Smashdeck

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of business development at MacGregor Partners. We are a supply chain consulting company, and we also produce supply chain software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Smashdeck?

We needed digital marketing services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Smashdeck has helped us generate leads on Linkedin for our sales pipeline.  

What is the team composition?

I work with the president of the company and the lead generation manager. 

How did you come to work with Smashdeck?

We did a simple Google search and interviewed companies for a number of weeks. Our company narrowed the search from 8–10 companies down to three. We had two reference calls with Smashdeck’s customers and felt really comfortable with the information they provided. In the end, we liked the team's approach and went with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our company has invested around $45,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement started in November 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Smashdeck’s team has generated nearly 86 leads in the time we’ve been working together, and the numbers grow almost every day. They've given us some very good leads, growing our pipeline between 350%–400%.

How did Smashdeck perform from a project management standpoint?

The team has excellent communication. I talk with the lead generation manager almost every day. We have a weekly status call on Mondays where we talk about new campaigns and review the week’s work. We also make plans for the following two weeks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Smashdeck has provided us with some of the best leads we’ve ever encountered over the last 3–4 years. I’m extremely happy with the way this relationship has turned out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The team could offer a menu of different services for customers to choose from. I believe there are other ways that we might be able to leverage some of their employees to do different services for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Smashdeck has a very rigid onboarding process where customers have to do a lot of work before the team can start working on the project. Clients have to fill in what verticals they want to pursue and give Smashdeck several marketing materials so that they can build email and calling campaigns. 

The more work the client puts into it, the better the results are. We put a lot of effort into them in the first few months, and by the second or third month, Smashdeck was already hitting their stride. I’d advise setting metrics with the team — they’re very good at meeting all of them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a sales executive for a healthcare firm. We help hospitals capture necessary documentation and secure appropriate reimbursement for the services they provide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Smashdeck?

We were looking to connect with CFOs, directors of HIM, and vice presidents of revenue cycles at hospitals we hadn’t previously worked with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They focused on lead generation. We had worked together to build a sales campaign based on industry-specific knowledge. After the campaign was designed, they would find the names, emails, and phone numbers of the proper points of contact at hospitals. They then initiated contact and set up meetings where we could deliver a presentation about our services.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Christina (President) and Monica (Sales & Business Development).

How did you come to work with Smashdeck?

They were referred to me by an industry colleague. Once the pandemic hit, we needed a virtual way to generate new leads since all our in-person pathways shut down.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $36,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There tends to be a longer sales cycle in healthcare than in other industries, so we made sure to focus on metrics that reflected this. Our most important metric was how much new business came from the relationship, but we also looked at the number of meetings they set up. We had over 22 meetings and were able to secure two contracts with new hospitals, which made me happy with the partnership.

How did Smashdeck perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a weekly meeting where we went through different opportunities and assessed the success of our sales campaigns. I made sure Christina and Monica understood our business’ niche in the industry so that if they got pushback from hospitals, they could respond in a way that would convince them to meet with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their interest in our business. They were very organized and knew how to convert ideas into sales pitches

Are there any areas they could improve?

Many of the meetings they set up for us were with smaller hospitals. It’s definitely not easy, but I think they could grow their business if they were able to establish connections with larger potential clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Approach the relationship like a partnership. Focus on putting them in the best position for success. It would be a mistake to charge them with the entirety of your lead generation process–they’re a capable firm, but with your industry-specific help, they can work more efficiently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Hotel Interactive, Inc. We put on live events for the hotel industry and we’re also a digital trade entity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Smashdeck?

We wanted help getting high-quality leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They set up appointments for us with qualified leads. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was Christina (Founder). 

How did you come to work with Smashdeck?

We received a recommendation. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $30,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from September 2019–April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone they set up an appointment with showed up which is very rare since we’re a high-ticket item. We saw an increase in business and we were able to convert about 30% of the appointments into sales. 

How did Smashdeck perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good. They always provided great metrics that were really clear. They followed up to see how many leads converted into sales. 

Christina was easy to communicate with. She was very accessible. Their customer service exceeded my expectations. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team was sophisticated and performed at a very high level. They didn’t feel like a telemarketing company. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No. Every aspect of what they did was extremely professional, productive, and exceeded expectations. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

They make the process seamless. All you have to do is give them the opportunity and let them run with it. They created their own campaign and found their own leads – we didn’t even have to provide them with a list.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the business development and sales rep for Cortex Building Intelligence, where we deliver mobile-first building analytics platforms to large commercial office owners and managers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smashdeck?

We wanted content outreach strategies.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted to be able to schedule meetings and appointments with owners and managers in the commercial office industry.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’d used their services in the past.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They have worked on generating lead lists, scheduling email campaigns, and calling prospective clients in the market.

What was the team composition?

My COO and I worked with Christina (Founder, Smashdeck) and Carlos (Sales and Marketing) to meet our outreach goals.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve helped us make time with busy individuals by using resources such as phone burners to help get through more dials throughout the day.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are always willing to offer their assistance throughout any step of the process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They know how to reach the market, but they still let us mold the outreach and cater it towards our specific industry.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Other than moving to eliminate our time zone difference, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at Ordway. We are a revenue automation platform that helps companies conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) standards.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Smashdeck?

I wanted to expand our capacity for lead generation and prospecting markets.

SOLUTION

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide services for email outreach, list building, and specific market segmentation.

What is the team composition?

My main contact is Christina (Sales & Marketing Lead, Smashdeck), but I work with two other Smashdeck team members on a weekly basis. 

How did you come to work with Smashdeck?

I was referred to Smashdeck from a colleague. What drove me to work with them was their thought process; they came across less as a commodity and more as an augmentation resource for marketing strategy.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested between $25,000 – $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in August 2018 and are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work is the equivalent of having an internal sales development representative (SDR) head. We are pleased with the thoughtfulness of their approach.

How did Smashdeck perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job, overall. We communicate through video conferencing, and Christina even met with me in person when I was in Southern California.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are strategic and tactical at the same time which we found very impressive. They are able to be hyper-targeted with their segmentation, which allows us to grow at an ideal pace. We are now connected with the right people, and we appreciate how that saves us time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think they could improve in relaying my company’s voice.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend going into the engagement prepared to leverage their expertise and to be open to their suggestions.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a senior partner and sales manager for a firm that creates AR-enabled space consumer products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smashdeck?

We hired them to outreach to sales channels.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase our B2B sales and sales channels.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We had a few calls with Christina (Founder, Smashdeck). We were impressed with her efficiency and level of commitment.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They did script development, managed intent data, and contacted over a thousand prospects per month.   They ran social campaigns, set appointments, did business development, and implemented a tech stack, which included Outreach and Orca.

What was the team composition?

We worked with Christina as our project manager and main contact for outreach and social campaigns. We had contact with Carlos (Sales and Marketing Specialist, Smashdeck) for our sales meetings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us to get our product listed with large retailers and set meetings with major distribution channels.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their whole process is easy and efficient. We use Slack for daily communication and Zoom conferences for our weekly meetings. We have the opportunity to iterate on the process each week.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re easy to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Elder Care Guides provides care management and caregiver services to senior citizens.

What is your position?

I am president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Smashdeck Marketing?

Our goal was to improve our digital marketing and, in particular, get a better understanding various social media platforms.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

The scope of the work was digital marketing assistance including online newsletters and email marketing, as well as social media marketing. They were also very helpful in setting us up with analytics tools so we could better gauge our success.

How did you come to work with Smashdeck Marketing?

We identified several different possible partners and did a desk review to reduce it down to three. We conducted face-to-face interviews with three different marketing companies to help us with strategic digital marketing and ended up selecting Smashdeck.

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

It's probably been in the $15,000 range.

What was the timeline of the project?

The initial project, which consisted of them creating our digital presence, took about three months. However, we've continued the relationship since then.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What have been the results of the project? Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The results were good. We took away a calendar of events that we could use, we took away a scoring card that we could use on the analytics side. While we've taken over the majority of the work, Smashdeck continues to work with us in a support role.

It's hard to share metrics that track the improvement of the project because they built everything from scratch. We weren't doing any of this before we started working with Smashdeck.

What distinguishes Smashdeck Marketing from other providers?

I found them very easy to work with. Smashdeck Marketing was great listeners and seemed to understand our problems even when we didn't articulate them as clearly as we might have. Overall, they were an excellent partner.

Is there anything Smashdeck Marketing could have improved or done differently?

No. I don't have any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

My company is SamplingForGood, we're a website that matches nonprofit events like races or festivals with companies looking to market their products to those attending.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the co-founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with Smashdeck Marketing?

At first, SamplingForGood was part of a larger company I founded called DonationMatch. I needed help launching the marketing pages for SamplingForGood as a separate website and company.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

When we were splitting off SamplingForGood from DonationMatch, I needed Christina [Hall, founder of Smashdeck Marketing] to create the new website from scratch, and I directed her to do it on Squarespace, so it could be easily transferred back to my company to manage. They came up with a basic website, along with some graphics. It was our very first site.

I didn't give her a long timeline at all, only about a month. She came back to me almost daily with specific deliverables. A significant part of the project was done within the first week. She's very fast and gives a lot of dedicated attention to her clients. The majority of the site was done in a week, and then I had suggestions for what I wanted changed. I would say the whole thing was done in three weeks in the late summer of 2014.

What was your process for selecting Smashdeck Marketing?

I've known Christina for at least two years through an association that we belong to. I hired her based on Smashdeck's past work with other companies as well as my personal relationship with Christina.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

It was less than $1,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

The results were positive, and I'm happy with the value I received for my money. The site was simple, but I really liked the graphics she put together, and it did a good job of representing our company in the initial stages of the launch.

Do you have any statistics or metrics on the project?

I don't have specific metrics. The main KPI [key performance indicator] was time. She had our site up and running in around three weeks, which I was incredibly happy about.

Is there anything unique or special about Smashdeck Marketing that really makes them stand out?

Smashdeck is really on top of updated technology. Christina was always looking for the least expensive yet efficient tools for us to use and was always making suggestions. She is also open to handing off a concept that she had set up on other vendor sites, so that we could move forward and not feel handcuffed to her to a certain extent.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

The site itself was not very complicated, which was fine for us at first. As we grew as a company, we had to move on to more sophisticated developers. That takes nothing away though, from Christina's marketing and design skills, which are great.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

If I had taken the time to pull more specific examples of what I liked and compiled a portfolio for her, which may have helped reduce some of the back and forth time we had. Although I was grateful for the time she spent discussing it with me. It would have been helpful to be more specific at the start. You can't assume that they know what you like.