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Business overview

Jackie Herring - Persuasion Strategy

1) Can we start with an introduction of yourself and an overview of your company
I founded Persuasion Strategy Limited in 2006. As an experienced sales person, I had worked for large and small technology companies for over 20 years and was conscious of many gaps in the sales process in these organizations, which were a great cause of frustration to me; I was also aware that theses gaps were frustrating for the Sales Directors for whom I worked. Money, time and people were holding up crucial sales pipelines and therefore, future revenue.
Persuasion Strategy is an outsourced telemarketing, sales and training organization. We become the company we work for and strengthen the resource needed to generate further revenue.

2) What are the primary products /services you offer and what is your key value proposition?
We make first contact the right way with your future customers and partners as you, freeing up valuable time for your existing sales force.
a. Direct and indirect sales people on an add hoc basis
b. Lead Generation – Telesales
c. Telesales training
d. New solution Sales Strategies.
e. UK ECM partnerships which add value.

3) What business applications do you primarily address?
            Services and support

4) Who do you consider to be your major competitors?
N/A We find companies will offer one service but not all of them. It is common for us to be asked by clients to work on one of the above issues and subsequently, request help with another.

5) What geographies do you service?
ALL

      Market Dynamics

6) The ECM market is undergoing further consolidation, convergence and evolution with the impact of web 2.0, SaaS, social networking, virtualisation and other innovations and discontinuities in the market. What effect is all of this having on your business?

       The current situation is generating more revenue and more partnerships for Persuasion Strategy.

7) The traditional licence/server software sales models are now increasingly being     challenged by other subscription based approaches. Is this something you are offering?
Many of my clients have been offering this and if they haven’t we have worked with them on this as a new sales strategy.

8) Has Microsoft’s Sharepoint had any impact on your business?
Yes, in a good way; many of the long term and large ECM players saw Sharepoint as a nasty competitor. Working with some of my clients, we were able to destroy that myth and help build some very good deals, combining Sharepoint with their existing solution.

9) How has your business fared during the recent economic downturn?
a. Positive – Sales is recognised as an expensive resource and to commit to training such a resource for a full-time role in recessive times, is a risk. Our clients benefit form working with Persuasion Strategy because we have a track record and long established relationships and they have the opportunity to turn the tap on and off to this expertise and experience. This set up offers low risk security of the investment and value for money.

b. Case Study – Persuasion has started working with a Global IBM Premier Partner, which specialises in legacy IBM products and is looking to, not only move into the UK&I and European marketplaces, but also, to expand their product range to the FileNet and Cognos product sets. They needed a fast start into the UK&I marketplace with immediate sales campaigns and quality introductions to partnerships in the existing and new areas. I am well known by the CEO as I have worked with him for many years, and was asked to be the core sales drive for them in the UK&I marketplace. I was also asked to introduce many of the quality partners that I have made over the years, to help their strong product portfolio and offshore resources, and, in addition, to coach their telesales team to get them up to the standard required in the UK&I marketplace.

10) What key market drivers are positively impacting your business?
a. Mergers & Acquisitions are bringing larger portfolios to companies and removing the ability for market expertise e.g. FN & IBM partners. We are a niche player in these merging markets as we offer more than one service and are a sales company not a marketing company.

b. Our experience of all the ECM technologies allows us to build cost-effective solutions for clients by dovetailing new technologies with their existing systems. This is unique to many ECM players and key to the selling of existing, rather than greenfield sites.

c. Recession – low risk of existing quality sales

d. Recession & M&A – End to end ownership of sales cycle or part thereof. Turning the tap on and off as and when required.

e. New partners joining ECM market, due to merging technologies and markets, who need experience and “best partners”. Persuasion has the experience and knowledge to give this and to support them in many different ways.

       New Opportunities

11) Is your company doing anything differently to increase sales and maintain customer loyalty? 
 No, if anything the market is turning to Persuasion Strategies core values

12) Are you spending more or less on marketing this year than last? What has been the most effective marketing medium to increase sales? 
Consistent good work and word of mouth through my network in ECM which spans over 20 years.

13) What are your top three priorities for the next 12 months?
a. Grow my sales force & partnering arm, branching further worldwide.

b. Fully utilise the 38+ telesales staff and 8 sales staff.

c. Establish key partnerships worldwide to strength the Persuasion strategy brand.

14) Do you have the right team in place to achieve these objectives?
 Management of different business streams will help me achieve these objectives.

15) What are the main challenges for you to overcome?
 Managing and growing, as I am aware this will mean I will not be able to be personally involved in as many projects as I would like.

16) What has been the most important management lesson you have learned?
a. Trust in people’s actions not their words
b. Trust your instinct if something doesn’t feel right it usually isn’t.

17) Which new technologies, markets or geographies are you looking to expand into?
a. Global through relationships
b. Niche player so not too much breadth