97 Degrees West

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the company manager of a family investment company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 97 Degrees West?

We’re a new company, so we needed someone to provide us with a branding and marketing strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

97 Degrees West is helping us develop our marketing philosophy and strategy, as well as a new logo design. They started by sending us an engagement letter that defines the scope of the project, along with the timelines and deliverables.

They then presented us with several drafts of the logo and different questionnaires that can help them understand the business better.

We’ve provided them some feedback and revisions for the design, which they will then incorporate into the final product and the marketing collaterals we’re going to use to promote our company.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Addison (Marketing Director).

How did you come to work with 97 Degrees West?

I came across 97 Degrees West through independent research. I decided to hire them because of their professionalism and the way they conduct their business.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership started in January 2021, and we’re still working together on a new platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is outstanding, as they’re able to encapsulate our company into the design of the logo — so there’s not only a visual component involved, but a mental component as well.

The final product is more than a common logo and is able to present us as a trustworthy brand to our target audience.

How did 97 Degrees West perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re outstanding from a project management perspective because they consistently meet the deadlines they set. We trust them to know what to do, how they’re going to do it, and what they’re going to deliver.

We typically communicate through phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their approach to project management is far beyond any of their competitors. The manner in which they manage everything makes it easy for us to consistently be informed about the entire process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

97 Degrees West is the best at what they do, so I don’t have any constructive feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to always be available for meetings when they ask for your presence.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at Clarus. We’re a manufacturer of dry-erase glass surfaces and sell in the furniture industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 97 Degrees West?

We went from 17 people in our staff down to two, so we lost our graphic designers very suddenly. We hired 97 Degrees West to help us with that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our primary focus with 97 Degrees West is design, but they’ve also helped us with many other things. They’ve designed our price book, website, social media posts, sales sheets, tri-folds, and more. In general, they’re dedicated to creating assets for our team.

We try to verbally explain what we try to do, and they have access to a Dropbox where they can see what we’ve done in the past. We might send them some things for inspiration, and they look up to see what we’ve done before.

Also, 97 Degrees West helped us rename a brand to use our current logo. We changed the color to keep everything seamless, and then they did the same thing for another brand update.

What is the team composition?

We work with four people. Addison (Marketing Director) is our main point of contact; he’s like the project manager. We send him what we need, and he directs it to the right person. On the other hand, Kyle (CEO) does some crucial things for the account, but he’s absent primarily on the day-to-day. Additionally, they’ve just hired Anna (Marketing and Communications Coordinator) to work on our social media and help with other requests. We also have one designer, but we don’t talk to her directly.

In a hierarchy, Addison is our number one, Anna is our number two, and Kyle is our number three.

How did you come to work with 97 Degrees West?

My boss, the VP of marketing, used to own 97 Degrees West and sold it to Kyle. She worked with them for a long time and knew they could fit our needs and jump quickly without us having to go through the onboarding process. In the end, we jumped right in with them, which was helpful because we didn’t have time to wait.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $180,000 a year, so we pay $15,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2021, and our relationship is ongoing. We signed a contract with them for 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We rushed to get it done because we were supposed to have a sales conference, but it got canceled due to the weather. On the other hand, our CEO has seen and approved everything, and he’s really liked the direction they’ve taken. I think the project's been successful, but we haven’t had the sales team officially use it.

We haven’t allowed them to put more strategy into the work. We don’t have time to think about planning the project. Unfortunately, that’s how our company runs. However, 97 Degrees West puts a lot of thought into what they do, and they do perfectly for the circumstances.

How did 97 Degrees West perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive. The team always meets the deadline — no matter how hard it is, they get it done. We appreciate that in a partner because that’s how our company runs. However, if they don’t meet a deadline, it’s because of us, not them. We have an internal approval process, and we change our minds all the time. Nonetheless, they change things quickly.

Also, we have a status document to see where things are at. We have a weekly meeting to talk about the progress, and they respond to every email. Overall, we’d give them a perfect score for their project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness and willingness to work with us are outstanding. It’s nice that they’re there, and they can quickly change pace. 97 Degrees West treats us like their priority; they give us 100% of their attention, even if they have other clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our industry is very complicated and learning about it takes time. However, every project that comes back gets better and better because they understand us more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them all the details they need so they can do it right the first time. They always produce exactly what we need; we’re the ones that change our minds.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a unique wealth management company. We’re also part of a larger company that has a series of funds that we represent. For the most part, we focus on retirement.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 97 Degrees West?

We were trying to expand and grow. Our business model was working really well, but we needed a marketing team to help us scale.

We already had a website that was built in-house. Additionally, as we were part of a larger company, we were using their resources for our marketing. However, they were too broad and not set up for what we needed — we weren’t having great success.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

97 Degrees West built a much better website for us and updated our marketing collateral. To achieve this, they listened to us and understood the essence and image of what I was trying to achieve, and they helped us design new collateral and a website that captured what we were trying to present.

Although my marketing director takes care of most interactions with them, I know that they’ve also been helping us with SEO, targeted email campaigns, Facebook campaigns, and other digital marketing efforts.

What is the team composition?

Kyle (CEO) and Vera (Former President) have been my main points of contact.

How did you come to work with 97 Degrees West?

I had my marketing director researching for providers, and she came back to me recommending two different companies. I got together with her, looked through both companies, and decided that 97 Degrees West was the better choice.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working around April 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve seen a marked increase in both the volume and quality of our potential clients, and we’ve received a lot of positive comments on our new image.

Our website and collateral stand out, characterized by black and red colors — something that people wouldn’t expect to work well for a wealth management company. I, personally, don’t fit the stereotypical middle-aged wealth manager. Now, everything in our business reflects that.

How did 97 Degrees West perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email, phone calls, and Zoom meetings. Additionally, one person from 97 Degrees West’s team used to come to the office once a week to meet with my marketing director.

What did you find most impressive about them?

97 Degrees West stands out from the rest of the companies — they’re not a cookie cutter. They’ve listened to what I’ve wanted to do and helped me work towards it instead of telling me what I need to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement to any business, but there’s nothing in particular that I could pinpoint.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication is important. Be sure about what you want and relay that information to 97 Degrees West. Don’t wait for them to tell you what you need. They gave us a lot of advice, but they tailored it to us, so don’t be shy about telling them what you want.