Case Study: How Nortel's Fast-Track Integrated Program Impacted One-Third of Its Sales Pipeline

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February 2010, Issue 72

Featured Article
Case Study: How Nortel's
Fast-Track Integrated Program
Impacted One-Third of Its Sales Pipeline
A Bulldog Solutions Case Study featuring Nortel

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The following case study shows how Nortel, partnering with Bulldog Solutions, developed and executed a "Close the Pipeline" plan to convert sales-accepted leads already in the pipeline to closed deals—even while they faced the challenges of a bankruptcy filing and prepared to be purchased by a competitor. You may download the print version of the case study here.

Summary

Preparing to be purchased by a competitor, Nortel faced an enormous challenge during the last quarter of 2009: accelerate a $1.6 billion pipeline to maximize closed deals by the end of the year. The company employed a "Close the Pipeline" strategy using conversion tactics engineered to move economic buyers from sales-accepted leads to closed deals.

"Our sales team told us, 'We don't need any more leads. We need to close the funnel.'"
—Chris Waldo, Americas Demand Generation Leader, Nortel

Challenge

Nortel is a highly recognized leader in communications capabilities for service providers and enterprise networks, support multimedia and business-critical applications. During the final quarter of 2009, the company, which had filed for bankruptcy and had received a bid from a key competitor, Avaya, faced an enormous challenge: underscore the value of continuing near-term purchases and, ultimately, accelerate its sales pipeline to drive revenue.

The context created by the bankruptcy filing was challenging. Customers and prospects were either taking a "wait and see" approach to signing deals with Nortel, or worse, being picked off by competitors. Nortel's marketing team wanted to move as much of the $1.6 billion pipeline to closed deals as possible within six weeks.

"We had to hit Q4 numbers despite the headwind caused by the bankruptcy," said Chris Waldo, Americas demand generation leader for Nortel. "Our sales team told us, 'We don't need any more leads. We need to close the funnel.'"

Solution

Nortel selected demand-generation agency Bulldog Solutions to partner in the development and execution of the "Close the Pipeline" plan to convert sales-accepted leads already in the pipeline to closed deals. The complex, integrated strategy harnessed online and in-person tactics driving to a call-to-action architecture designed to engage and convert prospects and existing clients. It included:

Paid search and social media, leveraging the next.nortel.com Web site, to help Nortel "own the buzz" and wrest control of the conversation from competitors who had taken advantage of a lack of current and consistent messaging from Nortel
In-person "CXO Roundtables" designed to connect with Nortel customers and prospects to address questions and alleviate purchase-decision doubt head-on
A "Get the Answers" VCXO Webinar designed to address questions and provide information in a virtual setting
An integrated nurture campaign that drove high-value content to event registrants, attendees and next.nortel.com subscribers through a six-week cycle

Paid search and social media drove visitors to a next.nortel.com Web site
designed to keep customers and prospects informed and help Nortel "own the buzz."

Why Nortel? Why Now?

Nortel's main target segments were named accounts—top customers critical to making the Q4 numbers—and smaller, territorial accounts. All marketing communication was unified under a central theme to keep the project focused over the tight timeline. The team developed a message map through Bulldog's "quick start process," which pulled together Nortel's sales and marketing teams to identify the target accounts, audiences and hot buttons.

"This process gave us a fast track to sales buy-in, and provided a solid foundation for the campaign," Waldo said.

The audience for Nortel's program was segmented into three primary tracks. This segmentation allowed the marketing communications to remain focused on the deals most likely to close.

Prime accounts, which received platinum-level messaging, including invitations to the CXO events. This "best of" list included opportunities from all segments. This group also received a high-value call to action in the form of a Kindle pre-populated with key information about Nortel—this Nortel splash-screen-branded Kindle was offered as an incentive for attending the live event.
Select accounts, which received gold-level messaging, including invitations to the virtual event. This list included accounts that met specific deal value and other criteria.
Other accounts, which received green-level messaging, essentially news announcements and access to a resource center at next.nortel.com

"We wanted to create a program that provided multiple modes for our customer base to get the story," Waldo said. "Bulldog's methodology helped us define and execute a comprehensive approach on an extremely short timeline."

The "Close the Pipeline" program also provided sales enablement kits, including e-mail templates to help the sales team re-engage using consistent messages.

Results

The "Close the Pipeline" initiative impacted one-third of the $1.6 billion pipeline over a six-week period, Waldo said.

Paid search and social media drove 9,500 unique visitors to the next.nortel.com site (out of about 10,500 visitors during the time frame). More than 1,400 registered for the site—registration was not required.

"The program Bulldog created for us proved the value of social media," Waldo said. "It showed the power of placing key content elements for social media to pick up, and helped us frame the discussion rather than allowing our competitors to own it."

In-person "CXO Roundtables" were the "most impactful tactic" in the program, Waldo said. "They were well received and well attended. We hit attendance goals across the Western hemisphere." Nortel held 12 of the exclusive events with a total of 107 attendees.

"Our key metric was creating sales conversations," Waldo said. "And the CXO Roundtable events provided an excellent venue for our customers, salespeople and top executives to talk about the future of our business."

In-person "CXO Roundtables" helped Nortel connect with customers and prospects to address questions and alleviate purchase-decision doubt head-on.

Close to 4,700 people registered for the "Get the Answers" Webinar, with 65% attending the November 4 launch, shattering previous Nortel registration and attendance rate records. Another 1,000-plus registered for the on-demand version of the Webinar.

The integrated program required time-compressed, front-end program blueprint planning and meticulous tracking of results to drive adjustments in real time as well as validation of each tactic in real time to the internal Nortel audience(s).

"Bulldog did a wonderful job of keeping it all together," Waldo said. "They truly partnered with us to execute our vision of a full-package program to drive engagements for our sales team."

Exclusive for Marketing Watchdog Journal readers: Download the print version of the case study.

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About Nortel
Nortel is a recognized leader in delivering communications capabilities that make the promise of Business Made Simple a reality for our customers. Our next-generation technologies, for both service provider and enterprise networks, support multimedia and business-critical applications. Nortel's technologies are designed to help eliminate today's barriers to efficiency, speed and performance by simplifying networks and connecting people to the information they need, when they need it. Nortel does business in more than 150 countries around the world. www.nortel.com

Marketing Watchdog Journal is a monthly newsletter from Bulldog Solutions, an online marketing agency that changes the way BtoB companies define demand-generation strategy, engage prospects and convert leads to customers. We welcome your feedback on this newsletter's content and design, and encourage you to share your ideas for topics you would like us to cover in future issues. Please send your comments or questions about Bulldog Solutions to Amy Bills, director of Field Marketing.