“What I love most about Kathy is that she can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary while keeping it planful and real. It’s all about results with Backpocket. It’s reassuring to have someone by your side who is focused on the right stuff.”
Erin Newkirk, @redstamp_erin, Red Stamp :: Modern Correspondence
The following case studies are examples from Backpocket Strategy clients and demonstrate the type of impact working with Kathy made on their business results. Client names are omitted for confidentiality.
Fortune 50 high tech company
Situation: Kathy asked to manage a cohesive marketing campaign involving key players from five divisions (sales, engineering,marketing, manufacturing) in five locations who typically operate in silos. Previous attempts at partnering ended in failed communication and unfinished projects. Typically, company’s outside advertising agency managed these projects. Kathy’s bid to project manage was substantially lower than advertising agency’s bid.
Backpocket’s solution: Kathy’s strategy focused on timeline and benefit of outcome to each of the five divisions and the key players, while paying no heed to company politics. Kathy hyper focused on defining, then communicating identical steps and deadlines for each key player. Kathy scheduled weekly updates with clearly defined expectations and detailed activity reports showing each player’s components and the project’s production schedule.
Backpocket’s impact: Multi-million dollar project was produced on time and under budget. Kathy saved company over $2 million dollars from previous multi-divisional project that was managed by large advertising agency.
Consultant, Service Provider
Situation: Client needed website to reflect the multiple facets of her business and allow potential clients—corporate executives as well as sole proprietors—to quickly understand her proficiency and expertise for their specific industry or business.
Backpocket’s solution: Kathy redesigned client’s website to allow a diverse audience to quickly navigate to the pages that pertain to them.Website now reflects client’s versatility with simple access to her seminar videos, client testimonials, vast client list and success stories.
Backpocket’s impact: Kathy’s client landed national retail chain training seminars, regional Fortune 100 accounting firm protocol seminars and is in consideration for regional law firm presentations.
Local/national marketing tool – printed guide
Local/national marketing tool – printed guide
Situation: Client has franchises in 25 cities nationwide with marginal success in capturing ROI for local businesses after publication. Client has been in business for over ten years and hired Kathy to increase profitability and visibility while also reducing production time frame in Minneapolis/St. Paul in 2010.
Backpocket’s solution: Kathy refocused entire sales and production process to emphasize and increase foot traffic and sales to local business owners. Kathy bid out printing and production and found cost and time savings throughout entire process. Kathy suggested bringing printing to US vs. overseas where the production and shipping time caused lengthy delays. Kathy’s printing production expertise allowed for cost savings and efficiencies that were passed along to client. Kathy’s marketing strategy involved intense collaboration with local businesses throughout the project to ensure local community benefit and measurable results.
Backpocket’s impact: Kathy’s strategy produced the largest first edition in the shortest production time in the 10-year history of the guide. Kathy’s strategy produced the first book to sell out within six months, with increased profits and increased customer awareness for business owners involved in project. Kathy’s improved strategy was implemented in three other cities with similar positive results. Printing was moved to the United States. Kathy’s editorial, production and manufacturing changes were then implemented with all other guides printed by this client.Kathy subsequently hired to manage seven city guides currently in production in 2010-2011.
Manufacturing/Sales
Situation: Fifty-year-old printing manufacturing company had sales force consisting of seven commissioned sales reps with a wide range of technical expertise as well as age and experience diversity. Kathy’s goal was to grow sales in a shrinking marketplace(advertising is trending paperless, printing sales are declining) and create incentives to motivate sales force and also attract competitor’s top salespeople.
Backpocket’s solution: Kathy created incentive plans that compensated the sales force like a baseball team. Kathy identified individual achievements and incentives- higher base, commission, exclusive
client lists, profitability- and set up commission structures to marry built in accountability and merits with financial motivation for each individual salespeople.
Backpocket’s impact: Kathy was able to hire two of the top sales people away from the two biggest competitors with this new commission strategy, while also weeding out two of the under performing salespeople who did not measure up to their own sales goals. Sales grew from $4 million to $8 million in three years in a shrinking marketplace with tough competition and low profit margins. Kathy’s attention to fiscal accountability from sales through production grew profit margins for the manufacturing company by 100%.
Fortune 50 Financial Institution
Situation: Employee retention was at an all time low for national mortgage brokers. Client had identified the problem—the new hires are quitting after three months—but did not know why and did not know how to increase retention. This issue was costing the company millions of dollars in hiring and training new employees every year. Kathy was hired to determine reason for employees leaving and decrease numbers of resignations.
Backpocket’s solution: Kathy conducted off the record interviews as an outside contractor with current and former brokers to identify issues.Kathy then communicated ex-employee concerns to management to verify employee concerns were justified and fact based. Kathy specifically addressed the top concerns by creating new training protocol and training tools for new hires. This new protocol and training tool also allowed the new hires to be more in control of getting the specific training support that they needed, which provided each new hire with valuable and timely resources to ramp up their business more quickly than in the past.
Backpocket’s impact: Kathy saved this Fortune 50 company millions of dollars by increasing the retention rate by measurable amount in the first six months of implementation. Kathy’s strategy and tools also allowed new hires to begin selling more quickly, which gives each new broker a commission check more quickly, which in turn allows them to become self reliant and financially secure. Sales increased and retention increased.
Small Business- Retail, online and brick and mortar- Funding
Situation: Small business owner has developed product and needed financing for manufacturing and marketing. Banks were not willing to loan money to small company with limited profitability in retail market despite retail business staying viable during recession while also showing stable online business revenue. The funding requested is too low for banks to make profits while too high for personal loans,which is also not recommended.
Backpocket’s solution: Coached client to stay focused on business plan for product and stay motivated with opportunities with other financing options. Client highlighted independent blind test group results and vast experience in industry in her business plan. Strategy was to also highlight case studies and show lack of competition with this product while emphasizing years of research and development to create this specific product. Client’s business plan outlined every facet of production: manufacturing, packaging, marketing, PR, wholesale and retail sales. Kathy kept client encouraged to stay positive and stay focused because she did all of her due diligence and the payoff would happen.
Backpocket’s impact: Client received private funding from three different sources based on stellar business plan, sustained belief in the product and professional connections!
Small Retail Business- beauty product & services
Situation: Client wanted to move into prestigious upscale shopping district that she believed would help target her ideal client demographic and lead to increased sales.
Backpocket’s solution: Kathy worked with client to define long-term goals and to determine if capital expenditure for new lease, insurance and remodeling space will result in necessary revenue to justify expense. Kathy helped owner articulate and define business plan to determine if this lease decision aligned with long-term goals. Kathy asked owner to consider the current competition in the surrounding locale and recent departures by successful businesses in the area. Kathy wrote comprehensive business plan and advised owner to make decisions based on strategy rather than impulse.
Backpocket’s impact: Client decided to forego lease in this shopping center. Kathy recommended owner gather more evidence and data to support business plan to secure funding. Note: The leased space owner had wanted was still unoccupied after six months, which confirmed that the location was not as ideal as client had assumed.