Illicium

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Startup Media

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Digital marketing and design for startups and SMEs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Illicium to accomplish?

• Lead Generation

SOLUTION

How did you find Illicium?

Referral

Why did you select Illicium over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Illicium were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The scope of work encompassed an outbound campaign focused on lead generation, with the primary objectives of increasing customer acquisition and driving profit growth. The campaign aimed to reach out to potential customers through various channels and engage them in order to convert them into paying customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Throughout the project, Illicium monitored and tracked the performance of the outbound campaign. They provided regular reports and updates to the client, showcasing key metrics such as customer acquisition, conversion rates, and revenue generated.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Illicium demonstrated excellent project management throughout our collaboration. They consistently delivered items on time, ensuring that the project progressed smoothly and stayed on schedule. Deadlines for key deliverables, such as customer profiling, value proposition refinement, customer list creation, and outreach strategy development, were met punctually.

What was your primary form of communication with Illicium?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Illicium exhibited a proactive and responsive approach to our needs. They actively listened to our requirements, concerns, and feedback, and promptly addressed them with effective solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Illicium could have done differently?

None that we can recall.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CEO of the small go to market and business development agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Illicium?

I hired Illicium to test the market entry assumptions for Australia.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have been working with contractors and Illicium reached out to me through one of them.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

• Identify your target audience: Determine who the ideal customer is.
•  Define unique value proposition: Identify what sets cybersecurity product apart from competitors. Develop a clear and compelling message that communicates the value proposition to the target audience.
• Build a strong brand: Develop a strong and recognizable brand that communicates trust and credibility. This includes creating a compelling visual identity, messaging, and consistent brand communication across all channels. 
• Develop a content marketing strategy: Create high-quality and informative content that educates the target audience on cybersecurity threats and how the product can help. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, and social media posts.
•  Leverage social media: Utilize social media channels to engage with your target audience and promote your content.

What was the team composition?

I have worked with the managing director of Illicium, one of his market analysts, and business development representative.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have increased ROI of IntFinite clients by 30-40% at the market entry.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Illicium has a mature reporting and communication process. They are really good at quickly adopting feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Very responsive team.

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

Probably would be great to see Illicium adding strategic advise capability.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of operations for WWPASS, a cybersecurity company headquartered in New Hampshire and with a presence in Europe. We provide multifactor authentication solutions without using any passwords, as well as secure data storage.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Illicium?

We were looking for ways to support our global growth and extension to the Asia-Pacific region. Thus, we contacted Illicium to conduct market research in that region and assist us with demand generation and sales in the Asia-Pacific region.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When our engagement started, we had no presence in Australia or the Asia-Pacific region. Thus, Illicium first helped us do market research to identify our value proposition for that particular region, which also helped us identify target customers and user personas for the products we had to offer for the said market.

Illicium also did a deep dive into our offerings to help us formulate our value proposition and customer profile. Then, they helped us narrow down our target areas for the Asia-Pacific market, after which they created a sales playbook we can use not only for that region but everywhere.

Once we identified our target customers, Illicium helped us establish partnerships with different managed security service providers (MSSPs). They suggested that these partnerships would be the most beneficial for the Asia-Pacific market. Recently, we started phase three of the project, which revolves around demand generation and sales representation.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with three people from Illicium, including the founder and owner, the VP, and a marketing specialist.

How did you come to work with Illicium?

A friend introduced them to us.

How much have you invested in them?

So far, we’ve invested about $25,000. When we finish phase three, our total investment will be around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our project in July 2022, and it’s still ongoing. We plan to continue working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Despite our short engagement, we’ve been amazed by the results that Illicium has achieved so far. Our product has a long selling cycle; however, they’ve reached around 1,200 cybersecurity and similar companies in Australia. As a result, they’ve received responses from 250 of those companies and set up about 75 unique appointments with potential clients.

Thus far, we’ve had close to 20 technical discovery meetings, where the customers have gotten into the next step and asked for technical details. From those 20 meetings, we now have 10 important opportunities where we’re discussing proof-of-concept projects with those leads.

We know how hard it is to approach a new market, and Illicium is doing a great job. Moreover, the sales playbook they created added a lot of value to our company. We already had a playbook, but theirs is much better and more profound because they dove really deep into a product they didn’t know, which was fantastic. We’re all amazed by the work they’ve done.

How did Illicium perform from a project management standpoint?

Illicium’s project management is very good. They use HubSpot to track progress and provide us with weekly reports. Moreover, they’re very efficient at scheduling meetings and identifying the interested parties for each one to avoid wasting time. They handle all of the meetings for us. There’s a 14-hour time difference between us, so they invite technical sales engineers only when needed. Otherwise, they handle everything themselves, which is very good for us.

Besides HubSpot, Illicium also uses Google to collaborate. Using the G Suite, they create charts and diagrams to show results and compare us with our competitors. Additionally, we communicate via email and have a group chat on Telegram. Despite our time difference, we can always reach them. They’re very responsive, and we haven’t had any issues with them so far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Illicium is very professional. They do a lot of brainstorming sessions and ask a lot of questions to dig deep into the project. We’ve been really surprised by how well they can identify how to proceed. Illicium’s main strength is identifying customer personas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can only tell them to keep going — they’re great!

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them because they know what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Idea Science are customer experience specialists, providing consulting services. We blend strategy, technology and quality to optimise businesses. I am the a managing consultant at my company, working with different clients on engagements and projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Illicium?

We hired Illicium to help with our outbound prospecting and business development. We were keen to trial their sales-as-a-service model and work with them in creating a new sales pipeline.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

The impression that the team made. The eagerness of the team to work together and build a good relationship. In addition, they had a reasonable and fair pricing structure.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

Illicium worked closely with us to define and research who our key prospects were, put together a sales playbook and then execute the outbound prospecting. The goal of the project was to build a pipeline of meetings for us, and generate additional revenue.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked closely with the director of the company, Alex and the business development representative, Bash.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team was quickly ramped up after 3 weeks in, and managed to successfully book meetings with new prospects across our three month contract. It was great to see their team was able to pick up what our brand and services quickly, to pitch them to new prospects.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was an good workflow between the teams. They were easy to work with and always happy to ask questions and communicate as needed.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their approach and willingness to work together to make the project a success.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Overall great! I would suggest for ease of reporting review for the client, to invest in platforms that assist with that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of Product Rocket, a digital product management and digital product design consulting company. We hire consultants full-time who then go and provide consulting to clients on our behalf.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Illicium?

We didn’t have a dedicated sales team, so we decided to outsource our sales and business development efforts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired Illicium to help us with our sales and business development efforts. Initially, they learned what we did regarding digital products and identified our target audience, which they did quite quickly. They also received guidance from us based on our existing clients and provided them with tight parameters.

Then, they contacted potential clients to offer our consultancy services for their problems. Illicium found those leads through LinkedIn and their network.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from Illicium in total, including Alex (Managing Director).

How did you come to work with Illicium?

Alex reached out to me, and we took it from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $21,000AUD (approximately $15,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–June 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The leads that Illicium found and the data they presented to us were very good; they delivered excellent work.

How did Illicium perform from a project management standpoint?

Illicium’s project management was very good. Their communication about what they were doing at all times was great, and they were on point regarding meeting deadlines and staying within budget. We used a Google spreadsheet to share information and had phone calls to catch up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way in which Illicium presented the data was impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would have been great if Illicium understood exactly what we did. However, it wasn’t easy because understanding what we do and who would hire our services can be very difficult.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend working with them. You'll get excellent results if you’re open to sharing a lot of information about your business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at Call Design

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide Workforce Engagement solutions to the Contact Centre industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Illicium to accomplish?

• Grow business leads

SOLUTION

How did you find Illicium?

Referral

Why did you select Illicium over others?

• Company values aligned
• Had worked with Alex previously

How many teammates from Illicium were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Establish Engagement, including but not limited to: target group identification, omnichannel outreach and business development strategy documentation. 
• Demand Generation included ongoing sales research supported by the allocation of a customer success manager and ongoing reporting.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Established a lead generation process, growing the number of inbound leads coming into the business.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We had regular meetings with the management team and established a regular cadence with the operational teams to ensure timely communication and efficient responses to our requirements.

What was your primary form of communication with Illicium?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The senior leadership has extensive experience in the contact centre technology space which is both unique and a great drawcard for us.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Illicium could have done differently?

I think the team will grow as they gain more and more experience and the business should continue their already focused attention on employee skills development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive director of Ledokol

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Ledokol is a holistic branding and marketing agency employing expert strategies and a team of seasoned professionals to propel businesses towards increased sales and profitability.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Illicium to accomplish?

• A/NZ Business Expansion
• Lead Generation
• Field Sales Representation

SOLUTION

How did you find Illicium?

Referral

Why did you select Illicium over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Illicium were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Illicium was instrumental in Ledokol's expansion into the Australian and New Zealand markets. Their key deliverables encompassed comprehensive market research, identifying and profiling potential clients, and capturing the market's reaction to Ledokol's offerings. Further, they meticulously developed a targeted go-to-market strategy and a practical sales playbook, laying a firm foundation for a successful market entry and sustained growth.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Working with Illicium paid off big time! In the first year alone in Australia and New Zealand, we raked in over AUD 65,000 in sales. And if that wasn't enough, we also got a hot list of 50-plus quality leads who are really into what we're offering. The project's been a win, and we're excited about what lies ahead in these markets.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Illicium's project management was quite effective. They met all the deadlines, ensuring steady progress for us. Their response to our needs was prompt and supportive. Evidently, they anticipated potential issues and addressed them proactively, which was appreciated. Collaborating with them felt like an extension of our own team, with a clear focus on our shared objectives. Overall, it was a satisfactory experience working with their professional team.

What was your primary form of communication with Illicium?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Illicium's deep understanding of the Australian market and its comprehensive "sales as a service" expertise truly set them apart. Their effective on-site representation and capacity to take complete charge of the sales process were invaluable in navigating Australia's distinct business environment. With clear reports and insightful market knowledge, they seamlessly integrated into our operations, feeling more like an extension of our team than an outsourced partner.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Illicium could have done differently?

While Illicium did a commendable job overall, a minor area for improvement could be in offering even more proactive updates. Although their reporting was clear and timely, we would have appreciated it if they had provided more frequent updates and checkpoints, especially during the initial market research and strategy development stages. This would help us feel more involved and informed in the process. However, this is a small suggestion and doesn't detract from their excellent work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

YMtech is an MSSP providing B2B IT consulting services. My position is CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Illicium?

We were looking to outsource our sales process to an external company. Illicium took on the mission to nurture our sales funnels and open new opportunities for the business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Illicium was recommended by a friend of mine. After checking a few options, Illicium came on top due to a clear understanding of the requirements.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Business Development

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

2 resources. Both sales

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My business received multiple opportunities created by Illicium that we are still working on them to this day.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. The communication was clear and all the work was tracked.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We like their persistence to deliver above and beyond.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Nothing I can think of