Bluu case study

Having developed the product to its optimal point and consolidated its position as a market leader in their niche, Bluu was poised to achieve growth through international expansion in Europe. Having hired a senior sales executive, they soon realised that further processes and tools would be required to succeed. The risk of doing nothing was simply too big, the window of opportunity was closing down, a solution was needed.

• Goal: Although there were vision and ambition, goals where not SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely)
• Customer segmentation: targetting customers that were not likely to buy or might take too long
• Value Proposition: talked about figures and benefits but didn’t specifically state how it delivered business results better than the competition
• Channel engagement: unclear how do I recruit, enable, motivate and measure partners efficiently to get a sustainable source of income
• Systems: did not have a CRM in place
• Process: did not have a well defined and repeatable sales process in place
• Lead generation: lacked the resources to generate leads and get the maximum value out of events

Rev-Engine was hired as a virtual sales director and was tasked with helping out together the strategy, people, processes and tools for successful international expansion in preparation for the Mobile World Congress. A previous positive commercial relationship paved the path to a successful collaboration that would deliver the below milestones in just three months:

• Sales & Marketing Alignment:
  • Bluu’s mission
  • Customer Pain Points, Segmentation, Benefits and Value Proposition
  • Competitive analysis
  • Go to market and partner strategy
  • Gartner engagement
• Sales Enablement:
  • Customer Success capability Function Defined
  • Website
  • Presentation
  • Sales process
• Sales tech:
  • CRM implemented
• Sales Outsourcing:
  • Lead generation at three key international events

1. Avoided potential loss of revenue and brand damage of going to market too early
2. Reduced cost and risk of failed/long ramp-up. With an average deal size, having an expensive full-time sales senior person could have also been a distraction
3. Generated leads with key decision-makers worth €MM

1. A strategy must be defined before attempting international expansion
2. Do not assume that the basics are in place when hiring, conduct reality checks and ensure that the right processes and tools will be in place before hiring
3. Define clear goals (revenue, effectiveness, activity) early and measure often to avoid relationships to deteriorate

• Experience working in tech startups
• Experience selling into enterprise clients
• Experience working at Gartner helping tech startups grow
• The hands-on approach that adapts to companies with little time and resources
• Ability to work under little supervision
• Adaptability to changing scenarios

Rev-Engine continues to support Bluu in their commercial activities, generating leads at key events and improving marketing and sales alignment. Rev-Engine’s expertise, resources and the flexible model continues to prove strategic in achieving Bluu’s international expansion.