CyberScout Moves to a SaaS-Based Model
Project Summary
Overview:
CyberScout, a provider of identity and data defense services for individuals and commercial clients, had a three-year plan to transition from a service provider to a SaaS company. In year two, CyberScout began focusing its efforts on developing effective messaging and sales tools that resonate with clients and the target markets for its platform, CyberScout HQ. CyberScout HQ is the first online marketplace for identity management, privacy, and cyber security education, products, and services.
Targeted verticals:
• Insurance, employee benefits, financial institutions
Objective:
• Transform the way the company sells and engages with prospects and clients
• Transition from a product-based to a persona-based architecture and creating preference-based assets
• Develop effective messaging and sales tools that resonate with clients and the target markets for its platform, CyberScout HQ
Key pieces included:
• Sales guidebook
• Data sheets and add on product sales collateral
• Sales training materials
• HQ Webinar
• Infographic
• Sales portal
Implementing the Plan
As an organization that worked lean, the responsibilities overlapped with the product and client marketing teams in order to develop assets quickly to the business and account development teams. The product and marketing teams also worked cross functionally to develop the personas, value proposition and positioning statements for each target market and weekly product meetings were conducted to make sure the sales, marketing and account teams were updated on the latest developments with the marketplace.
WIth the messaging maps in place, the client marketing team developed the HQ sales enablement tools for the different stages of the customer funnel. I lead the development of the pieces for clients and the sales team and analyzed research to develop the creative brief for content and design development. My goal with the assets was to make sure we had key pieces that relates to the different stages in the customers buyer’s journey and that the messaging was consistent and aligned with the positioning and messaging framework.
Observations
With this project, I noticed that the challenge with developing new materials is making sure we have the right sales content and tools in place for the different stages of the buying journey and also making sure our efforts are aligned so that the approach is audience-centric and not product-focused. Because CyberScout worked quickly and sometimes without a process in place, team members (myself included) needed to be creative with our problem-solving abilities and be strategic as the products and services evolved.
In hindsight, we should have first mappped the current sales collateral to the buying journey to understand the gaps. Once this has been mapped, we should have aligned the buying and sales processes and partnered with sales so the reps have the right sales content and tools when needed.
My Role: Marketing strategy, Integrated campaign plan and execution
Industry: Technology | SaaS | Insurance | Financial Institutions
The Approach
Strategy and Planning [internal documents]
• Messaging Map
• Talking points/messaging document
• Sales guidebook
• Sales training presentation
I provided feedback to the product team on the positioning and messaging documents and developed creative briefs outlining key benefits, target market, positioning, value proposition and messaging for our resources to develop into content and campaigns.
Inform Stage [external documents]
• Sales sheet
• HQ ebook
• Account development training materials
• HQ client webinar
Infographic
I developed creative briefs outlining key benefits, target market, positioning, value proposition and messaging for our resources to develop into content and campaigns.
Evaulate and Decide Stages [external documents]
• Data sheets
• Add-on product sales sheets
Sales and Marketing Portal
Originally developed as a marketing portal for clients, the site was expanded to include sales enablement materials for the sales rep and account development teams to access. Goal is to make sure assets were readily available and updated. The portal is in the early stages for the sales enablement materials and will eventually site content will be updated and also include categories segmented into early/middle or late stage content.