I've been working for several months to form a relationship that would lead to a formal partnership with a global brand that could quickly elevate our start-up's marketing power. We had a very good conference call this week and interest is high on both ends. After our last interaction, they asked to see our marketing and sales collateral and slide decks. The problem is: We don't have any (other than the website). I stopped using those things years ago as they often ended up being ignored or turning into distractions. Each contract we do is custom, so the only media I use in early meetings is a portable white board where we brainstorm and sketch our partnership. Later, I'll send a draft proposal that we revise until both parties agree. This proposal is just paper. It's not pretty. So, the question is: Do I just tell the national brand that this is how we do business? What would you do?
I would caution against this based on the size of the company.
I've worked in companies from startups to the Fortune 500 and one of the biggest differences is that the former relies on people while the latter relies on process (as a matter of necessity).
My fear for you is that this is a process check and that saying you don't have it will limit their ability to integrate you within their portfolio of services.
Example: if they have 50 sales reps across the country potentially positioning your services - it will be impossible to clone you and put you on a plane with your whiteboard to every presentation. BUT if they have a slide deck (or a process to approximate what you do when you customize) they can get the next best thing.
I was in sales in both of the F500 companies and can tell you from that perspective that clarity of collateral played a big part of what I was comfortable with positioning to the clients I spent time to develop relationships with.
Unfortunately I can't say I'm a great designer but if you need a hand putting your process into something concrete I'd be more than happy to help out! Let me know
Answered 9 years ago
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