Quantum Solutions, Inc. is a nationwide, full-service integrator of industrial automation systems. They engineer, implement, upgrade, and support PLC and HMI control systems that improve efficiency and production for the agricultural, paper and pulp, food and beverage, oil and gas, waste-water treatment, chemical, and other industries. For decades, they have implemented systems that ultimately improve the bottom line for their clients. Though existing clients continued to grow, their problem was shortage of new clients, diversification of clients, and stagnant revenue.
As a sales-driven organization, Quantum Solutions had not invested much in marketing but the team was quickly realizing that lead generation and sales validation would be required to increase revenue and support a book of business for their new sales representative. In 2017, Quantum Solutions found Atomic Revenue, and in the first year of our collaboration:
Quantum Solutions had tried various marketing and brand agencies, sales assessments and training, and a variety of tactics without achieving their goals. In fact, big dollars went out, zero dollars came back. That money was spent on random marketing activities without knowing exactly what would work to accomplish their goals. In 2017, when Quantum Solutions started the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), leadership identified the need for marketing accountability and strategy to grow.
Because Atomic Revenue is known in the business community to provide revenue operations solutions, fractional strategic leadership, and subscription teams that develop and implement strategies while filling human capital needs for clients, Quantum Solutions acted on a referral and reached out to our team. In Q3 2017, we began our journey together by diagnosing and prioritizing how to meet their objectives, then created a budget and aligned their lead generation approach to meet their corporate mission.
After twenty years of success, Quantum Solutions faced a changing paradigm – the need to compete for new, diversified business. Up until 2016, they repeatedly sold to the same clients, but new clients were costly to pursue and elusive to acquire. Not knowing how to resolve this issue, they turned to agency “marketing” help which fell flat in advancing growth objectives. Once our team performed an initial assessment, we created and implemented an end-to-end revenue production plan with quantified objectives and measurable results. In two years, utilizing the following process, they exceeded $1.5 million in marketing-sourced revenue.
We began with a digital audit and revenue diagnostics to prioritize opportunities for Quantum Solutions to meet their corporate objectives. We discovered there was no system for managing sales calls, customers, prospects, or any business activity, so we selected a CRM for lead generation and customer management. We mapped out their in-house process to identify and prioritize where we needed to fill gaps to produce more revenue with current resources. Our team also identified that their marketing and corporate identity (digital marketing, trade show, and other materials) did not support their sales message, nor did they put forth a professional image that exemplified what they are capable of. In fact, they had a < 60% conversion rate on non-competitive bids! To resolve these issues, we created a revenue operations budget and a comprehensive strategy and moved onto Phase #2.
Sixty-to-seventy percent (60-70%) of all business-to-business (B2B) buying decisions are made before a salesperson is ever involved. If Quantum Solutions received a referral or someone became interested at a trade show, and that prospect visited their original website, they would most likely have stopped right there. Their website did not provide any validation about what they do or the scope of their services or history. It was outdated, not mobile-friendly, and a detriment to their brand. Undoubtedly, companies and prospects were doing online research and found what we found – an outdated company. To solve their lead generation and sales conversion issues, we began with Tier 1 of the Resolve phase, which included the following five priorities.
1. Quantum Solutions did not have sales collateral, case studies, web content, or advertising pieces that showed their capabilities and unique selling proposition (USP). We developed a cohesive brand and digital operations strategy, and launched a sales-focused, revenue-optimized campaign (rather than simply a marketing campaign).2. When we discovered their digital presence had been overlooked, we resolved this issue, not just with the website, but will all digital marketing, sales collateral, and trade shows. Quantum Solutions’ website, now updated with the right content and a user/mobile-friendly design, talks to industry targets, speaks to the size customer they are equipped to work with, and validates what their sales team is selling, as do all their new sales materials.
3. To further their professional image and increase leads, our digital marketing experts performed a LinkedIn training session for all engineers and sales staff. They learned how to create professional profiles and optimize LinkedIn connecting and communications.
4. Quantum Solutions had no lead capture on their website, nor did they have any customer or prospect management system. This made it impossible to track and manage leads and basic business activity. Our team researched and implemented a CRM system that turns the mapped revenue production process into a lead development pipeline that complements and attaches to the sales conversion pipeline. Now, because of simplified tracking and follow-up capabilities, business development can convert prospects into happy customers and achieve the ultimate goal: customer advocacy.
5. Their sales efforts were costly with little to no return. They would fly to one prospect in one state, then get on another plane and make another single sales call in another state, and so on. To reduce travel time and maximize ROI, we launched a geo-targeted lead development and sales strategy. We developed a program where the sales team can group sales calls with current clients and prospects in one trip, cutting major expenses and creating opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
Now that the first five priorities for the Resolve Phase are complete, we’ve moved onto Tier 2. We continue to analyze the process and data to manage the performance of lead development and adjust as needed. Atomic Revenue’s in-house Subscription Human Capital department also manages all marketing-related vendors, budgets, trade shows, ROI, sales pipeline meetings, and digital operations management (CRM, website, data dashboards, and social media). While working alongside their team, we are transitioning to the Optimize Phase.
Atomic Revenue and Quantum Solutions’ leaders persist in identifying performance improvement for continual revenue production growth and profitability. The following areas have been supported in 2019 and will continue into 2020 to optimize results.
Quantum Solutions needed sales validation and sales-supporting content and systems to generate increased revenue, that’s one reason Atomic Revenue was the right fit.
Quantum Solutions has achieved a 5.64x ROI on its lead-development marketing budget. This was measured in marketing-sourced return and included all in-house labor, Atomic Revenue services, technologies, trade show marketing, digital marketing, the CRM, systems and tools, and the business lead development team’s travel and entertainment. Atomic Revenue uses all numbers to calculate and provide an uninflated, truthful ROI.
If Quantum Solutions’ situation sounds familiar and you would like to learn how you can launch growth, simply contact us for a free revenue flight plan today. We thrive on partnering with our clients to solve growth challenges with cost-effective, efficient Revenue Operations Solutions.
*At the time this was published, the total sourced revenue from the work completed with Atomic Revenue was just over $1 Million. As of November 2020, this has now been updated to over $1.5 million now that a deal sourced in the same time period as closed.
Tara is the Founder and CEO of Atomic Revenue, where she continues to problem-solve, innovate, and define the formula for and establish the discipline of revenue operations that launches client growth with stronger foundations and better ROI. As the company's EOS® Visionary, it is her passion to share what she has learned over the course of her career and help other business owners and leaders increase revenue and grow with consistency. She is also a renowned national speaker.