The EZURiO Story
The challenge
EZURiO, funded by 3i as a management spin out from TDK, is a leading supplier of Bluetooth and 802.11 wireless solutions. With offices in London and the US, the company is dedicated to providing a complete portfolio of short range wireless solutions to the OEM and business sector.
In 2005, EZURiO embarked on an aggressive campaign to win channel mindshare. Although its products were well-known in the industry, the fledgling company needed to quickly raise its profile within reseller channels. EZURiO’s products have many technological advantages, with extended range, low power and lowest cost of ownership. The challenge for EZURiO’s management team was to ensure that channel salespeople knew what the new company had to offer and the business benefits that its technology could deliver to customers.
Action
EZURiO’s backers, 3i, had already seen how the Strategic Sales Program from Solutions for Sales could benefit a small, rapidly-growing company with advanced technology, so they recommended the program to EZURiO’s management team. Having reviewed the deliverables on offer, EZURiO selected a Sales Guide and Solution Presentation. EZURiO also opted for the Solutions for Sales small company “pay-as-you-go” scheme, which allows for the deliverables from the Strategic Sales Program to be paid for in monthly instalments over a period of two years.
Results
Within weeks, EZURiO had a Sales Guide and accompanying Solution Presentation that clearly laid out the advantages of EZURiO’s technology and how to go about selling it. The response from the reseller channels was immediate. One seasoned salesperson in a US channel wrote: “That is the finest sales guide I’ve seen! Great job. I can tell a lot of effort went into it. I appreciate it, and will use its messages during sales calls.”
The US channel development programme is going very well. As EZURiO’s head of Regional Sales for North America, Kent Wardley, remarked: “The Sales Guide has really made a difference. It means the channel salespeople are now self-sufficient and are generating more business than we can handle. And because there is less demand on my personal time, I can devote that to setting up new channels.”
But there has also been significant progress in Europe. By early 2006 EZURiO had set up 9 distributors across 8 countries. As Carl Baker, VP Sales Europe observed: “The Sales Guide brings new salespeople up-to-speed very quickly. There is less strain on the channel manager and the pipeline of opportunities is filling up fast.”
“I was sceptical at first, and thought the expense was too great for a small company like ours. But now that I’ve seen how well the Sales Guide has helped us to establish a high profi e within our reseller channels, I would recommend the same approach to others. Plus, the pay-as-you-go scheme meant we had a Sales Guide and Solution Presentation we could start using after just a few monthly payments. Since then, the additional sales revenue generated by our channels has more than covered the ongoing outlay.”
Chris Shannon, CEO, EZURiO
The Strategic Sales Program is only available from Solutions for Sales Ltd.
For more information please email or call +44 (0)1702 586742.