Challenge
Solutions ITW is the premiere point-of-sale systems provider for Goodwill stores. Solutions ITW has been helping Goodwills implement point-of-sale and donation management solutions since 2006. Initially, Solutions took the same approach as their competitors — customizing off-the-shelf POS solutions to meet the unique needs of their donated goods retail (DGR) clients. It didn’t take long for them to realize that no two Goodwills are exactly the same, and what their clients needed was a POS and inventory management system that was designed from the ground up specifically for Goodwill.
Solution
Today, not only is Solutions DGR one of the most utilized DGR management systems among Goodwill stores, it remains the only product available on the market that is built specifically and exclusively for Goodwill. Opportunity #1: Improved Sales Processess One of the top opportunities we identified during our Discovery process was the need to develop sales processes and tools that would allow the sales to work more efficiently and effectively. Previously, there were no defined sales processes and all sales activity was using handwritten notes and spreadsheets. The results were: Poor, untimely, or inefficient follow-up on leads No lead nurturing of prospects No clear picture of opportunities or way to forecast future deals Aging proposals icon-circle-interested Opportunity #2: A Compelling & Competition-Ready Brand From the beginning it was not difficult for us to see the value of Solutions DGR. Not a single one of Solutions ITW's competitors had anything close to the technological capabilities or commitment that they were offering. However, up until that point Solutions ITW was hesitant to put their capabilities on full public display — concerned that doing so would put a target on their back and invite unwanted attention from their much larger competitors. icon-circle-best-standard Opportunity #3: Exponential Growth By executing our marketing and sales strategies, everyone understood that we were inviting exponential growth over a very short period. At the time Waypost was hired, Solutions had spent 13 years building a 7% market share among Goodwills and boasted 100% client retention. Their goal in partnering with us was to double their market share in 12 months while maintaining 100% client retention. As with all of our clients, our relationship with Solutions ITW began with an intense discovery exercise. Project Discovery It was very important to both sides that our team fully understand the mission of Solutions ITW (as well as the mission and operations of their clients — Goodwill). A large part of that discovery exercise was a complete brand strategy to establish a strong public presence for Solutions DGR and a concise and compelling commitment to Goodwill organizations specifically. In addition, our discovery process for Solutions ITW extended well beyond marketing in order to address their need for improved sales processes. Sales Coaching & CRM Implementation Solutions ITW had already been using HubSpot CRM for a short time before engaging with Waypost, but they were failing to gain traction with the tool, and their sales team was struggling to keep up with managing their sales pineline. Within the first 90 days, we assisted the client with the following: Optimized HubSpot's CRM, including the addition of custom fields. Integrated Gmail with the CRM to allow for automated posting of email conversations with each contact within the CRM. Trained the client on how to properly use Tasks and Meetings to manage timely follow-up. Defined the sales process and customized a Deal Pipeline and Lifecycle Stages to match the processes. Developed a series of email templates focused on the most common situations. These templates improved sales efficiency in following up with prospects. Trained and coached the client on the use of SOAPBOX for personalized video communication with prospects. Website Redesign & Brand Revitalization In the same 90 days that we were revising Solutions ITW’s sales processes, our design team developed and launched a completely rebranded website and online presence for Solutions DGR. While we all understood that the website would never be their primary source of new leads, our team took it as a challenge that Solutions ITW did not believe that their website would ever convert a single organic lead. Our strategic positioning and communications paid off when the website converted its first quality organic lead a few months after launching. This was the first time Solutions ITW had ever generated a lead without initiating the conversation.
Results
As a result of these strategies and a strong strategic partnership with Waypost, Solutions ITW achieved their ambitious goal of doubling their market share in our first 12 months together. In addition, Solutions DGR continues to lead their competitors by a wide margin in innovation and commitment to Goodwill organizations.
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