Successful marketing and sales has always been about how you do it and what you get back. In 2008 we scientifically piloted our process called SatNavMarketing, later we rebranded it Storming®.
Written and researched over a four year period by Stephen Megson, Managing Director of Quiet Storm Solutions, and in partnership with Jonathan Salem Baskin. Jonathan is a global brand strategist, international speaker and best selling author.
During this four year period, the most successful sales and marketing strategies, processes and tactics were collated. Stephen and Jonathan reviewed the most common processes used in marketing since its creation* in the late 19th century. These processes were stripped down to their basic forms and the formula for success was distilled
* Marketing first emerged as a separate technical field in the late 19th century, although the Oxford English Dictionary traces the word ‘Marketing’ back to 1884.
With a combined practical experience of over fifty years of business marketing, Steve and Jonathan set about producing a systematic sales and marketing process which could be applied to a small or medium sized company. Piloted with 30 companies it was highly successful and produced dramatic results in the shortest timescales.
The businesses using this systematic approach were no longer reliant on finding and keeping star individuals. or dependent upon the business owner to generate revenue - but people capable of following the simple procedures proven to get results.
The results of the pilot delivered proof. Business owners wanting the short term tools and quick solutions to solve their immediate needs, could use the seven steps to execute the most effective short term solutions. Coupled with a longer term understanding of the strategic change needed in their business to become systemically more profitable. However, the original name we had selected could only be registed (protected) as Quiet Storm SatNavMarketing® - so we decided to choose a new shorter name and arrived at Storming®.
SatNavMarketing gave my management team confidence in both the process and the team at Quiet Storm
In 2004 we completed a M.B.O of our business following a strategic review which included a significant input from the Quiet Storm SatNavMarketing Process. The strategy that we laid down for the 5 year plan encompassed a very focused and targeted Marketing & CRM plan.
The expertise brought to us in these areas by the structured approach enabled us to achieve much in a very short timescale, some of the website restructuring and promotional activity allied to the customer analysis gave us a real advantage over the competition.
The positive approach to every business challenge and opportunity demonstrated by our SatNavMarketing business partner, gave my management team confidence in both the process and the team at Quiet Storm. The customer catalogue that they helped produce is recognised even today as one of the best in our industry.
Of course the real test is whether this all added value to our business ?
In 2008 we had exceeded our five year plan and sold our business for a significant profit to a global player in our industry, they see us as the ideal role model company for their expansion plans in Europe, Asia and America.
John Lougher
Managing Director
AHT Cooling Systems (UK) Ltd
The SatNavMarketing process enabled us to quickly identify opportunities to increase revenue which had previously been missed.
Running a highly process driven technology business and being a very sales orientated organisation we were confident our systems were both efficient and effective.
Having run our figures through the More Profitable Customers 'Profiler' spreadsheet quickly identified several opportunities which we had to grow our business but had previously missed.
I was stunned at how quickly the process started to highlight the ways we could develop and enhance our systems. It's common sense and provides a very clear path to follow.
As a company which is committed to ISO 9001 and maintaining strict quality procedures, it was the closest I've seen to a quality assurance process for marketing and sales.
Rachel Tidmarsh
Managing Director
Bluesky International Ltd
We identified our warehousing operation was inefficient and needed to change
The first issue SatNavMarketing addressed was the challenge of comfort zones and silo's
Like many businesses ours operates with the core functions of marketing, sales, operations (what we do) and finance. These functions and the people within them had separated into silo's as we grew.
With time it became more comfortable for the individuals in these areas to remain in their silo - so they don't take responsibility for what's happening in the business, they just deal with what flows their way!
How this looked in our business was...
The sales people moaned about the lack of interest, the product is too expensive, operations can't turn it around quick enough, bleet, bleet, bleet!
Operations moaned because sales have over promised, they can't deliver what the customer expects, the customer is unreasonable, bleet, bleet, bleet!
The finance people moan about everything and often reverted to 'I'm only here to collect the money, pay the bills, etc. It's really nothing to do with me - bleet, bleet, bleet!
What SatNavMarketing does, is it creates a structure which combines each function, it makes them take responsibility for what happens in the business - but it gets everyone on board because it focuses on what the individuals in each areas biggest frustration is.
This initial review forced us to look at ourselves and see how we looked from a customer's perspective. It soon highlighted our weaknesses and it was amazing how the mix of people from different areas of the business brought a new perspective.
We were able to identify the greatest causes of pain for our customer which ultimately came back on us like a boomerang - fix them and everyone would be happy.
One of the changes was a redesign of our warehouse, how products were stored and dispatched. We fixed this, complaints and delayed payments halved.
Another key benefit is the communication between the different people and their respective departments. It was like stepping back to how it used to be when the team was much smaller. Everyone now takes an interest in the business and SatNavMarketing has given us the tools to develop all aspects of our clients interaction and experience.
It's challenging and we're not finished yet, but it feels like we now have a structure in place to make the business more attractive to buyers, clients and employees.
Client wished to remain anonymous
The process has continued to be refined and developed - just now it's called Storming®.
