Making prospects and clients feel valued is key to your success, and sending written communications is one way to do this. But it’s also important to know (1) which departments are contacting prospects/clients, (2) what triggers each communication, and (3) what is being said in each communication (welcome, introductory, follow-up, etc.).
After receiving some client feedback on its outgoing communications, this company decided to conduct an audit. Eleven (11) different departments were included, with a total of 72 communications reviewed (domestic and international). Some of the letters were generated automatically (during a sign-up process, etc.); others were sent after a phone call or meeting.
The key first step was creating a “master list” of all the communications, which included key information on each letter such as the department owner, subject matter, and method of distribution. A “Communications ID” number was assigned to each letter, to ensure that only the most current version was being worked on or in use and track its progress in the review process.
We worked with each department to review their letters and helped edit and/or create new communications that reflected their key messages and the company’s positioning. In addition to senior management, all letters were reviewed and approved by the company’s legal department. Of the 72 communications, over 64% of the letters were reviewed, updated and re-entered into the system. Nearly 7% were determined to be “no longer needed”. The remaining letters were either placed on “hold” pending further review and/or development/delivery of new product/service information. In addition, the “Welcome” communications for new clients received a complete overhaul and a process created which detailed the various types and timing of communications to new clients.
A previous client issued a Request for Proposal for a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract and the company participated in the bid process. The formal RFP package was received on September 20, and the response was due on October 7. The bid was extremely detailed, and involved multiple departments: Sales, Trip Support Services, Fuel, Ground Handling, Product Management, IT, Legal, Compliance, HR, Work Force Development, Global Partner Management, Finance, and Marketing.
A “core team” was created to manage the development of the response and associated materials, with each member taking on specific tasks. My responsibilities included:
The core team worked with all of the departments to create specific detailed responses for each section of the RFP. The final document included multiple staffing and pricing options, and over 30 attachments that provided additional information for select questions within the RFP response.
Our company was selected as one of the finalists. After additional meetings and negotiations, we were awarded the multi-year, multi-million dollar contract.
Prospects and clients experience your brand in many different ways: your logo, your imagery, what you say (and how you say it), and the interactions with your employees on a daily basis. The brand needs to be represented consistently in all media and by all departments. It’s not “owned” by the marketing team or marketing consultant, or even the CEO or President. It’s the responsibility of every employee to understand how important the brand is – and the role he/she plays in promoting and protecting it every day.
This was never more critical than during and after the merger of Compaq Computer Corporation and Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) in 2002. The brand team needed to develop a large and diverse number of standards, and then train employees around the world on how to use them.
The Corporate brand group led the “One Voice” initiative (Phases 1 and 2) We worked closely with the lead design agency to create, review and edit brand standards for the “new HP” brand. Those standards included:
HP was an extremely large organization, and training our marketing conultants as well as our suppliers was key to the successful launch and implementation of the new brand. This was a multi-year initiative, involving all of our global offices. Phase 1 training utilized face-to-face sessions, virtual classrooms, web-based training and pre-recorded sessions. All “Phase 2” training sessions were conducted via “virtual classrooms” to maximize participation and minimize costs.
Again, the Corporate brand team led the training effort, working with corporate and BU representatives to develop and manage the development of all Phase 1 and Phase 2 materials, coordinating schedules for both domestic and international sessions, and serving as trainers.
As part of the “One Voice” brand initiative, the brand team needed an easy and timely way to keep all of our business units and suppliers aware of the latest updates or changes to brand standards and other elements of the HP brand program.
The result was the “One Voice 2 Newsletter”, sent out every 6 weeks to over 7,000 employees and 2,000 external vendors. We managed the development and consolidation of all the content, formatting of the newsletter, and distribution. Topics included everything from our annual recognition program to email signature updates to new messaging tools to new photos in the image library.
The name you select for a product or service is crucial to its success. The right name will resonate with prospects and clients and be easily understood, and the wrong name can be confusing and require extensive explanation(s) via advertising and marketing campaigns.
With the HP/Compaq merger and the introduction of new sub-brands and products, there was mass confusion what or how to name a product, who needed to be involved, and the steps required in order to ensure the name was legally available for use.
Working with representatives from the HP Legal Department and different business units, a Naming Council was established for HP. Naming was a critical part of HP’s brand management and strategy, and also represented a significant investment for the company. The council established a naming policy and process that focused on:
With a “master brand” architecture , the objectives of the council were to ensure that product naming provided clarity to customers, effectively leverage the strength of investments in the HP brand, and ensure that new sub-brand/family names were developed in conjunction with overall brand and business objectives. Members of the Naming Council worked with the individual business units on naming projects, and helped coordinate the development and legal review process.
As HP continued to grow, the Naming Council also undertook a major review of trademarks registered to acquired companies. This effort led to the elimination/non-renewal of over 1,000 trademarks and an annual savings of $4M/year.
Company culture affects nearly every aspect of a company – it’s the backbone of a happy workforce. If employees are struggling to find real value in their work, it can lead to a variety of negative experiences for your clients as well as your employees – and even more important, your bottom line.
In business for more than 50 years, Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. decided to refresh its corporate vision statement, and develop a brand promise (which they had never had before). Senior leadership also wanted to ensure that employees understood these new elements of the brand, not only at the corporate headquarters but throughout all global offices as well.
Over a 3½-year period, we worked closely with senior leadership to develop, schedule and execute multiple training sessions and associated materials for the “Winning” initiative. Key elements of this initiative included:
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