Sales Support
Whirlpool Corporation is the leader in appliance manufacturing. They have a family of brands that deliver on consumer needs from the laundry room to the kitchen. Their sales force is good, but limited. The sales associates at the retail level are shifted and moved from department to department. Turn-over is the nature of the beast. How was Whirlpool Corporation able to train thousands of individuals on the latest products and features in a way that resonated? How could we get the sales associate to learn valuable information and then pass that information on to the consumer so they could make educated decisions during the buying process? By developing content that rolled out in a steady cadence to the field that contained quick selling tips on current products and upcoming launches through various mediums. For the sales associates we developed publications that appeared to be coming from their employer, not the manufacturer or brand. The right information at the right time in a voice that was relevant to the reader. The sales force became great and the sales associates’ knowledge increased. But was it effective and efficient enough? How could we measure the impact? We took the content to the next level for the sales force and sales associates by creating an app that housed the most current content in a more engaging way that was measurable. Product stories were brought to life in animations and video along side product deep-dives. And the users could tell us what they were accessing and how long, even off-line, through the procuring of data analytics. The content was then refined according to findings for continued effectiveness.
Swash
The Swash Clothing Care System is an initiative that was put to rest shortly after it’s inception. With thousands of products in inventory, Whirlpool Corporation needed to liquidate product fast. How could we keep liquidation sell-off pace for a premium product without coming across as inexpensive or as a close-out promotion? We hit social media hard. We utilized Facebook to get the message across and keep an eye on traffic and conversions. We bucked the promotion system to make price the key element and introduced animations and sliders to increase engagement. The goals set were hit and exceeded week over week.
Silver Harbor Brewing Company
151 Breweries in Michigan…. and counting. Of the dozen plus in southwest Michigan, only one resides in the tourist community of Saint Joseph. The team at Silver Harbor felt this was a great opportunity to hold true to it’s roots and use local talent to help carve out a space and build a brand that is as unique as their styles of beer. I continue to work closely with this team on packaging and collateral to help bring their vision to life.
Whirlpool Corporation – University Relations
Whirlpool Corporation is one of the best places to launch a career. It’s a global manufacturing company that recruits high-level talent from various universities. How do you get great talent to work for a company that builds steel boxes? Put the people first. Highlight the talented staff that makes up the whole. After all, with the right team in place you can build anything–including a successful fortune 500 company.
Craig Tollenaar 