Sales agency with ongoing strategic support
Sales agency with ongoing strategic support
Building on Success
Keen to pursue its agenda for the Printless offering in the UK, our client extended its pilot agreement with us in order to maintain continuity and exploit market potential with current and potential partners, among enterprise clients, and also in the public sector.
Managing the Cost of Sale
Employing a below-the-line strategy to avoid the need for large investment in building market presence, Acert built the initial sales pipeline from its own network and contacts database, with additional strategic research and targeted activity in certain category areas in order to widen the net. This has created a regular flow of sales engagements, system demonstrations and opportunity development actvities, with examples covering up to multi-million annual page counts in areas such as global logistics, NHS Mental Health Trusts and outsourced IT services.
Value to the Client
For a fraction of the cost of operating a fully-fledged UK subsidiary, our client has been able to project a virtual presence and demonstrate ongoing market continuity, for more than 2 years. Acert resources are on hand to seek and close business, negotiate the contracts, project manage transitions and support ongoing continuous service improvement.
Channel management support
Channel management support
Tactical Engagement
In building a partner network in the UK associated with its Printless service, our French client knew they would need a simple but comprehensive contract structure and content: a partnering Master Services Agreement with individual Customer Engagement Schedules, and back-to-back terms to enable partners to contract the service with their clients as well as a preliminary agreement of partnering ‘intent’, or Heads of Agreement.
We were engaged to create and document the necessary terms across each document type.
Rapid Turnaround
Following workshop sessions and early agreements on content outline, the materials were developed quickly and efficiently. There have been few modifications required so far, and none that justify a major new release as yet.
Project Management methodology and training
Project Management methodology and training
The Challenge for the Client
Operational maturity challenges are common with growing businesses, as they pass the point where process ownership by individual is good enough and find the need for wider process management and disciplines. Our client was at that stage and recognised their need for a common implementations project control, seeking our help with training and materials to resolve the problem.
Our Approach
Acert’s project methodology (based on Prince2) was thought to be an ideal approach and a 3-session training programme was developed to guide the knowledge transfer process.
With sessions at fortnightly intervals, the programme was delivered in just over 4 weeks to the client operations team and to key sales resources.
Enduring Business Benefit
Internal cooperation received a significant boost and the course was well-received, demonstrating management’s commitment to staff training, overall process improvement and customer satisfaction.
Service development consulting in EMEA for a global printer and managed solutions provider OEM
Service development consulting in EMEA for a global printer and managed solutions provider OEM
The Challenge for the Client
Well-known in the middle market for business printers, our client was gearing up to move into managed document solutions, with a wider range of multi-function devices, software and an associated go-to-market strategy. Project lead Javier Lopez needed external assistance with research in order to benchmark country capability across the in-scope markets and with sales operational materials, including Service Catalogue and collateral, partner and customer agreements.
Specialist Workstream Support
Acert was invited to make proposals and bid for the scope of work. On successful award we began work on three distinct workstreams:
Firstly we developed a capabilities matrix, conducting pan-EMEA telephone interviews with country manager-led teams and providing a metrics-based report and capabilities evaluation;
Next we authored a full Service Catalogue interacting with client marketing, operations and software resources. This covered three service lines – entry-level page-based services; managed print services; managed document services. We developed all of the associated operational document materials including forms, fleet data capture workbook, checklists, questionnaires, FAQs, UAT, project control and satisfaction survey;
Finally we created partner and customer agreement templates, used to support three-way contracting between the OEM, partner and end -customer
Enduring Business Benefit
Our client’s managed document solutions have now become firmly established in the market with numerous major flagship customers, a growing network of competent partners and a continuous programme of innovation.
Sales improvement in IT managed services
Sales improvement in IT managed services
The Challenge for the Client
Our client is a £100m pa managed services business. While their responses to formal RFP documents were solid and demonstrably successful, they had identified that a proportion of their sales teams often struggled to structure and write ’freeform’ sales proposals.
Building on Success
Based on successful previous engagements to update areas of their Service Catalogue and draft boilerplate proposal materials, the client asked Acert to provide training on sales writing to their regional sales teams.
We started by reviewing a number of their successful and unsuccessful sales proposals. Based on our findings, we then formulated a tailored version of our proposal training. The training itself was delivered as a half-day session added to regional sales meetings. Additional time was allocated over the following weeks to review proposals before they were published– facilitating one-to-one coaching and further developing the competency of individuals.
Value to the Client
The syllabus focussed on the practical skills required to formulate proposals that are easier to write, easier to read and that contain a clear and persuasive business case. Feedback from the client confirmed that the training has improved both the speed, quality and success of the sales team’s output.
Launching a new managed print service in the UK
Launching a new managed print service in the UK
The Client
A leading French provider in the world of managed print, our client’s software platform has more than 250,000 devices under management, serving countless end-users in banks, hospitals and major retail organisations. Printless is a service based on this platform, allowing UK businesses to acquire the solution at no cost and deploy in a multi-vendor fleet, saving 30% or more on current costs.
Our Appointment
Speaking at an international Managed Print event in Prague, Acert directors met the client’s executive team. Proposals were then discussed in London and in France, following which we were engaged to conduct strategic market exploration, leading to significant relationship development. Based on this success a sales development contract was agreed, with lead generation, creation of a sales funnel and pipeline all in scope.
The client’s go-to-market strategy is indirect, with a significant channel in Europe. Based on demonstration of our capability, Acert was awarded further assignments to develop all of the operational process documentation, the Master Service partner agreement, Customer/Partner agreement templates and partner Heads of Agreement.
Business Impact
Now with multiple partner agreements in place, the project has established both the sales pipeline and the associated collateral for a successful line of business for Printless in the UK.