Timing Ireland Sales Training Kit

Timing Ireland Sponsored Group Practicum

Edmund Dooley, MMKDavid Fox, MMK

Ciarán Dunne, MMK

AgendaSection of Presentation Group Member

Client Overview Edmund

1. Research Edmund

2. Development of a Plan of Action Edmund

3. Executing the Plan of Action

• Sales Training Kit for Ireland and Britain David

• Social Media Marketing Ciarán

• Search Engine Optimization Edmund

4. Recommendations Ciarán

Conclusion Ciarán

Client Overview

Products Example

Sports timing equipment Start and finish clocks, photo finish systems etc.

Clock systems Time and temperature displays, bell ringing systems for schools etc.

Sports services Finish gantries, video wall operation, lead car clocks etc.

Scoreboards Basketball, rugby, soccer, hockey, GAA etc.

Athletic equipment Javelins, discuses, hammers, shot-puts, hurdles etc.

• Established in 1982• Brian Price is Managing Director

Real world problem:• No sales procedures in place• No experience in social media and SEO• Sizing the British market

1. Research

Research Questions1. Who purchases sports timing equipment/clock

systems/scoreboards/athletic equipment in Ireland and Britain? 2. How do these people go about purchasing this equipment? 3. What criteria do they base their purchase decision on? 4. How often do they purchase this equipment?5. Do these people use social media? 6. Is networking important in the markets in which Timing Ireland

operate in?7. How can Timing Ireland improve their presales and post-sales

service?8. Is there an opportunity in the British market for a foreign-based

sports timing equipment supplier?

Type of Primary Research Conducted

Qualitative InterviewsReasons for qualitative interviews:• Flexibility• Use of related and ad-hoc questions• Probe the respondent to a higher degree• Geographical and financial reasons

Qualitative InterviewsIrish Market

Interviewee Position

Jenni Robinson Office and Events Manager for Athletics NI

Karl O’Connell Equipment Officer for Munster Athletics

Peter Hanlon AAI Technical Committee Member

Tom McCormack AAI Technical Committee Member & Member of Dublin County Athletics Board

Eamonn Tilley Chairman of Kilcoole Athletics Club and Tri Rock Triathlon Club.

Brian Crinion Full time race organiser e.g. Dublin triathlon and duathlon series

Non-sports MarketInterviewee Position

Sean Connell Jade Electrical Contractors/Electrical Maintenance for schools

Qualitative InterviewsBritish Market

Interviewee Position

Graham Shaw Competition and Events Manager with Basketball Scotland

John Ormston Organiser of the Wallingford 10k Thames Run

Mark Thomas Co Director for Wedding Day 7k

Anthony Rogers Committee member of Staffordshire Moorlands Athletics Club

Derek Cowdrey Committee member of Worcester Athletics club

Duncan Anderson Leisure Facilities General Manager with Adur and Worthing Council Services

Research FindingsIrish Market

Research Question Findings

Who purchases the equipment? National governing bodies, provincial and regional athletics boards, triathlon clubs, race organisers , schools and universities

How do these people go about purchasing this equipment?

Internet was most prominent. Using contacts in the market and tendering process also included

What criteria do they base their purchase decision on?

Loyalty was most important. Reputation of the company and price also highlighted

How often do they purchase this equipment? Ranging from 4-5 times a year (athletic equipment) to every ten years (photo finish system)

Do these people use social media? Not on a personal level but accounts were set up and managed for the club, organisation etc which they represented. Members of clubs also use social media.

Is networking important? Very important

How can Timing Ireland improve their presales and post-sales service?

Be more involved in the pre-sales processInvoicing needs to improveTestimonials and online product manuals were positively received.Product trials were deemed unnecessary.

Research FindingsBritish Market

Research Question Findings

Who purchases the equipment? National governing bodies, local councils, organisers of marathons, athletics clubs

How do these people go about purchasing this equipment?

Internet was most prominently used. Real-time trials and tendering process also included

What criteria do they base their purchase decision on?

Price, quality, value and brand loyalty all mentioned as important factors

How often do they purchase this equipment? Ranging from once a year for sports timing to 2-3 times a year for athletic equipment

Do these people use social media? Not on a personal level but accounts were set up and managed for the club, organisation etc which they represented. Members of clubs also use social media.

Is networking important? Very important

Is there an opportunity in the British market for a foreign-based supplier?

Mixed reactions regarding the sports timing and scoreboards markets.Positive response towards opportunity for athletic equipment.

Research FindingsNon-sports market

Research Question Finding

Who purchases the equipment? Electrical maintenance providers for the public service

How do these people go about purchasing this equipment?

Searching online for suppliers

What criteria do they base their purchase decision on?

Availability and convenience noted as important

How often do they purchase this equipment?

Usually a once-off purchase

Do these people use social media? They use very little social media

Is networking important? Indicated as being important

How can Timing Ireland improve their presales and post-sales service?

All feedback provided for Timing Ireland was positive

Research Limitations

Learning Outcomes

2. Development of a Plan of Action

Project Initiation Document

3. Executing the plan of action

Sales Training Kit

What is a Sales Training Kit?• Structured method as to how a company should approach all the various

angles accredited to their sales– How they should sell their products/services to all potential customers

• Numerous different angles to a company’s sales procedures • Divided report into the following ten sections which covers all aspects of

Timing Ireland’s sales and marketing;

Why we constructed a Sales Training Kit for Timing Ireland?

1. Market Overview

Customers (Purchase Influencers)Segment Ireland Britain

Sports Timing equipment National, Provincial and county athletic boards, Athletics clubs, Race

organisers, Schools/universities

Athletics clubsLocal councils

Race organisers

Clock systems Hospitals, schools, airports, banks etc N/A

Sports services National, Provincial and county athletic boards, Athletics clubs, Race

organisers, Schools/universities

N/A

Scoreboards Sports clubs, stadiums, schools/universities, provincial

branches,

National governing body (e.g. Basketball Scotland)

Local councils

Polanik athletic equipment National, Provincial and county athletic boardsAthletics clubs

Event organisersSchools/universities

National, Provincial and county athletic boardsAthletics clubs

Event organisersSchools/universities

SWOT Analysis

2. Positioning Sports Timing Equipment

a. What customer needs do we address?– Reliability, durability, and accuracy– Lifespan and affordability– Ease of transportation and delivery– User-friendliness

b. Qualifying questions– What type of event do you organise?– Do you have the financial resources to purchase sports timing equipment?– What is your geographical location? Are you based in Ireland or Britain?– Have you previously bought any sports timing equipment?

c. Key messages– Products are of the highest standards and are internationally renowned

brands – Products are reliable, durable, and have a long lifespan. – Products are both user-friendly and time-friendly. – Full product maintenance and repairs are offered by Timing Ireland

d. Elevator Pitch“Timing Ireland is at the forefront of sports timing equipment. The sports timing

equipment market is an ever-growing one and Timing Ireland is the leading company in Ireland and Britain for the quality and range of sports timing

equipment that they provide.

Timing Ireland offers state of the art sports timing products for all types of race meetings from marathons to motor sports. The customer can either rent or

purchase these products which give the customer a flexible option to suit their financial resources.

These first-class products are then supplemented by Timing Irelands vastly experienced and dedicated team. Having come from an athletics background, they

have been in the timing equipment market for decades. This enables them to provide first-class post-sales support and maintenance which has been cited by

previous customers as the vital element of their experiences with Timing Ireland.

Although there is competition in both Ireland and Britain from less-experienced companies, Timing Ireland can alleviate this threat through ‘its vast experience and dedication to top of the range services and to treat every customer as an

individual.”

3. Products• Sports timing equipment

– Alge and Timetronics

• Clock systems– Profil, Cristalys and Style

• Sports services– Race meetings

• Scoreboards– Indoor and outdoor

• Polanik athletic equipment– Track and field

4. Sales Pitches“Timing Ireland is at the forefront of the sports timing equipment market. As an organiser/owner of (insert

name of race/event/sports club etc here), you want to have top of the range sports timing equipment from experienced full time professionals at a reasonable price, giving your event the accreditation and

professionalism it deserves.Timing Ireland can offer you this supplemented by a personal experience from its knowledgeable and

dedicated staff, who are there to help you at every stage of the process. The sports timing equipment market is an ever-growing one and Timing Ireland is the leading company in

Ireland and Britain for the quality and range of sports timing equipment that we provide. Since establishing in 1982, Timing Ireland has been offering sports timing services to a variety of different

sporting events/clubs that require their results to be highly accurate. Timing Ireland offers state of the art sports timing products for all types of race meetings from marathons to

motor sports. We understand what the consumer wants from sports timing equipment, and so we provide the following to each and every one of our customers;

• Reliability, durability, and a long lifespan for the product • Top of the range products with high brand quality • User-friendly products which do not consume the event organisers time on event day • Superior service and company reputation from an experienced and dedicated staff of employees who

treat the customer as an individual, both pre and post-purchase • Affordability

The customer can also either rent or purchase these products which give them a flexible option to suit their financial resources.

These first-class products are then supplemented by Timing Ireland’s vastly experienced and dedicated team. Having come from an athletics background, we have been in the timing equipment market for decades.

This enables us to provide first-class post-sales support which has been cited by previous customers as the vital element of their experiences with us.

Although there is competition in both Ireland and Britain from less-experienced companies, Timing Ireland should be your first choice as we can offer you affordable top of the range products with a personal

service that no one else can match.”

5. Sales Process

6. Customer presentation and Product demonstration

• Customer presentation

• Product demonstration– From our research we have found that customers value

seeing a product working in its natural environment.– Timing Ireland differs to other companies in that the best

product demonstration is one done in the field. – Trial of product not applicable to Timing Ireland

7. Questions and Answers• Main questions and answers related to each separate segment of Timing Ireland’s

business• Utilised as FAQ’s on the company’s website

– Limit the number of direct enquiries company receives• Employees of Timing Ireland will also be able to use this list of questions as the

standard response format for any queries from customers– Common responses to all customers

8. Competitive Summary• Detailed overview of all of the main competitors which Timing Ireland will be facing in

each of their business segments– Both the Irish and British markets

• For each competitor– Name – Logo – Location – Website – About– Products and services– Distinct website features– External online activity

• Sports Timing Equipment Market

Ireland (4)

Precision Timing

Sports Timing

ChipIt Race Timing Systems

Redback Biotek

UK (8)HS Sports

Sports Timing Services

Race Timing Systems

Sports Timing Systems

Mikrotime

Cambrian Timing

Sports Systems

Black Sheep Sports Ltd.

9. Marketing Overview

10. Customer Service Overview• Customer service is a critical factor– Customer acquisition, retention, and referral

Social Media

Some of the sites we used:

CategoriesSocial Media Blogging Social Bookmarking Media Aggregators

Facebook WordPress Digg YouTube

Twitter Reddit Flickr

LinkedIn Delicious Slideshare

Stumbleupon Scribd

Social Media

Facebook TwitterActivities: Activities:

•Posting Links •Posting tweets

•Interacting with other users •Finding users

•Finding relevant users •Posting links

Statistics: Statistics:

•Friends 285 •Following 352, Followers 62

Facebook

Twitter

Social Media & BloggingWordPress LinkedIn

Activities Activities•Create interesting blogs •Find Relevant users•Send links to blog from the other social media accounts

•Build a profile page for the company

Statistics: Statistics•Blogs 3, views 109 •Followers 12

WordPress

WordPress

LinkedIn

Social Bookmarking Sites

• Digg• Stumbleupon• Delicious• Reddit

• Used to promote the website through links about interesting content created by us.

Reddit

Delicious

Media AggregatorsFlickr Slideshare

Activities: Activities:

•Post photos to Facebook •Posted the customer presentation to the account

Statistics:

•Photos 163

Flickr

Flickr

Slideshare

Media AggregatorsScribd YouTube

Activities: Activities:•Post documents to the account sent from the client

•Posted videos from the client

•Promoted them on other accounts

Statistics:•Uploads 6•Subscribers 3•Reads 209

Scribd

YouTube

Difficulties & Limitations

Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Optimisation

Initial SEO Report

Implementation of Recommendations

Social Media Accounts on Website

Use of ImagesALT Tags

Use of ImagesTitle Tags

Backlinks

Submitting URLs to Web DirectoriesDirectory Name Directory URL PageRank

Internet Public Library

http://www.ipl.org/ 9

CANLinks http://www.canlinks.net/ 5

Illumirate http://www.illumirate.com/ 5

Classifieds 1000 http://www.classifieds1000.com/ 5

Search Sight http://searchsight.com/ 5

Pegasus Directory

http://www.pegasusdirectory.com/ 5

Navigation

XML Sitemaps Robots.txt

Website Promotion

Results of SEO and SMM Campaigns

Metric Before Campaigns After Campaigns % Difference

Visits to website 586 695 +18.60%

Page views 2,328 2,773 +19.12%

Pages/visit ratio 3.97 3.99 +0.43%

Average time on site 3:18 4:14 +27.82%

Absolute unique visitors

446 501 +12.33%

Traffic from Ireland 291 381 +30.93%

Traffic from USA 33 65 +96.97%

Google Analytics

Results of SEO and SMM Campaigns

Keywords Analysis

Keyword Google.ie position (before)

Google.ie position (after)

Timing Ireland 1 and 2 1 and 2

Sports Timing 5 5

Sports Timing Equipment

16 16

Polanik Athletic Equipment

4 3

LED Scoreboards

14 13

Scoreboards 8 6

Limitations and Learning OutcomesLimitations

Learning Outcomes

Overall Recommendations

Sales Kit Recommendations

Social Media Recommendations

SEO Recommendations

Additional Recommendations• Provide testimonials on website:

“Athletics Northern Ireland has used Timing Ireland for a variety of services, from equipment sales to on-site timing provision at international events. We have found the level of customer service to be excellent, and the commitment from the staff to provide, maintain or even replace equipment in time for major events is second to none, even at short notice. Athletics NI would not hesitate to recommend Timing Ireland for any equipment/timing requirements.”

Jenni Robinson, Athletics NI

Recommendations

Conclusion

Feedback Transfer of project to client:

• Brian Price, MD of Timing Ireland:

“I am astonished at the extent, detail, time, effort & thought that has gone into these reports....I have found the interview reports to be particularly helpful in highlighting our weaknesses which we have with our biggest clients, this information in itself will prove to be invaluable.... These reports will facilitate us with the future direction of our company and have certainly made that direction more clear”

-excerpt from feedback

Thank you for Listening

We would like to field any questions you may have