Business Automation Specialists of Minnesota, Inc. (BASM) was established in 1985 and is a full-service, value-added reseller, serving the Upper Midwest, as well as a software developer providing realistic solutions to manufacturers, distributors and others for end-to-end business applications. With a diverse group of specialized personnel, BASM is committed to quality and personal excellence when it comes to helping businesses achieve greater success.
Growing pains present challenges
BASM owners, Ron and Sharon Ketterling, knew that to achieve greater success with their own company they would need a sustained marketing effort to help ensure that their pipeline was consistently replenished, leads properly nurtured, and their market presence maintained. After generating multiple leads from a telemarketing campaign, they needed a solution to keep those leads warm. But finding a way to do this at a price they could afford eluded them.
“I had always thought it would be great if I could find an outsourced marketing department”, recalls Ron. “I mentioned this to my Sage Peer Advisor while discussing our marketing needs, and stated that I wanted an affordable, external resource to do marketing for us. A few days later, I was referred to The Spectrum Services Group.”
A powerful marketing solution
“We called Spectrum, discussed what we were looking for, and they presented us with a marketing schedule and ideas that exceeded our expectations,” states Ron. “We decided to engage Spectrum for a nurture marketing campaign”. With Spectrum’s help, BASM implemented a monthly nurture marketing campaign with a bi-monthly newsletter complemented with success stories, industry articles, special events and more. This campaign is mailed and e-mailed to 300 prospects, clients and affiliates each month.
“In the past, I avoided doing a newsletter because I was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to produce them consistently. Spectrum created an excellent design and has gotten them written and polished on time, every time,” proclaimed Ron. “Our newsletters, success stories and industry articles have been very well received by our prospects and have opened up many sales opportunities for us. In addition, we’ve found existing clients to be more receptive to discussing ideas, upgrades and add-ons.”
Spectrum has also provided BASM with a marketing plan, company presentation package and an e-mail reminder campaign for webinars and events. Additionally, Spectrum is working on branding and marketing for BASM’s proprietary software solution, BASM Shop Floor Data Collection, for Pro ERP warehouse management.
“Spectrum has gone above and beyond by not only managing our marketing needs, but also by suggesting other ideas such as mini-web training sessions, Brown Bag Lunches and a “Year-End Closing” Training Seminar. These have helped us establish a stronger business presence and provide more services to our clients, while also helping us increase our revenue,” says Ron.
Growing revenue in a declining economy
The measurable results of BASM’s marketing efforts after 13 months include seven solid leads and a $55,000 sale. However, the immeasurable results are staggering. “The day after our first newsletter was mailed, something changed – something very pivotal, and BASM moved to a higher level,” reflects Sharon. “It allowed our clients to get to know us, which in turn made them feel more comfortable in approaching us. We recently learned that one long term client was actively seeking an alternative solution to the software system we sold them and supported, but when this client read information in our newsletter about a new version, it opened the door to a conversation about their concerns. That one newsletter saved us a client, their annual service revenue, future upgrades and more. In fact, this client ultimately purchased an upgrade as well as additional modules. ”
While other resellers are seeing a decline in business due to the state of the economy, BASM continues to grow. “We directly attribute this to our marketing efforts over the last year,” concludes Ron. “We estimate that the return on our marketing investment will be close to $250,000! The money we’ve spent with The Spectrum Services Group is the best use of marketing money in the history of our company and we couldn’t be happier with the results we’ve seen.”