Billback Systems

Overview
Billback Systems is the global leader in cost recovery technology for law and other professional service firms. The company has offices in Dayton, Ohio; Sydney; and London. Billback’s systems are in place in dozens of the world’s top 100 law firms. A relatively new entrant to the saturated U.S. market, Billback enjoyed exceptional marks for customer service but suffered from low awareness.

The Challenge
Three years after entering the US market, a new CEO was appointed with a mandate for rapid expansion and more effective commercialization. The CEO turned to Reveal Consulting as marketing change agents to help catapult the company from a 3rd place player in a saturated technology market to the provider of choice. Few marketing systems were in place and those that did were outdated and too heavily focused on technology minutia. No strategic marketing plan existed and salespeople spent valuable prospecting time chasing cold leads and dead ends while struggling to connect with warm leads ready to buy.

Our Solution
Reveal Consulting created a strategic marketing plan that stretched Billback’s marketing budget and focused on measurable outcomes. Market research better identified a wider universe of high-probability prospects and proactive lead nurturing campaigns were tailored by decision maker position, business type, and country.

We redesigned the website as a sophisticated lead generation tool and a central communication venue for future campaigns. And we positioned Billback as thought leaders with monthly webinars, whitepapers, and research studies. Reveal continued to advance the Billback brand through strategic promotions and media relations. The number of trade shows was reduced and the remaining ones saw a greater effort to drive the “right” kind of traffic to the booth. At one show, a creative contest even had hundreds of conference goers sporting Billback t-shirts and providing priceless advertising value.

Tools were created to assist the sales team advance prospects through the various stages of the buying process. Sales sheets took on the problem/solution tone, microsites connected with specific audiences, direct mail opened the door to conversations, and personalized e-invites welcomed key prospects to special events. Finally, the company’s reputation as the leader in customer support was further bolstered with video testimonials shot in London and Washington, DC.

Results
Reveal Consulting helped Billback accelerate its market share growth by developing and implementing strategic marketing plans, systemizing the process, and improving the sales pipeline. Our close working relationship brought deep market knowledge and message consistency. And, Reveal’s monthly retainer arrangement allowed Billback to access our team’s deep experience as needed for a fixed overall fee. This, in addition to our reigning in of prior untargeted spending, actually reduced expenses.

Most importantly, Billback saw an impressive return on their marketing investment (ROI) for the 2007-2008 campaign. Lead generation spiked and led to triple the number of confirmed product demonstrations. Our efforts allowed salespeople to do what they did best – close deals. The company saw a rapid expansion of its U.S. client base. Revenue increased by more than 300% in the U.S.  Sales in the U.K. nearly doubled.

Projects