AAR Partners

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of CreditStrong, a division of Austin Capital Bank. Austin Capital Bank is a Texas State FDIC-insured savings bank.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AAR Partners?

We’re a great product agency — we make incredible products — but we’ve always been very weak at marketing those products. Therefore, we needed help with finding a new marketing agency that could help us with product launches, branding, and product positioning. We engaged with AAR Partners to help us find a new marketing agency.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked directly with Lisa (President) to find a new marketing agency that could help us position our products and brand better in the market. When we started working together, we didn’t fully know what we wanted, so we probably gave AAR Partners less direction than we should have. Still, Lisa took our input, asked the right questions, and filled in all the gaps.

During this process, AAR Partners interviewed both the potential agencies and us to fill in our knowledge and help us find the perfect partner. Initially, we went through a series of interviews so that Lisa could get to know us and what we were looking for. Then, she took that information and turned it into an RFP for marketing agencies.

The RFP went out to almost 70 agencies based on our criteria, which included a detailed budget and scope of engagement. About 2/3 of those agencies dropped out of the RFP process after learning more about the project — it wasn’t either within their skill set or interest. Thus, we narrowed down our options to 20 agencies.

Once we had the 20 pre-screened agencies, we went through a selection process and chose six finalists. Then, we had two-hour interviews with those six finalists, went through an additional interview process with the best two finalists, and ultimately chose the perfect partner for us.

AAR Partners ran the entire process. Lisa was at every interview to ensure the right questions were asked and uncomfortable topics were discussed. She also helped us negotiate the final agreement and assisted us throughout the process. As a result of this engagement, we recently signed a contract with the marketing agency we found.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with Lisa.

How did you come to work with AAR Partners?

We did a lot of research to find the right person to help us find a marketing agency. For this, we looked at different companies that we admired and then looked at their marketing agencies. These marketing agencies weren’t warranty that they would be a good fit for us; we were more interested in knowing how these companies had found their agencies.

One of these companies told us about Lisa and AAR Partners, and we thought that the outcome for them had been fantastic. Still, before reaching out and meeting her, we looked at her background and did our due diligence on her, and we were incredibly impressed by all the feedback we received about AAR Partners. Thus, we reached out to them and decided that they would be the ones who would help us find the perfect marketing agency.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $75,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around June 2022, and it was a four-month process. We originally thought it would be faster, but we were very busy at the time, and we also had to wait 2–3 weeks for the potential partners to respond to the RFP. Still, we would work with AAR Partners again if needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

AAR Partners did an amazing job at helping us make the right decision, which will ultimately lead to a phenomenal ROI. We’ll spend millions of dollars per year with the marketing agency we recently partnered with, so making a wrong decision would have cost us a lot of money later on. In other words, AAR Partners saved us a lot of time and money by helping us find the right partner for us.

How did AAR Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

AAR Partners guided us through the entire process and did an outstanding job at ensuring everything was upfront. Their style was very straightforward, which worked really well for us.

We had a few challenges on our end to get things scheduled. Still, Lisa was very patient with us. Moreover, she was always available. She always advocated for us while maintaining great relationships with the agencies. Overall, this was one of the best engagements I’ve had with a consultant.

As for collaboration tools, we used a lot of Word documents and Excel spreadsheets to handle information. Additionally, we communicated via email, text messages, and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The number one asset that AAR Partners brought to the table was their depth of experience. Lisa is very trusted in the marketing agency industry, so when she reaches out to different agencies, she’s not looking at a spreadsheet; she already knows those potential partners.

Although the process was fun, the end result was more important. AAR Partners gave us an outcome that we would have never achieved on our own. Ultimately, we were thrilled with the result; they did an amazing job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything AAR Partners could have done differently. All of the hurdles were on our end, and it was a great experience for all of us overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them! The process will take longer than you think, but it’s worthwhile to spend the time on this process, so be willing to follow their advice. Sometimes, we wanted to take shortcuts, but Lisa wouldn’t let us. She was set in her process because it works.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior communications manager at an education technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AAR Partners?

We needed a public relations agency that could help us transition from a B2B model to a B2C model.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the engagement by having an initial conversation with AAR Partners to find out what are needs were and what our timeline was. Once we signed all the agreements, including a mutual NDA and a master service agreement, they then dispatched a detailed assessment, which allowed us to describe exactly what we were looking for, what our issues were with our current provider, and what our plans were, including the scope of work, potential budget, the potential team that would be interviewing the various agencies.

From there, AAR Partners developed a detailed RFI. They sent out an inquiry to all of the organizations to find out who was interested. Once those organizations signed the mutual NDA, AAR Partners then sent out a proposal where all of the interested agencies could apply. 21 agencies initially agreed to participate, and about 18 of them ended up participating. Each of the agencies that responded was asked a series of questions.

After that, AAR Partners ranked the groups into three: top-tier, mid-tier, and not qualified. We took their advice and decided not to invite the ones they deemed not qualified for our needs. AAR Partners gave each of the team members that were participating in the search an individual scorecard for them to rate each of the organizations.

AAR Partners spent time with us to walk us through our criteria and help us narrow down 13 companies to a core group of six. They provided materials so that we could set up individual meetings with each of those organizations and do a Q&A work session, which is the step we are now. 

After this step, AAR Partners will then help us narrow the six agencies down to three and help us determine which of the final three we're going to go with. They will also guide us through the onboarding process.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked directly with Lisa (President).

How did you come to work with AAR Partners?

The head of my department had worked with Lisa in a prior scenario. One of the bidding agencies also remembered Lisa and their process, and they thought that it would be good for us to have that kind of guidance to make sure that we get the right partner this time.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got 75%–85% response rate on all of the agencies AAR Partners sent out the RFI to, which was very impressive.

How did AAR Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

AAR Partners has performed very well in terms of project management. They’re incredibly responsive and are always willing to participate in all of our meetings. They’ve also done everything on time and pushed us to stay on track.

We typically communicate through email and Zoom calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with AAR Partners’ strong understanding of our market as well as their good relationships with a lot of agencies. Having all of those connections and knowledge of those companies has really helped us make informed decisions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could have benefited from a little more hand-holding from AAR Partners after the RFI process was done. But other than that, I have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you have a clear idea of what you’re looking for and to be very clear about what your deal breakers are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior manager for marketing Communications at ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with AAR Partners?

We worked with AAR Partners to identify a new agency of record. Our business experienced quite a bit of growth, and as a part of that, we looked for an agency that could grow and expand with us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lisa (President) set up three phases for this project, which were discovery, development, and final decision. In the discovery phase, she helped us assess our criteria for what we were looking for in a new agency partner. Based on our criteria, she developed the initial universe of agencies that our company was closely aligned with. AAR Partners also provided a matrix and scorecard to hone in on the agency that would meet our business needs.

The next phase focused on getting semi-finalists and finalists, and it involved Q&A sessions and interactive strategic and creative sessions with those agencies. 

We received the agencies’ final pitch and made the decision in the last phase. AAR Partners provided guidance throughout this process and facilitated questions, feedback, and clarifications. They used their predictive index questionnaire to determine the cultures and leadership styles of the agencies and our company. As we moved on to final pitch presentations, they provided great points to think about and important questions to ask.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact at AAR Partners was Lisa, and she was our agency search consultant. Outside of that, the only other person involved was the person who ran the predictive index questionnaire. 

How did you come to work with AAR Partners?

We previously worked with Lisa and AAR Partners from 2016–2017 on another project. That experience was truly positive, so we re-engaged their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from December 2020–April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

AAR Partners’ industry intelligence and expertise were of great value. They have an in-depth knowledge of how the industry has evolved and how agencies work while balancing the needs of the organization.

Moreover, Lisa provided great leadership and guidance by understanding our business and what we were looking for. The overall interactive process provided us a good sense of the relationships we could have with the agencies. The rigor and depth of AAR Partners' approach helped us gain deeper insights into each of the finalist agencies. They created the best process for us to find a lost-lasting partnership that was beneficial to both parties involved.

To sum it up, their guidance in the selection process and their experience were evident across the board, especially during the final phase, where we had a lot of questions before we made a final decision.

How did AAR Partners perform from a project management standpoint?

Lisa was extremely thorough and detail-oriented. She always communicated well and did a great job of pacing deliverables, helping us focus on certain areas first before we moved to others. Lisa was also extremely responsive, and she was always available to have a check-in meeting and answer questions. The whole process was very in-depth and rigorous, and there were a lot of components to it — Lisa kept all of them on track. 

I communicated with AAR Partners through phone and video calls, and Lisa always provided clear instructions and emails about our status. In addition to that, we had Zoom calls to check in on each other whenever we needed to. We already had standups for planning ahead, but we could still pick up the phone and call them any time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

AAR Partners’ leadership, expertise, and overall ownership of this project were impressive, and that was shown in everything we did. Lisa’s leadership and strong communications skills were evident, and it was truly valuable in this engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. We had to tailor certain things as we went along, but Lisa was always willing to do that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In our engagement, we had a lot of conversations about what we wanted, and that set the tone and clarity needed for everything in our project. It's critical to put in the time upfront to develop the agency search criteria along with clear communication to get to the desired end result.