Case Study: Product repositioning / Marketing Management/ Sales & Partnership Development
Business Challenge
Our client, an established regional leader had found that in order to continue to aggressively compete in a competitive marketplace, it needed to change how it described its product, and how it marketed its product overseas. After working with ISD to change its product description and its marketing methods, it also wanted to aggressively find new international customers and partners.
Many successful companies fail to evolve their marketing and sales methods to maintain a leadership position over their competition. Additionally, many successful companies also fail to adapt their marketing and sales methods to address the evolving needs and cultural variability of overseas customers.
Our client recognized that they needed a firm like International Subsidiary Development Inc. (ISD) that had experience in developing sales and marketing campaigns and also had a solid understanding of the needs of foreign markets and their cultural differences. However, what really set ISD apart from larger international marketing agencies was not just ISD's ability to improve internationally sensitive marketing and sales campaigns, but its ability to personally implement them, respond to the markets reactions, continue to improve the marketing materials, and to manage the sales campaign's day to day success.
Core Strategy
With ISD's support our client committed to the following core strategies in two phases:
Phase I
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of its proposed product repackaging and its related marketing campaign in overseas markets
- Identify and develop improved marketing methods and tools
Phase II
- Identify and pre-qualify international companies that would value their product
- Identify and pre-qualify international companies with whom our client could establish international partnerships
International Subsidiary Development Inc's Solution
Our client needed cultural insights, an entrepreneurial marketing perspective, and access to an international network of contacts. Given our previous experiences, our design, development, and implementation skills, and our global network, our client did not hesitate to quickly turn to International Subsidiary Development Inc. At ISD we equip companies with the research, insights, experience, business network and day-to-day management that helps them to realize their goals.
Implementation
In Phase I, we began by meeting with their executive management group to gain a clear understanding of their service, and goals. Then, with the original marketing tools that they had had, and some initial improvements that ISD had offered, ISD's business development manager began to sell their product oversees. Through discussions with potential customers, ISD quickly learned which marketing materials interested potential clients. With this information, we made further improvements to their materials and added some additional tools to their marketing resources.
In Phase II, we moved completely into sales and partnership development activities. By letting members of our network know the types of customer that our client, sought, potential customers were brought to our attention. From these leads, ISD's business developer researched those companies to confirm that they conformed to the needs of our client. We then organized communication between our client and this pre-qualified potential customer. After contact had been made and communication between our client and the potential customer was ongoing, ISD's task was complete.
Measurable Results
International Subsidiary Development consistently demonstrates tangible results across a broad spectrum of performance metrics, including speed to market, profitability, access to markets, cost efficiency, cultural integration, and avoidance of many culturally related business challenges. The return on investment is quantifiable and substantial.
Today our client is benefiting from the use of improved international marketing tools, and new overseas partnerships and sales contacts. Our client has become a consistent advocate of International Subsidiary Development's services.