Co-founded in 2006 by Jacob and Jim Northey, Lasalletech is a leading financial technology firm that delivers products and expertise that simplify the process of deploying large trading systems. Specifically, the Michigan, US-based company offers a suite of tools designed to lower the cost of FIX adoption and usage.
Looking for new ways to grow sales and the company as a whole, Lasalletech began to take a closer look at its marketing operations. Jim Northey, Senior Partner at Lasalletech said, “We wanted to be more effective and focused in our promotional efforts. We also wanted to ensure that our marketing dollars were being spent in the best way possible.”
Specialized Knowledge
Upon being awarded a small business grant in October of 2013, Lasalletech decided the timing was right to enlist the help of a fintech marketing firm that could help it accomplish its goals. After discovering PropelGrowth on Twitter and subsequently being exposed to their work on the conference planning committee for a FIX Trading Community event, Lasalletech knew it had found a match. “We were impressed by the efforts the PropelGrowth team put into the event. It was clear that they had a thorough grasp of our industry. In my experience dealing with marketing agencies, this specialized knowledge is hard to come by,” explained Jim.
Leveraging Content to Win Clients
Lasalletech soon entered into an agreement with PropelGrowth, which consisted of the development of an integrated marketing strategy, coaching for implementing this strategy, and support for content and event marketing. The company began to see the fruits of this engagement very quickly. One area directly impacted has been sales. Jacob Northey, Managing Partner at Lasalletech explains. “One of our major customers came about as a result of an article that PropelGrowth wrote and placed for us. The article was so spot-on that it convinced this particular customer to drop the other vendor they were considering in favor of us.”
Expertise in FinTech and Marketing Strategy
Lasalletech values PropelGrowth’s expertise, not only in the fintech industry, but also in their understanding of how marketing and sales strategy need to align. “They know how the sales and marketing processes line up, and how to advise companies to allocate their budget in order to get the most out of these functions,” said Jacob. He went on to comment, “When comparing other marketing firms to PropelGrowth, it’s really the difference between mediocrity and excellence. For instance, a local firm we were using for one-off projects produced satisfactory work, but they really didn’t grasp the concept of effective content marketing. PropelGrowth, on the other hand, provides another level of professionalism and expertise on what works in this industry and what doesn’t.”
Focus on Desired Outcomes
Another quality that Lasalletech values is PropelGrowth’s leadership skills. “The team is very focused on getting you the results you’re after, and will provide you with direct suggestions to get you to your goals. They also dispel a lot of the common myths about what’s effective in marketing versus what’s not,” said Jim. He added, “For example, we once allocated a substantial portion of our marketing budget to attending a lot of conferences and trade shows. But Candyce Edelen (CEO of PropelGrowth) helped us understand the importance of being more selective about which events we attend. As a result, we’ve been able to lower our spend in this area, all while attracting a greater volume of qualified prospects in the process. ”
Integrating Content and Social
Through working with PropelGrowth, Lasalletech has taken away a new appreciation for the value of content marketing and social networking. Following the company’s decision to invest less in events, it is now more focused on turning out quality blogs and articles, as well as increasing its presence on social websites like Twitter and LinkedIn. This approach is helping Lasalletech see a greater return on its marketing investment. “One great thing about working with PropelGrowth is that they leave you with a valuable marketing process that you can repeat yourself even after your engagement is complete. This lets you stretch your initial investment even further,” commented Jim.
Results
Since partnering with PropelGrowth, Lasalletech has seen an increase in sales generated by its now more targeted marketing activities. “We now have a very functional, high performing marketing operation and that’s a direct result of this engagement. We are quite grateful for it and anticipate using PropelGrowth more as we grow the company,” said Jim.
