KNOCK, INC.
Discovering new opportunities
KNOCK, Inc. is a full-service design firm that creates signage, packaging and promotion for retailers like Target, and manufacturers of consumer products like 3M. The company, headquartered in the warehouse district of Minneapolis, has more than 20 very enthusiastic employees who want to see the firm grow and succeed.
KNOCK’s founder, Lili Hall, knew she had to be proactive to maintain the operations side of the business as well as manage its client relationships. Therefore, she wanted some assistance to develop a sales and marketing staff to keep bringing in new clients and continue to balance the workload as KNOCK added a plethora of large and small clients from a variety of industries.
Because the long-term growth and health of the firm depended upon continued business development, she turned to Todd Anderson at 10,000 Foot View to help her develop and manage the client portion of the business.
There’s a certain culture at KNOCK that resonates with the employees and keeps them there, and likewise for KNOCK’s clients. Lili appreciated that Todd immediately took the time to get to know the culture, adapt to its philosophy, and follow its mission and strategy. She soon determined that his services could help everyone in the company who has client contacts. Besides new clients, there were a lot of opportunities with existing clients that were not being tapped.
“Everybody was excited about it once they started to meet with him. He’s got a sense of humor and uses great analogies and terms that everyone can relate to,” she said. “We’re a pretty collaborative agency and people are excited when we have a pitch. They want to participate. They want to see the company grow and they realize this is another way that they can contribute.”
Using real scenarios, Todd provided the account staff with different angles on how to approach a client situation, and guided them through several pitches. While intimidating at times, it helped to boost their confidence levels and their enthusiasm, said Lili.
Todd also helped KNOCK develop a sales department and put systems in place that can keep the firm on a viable track. He wrote the job descriptions, recruited and interviewed the sales candidates, and they now are coached by him on a regular basis. It’s a level of detail that Lili was not able to provide. Her time had to be allocated to the overall operation and goals of the company due to its growth.
Todd helped to refine the company’s key messages, and kept the staff focused on their objectives and opportunities.
“Todd has been a big help to our business development,” said Lili. “We’ve committed ourselves to this process and I know that over the next year or two, it’ll be one of the best things we have done.”
