Strategic Sales & Marketing

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm QA manager and IT manager at Info-Arch. We develop software, one of our products is d'Reveal, this is a reports generating tool which can be embedded into your application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Strategic Sales & Marketing?

We hired them to get us a meeting with decision making professionals like VPs, Directors, CEOs, etc.

What were your goals for this project?

We were promised 4-6 per month. Our goal was to get at least 4.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Found them online.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Originally we hired them to promote our professional services but later we asked them to focus on dReveal. We were told it was going to have a week of delay which we agreed to. During all this time meetings were held in order for them to understand the business.

What was the team composition?

Two people on their side, 4 on ours (CEO, Dev Manager, QA Manager, Project Manager).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We lost USD 7500 and got nothing out of it.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was arranged via online conferences, sometimes video. We thought it was effective because they would take good notes and seemed to understand our business.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was expecting better customer service and value for the money paid. Instead, they said things like: "Payment is not connected to our level of success", "Your second payment will satisfy the terms of the Statement of Work".

Are there any areas for improvement?

1. Fulfill your promises. We were promised four to six leads per month, we only got two in a period of two months which were not even what we had discussed.
2. Deliver first before asking for another payment. We would get billed before even the due date, they apologized for doing this because they were charging a second payment with "0" results at the time.
3. Don't get into Software Development, it's not your field. Maybe they are good at finding leads in other areas, but no knowledge in software development.
4. We practically re-wrote their script entirely because it was going to damage our reputation they way questions were going to be asked.
5. They should care more about customer satisfaction and their money too. A customer is glad to pay when he sees results.
6. Show empathy. If I see that my job is not as good as it was expected, I don't charge more money even if it was part of the agreement.
7. Don't waste too much time when you're getting paid so much money. We wasted a lot of time on meetings and waiting on their answers. To buy time they would ask questions that were already discussed and just a lot of time was wasted.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on February 19, 2020.

My name is Al Davidson, Founder, and Owner of SSM. We have been providing lead generation services to technology companies for over 31 years, and we are the longest-tenured, US-based firm of our kind.  I apologize on behalf of everyone at SSM if we failed to better level-set expectations for results on this program. As you can see from other reviews, we are known for taking ownership and caring deeply about our clients.   

There are many inaccuracies in this review, and it's not possible in a 250-word response to discuss everything. Most importantly, the client exercised their right to exit the program after just 3 weeks and pay an early termination fee. As a part of our program management duties, we came to them with constructive recommendations that would further improve performance and rather than hear what we had to say, and they canceled. At that point in the program, we had developed our first two leads. With just 3 weeks under our belt, the SSM team was just getting out of “startup mode,” and all indications were pointing to us being on goal. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m part owner of a mechanical engineering consulting company that began with 3 employees in1994 and currently have 38 full-time personnel. We’re in a specialty market in engineering automation using a special software called Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) which was developed at MIT. The software involves a non-procedural coding language which we use to develop custom mechanical engineering automation from design through manufacturing. A typical sale is between $300,000–$1 million.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Strategic Sales & Marketing?

The owner of the company brought me on board and suggested I would need to spend 100% of my time prospecting. I suggested a more efficient use of my time would be to engage a telemarketer so 80% of my time would be spent closing business. The remaining 20% working with a telemarketer responsible for cold calling. The owner liked the idea, so we engaged with a telemarketer. They gave us more leads than I could count, but none of them developed into a closed sale.

SOLUTION

How easy was the integration?

The first step with SSM was to jointly iterate on a script that would clearly provide a detailed profile for what was needed to develop a next step with the prospect.  Strategic started calling and giving us leads. We performed a follow-up call with those leads and discovered that Strategic had clearly defined the person and their issue as part of their qualification process. Additionally, they clearly defined if the customer had a fiscal budget for engineering automation and what engineering issues they needed to overcome in their engineering development.

After two weeks, I called Strategic and told them they were doing a great job and allowed them to start making appointments for the DAA sales team. I asked that they be geographically cautious in doing so and SSM suggested they would set up a Google Calendar for us. In addition to sending a Google calendar invite to DAA and the prospect, the SSM team performed an additional follow-up call to the customer to confirm the visit or conference call a day before the call occurred. We also gave them access to our database. They started developing their call script notes and putting it into our database so we could access the information when we called the leads. They always made sure they were working in an area where they could get me two or three appointments. We did this for almost one year during 2001–2002.

How did you come to work with Strategic Sales & Marketing?

The owner of my company ran into Al (Owner, Strategic Sales & Marketing) at a management meeting in Connecticut. Our owner told Al that we had a poor telemarketer, and he suggested we come meet with Strategic to see if they could do a better job.

We had a whole-day meeting with them at their office where Al laid out his telemarketing process, which I thought was unique. They did a lot of preliminary work to clearly understand what drove the sales process. They worked through scripts to clearly convey messages to potential clients. There was also a Q&A sheet that they provided which gathered all the information we needed to make an actual call.

I felt uncomfortable with all of this in the beginning due to past experiences. I wanted them to have the contacts call us so we could requalify them. Strategic was okay with that. I hired another salesperson in the first four weeks and the two of us started distributing leads. We also wanted to only do 80 hours per month because we thought it would be too overwhelming to have so many leads to follow up on.

How much have you invested with them?

We started out with 80 hours a month at $20,000, but it increased to $50,000–$70,000 per year when we moved to full time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

In the first year, they introduced us to a client in New York who was wary to invest his $2.5 million Engineering R&D budget into anyone because he didn’t believe they could complete the job. He wanted an entire plan written up for the whole year for his budget and also wanted very clearly defined terms with a cash flow analysis to send to his junior management. We’ve retained that customer and they’ve been doing between $750,000–$2 million per year since 2003.

This resulted in us moving to a full-time engagement with Strategic the next year. We had them continue to develop leads for us for six or seven years. Our owners decided to bring in a marketing person at that time who was also involved with telemarketing. We were growing so fast and didn’t need any more leads for two years. We backed off around 2010–2012 and hired someone on-site.

They provided us with enough new customers throughout the engagement to yield over $1 million per year in growth. In the five years we were with them, we went from $370,000 to almost $4 million. In addition to that, we went from having 8–10 employees to having 30.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are the best telemarketing company I know of. Their thinking is unconventional and open to outside-the-box approaches. They broke the leads down into three categories: leads who they gave directly to us, leads who were missing information or critical telescript requirement, and companies who weren’t interested. They also gave me and my other employee a connection into their database. We could go in and look at the categories to determine if a company was a good fit or not.  Their open, transparent and joint teamwork methodology made this relationship a winner for us.

We decided to have monthly meetings with our primary telemarketer to make corrections which Al sometimes participated in. If there were any prospects they sent us that didn’t work, we gave them feedback and they adjusted the script. They also went through the uninterested companies to decide who we wanted to approach. Our relationship felt like more of a partnership rather than someone just selling to me.

We were trying to sell something that was intangible to these engineering managers. Our typical sales cycle was between 6–18 months. In working with Strategic, we were able to cut that cycle down to 6–9 months because the leads were so qualified. We kept track of people even if the sale wasn’t successful, which resulted in people returning to us in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Strategic could’ve made the transition smoother when they changed out telemarketers. We sometimes didn’t find out for three or four weeks. There was also one telemarketer who we had to switch out. Once we learned about it, we were able to train them and they did fine. Strategic was probably just growing too quickly at that time.

Do you have any advice for potential clients?

It took them some time to work on the script because they wanted to make sure we approved of it. Having patience through this script development paid off in a big way.  There were a lot of conversations back and forth—as well as a lot of script revision—before we finalized everything. Some companies may get frustrated with that long of a process. I know they’ve changed a lot since we stopped working with them. Strategic needs to make sure the company is aware of the process and how long it takes to get everything right.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an engineering consulting firm. My job focuses on business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Strategic Sales & Marketing?

We were looking for a way to generate more leads for our company. It’s a difficult business to just start cold calling and talking to people. We decided that we would like to do some form of lead generation along with our other marketing strategies.

SOLUTION

How easy was the integration?

They took the time to understand what we were trying to sell and what type of business we are. They then helped us build the script which they now represent fairly well. It wasn’t seamless at the beginning, but that was probably more our naivety than their company. We’d never worked with a firm like them before so we thought we had to be more involved in a lot of things that they could’ve taken care of independently.

Did you have to train them on your specific business?

They gave me samples of scripts which we worked on together. We had a very specific campaign that we wanted to run for security assessments which they were familiar with. We integrated their solution into what our delivery.

Do they provide any other services for you?

I give them target areas, a market, and job titles which they in turn send me a list to review. They do cold calls and send me the leads.

How did you come to work with Strategic Sales & Marketing?

Strategic showed up in a website’s top 10 list for lead generation firms. I reached out to five of those companies, but only three got back to me—including Strategic.

They explained the process to us. We’re a fairly immature sales organization and their project manager had a lot of tips and ideas to help us move forward. He’s been very helpful from the beginning and he’s also why we chose to work with them.

What is the team composition?

They have a call center where they handle training. It could be a variety of people working, but they act and sound like they’re working for us when they make calls.

Do you work with a project manager?

Yes, and our project manager does a great job—he’s the reason I’m giving a review. He’s been wonderful. I didn’t know a lot and had no idea how to work with them. Our first campaign went well, but when I tried to manage the second one myself, it fell flat. I listened to the project manager about changing the campaign a little bit and we’ve since gotten a lot of calls. They do what they say they’re going to do.

We communicated more often in the beginning but have since moved to an as-needed basis after campaigns start.

When did you begin working with them?

We started working with them in April 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We get anywhere from five to eight leads per month or more. We now have multiple campaigns running with them. We were able to close two new deals in the first three months, which was huge for us. The process has been seamless for the companies we’re contacting. They don’t know it’s an outside service who contacted them in the first place.

In the past three or four weeks, I’ve had about 22 companies express interest in our company that didn’t even know about us before. I actually don’t have time to handle more leads.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Having not worked with anyone else, it’s hard for me to say if there’s anything unique about them. We’ve built a good relationship. Other organizations contact me all the time to see if we would be interested in their services, but I just delete the messages. I’m not interested in them because I’m very happy with Strategic.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m very happy with what they do for us and it meets our needs. If they did their job any better I wouldn’t be able to handle the number of leads.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of business development for iTrace Technologies. We provide an anti-counterfeit and anti-grey market solution to brand owners and companies to protect their products and services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Strategic Sales & Marketing?

We’re a small company with a lot of remote operators. We were looking for additional help with outreach and customer acquisition, and it made sense for us to outsource that role.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They do phone calls and emails for us. They actually present themselves to customers as individuals working for our company. We provide a targeted list of prospects and a script for phone calls and they follow up with emails, attachments, and appointment requests. As opposed to inbound marketing that drives customers to a website, outbound marketing really requires a personal touch to reach out to individuals. It's more of a relationship management and internal sales role rather than simply telemarketing.

What is the team composition?

There are one account manager and three people making calls and sending emails.

How did you come to work with Strategic Sales & Marketing?

We started with a Google search for outbound sales and marketing firms. We used reviews and ranking sites to narrow down the list to a few companies. From phone interviews, we learned that many firms utilize third-party call centers. We liked that Strategic Sales provides a personal touch and that the people making the phone calls are actual employees of their company.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started around August 2017 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Strategic Sales really provides us with the flexibility to grow our team when necessary. It’s like a temp agency where you can hire them and then pause the engagement and then restart it later. Their team really helps us by setting up appointments and sending calendar invites. It’s very efficient and saves us a lot of time not having to do that ourselves. We're getting a lot of leads so they're clearly doing a good job.

How did Strategic Sales & Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They use an online dashboard that constantly communicates their progress, success rate, and metrics. We have a quarterly phone call to check-in on how the work is progressing and a monthly check-in via email with the account manager. At the beginning of the engagement, there was a lot of communication via phone conference in order to get the marketing message and the correct assets in play.

The project management is very dynamic. If at any point in time we felt the marketing wasn't directed or crafted correctly, they’re flexible and willing to work with us to refine the messaging.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're both personable and tenacious. I've gotten feedback from several customers that Strategic Sales team members are very persistent about scheduling a follow-up appointment but do so in a pleasant way. There are a number of prospects that I would never have connected with if they hadn’t kept sending them information and scheduling calls. I consider that to be a third-party validation of their value. They’re not just a pitching service but they truly are building relationships with new customers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some leads didn't pan out at the beginning of the engagement. However, they followed up and were able to reschedule many of those appointments, turning a negative into a positive. There's nothing to criticize.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t treat them as an outsourced service but rather consider them fellow employees. Make sure to share any potential criticism of your product or solution with them so that they know how to handle questions that might come up.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Berkshire Marketing Group was a marketing and communications company that worked with Strategic for eight years. I was the president and CEO. I now for work for Advocate for Human Potential, a behavioral health consulting company that’s also worked with Strategic for a few years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Strategic Sales and Marketing?

They did similar work in both companies but with different clientele. For Berkshire, they did telemarketing work around trying to get into large academic medical centers, other kinds of hospitals, and nonprofit organizations in the northeast.

SOLUTION

How easy was the integration?

The integration was very easy. It was pretty seamless after they got to know our culture, how we did our selling, and who our clients were. Neither I nor the clients felt like they were a vendor. I saw them as part of our marketing team.

Did you have to train them on your specific business?

We provided them with new script PDFs every couple of months. We defined who we were going after and tried different scripts to gauge effectiveness. We talked every couple of weeks with their CEO about what was working and what wasn’t.

Do you have experience working with any other company?

I don’t have experience with any other companies.

Are there any other services they provide for you?

We went over the demographics together and worked on what our goals were. They got to know our customers and how we did the selling. Our goal was to have them help us get into some larger organizations. They got us into some wonderful places we weren’t able to ourselves.

How did you come to work with Strategic Sales and Marketing?

I actually researched many other companies the first time and talked with five or six national ones. I went with Strategic because I felt they were far ahead of their competitors in terms of knowledge and approach. A lot of my peers felt that it wouldn’t work for a marketing and communications company to do business that way, but I proved them wrong.

What is the team composition?

There was very little turnover. I worked with three or four people over the eight-year relationship with Berkshire. The same person almost always set up the appointments. There were three or four people who rotated depending on the day. I always felt like I had the same team the whole way through.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $2,500 to receive 30 hours per month. We decided how many hours we were going to buy each month and then amortized it over the year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

About 65% of Berkshire’s work came from the leads Strategic was able to bring in during that four years. The results spoke for themselves and it was as successful as it could’ve been. Hiring them was cheaper than onboarding someone to our own team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What struck me was the integrity they had as a company. They wanted to learn about our organization’s culture. I was able to talk with them frequently about any areas that we needed to improve upon and the dashboard was very easy to use. All of these things made them a very different kind of company. They were transparent and always willing to try new things.

It was easy to communicate with and manage them. I would email or call them when I needed to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were times when I thought I had the right person but found out that they weren’t the one making decisions. People aren’t always truthful on the phone when they’re taking a sales call. They want to get you off the phone and tell you they can help. We helped Strategic work on finding the right person to talk to in the organization.

Have you ever had to interact with their support team for any technical issues?

I met with them every 2–3 weeks by phone.

Do you have any advice for potential clients?

The biggest thing is communication. Let them get to know your organization, culture, what’s worked, and what hasn’t so that they can get a good start. Follow-up and communication are key. Have an open dialogue and let them know what you’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of Community Healthcare Partners, we provide laboratory infrastructure services for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Strategic Sales & Marketing?

We hired SSM to launch a sales campaign for our firm to physicians & scientists

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed 10 vendors and SSM's approach to the project and their thorough understanding of my needs sold me on using them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Simple marketing project of cold calling physicians and scientists to get appointments for our sales team

What was the team composition?

I do not know all the team members but I've worked with Jason Gellar since the beginning and he is a consummate professional

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Best decision I ever made hiring SSM. They have literally blown away all the metrics they gave me at the outset of the project. We are seeing a large growth in sales now due to the work they do for our firm and frankly it would be impossible to get something as effective as SSM for the same budget if I tried to do it internally.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Wonderful, our workflow is a little quirky and they have adapted to our needs quickly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Not just one thing but I would say a.) their results and b.) working with Jason. Their project manager understands sales and marketing incredibly thoroughly and pays attention to every small detail.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Better dashboard technology

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need outbound services? Did you previously handle these needs in-house?

With a call center, sales can be integrated with customer service for a more effective and efficient operation. Call centers have trained sales professionals that can be used on your business’s schedule or on flexible arrangements, making them a more affordable and versatile option than an in-house sales team.

What was the volume of outbound calls your company was handling per day?

1100 calls.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

Our goals were to strengthen our financial resources and increase productivity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

They provide consistency in keeping up with demand. They are responsible for professional call answering and recording.

Could you describe the service provider's pricing structure and how they billed you?

I have yet to see what effect the price change will have on the volume of sales and what the effect will be on the profit per sale 100.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

We found them through online product blogs.

How would you assess the service provider's ability to conduct outbound sales calls, generate new business, and handle customer issues?

It's essential for your inbound representatives to thoroughly understand their role as consultants on products and services. Think about the last time you had your car repaired or work done at your house. I use these examples because most of us do not have the expertise.

How much time, in hours, does this service provider save you each month?

80 hours.

How much money does this service provider save you each month?

I'm not totally sure yet, but compared to last quarter, about $25, 0000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

They could have more clerks calling per hour.

What are the service provider's strengths?

They conduct clearer, more laser-speed calls.

How can the service provider improve?

They could offer easy devices with apps.

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

We began June 2011, and it's ongoing.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

$200,000 to $999,999.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need outbound services? Did you use to handle these needs in-house?

It's easier and more cost effective to do it that way.

How many outbound calls did your company handle every day?

At least 300 per day.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

We want to streamline our business process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

It provides us a singluar platform to do things.

Could you describe the service provider's pricing structure and how they billed you?

They bill us on a volume basis.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

They were the best in breed so we hired them.

How would you assess the service provider's abilities to conduct outbound sales calls, generate new business, and handle customer issues?

They effectively do all these things.

How much time and money does this service provider save you each month?

I can't quantify the time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

They are a good partner.

What are the service provider's strengths?

This streamlines our process and saves us time.

What areas can the service provider improve?

They are already doing a good job.

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

We started in April, 2016.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

It's $50,000 to $199,999.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need outbound services? Did you use to handle these needs in-house?

Our needs haven't really changed. Our company generates millions of dollars annually. I did actually have to use this service in my house before I started to gradually navigate the useage in-store. Some sales are still being done externally because I have to be at the restaurant at certain points in the week.

How many outbound calls did your company handle every day?

Our sales and reservations are extremely important. The outbound calls we need to promote our service gets our message and personalized sales across to the public despite social media and the (somewhat) skeptical use of ads. It just seems more genuine to laugh and actually talk to our potential customers.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

It was actually a recommendation from an up and coming entrepreneur. He had told me how it worked and I passed it on to my partner. General research and quality financial planning helped our business grow quickly and we met our goals. The profits helped us expand and just make our general lives and futures more sustainable.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

Focusing on our financial goals is important. I've read about plenty of personal businesses and family owned businesses plummeting into nothing due to lack of strategy. Our strategy was there. Even countless notebooks full of handwritten personal notes, but they were somewhat disorganized and lacked outer input. We needed some outside help for customer calls.

Could you describe the service provider's pricing structure and how they billed you?

Our statements come at decent incriments. Monthly statements and personal moderations.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

It came from a friend's recommendation. We did plenty of research due to uncertainty and we were pretty new to the idea.

How would you assess the service provider's abilities to conduct outbound sales calls, generate new business, and handle customer issues?

We've actually improved a ton in the few years we've been with SMM. New customers come through weekly. Our team never expected to have such high sales this quickly. These issues of talking to customers and growth can be nerve racking for me.

How much time and money does this service provider save you each month?

It's hard to say. Time at the restaraunt has actually been extended and income has increased.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

Pros are in the numbers and excitement. There are some cons. The transition to the new system caused some problems. It cost us a bit of one on one time with the customers. This restaurant is our dream. Our dream is happening and SMM, I can say, It seems too difficult to switch service providers.

What are the service provider's strengths?

Personalized feedback and the positive influence they provide for our company are strengths.

What areas can the service provider improve?

The in-home part of SMM was actually comfortable. But having us try to manage that and a business NOT at home(entirely) was so straining.

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

We continue to work with them. The timeline is 04/2016 - 8/2017.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

We spend $10,000 to $49,999 per year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need back office services? Did you use to handle these needs in-house?

To better our services.

What types of work can your internal staff avoid by utilizing a back office service?

About 85% of the work.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

Achieving better customer support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

They are great in several areas.

Could you describe the service provider's pricing structure and how they billed you?

They bill us per call.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

Found them online.

How would you assess the service provider's ability to turn around quality work quickly, their client service, and communication.

Yes, they are really fast.

How much time and money does this service provider save you each month?

Between $1,200 to $2,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

They are a great company. I had a great experience with their work and keep doing business with them.

What are the service provider's strengths?

Quick solutions and they know how to handle customers.

What areas can the service provider improve?

Price offers.

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

May, 2010 up to now.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

In the $10,000 to $49,999 range.