April Painter,
Burk Consulting
We Never Talked About Marketing Before Robin
For the last 22 years, we’ve been successful selling IBM solutions and working with break-fix clients. With the advent of virtualization and cloud-hosted applications and systems, we quickly realized hardware and maintenance sales/margins were declining and we would need a new way to do business. We never did much in the way of marketing, instead relying on word-of-mouth referrals and market development funds with IBM and Cisco to drive any new client acquisition. We never had a consistent marketing approach, a targeted list or tracked ROI.
A little over two years ago, hoping to expand into managed services, we signed up for the TruMethods program. After putting together our package, we were able to secure six existing customers to our All-Inclusive MSP package right away, but hit a wall when attempting to convert new or “à la carte” customers to our all-in package. We were struggling with the sales process and couldn’t generate many new leads. We were frustrated with the process and, unfortunately, there was NO talk of MARKETING!
Our President Went To High School With One Of Robin’s Top Salespeople
Less than six months ago, our president, Jimmy Orton, mentioned Robin Robins’ marketing in a leadership meeting. He had attended high school with one of Robin’s top salespeople, Robin Yost, and had seen through social media how the Technology Marketing Toolkit was helping other IT businesses. Very quickly, we were sold on the concept.
Shortly thereafter, two members of our leadership team attended Robin’s Cyber Security Roadshow event. There, they were able to get a few minutes to discuss our struggles with Robin. Immediately, as a result of that conversation, we changed from a single managed services plan to having several MSP package options for our customers. That Roadshow set off a monumental turn of events for us. We immediately signed up for Accelerators Club, Infusionsoft, partnered with ID Agent and Carvir and changed our MSP packaging.
Our Prior Marketing Efforts Were Mostly One-Off Shots In The Dark
This past October, we attended the Rapid Implementation Workshop with Robin and her team. While in Nashville we discussed campaigns, sales process, telemarketing, goals, tracking ROI, target market, USP, scrubbing lists and, most importantly, mindset. Our team immediately dove into Robin’s 30-Day Implementation Checklist right from the start. I wanted to follow a marketing plan, and the group accountability calls and coaching helped me develop that plan and stay with it. As a side note, I can honestly say that without the Rapid Implementation Workshop, weekly group accountability calls and coaching from Robin’s team, I would have strayed from the program and wouldn’t be anywhere closer to where I am now. The 90-day rapid implementation training gave me an opportunity to try several different campaigns and strategies in an environment where I could get good feedback and support on a regular basis.
But the best tool that I’ve received so far from Robin is a true marketing methodology for our MSP that works. Prior to the Toolkit, our marketing efforts at Burk IT were disjointed and often one-off shots in the dark. I now understand the importance of implementing a complete and comprehensive marketing strategy, as outlined in the Toolkit. Each piece is needed to get the full effect and to gain traction on each campaign. Even the smallest actions have garnered results!
Our Business Is Being Transformed For The Better
In addition to going back and selling our new managed services plans to existing clients, we’ve had the opportunity the last few months to run and execute on numerous marketing campaigns.
Here are just a few things we’ve accomplished since joining up with Robin last fall…
- We solidified our target market. We now specifically target private medical practices with two to 10 providers in the Kingsport, Bristol and Johnson City regions. Our client avatar is a practice administrator, usually a female, age 40 to 60, who handles HR, HIPAA, meaningful use, compliance and IT support… which means they are juggling multiple positions and roles within the practice. Our ideal client avatar would be able to make decisions without doctor or board approval.
- Executed a new Darkweb ID Agent campaign. We actually sent this campaign out while we were at Robin’s office. This e-mail campaign to existing clients generated 20 appointments and three closed deals. Further, we use Robin’s infamous “9-word e-mail” to follow up on all unresponsive leads and we continue to work these leads today.
- Sent a BDR upsell campaign to 76 existing customers. Over 76% of our clients opened up the e-mail campaign, which has generated six leads, three appointments so far and two closed MRR deals.
- Created our new prospect Shock-And-Awe box. This marketing box) includes our Certificate of Guarantee, Client Bill of Rights, IT Provider Comparison Chart, Why Choose Us and logo’d webcam covers and pens. A sticker on the inside lid has a QR code and a link to our website with a video of the sales rep introducing themselves, thanking them for the appointment and telling them what they should expect from the upcoming appointment with us.
- Sent our first mailed newsletter. We mailed the newsletter to all existing customers and have already generated two leads on new services. An existing customer called about an article in the newsletter and scheduled an appointment to discuss our new MSP packages. Another client downloaded a free report from our website. We’ve already mailed out our second newsletter, doubling the mailing list from our first batch. We need to get our newsletter to every decision maker or influencer at every client and prospect in our database!
- We “Robinized” our website! The top third of our homepage now provides a CLEAR and CONCISE message of what we do and who we do it for, with a call to action. We then e-mailed out “best” clients for testimonials (using Robin’s templates). WOW! It was great reading these testimonials and crafting them for our website. We worked with Barry on Robin’s team to implement our SEO Plan and set up Google Analytics. We also added our USP and “Top 10 Reasons To Work With Burk IT” to our website. We have ALREADY had two new leads directly from our website since it launched in November.
- Developed our USP and a Top 10 list of reasons why companies work with Burk IT. The testimonials we received were the driving force behind this document. It’s refreshing to know exactly what our best customers love about our services and then developing that into a meaningful document to attract even more companies just like them! This one-page document is used as part of our Shock-And-Awe package and has become an integral part of our website as well.
- Sent a client reactivation campaign to old clients. After scrubbing our lists, we identified 52 former clients we wanted back, now that we had our managed services plan in place. As a first effort to “win” them back, we sent out a client reactivation campaign and have begun follow-up. This is the first of many steps in winning back the business and converting them to managed services!
- Implemented Infusionsoft CRM. A big part of marketing is keeping everything in order. That’s why at the Cyber Security Roadshow, we pulled the trigger on Robin’s Infusionsoft program. After completing the training, we used Infusionsoft to help scrub over 400 contacts (duplicate check and all!), sort and tag every client, get every lead-generating form on our website directly into our CRM, set up every campaign and also started the process of scrubbing a new list of over 3,000 prospects we just purchased.
We’ve Added $802,221 In New Revenue Since Last October!
In the last 90 days, by implementing Robin’s methodology and advice, we have transformed our business and added $24,026.08 in new monthly recurring revenue and another $208,808.87 in new sales. We also reworked four existing MSP contracts totaling $25,425 in monthly recurring revenue. That totals $802,221.83 in revenue for the year on a $12,397 investment! The fourth quarter of 2017 has been our best closing quarter since 2014. We are also growing internally: we have hired a new help-desk engineer and are looking to hire a Level 2-3 engineer and another sales representative. We have done EVERYTHING by the book, followed and implemented the checklists, watched the videos and done the work. We BELIEVE in this program and are 100% committed. It’s been amazing to see all the hard work come full circle and to see results from every feature implemented! Robin and her team have truly made our business Rewarding, Easy, Attractive and Lucrative!
Set Up For Success In 2018
I am happy to say that, with Robin’s input and advice, I was able to create, present and get approval on our FIRST Quarterly Marketing Plan. With the success we’ve had to date, our executive team is fully onboard with implementing our solid plan. Having a marketing plan in place that I can base my first quarter marketing activities on provides a clear course of actions for me and should produce results consistent with what we have experienced thus far. In addition to everything we’ve already been doing, we are adding in QBRs, the Stupid/Irresponsible campaign and weekly e-mail cyber security tips this month.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for us. In just a few months’ time, we truly feel that we are fully set up for success in 2018 and beyond![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
