'Till death do us part.
The reception, the honeymoon, and the first walk over the threshold.
While there's no rice being thrown at you, we certainly kick things off big. Right after the ceremony (your signature), we get started. There will be a marketing department line-up, complete with handshakes, thank-you's, and congratulations. Then, you're whisked off to meet and select your MG (here, that means Marketing Gal or Guy and this person is your primary contact).
Once you've selected your MG, it's time to get started. Usually, it goes in this sequence: to know what we mean by all these terms you'd have to know us: braindump, brainstorm, target customer, postioning statement/competitive difference ('purple cow'), marketing plan, promotion/price/place/product strategies (sounds like a lot of blah, blah, blah right now - it matters), launch marketing and advertising plan, evaluate, repeat.
You have a cold, we have cough syrup.
You have a team, a whole team and not just you, to help you solve the problem! Take comfort in knowing you'll have all of us behind you bringing new, innovative ideas.
You won’t believe how de-stressing this can be to know you have backup. Not just one of us…all of us.
You complete us.
Us: Consumer viewpoint.
You: Industry expertise.
Us: Multiple execution options for an idea.
You: What you've done in the past.
Us: Creative in an iPod kind of way.
You: Logical in a Zune kind of way.
See a pattern? You know your business (duh) and we know marketing (double duh), combine the two and we should get to where you want to go.
Client: Valley Design
Website: valleydesign.biz
Background
Valley Design is a powder coating and furniture components supplier. Currently, they service over 400 customers primarily in the commercial furniture industry.
Their customer base is located all across the U.S. and Canada.
Problems
Valley Design’s sales have been declining due to market decline and lack of new opportunities with customers. Valley Design felt that relationships with their customers were limited mostly to purchasing and some marketing management.
To identify new opportunities they needed to broaden their contacts to members of the product development teams.
Key Learnings
One of the ahas for Valley Design was that customers are interested in meeting with them and working to develop new solutions.
Customers rely on their suppliers for new ideas and the suppliers that have more visibility usually get more of the business opportunities.
Structure (Relationship)
markit formed a task force with Valley Design Product and Sales Management personnel whose responsibility is to work with customers and sales reps to identify new opportunities for the company.
Approach
markit interviewed 20 Valley Design customers to understand their decision making process, the structure of the product development process, and perceptions of Valley Design.
Results of the research were reviewed by a team consisting of markit and Valley Design personnel. An action plan was developed for building customer relationships.
Implementation
An action plan was developed that outlined the internal structure and schedule of activity needed to increase the scope of relationships with current customers to secure new business.
Results Achieved
Meetings are being organized and held with customers. New dialogue is happening between Valley Design and their independent sales reps and customers to identify growth opportunities.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Client: Prosthetic Laboratories of Rochester
Website: plor.net
Background
Prosthetic Laboratories of Rochester is a prosthetic and orthotic device provider. They work with patients to fit them for a prosthetic or orthotic device based on a referral from their primary physician.
Prosthetic Laboratories also owns Lairs Shoes, an orthotic shoe retailer, and Silhouette Shoppe, a retailer that meets the needs of mastectomy patients. In Rochester, Prosthetic Laboratories is a major partner to a large health orginization in the orthotic and prosthetic areas.
Problems
For ten years Prosthetic Laboratories has been debating whether or not to expand their operations in Phoenix, AZ where this health organization has a large facility.
Key Learnings
The opportunity through this organization was small in comparison to the larger opportunity in the Phoenix metro area. Opening a office just to support it was not justified. In addition, there were several current O & P providers that were interested in selling their businesses, making acquisition an attractive way for Prosthetic Laboratories to enter the market.
Structure (Relationship)
markit worked closely with the Marketing Director and CEO of Prosthetic Laboratories.
Approach
markit first identified the market size and market share of all Prosthetic and Orthotic companies in the Phoenix metro area. We also identified key referral sources with connections to the health organization, and other key medical facilities.
Next, markit’s Strategy Gal and Prosthetic Laboratories' Marketing Director made a trip to Phoenix. During that trip they met with some of the health organization's doctors, they visited all of the competitors’ offices, and evaluated different property options for a Prosthetic Laboratories office.
Implementation
markit put together a summary document with supporting materials and presented the results and recommendations to the CEO of Prosthetic Laboratories. The CEO took that information to the Board of Directors.
The Board was able after 10 years to make a decision on how to address their opportunity in Phoenix.
Results Achieved
Based on the analysis and recommendations made by markit, the Board of Directors for Prosthetic Laboratories of Rochester was able to make a decision to not to pursue entering the Phoenix market at this time due to the level of investment required.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Client: Common Ground (formerly Rochester Behavioral Health Services)
Website: commongroundmn.org
Background
RBHS came to markit looking for ways to grow their organization and create awareness in the community for who they are and what they do. They felt they needed a name change and a look that appealed to their audience and made them different than their competitors.
Problems
Common Ground needed to increase their revenues in their current market. They also wanted to look for new markets for their existing services.
Structure (Relationship)
markit worked with a team of people from Common Ground including the two owners, counselors, sales and administrative personnel.
Key Learnings
None of the competitors talk to the clients at a place where they are when they need treatment. Everyone talks about a place that the client can get to at some point when they finish treatment. Most clients can’t envision that place and they need someone to just understand them where they are at the moment.
Approach
markit conducted two sessions with Common Ground personnel to understand the current environment, target audience, competitors, and the messages that they wanted to deliver to their audiences.
We then conducted a brainstorming session with the designers, marketing and strategy staff. A new name and tagline were developed. Once approved by Common Ground, work got underway to develop the identity, brochure and website elements.
Implementation
Utilizing the new materials, Common Ground will launch their new company with an open house for 800 people. They will also be participating in the Mayo Health Fair and other industry events.
Their sales staff will be making follow-up contacts with all people they make personal contact with at the events in an effort to increase awareness and familiarity with what Common Ground does.
Results Achieved
markit assisted RBHS in launching a new identity that capitalized on the strengths of the organization in a way that met the needs of their audience, and was meaningfully unique from the competition.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Client: Astrup Drug
Website: theDrugstoreWithMore.com
Marketing elements produced: Newspaper ads, panels for our mailers/inserts, postcards.
Background
Astrup Drug is a chain of 10 drug stores located throughout southern Minnesota. The retail stores do business as either Sterling Drug or Clancy’s.
Problems
Astrup came to markit requesting a promotional idea to help increase their pharmacy business. After brainstorming and researching several options, we suggested the 5-Minute Challenge, which would focus on incoming transfers of prescriptions.
Key Learnings
We learned that once we began to offer customers gift cards in exchange for a new or transferred prescription, they were more then willing and interested to bring their prescriptions to Astrup Drug.
Structure (Relationship)
markit worked closely with the VP of Operations, who is responsible for all store decisions regarding product offering, pricing and promotional activity.
Approach
The promotion consisted of running ads in the newspaper, as well as in our weekly inserts. We also mailed out postcards to potential customers in each of our markets.
Messaging and graphics focused on first, that a customer could gain up to $90 in gift cards by transferring 10 prescriptions and secondly, just how easy it was to transfer your prescription (about 5 minutes).
Implementation
The campaign was a 6 week project that ran during 4th qtr 2008 in eight of their locations.
Results Achieved
(or target results to achieve): The 5-Minute Challenge campaign was so successful that the VP of Pharmacy Operations threatened to quit if we ever ran the campaign again. Transfers were coming into each of their 8 locations at a rate that was extremely overwhelming for their pharmacy staff.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
