Total Synergy is a Microsoft Gold Development Partner. The relationship we have with Microsoft is very important to our business – in how we develop our software, the platforms we build it on, and the tools we use to create it – and in how our final product works for you.
Microsoft also takes an interest in how its partner businesses succeed. At the recent Microsoft Australia Partner conference (APC), Microsoft’ Phil Sorgen (Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group) interviewed three Australian partner business heads during his opening keynote talk, including our very own CEO, Scott Osborne. Phil’s focus with Scott was in customer acquisition and retention and how Total Synergy is using modern marketing methods.
Three years ago, Total Synergy had four sales people and one marketing person. Today that’s reversed with four marketing people and one sales person. The result is a much faster velocity sales cycle where sales lead time has dropped from around 180 days to about 30-40 days. New business revenue has doubled and the company has been able to foster a higher level of client engagement and retention, resulting in the churn rate dropping to about two percent per year.
This has largely been achieved by repurposing the marketing spend from traditional channels (print advertising, EDMs, road shows and events), to a digital content approach focusing on both new business content and value-add content for Synergy clients. Interestingly, the marketing budget didn’t increase, it’s just applied in different areas.
