CASE STUDY: SITEWIRE

  • The Whale Hunters Services: Consulting, Training, Workshops
  • Industry: Digital Marketing Agency
  • Headquarters: Tempe, AZ
  • Employees: 58
  • Notable Client Wins: Sears, Avnet, Olive Garden, IMAX, Blimpie, Pulte Homes, University of Phoenix, Kroger, The Golf Channel

THE CHALLENGE:

Sitewire started off the Whale Hunter Process™ with a clear company motto: “think big and act big.” When Sitewire was introduced to The Whale Hunters®, they had large aspirations, but their actions were not in sync to make those goals happen. Prior to starting The Whale Hunter Process™, several members the team had taken sales coaching and marketing classes, and although every session made them a little bit better at what they were doing, none of them helped put the entire puzzle together.

THE SOLUTION:

At the beginning, “thinking big and acting big” appeared a lot harder than Sitewire had imagined. It wasn’t one big “ah-ha!” moment. As it turned out, they had all of the right pieces, but they were just not using them properly. What they discovered by engaging The Whale Hunters for training was a process where they could take all of their internal “raw material” and talent, apply it, and get immediate results.

THE RESULT:

With The Whale Hunter Process™ in place, Sitewire experienced tremendous success. In 2009, Sitewire experienced the most dramatic growth they have seen since the company’s inception – all despite the economic turndown most companies were experiencing during this time. Sitewire’s first whale was Sears (which was 10 times their average pitch), and in less than 18 months, they landed ten more accounts, each with a very large, visible brand. Culturally, whale hunting helped the Sitewire employees feel incredibly empowered. By contributing to the company’s success, they have an important stake in the company’s future. Many employees didn’t have that connection before – they considered themselves part of the execution team, but not part of the “revenue building” process. Where typical sales coaching stops with one or two employees, The Whale Hunter Process™ helped the entire team feel more empowered and energized about every client coming in the door.

Today, Sitewire is simply a different organization. There is far more energy around the client than ever before, which means the quality of work is better, and their whale-sized clients are much more satisfied. The teamwork is better because they have effectively broken down all of the ‘silos’ between functions that were previously working, but not actually working well. Organizationally, they are much stronger because everyone feels very connected to each another – and they are all ‘rowing’ in the same direction. Beyond simple sales coaching and marketing classes, now Sitewire has a carefully orchestrated way of conducting business, from the initial sale, to the delivery and ongoing support.