Cutting through the noise in crowded markets is an exercise in precision, not in improvisation
Along with a great product and a winning business model, tech ventures must achieve visibility in an invariably crowded marketplace.
Doing this well really is about refining and deploying a sales and marketing formula. We like to compare that to "building a second product around the product", because it often takes as much exploration and effort - if not more - to land on the right sales and marketing approach, as it does to land on the right product and monetization model.
This part is greatly influenced by the development decisions. Yet it is important not to wait till the product development and even the business plan are complete to start refining and even testing a sales and marketing formula. That's because market-driven learning will likely influence the thinking on the product and the business model.
The most successful ventures we know have generally iterated simultaneously on those three components. An exception to that rule is when it is uncertain whether the product can be built, and in a timely manner; for instance when it relies on a technology that is not yet available. In that case investing in the sales and marketing formula may have a lower ROI.
Why do we talk about a sales and marketing formula? Because the secret to scaling as a tech venture is to build a replicable, predictable process to acquire leads and turn them into revenues and profits.
Short of that, the company will have to keep customizing its approach and product for each new client, which drives costs up linearly with sales, and creates a structurally low-margin or even red-ink business model.
So anything Growthroute does is designed to nail that formula. How will the business acquire prospects? How does that differ by segment? How will they be converted into customers/users? What is the best positioning? Message? Channel mix?
From awareness to repeat sales, we seek to identify a winning lead generation and conversion model. We understand that, next to product utility, branding is a critical component that must convey the right first and future impressions to the target market. We see the increasing importance of "thought leadership" and social networking activities for driving awareness, and the decreasing role of traditional one-way ads.
Yet we don't fall for fads, we just seek to apply the strategy that is optimal for the target audience, with a clear ROI imperative. That is a key benefit of being independent, and working to galvanize the inputs of great pre-selected providers at the right price point, be it graphic designers, webmasters, copywriters or social media experts.
Most of our client engagements have included the integrated creation of a winning sales and marketing model, both at the strategic and tactical level.
We make good use of our Cloud Consulting Network and orchestrate the development of sales materials such as flyers and tradeshow booth from A to Z. Designing an integrated online presence with website, blogs, widgets, newsletters, direct mailings and more, has no secret for us. We are active on social networks (follow gregboutin on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn and ask us about other networks) and have directly published and helped published a number of articles in industry magazines and websites (see our News section).
Our key advantages over marketing and PR agencies is that we have no fixed costs to transfer to our clients, we use a flexible network of talent to match different price points, we understand the needs of tech ventures, and we anchor it not just in the market expectations, but in the venture's capabilities too. Because substance drives sales better.
We serve tech start-ups only. Our methods are uniquely designed to tackle the exclusive needs of growth companies with advanced technologies
We work not as a consultant but as an outsourced member of the management team, eliminating the fixed cost and risk of a permanent hire
Because we really mean partnership, Growthroute offers a risk-sharing compensation model for our outsourced executive services
We leverage a unique Cloud Consulting Network, to form A-teams for your project. Secure top experts without paying for their downtime
