EXCEL Marketing Partners puts its trust in The Simons Group
The problem: Although EXCEL Marketing Partners had been in business four years, the company was still building its client base and its branding. Founding partner Doug Cassidy needed a creative agency that could produce quality marketing collateral without making him feel like his fledgling company would have to take second place behind more established concerns.
The solution: The Simons Group took the time to get to know Cassidy and his business. As a result, he has a partner he can rely on for effective, knowledgeable marketing collateral that’s just his style.
The story: Senior staff at EXCEL Marketing Partners, a strategic sales and marketing firm, were discussing how best to promote their young business. The marketing director at the time had previously worked with The Simons Group, and recommended the company to EXCEL.
“I wanted a relationship with an agency that specializes in these types of materials,” says Cassidy. “I wanted someone who was used to working with a variety of businesses, who could understand the scope of our business and would get to know us. I wanted people who would become an extension of our organization.”
The Simons Group was exactly what he needed — an agency that has worked in industries from accounting and banking to healthcare, petroleum and manufacturing. Our clients may have 50 employees in a single facility or 50,000 employees across the world. Regardless, each client and every project gets the same energy and attention from our creative teams, as Cassidy quickly learned.
“We’ve worked with other people, and I just never had the feeling that they ‘get it’,” he says. “I don’t care what they’ve done for Fortune 500 companies; I don’t want to feel I’m a second-tier client. With The Simons Group, I never get the feeling I’m in a queue. It’s apparent that they’re engaged in our projects, and in our business, and they do what needs to be done. I tell them what I want and they take it and run with it.”
At times, he adds, he doesn’t know what he wants.
“I wasn’t interested in doing a newsletter at first,” Cassidy says. “I didn’t really understand how we’d use it. So The Simons Group first did a brochure for us to hand out. They gave us a different look and feel, which was great. We needed that.”
Eventually, Cassidy allowed his marketing director to convince him to try a newsletter. After only two issues, he’s a believer.
“The first one looked good, and we got responses,” he says. “Now I can see that newsletters can be powerful, very legitimate promotional pieces. They add credibility, and you’ll hit a nerve if you continue to do them.”
That doesn’t mean Cassidy has abandoned ideas for other forms of marketing. The Simons Group has created an EXCEL question-and-answer sheet as a quick-read way to differentiate the company from other consulting firms. Going forward, Cassidy plans to redo his Web site, generate e-news mailings and eventually write a workbook, develop seminar presentations and craft white papers — all with the help of The Simons Group.
“The Simons Group has established their credibility,” he says. “They use the writing style I like and I love their turnaround time. They’ve won my confidence, and they’ve done it by understanding my business and grabbing on to the value proposition we can provide to our clients. I feel very good about The Simons Group and our communications collateral.”
