IMJustice Marketing Case Studies
I hope these are a little interesting to you … I never give names because
I am against that for several reasons … But I remember these through the
years to try and offer my versatility and competence … Thanks for visiting!
my #1 Case Study
Step by Step Elevator Pitch Example
Most Small Business Owners wonder if all the effort required to develop a “killer” elevator pitch is really worth all the time
and energy it takes to create it. If you’re wondering the same thing, just consider the case of Dave and Yvette in Texas.
They spent months refining their Elevator Pitch until they heard that one specific response that told them they nailed it …
“how do you do that?”
Dave and Yvette are in the Travel industry. They offer a business opportunity where couples can join their down line …
at which time they help them set up an in-home travel agency that books trips and vacations for families. The couples
that join their organization can make a nice income every month working from home … and they’re entitled to discounts
on their own trips … Their very first Elevator Pitch sounded like this …
“We help people diversify their income portfolios while taking trips.”
That’s simply NOT compelling … there’s no emotion in the wording … and it just wasn’t resonating with anyone. In fact,
using the phrase “diversify their income portfolios” makes the prospect listening to this actually stop listening and mentally
start trying to figure out what was just said … Here’s their new elevator pitch …
“We help people make a fortune while taking dream vacations.”
Now THAT’S an elevator pitch. It’s short, compelling, grabs your attention and makes you instantly want to ask them
“how do you do that?” They use it at every networking event they attend … and they walk out with prospects galore.
The month they developed this new Elevator Pitch, their business revenue exploded. They went from a 5-figure annual
income to a 5-figure MONTHLY income. That’s no coincidence. That’s the power of taking the time to create a powerful
and compelling Elevator Pitch. That’s why you want to immediately create one for your business and then integrate it into
all your Sales and Marketing collateral.
It literally becomes your “million-dollar message!”
#2 Case Study
The Donut Shop
Innovation is always the key to success for any Small Business. In this case study, I’ll show you how a Donut Shop
can find new, innovative and creative ways to inexpensively position themselves as a dominant force in their market.
This case study was about a Donut shop, pretty close to a Krispy Kreme … Think of the strategies I suggested as the
holographic Princess Leah that R2-D2 kept showing Luke in the original Star Wars. Here’s the blueprint required to
destroy the Death Star, and along with it … the Evil Empire.
The Marketing Wars
A big downfall of almost every local business on the planet — they allow customers to haphazardly wander in and spend
five or ten bucks … but never attempt to capture customers contact info so they can proactively woo them back later.
They’re perpetual “one shot” sellers. For my plan to defeat Krispy Kreme, they have to immediately begin gathering the
names, emails, and mobile numbers (for text messaging) of as many people as possible …
The Problem and The Kill Shot
The problem: Krispy Kreme came along with its big fat brand and made the donut emotionally relevant. Krispy Kreme
essentially did to donuts what Victoria’s Secret did to bras … what Calloway did to golf clubs … what Oprah did to talk
show hosts. Now people rave about Krispy Kreme. They wait in line. They don’t go get donuts anymore. Krispy Kremes!
My strategy had Press Releases, Media, posts, blogs, videos, and Email Marketing to the new contact list, and we started
to win … It is a very long detailed plan, and very courageous, but we had a target and a goal, and we achieved it …
#3 Case Study
Step by Step Chiropractor Plan
How a Little-Known Chiropractor Turned His Business
Into A Lead Generating Money Machine
I had a client in Milwaukee who was a chiropractor. He called me and asked me to take on his Marketing program,
with the goal of doubling his business. Like most Chiropractors, he was trying to be everything to everyone. He
treated back pain, neck pain, headaches, asthma, fibromyalgia, sciatica and so on.
His current Marketing program consisted of flyers he had inserted into his local newspaper, and he was paying
around $2k per month for that service. The flyers were delivered to approximately 32000 people each month. He
then told me that he was averaging just one new patient per month from those flyers.
When I asked him WHY he was using newspaper flyers, his response was the same response I hear from 99%
of all Small Business Owners… “that’s what my competition is using.” I asked him if he had a passion for any one
specific condition that he treated. He said he had a real passion for helping fibromyalgia sufferers, since fibromyalgia
is a horrible, painful disease that no one knows what causes it and there is no known cure for it … although several
Chiropractors are having tremendous success in completely relieving the pain associated with this disease through
a carefully restricted and monitored diet.
I recommended that he use his passion and create a niche market … meaning that instead of treating all the various
painful conditions like he was currently doing … he would specialize in fibromyalgia and use just that one condition
as the primary focus for his Marketing. He can still treat the other conditions, but his core message will always focus
on fibromyalgia. We developed a plan of action, it worked amazingly well, and his business near tripled.
This too is a very long story, because there was a lot involved, and there is a lot to say …
But, here on this page, I will not do that … It would take up the entire page …
#4 Case Study
The Wrong Sales Process
The Situation
A Professional Services Company had a handful of Sales Reps, all of whom were missing their numbers. The CEO
was frustrated because they had a strong Direct-Mail Program that was producing a very high call-in rate. However,
the call-in conversion rate was quite low and generating far less revenue/sales than projected.
Analysis
I went in to study the client acquisition process from beginning to end. Clearly, the Direct-Mail Campaign was working
based on the high percentage of prospects calling in from each mailing. The Sales Reps had good selling skills and
used a traditional consultative selling process. However, I discovered that the prospects calling in were ready to buy
and didn’t need to go through a consultative process. So, the Sales Reps were getting in the way of the sales!
Changes Made
I took one Sales Rep out of the client acquisition process for one day and had his incoming calls answered by an
office assistant whom I asked to play Customer Service Rep. At the end of the day, the number of call-in conversions
was up significantly. As suggested, they immediately replaced all the Sales Reps with Customer Service Reps. Since
the company wanted to keep the Sales Reps, I suggested to move the handful of Sales Reps to outside sales with a
major Account Acquisition Strategy and Execution Plan.
The Conclusion
Sales tripled in the first thirty days from the Direct-Mailing call-in conversions! One sales rep left, and revenue was
up an additional 29% at the end of four months. Literally 99% of all companies have no company-wide Sales Process
or, even worse, an ineffective Sales Process. This is like a football team not using the same playbook or defending
against a running game when the opponents are playing a passing game!
#5 Case Study
Doing Whatever It Takes
The Situation
I was referred to a division Vice President for a large communications company. The division had missed its quota
for the last eight quarters and was under pressure to turn things around.
Analysis
I took a close look at the sales organization. I thoroughly studied the Salespeople, Sales Management, Sales Process,
pipeline and key deals. It was clear that the Sales Manager was overwhelmed and unable to give the Sales Team what
they needed to produce more results. The Sales Manager was well respected, had tremendous skills/knowledge, and
was a strong asset because he was a Specialist. However, what they needed was a strong Sales Leader.
Changes Made
I suggested to put the Sales Manager into a major account role. The Sales Team received training in an effective
consultative selling process. We reviewed and strategized the top deals expected for the quarter through weekly
Coaching calls.
The Conclusion
Within 90 days, the team exceeded quota by 70% and was on track to exceed quota for the next two quarters.
A Sales VP was hired, and the former Sales Manager was mentally onboard and producing excellent results!
There is a big difference between intention and commitment. I often hear executives say they will do whatever
it takes, but rarely (and I mean rarely) do they put the action behind the words.
#6 Case Study
Mindset
The Situation
The CEO of a gas production company was looking for ways to grow sales and increase the value of the
company. His goal was to sell the company once it had gotten bigger.
Analysis
After evaluating their sales force, I noticed that the salespeople were not calling on all the potential influencers
and decision-makers. I also noticed they were not asking enough of the right questions, so that the resulting deals
were much smaller in size and more difficult to close than necessary. Part of the problem was the “sales” people
were operations employees who had been given sales responsibility and didn’t know how to talk to executives.
Changes Made
I helped the salespeople identify all the stakeholders in a deal and determine what information they needed to
find out. Then we implemented weekly coaching calls with the sales team to help develop some sales muscle.
The sales folks not only closed more deals, but they also closed larger deals. Within 7 months, they had closed
enough deals to double the size of the company and enable it to be sold for a healthy multiple.
The Common Problem
If you change the way a person thinks, you will change the way he or she performs. In this case study, the
problem was the sales team’s discomfort in speaking with executives. But the self-sabotage mindset comes
in many different flavors. I see it when people fail to ask good business questions, fail to find value, or discuss
price, exhibit a strong need to be liked, insist on reading from a script – and the list goes on.
#7 Case Study
Market Going Flat
The Situation
The CEO of a small telephone-systems company was looking for a way to stand out in a sea of competitors,
and their market was going flat.
Analysis
I looked at their strengths, ideal client profile, and their sales reps’ ability to position and sell. What I discovered
was that they had a unique advantage over competitors and an idea of their ideal or target client profile. I was
unsure if their reps could sell at a high level, but they seemed coachable, and had a good attitude and mindset.
Changes Made
I came up with a powerful approach to get the sales flowing. I developed an educational presentation to highlight
business issues and focus on the target customers frustrations. After a few weeks, we were getting better, but it
still could improve. I added a compelling no-risk guarantee and a few additional selling skills to shift into 3rd gear.
The Conclusion
In the first 6 months, sales went up 50% with an additional 43 systems sold. Based on the guarantee they had to
refund one system which they turned around and sold on the used market for a tiny profit including the labor cost.
Most companies don’t recognize their strengths or know how to leverage them to create a huge selling advantage
for themselves. Even in a flat market, performing a Marketing Audit, refocusing sales efforts, and taking a little bit
of Coaching advice and guidance, just might yield significant gains!
I have these 7 others, but didn’t want to
make the page a mile long … So, I’m
giving you the short and quick on them … 🙂
A Product Launch A.I. Generated Funnel
One of my A.I. funnel-creating software’s made this company a whopping $325,000 in
revenue for their New Product Launch! Amazing!
They created a very good and powerful product for their industry that promised to transform
the way a business would handle their inventory. They were planning to launch this
revolutionary product but was not sure how to do this without failing.
(I recommended the use of a product launch sales funnel instead of
creating a traditional product website, like most are accustomed to. )
Critical Sales Performance Indicators
This particular client only hired me for a 2-month period … But, I thought it was worthy of
discussing because of the content and relevance to performance … The Situation:
A Technology Training Company was getting ready to do an IPO in a fairly warm market.
Growth and market positions were right where they wanted to be. The IPO got delayed,
however, and the company’s revenues started to slip. Then, they were referred to me.
(Unfortunately, the CEO had a sales VP who chose to ignore the advice, and the CEO
failed to hold the sales VP accountable. If he had, the CEO would have spotted the
problem months in advance! Unfortunately, the IPO was delayed, the company’s
revenues dropped significantly, which now made an IPO impossible. Not surprisingly,
the IPO never happened. Instead, the company went bankrupt and was dissolved
a short time later. I offered to help!)
Little Guy vs. Big Guy
A small software company was selling to a large international prospect that was covered by a
team of 40 IBM sales reps. The small company’s CEO knew that they had better products and
could turn this into a lucrative account if they could get to the right people and make an initial sale.
And yet they asked me!
(The first thing I did was a little homework to determine where IBM’s weaknesses were
and how the company’s strengths compared. Next, I identified the people and positions
at the prospect where I thought they could have the most impact. We devised a plan of
action to reach out to them and request a meeting or a video chat …) … Great Results!
Promoting Top Rep to Sales Manager
A software company was experiencing eroding market share, tougher competition, and a slipping
value proposition. The company had invested heavily in different kinds of sales training,
including sales tactics, major account planning, and how to talk with “C”-level executives.
However, 75% of the salespeople were missing their quotas and sales were flat. The Sales VP
was looking for a way to boost their numbers.
(I suggested a custom sales training program to teach the science of sales. The philosophy
behind this is that sales are like a factory with consistent predictable results when run
properly. We installed a program to get the sales team to step up or be weeded out.)
Best Practices
A technology company with worldwide offices was seeing the size of its average deal
slip. Also, its enterprise-wide licenses worth $1,000,000 or more had all gone away.
Company morale was dropping and senior reps were starting to leave. The Sales VP
knew the situation had to change or the company would need to downsize.
(I created a little Mastermind Group, that put together a 3-day training workshop, which
was to be delivered throughout North America. The focus was on how to talk with
an executive and how to determine the value proposition and pricing effectiveness.
The workshop was rolled out in two phases, with sales managers going through the
training first and the sales reps next.)
Not Selling the Whole Solution
A medical-equipment company with a good product was thriving. The company was #1 in the market,
but its service revenues were down because its reps were selling only the equipment and initial training.
Their service revenues were the most profitable aspect of the business and they couldn’t afford to let the
trend continue. The problem was compounded by a 3rd-party service company making a play for their
customer base.
(What the company really needed to do was make a change in sales culture and replace
under-performing sales reps. There were too many of them, however, and time was short.
So, what we agreed on was to put in a team of what I called “quality control managers”.
Their job was to follow up on equipment orders within two days of the order by contacting the
client directly. They asked the typical quality-control questions, but also asked the clients why
they had not purchased the service package. In addition, they educated the clients on why
the service package was so critical and gave them an incentive to purchase it as an add-on.
(Up-Selling, Cross-Selling, Down-Selling) … I discuss this until I am blue in the face.)
More Funding for a Portfolio Company
A Venture Capital firm had a portfolio company requesting another round of funding. The company’s
results to-date had fallen short of expectations. They were wondering if they should put more money
into the business and what would need to happen in order to achieve the expected ROI.
(I provided them with a standard report so that everyone knew where the business stood.
Also, I suggested that the Board leverage their contacts, when appropriate, to expand the
business and help close larger deals. I recommended against changing any of their sales
force for 6 months because the salespeople were doing all the right things. They changed
their sales practice to tighten each step of the process and used presentations to move
the sales forward instead of just educate the client. I taught them how to “ask for the order”.)
