Transpromo carries the potential to have a major impact on marketing and general customer communication in an organisation, producing the industry's highest rate of response - by up to 40% - but without adding significantly to costs.
There are some non-negotiable steps that have to be taken, and if not followed to the letter, the transpromo initiative will either die stillborn or fail to deliver its full anticipated value.
Everything begins with the head of the transpromo initiative promoting the idea into the organisation. This can be made much easier by following the correct process.
A marketing champion is likely the best place to begin, as marketing soon grabs the concept, with its unmatched reach, regular frequency and easily identifiable benefits, without punitive costs.
The head of marketing is likely to be able to get transpromo onto the corporate agenda and into the boardroom.
Next, involve business line or product owners to the concept. Let's use an example: a cellular company wants to reduce churn (focusing on customer retention), while enhancing profits through cross- and up-selling.
In every company there will be those product or line managers who say they are too busy to look at transpromo or it doesn't fit in with their go-to-market approach, but there are bound to be a few visionary souls who will grasp the opportunity and become the test-bed case.
Everything begins with the head of the transpromo initiative promoting the idea into the organisation.
Konni Hoferichter is MD of LaserCom, a division of Bytes Technology Group.
These people will work with you to define the product campaign along with the required data implications (which customers will be targeted, with what message, why and to what desired outcome?).
Now the battle begins: presenting the transpromo opportunity to an audience that includes IT, billing and operations, along with marketing.
Initial hurdle
Expect billing and IT to oppose transpromo - in my experience and that of many others, as articulated in a recent transpromo conference I attended in Brussels, this can be the biggest initial hurdle facing the acceptance of transpromo.
Billing and IT need to be brought onside, and the benefits of transpromo communicated clearly if you are to get anywhere.
The reason this is the most difficult aspect is that billing and IT are reluctant to allow marketing access to what they consider to be their preserve - the relevant customer and billing data.
This battle won - and do note that it can take time and a good deal of effort and persuasion - bring all the relevant people and divisions together in a low-cost and low-risk test case.
Some aspects of the business that will have to be involved will be reluctant participants, as they might view the transpromo exercise as more work without benefit for their direct line of reporting. Only marketing will be seen to be benefiting from transpromo.
Define benefit
But at some time IT will need to be involved (larger organisations will have spun data stewardship out as a separate discipline) and billing, as noted, the service department, operations and procurement.
The way to win them over is to define a transpromo benefit to each business line so as to win them over.
Before launching the campaign, ensure it matches the overall strategic objectives. For instance, the organisation might want to reduce churn and improve customer retention. In that case, the test campaign must show transpromo's role in achieving this.
Similarly, if wanting to increase profits through up- and cross-selling, the test case should show transpromo's role. If the test cases fulfil the objectives of the organisation, there is a good chance of expanding the test case into an organisation-wide roll-out.
To ensure the success can be measured, define proper, meaningful and measurable metrics that all parties agree to.
In the next Industry Insight, I'll look at some of the internal capabilities needed.
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