had projects for them recently. Our most recent project together was last year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I've always had a great customer relationship with BatesMeron Sweet Design. We have created pieces together that have won them some design awards. They were always interested in doing things that were not just quick and easy projects. They encouraged us to push the envelope sometimes on the design work, and they love to come up with unique individual solutions.

Whether that's a promo video for a piece before it goes to members, or a unique piece where we make a mailer look like a Band-Aid instead of an envelope, they were always coming up with cool ideas and getting excited about it, and getting us excited. They were great from that perspective, and they have a lot of creative power for a small agency.

What distinguishes BatesMeron Sweet Design from other providers?

Because they were small, they were a good fit for the size of the group that I was at in terms of budget. Knowing that I was getting the attention I needed, being a small medical association without a huge budget, was great.

Is there anything BatesMeron Sweet Design could have improved or done differently?

It's hard to say, because I had good working relationships with them. The only think I can think of is that there were a few instances in which we got too comfortable with each other, and we'd have to remind some of the staff that we needed to keep things moving along. When you have that great working relationship, sometimes it's hard to not steer off track, and get into nonwork related conversations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a young-plant company. We sell wholesale, small, baby plants to other growers who pot them into bigger pots, which then go to retail. Part of what we do is work with breeders around the world to get new products onto the market. That is where BatesMeron helps us to distinguish ourselves from other young-plant companies, by having these new products on the market.

What is your position and responsibilities?

I am the new product development and marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

When I first started working here back in January 2012, we had a marketing design firm working with our company. Part of the problem was their lack of professionalism. My goal was to try to find something that was more professional. That company was local, and what they delivered was quick, but it was not always thought out very well. When I got on board, I wanted to take it to a higher level, and that is when we hired BatesMeron. We wanted BatesMeron to help us out, not only with our look but also with the new products that we represent. They also helped with the branding of our company as well as the products that we carry.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Their first assignment was to work on a new look for our company, which started mainly with our catalog. That look flowed into the rest of the material that we presented to the market. That was a big step for us. When I first started here, our company's image was not that great because of what had happened in the past. That was not the fault of anyone who works here now because it is all different staff. Now, we are trying to get the message out that we are changing, that we have new staff, and that clients should order from us because of our great growing climate.

We are trying to highlight the good and flush out the bad a little bit. The logo remained the same, but we just went with a different overall look and feel, incorporating the current logo that we have. We are looking at doing something with the logo in the future, but right now we are not quite at that point internally to do that.

How did you come to work with BatesMeron Sweet Design?

They came recommended to me by somebody that I work with in the industry. My contact works with them very closely. After working with them for a short while, I knew that we wanted to use them and stay with them long term. They were so professional. They helped keep me on time with my projects. Even though I am completely swamped with things, I tell them to keep bothering me and not to worry about making me mad or anything. They always produce a great product in such a small amount of time that it is hard to imagine not wanting to work with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The size of the initiative is between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered with BatesMeron in May 2012, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

One project that we have recently done was a spruce up of our image. This project started in June. It was quite a big project for them to complete and have all the production done by the show, in early July. We had four different brochures with envelopes, a theme for the whole program, business cards, a new booth, and website updates. They completed it all with no problems.

People have mentioned how nice the brochures are and other people compliment our website. I think it definitely helps our business to have that level of professionalism, rather than some printed PowerPoint, which I have seen some of our competitors have. It does bring a professional-looking image to the business that helps us to be noticed and increase our incoming business.

What distinguishes BatesMeron Sweet Design from other providers?

BatesMeron goes through a lot of detail to ensure that what they are producing is accurate. They have several people proof the material, and they will come back to me with things I would never have thought to check out. For example, they were checking addresses on our contact list that we have on our broker page in the catalog, just to make sure they match. I know that with the vendor we had before, there were a lot of misspellings in the catalog, which looked very unprofessional.

Is there anything BatesMeron Sweet Design could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything off the top of my head.