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Case Study – Create A Great Strategic Alliance

Guest post by: Kerri Salls

Article Overview: Search for the standout projects/challenges that can showcase how good you are. It’s worth a phone call to ask permission to showcase the client/vendor in your materials. In addition, invite them to publish the same case study in their marketing materials – which will extend your reach too.

Case Study – Create A Great Strategic Alliance

When I was a consultant to state-of-the-art technology companies, I would write up a case study of each project and present it to the client with the final invoice. It would document the objectives of the project and the final outcomes (usually much more extensive than envisioned) along with the financials, production and deadline details. I would include the statistical results as well as a comparison to industry standards. In my mind, I was wrapping up the project and reselling the client on the value of the service they had received.

At the Mass High Tech Pulse Breakfast in Waltham, MA, I saw another use of a case study by an online technology firm. In this case, iProspect used a case study of a client, Hat World, to demonstrate the benefits of using iProspect optimization and automation tools for search engines. In a one-page case study distributed to every attendee, they described the situation, the website marketing/sales challenge, their solution recommendation and implementation, and capped it with a fantastic list of statistical results.

iProspect was one of the panelists speaking at the breakfast. Hat World is their client. MassHighTech sponsored the breakfast. In announcing the Pulse breakfast, MassHighTech advertised (to ~60,000 email recipients) who the companies on the panel would be (free advertising for panelists like iProspect).

In addition, each presenter put materials in attendee packets. That’s another targeted 100 industry leaders as prospects who received this iProspect case study. (Cost –- 100 reprints of the case study).

Hat World was introduced to those 100 business prospects through the case study – free.

What did Hat World have to do to get this high visibility (even credibility) among illustrious prospects? They had a clear goal to dominate the online marketplace. And they are forward-looking enough to engage a company who could deliver state-of-the art features to deliver massive and measurable results.

The cost of this publicity -- ZERO. Now that’s a great strategic alliance!

And it is a WIN-WIN, because this success with Hat World positions iProspect as the preeminent product/service provider to help others achieve massive and measurable results on the web, too.

So why not go through your client and vendor files? Search for the standout projects/challenges that can showcase how good you are. It’s worth a phone call to ask permission to showcase the client/vendor in your materials. In addition, invite them to publish the same case study in their marketing materials – which will extend your reach too.

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Article Tags: marketing, sales, strategic alliance, strategy



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Different Hats - CEO Sales & Marketing & Leadership Development Company Strategic Vision 10 Alliances & Growth Strategies 10 Hiring & Managing People 8 Mentoring 8-9 Strategic Planning for Clients 10 Execution of Marketing Campaigns 9-10 (i have great people who do the nitty gritty) Financial Management 9 Bookkeeping 3 (outsourced as I really hate the fine details like GST0 Administrative Follow Up 6-7 (again have great staff) Writing & Publishing 9 (getting better all the time!) Speaking 10 (so I have been told) Self Promotion 9-10 Web development & Promotion 6-7 (learning more and have brought on players who are 10+) Babysitting Employees (1 - wont do it, that's why I work so hard to hire and motivate the people I have) Great topic Kevin!! Jude
Nana excercise - Nana > answer the following: 1. If you had no chance of failure what would you dream to be your ideal Job or Business? 2. What about this dream excites you? 3. What Field of Study (Major) will get you closer to this dream? 4. What other Field of Study would "compliment" (Minor) your dream to get you closer to it. REMEMBER: there is no wrong answer. I'm hoping this exercise will help place you in a program that makes you excited at a "most probable likely" future. Your answers will help open a dialogue on the forum.
Re: How do you get fresh ideas for work? - Study sucessful businesses.
Personal duties - Great topic Kevin! My business is obviously my website, a part of which are these forums. In terms of tasks I usually do the following: - Business vision and direction: 10 - Strategic partnerships: 8 (I do it for most of my site while Kevin has begun for the forums) - Managing staff and assigning tasks: 8 (Again, I do it for most of my site while Kevin has begun for the forums) - Content development: 2 (Most of this is done by my authors and staff but I get involved in the management from time to time) - Advertising / sponsorship: 10 (I'm very hands on here as it's the way that I make my money) - SEO: 10 (With so much of my traffic coming from the search engines, if I'm not on top of new developments then I'm not driving traffic and I'm not in business) Generally I've picked the tasks that I most enjoy and feel that I can contribute my skills to. The other tasks are given to people who have expertise in those areas and produce great work.
Re: Essential Leadership skills - Vision Values Mission Strategic Thinking Decision Making Communication Team Bonding People Development Coaching / Mentoring / Guiding / Grooming Presentation Thanks Robert


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