October 2012 Fast-growing software manufacturer seeks assistance with reseller recruitment strategy on a global basis www.extendedpresence.com EPinfo@extendedpresence.com 303-325-8600
Business Issue In mid 2012, a global security software manufacturer was enjoying steady growth of its customer base. Company leaders knew it was time to increase their distribution resources based on their increasing demand and the continuing growth in the anti-virus, patch management and remote management solutions sector. The software manufacturer knew it would be a challenge to find potential resellers with the necessary original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and managed service providers (MSP) skills, capabilities and staff that could serve their specialized sector. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the company was, in many cases, a behind the scenes software manufacturer, which would likely make it more difficult to find interested resellers. The company began their search for appropriate niche partner possibilities in the U.S. by developing a list of target resellers identified by the staff. It was a limited list with few contact names. The reality was the company did not have a strong understanding of the reseller market serving their sector and they were going to need outside assistance to gain a better perspective of their best partner options. The software manufacturer asked its global media agency to help find appropriate external resources to gather the necessary market intelligence and contact information for relevant resellers in the U.S. Working together, the software manufacturer came up with a plan for the media agency to find three teleprospectingcentric lead generation vendors best able to facilitate a strategic partner recruitment campaign during a three-month pilot program. The reseller search was to focus on two niche solutions: 1. anti-virus and patch management for strategic partnership with OEM security partners, and 2. point-to-point solution for MSP partners. 1
The first step would be for the vendors to gather vital information and missing contact details for the targets on the software manufacturer s relatively short list of known resellers. The vendors would also need to do their own investigation to find additional resellers with the necessary skills, capabilities and staff to make them a viable partner for the software manufacturer s consideration. After gathering this intelligence and helping identify the potentially viable partners, the second step would be for the vendors to pursue appointments at the appropriate target companies. During an appointment, the security software manufacturer s representatives would be able to speak with chief executive officers, chief technology officers, vice presidents of business development and/or the product brand managers at the resellers to get a better indication if there might be a good fit with the particular prospective partner. After sending a request for proposal (RFP) to a number of qualified lead generation vendors, the media agency collected the responses that were sent back. After careful review, the media agency recommended three vendors to the software company as the best picks. One of them was Denver-based Extended Presence. The Solution With approval of the recommended vendors, the media agency divided the security software manufacturer s short list of approximately 90 known resellers between the three firms. The vendors were tasked to research each company on their list and build a custom database of company contacts, and to do the same for resellers they would identify through their own market research. The media agency monitored each vendor s research progress along with the communications sent detailing their research 2
findings and any scheduled appointments for the security software manufacturer s representatives to talk with a seemingly viable prospective reseller. Halfway through the pilot program, the software manufacturer and the media agency found that Extended Presence s results were twice as good as the two other vendors combined. Based on the quality of the custom messaging Extended Presence had developed (in collaboration with the manufacturer s product marketing, corporate marketing and direct sales teams) and the quality of the appointments secured, the decision was made to stop the work of the other two vendors. All remaining targets not yet contacted on the manufacturer s list were consolidated and given solely to Extended Presence to handle for the remainder of the pilot program. In addition to giving all the remaining targets on the manufacturer s U.S. prospective partner list to Extended Presence, the software company decided to add nearly 20 international prospective partners (representing key markets in the U.K., Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East) to the master target list. 3
Client Value Delivered Despite being the highest priced respondent in the RFP process, Extended Presence delivered more appointments than the other two vendors combined by the halfway point of the three month pilot program. Just as significant was the quality of the appointments set with valuable target resellers. The security software manufacturer s staff gave excellent feedback on the high caliber appointments which significantly helped the company with its goal to acquire more resellers able to help meet growing customer demand. While the pilot program was initially focused in the U.S., after dropping the two other vendors by the midway point in favor of Extended Presence, the security software manufacturer added 20% more prospective partners from outside of the U.S. to the pilot program target list. Extended Presence stepped up to the challenge and was able to schedule appointments in China, Israel and the U.K. before the end of the pilot program. (Additional appointments in the U.S and around the world were scheduled after the project was extended into the following quarter.) At the same time, the software company s staff in Europe asked to use the Extended Presence custom call guide for similar channel partner recruitment efforts in EMEA. At the end of the three month pilot program, Extended Presence had set 32 appointments. Given their strong performance and impressive 16% acquisition rate during the pilot, the fast-growing security software manufacturer chose Extended Presence as its preferred vendor for continuing channel partner recruitment efforts in the U.S. and key markets around the world. 4
About Extended Presence Extended Presence is a B2B appointment setting and sales lead generation company that specializes in creating new business prospect opportunities for clients. Since 2002, we have conducted over 950 successful sales and marketing campaigns and our experienced sales staff have created millions of dollars in net-new sales pipeline opportunity for clients. If you want to break into green field accounts or to knock out competitors, our proven lead generation solutions deliver strong ROI. Looking to acquire new customers, nurture existing lead or grow your pipeline? Visit www.extendedpresence.com to learn more. 5
Corporate Headquarters Extended Presence 3570 East 12th Avenue Suite 200 Denver, Colorado 80206 Toll Free: 1-800-398-8957 Main: 303-325-8600 Fax: 303-568-7549 www.extendedpresence.com