WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:01.900 My name is David Leevee. 2 00:00:01.900 --> 00:00:05.240 I am the founder and managing partner 3 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:07.830 of White Birch Partners, LLC. 4 00:00:07.830 --> 00:00:12.000 line:15% Our primary business is in sales and marketing strategy 5 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:16.020 line:15% and then sometimes that leads into content development. 6 00:00:16.020 --> 00:00:19.650 line:15% We have written books with our clients. 7 00:00:19.650 --> 00:00:21.610 line:15% They get the title, right, 8 00:00:21.610 --> 00:00:23.720 line:15% they get the name of the book jacket. 9 00:00:23.720 --> 00:00:25.210 line:15% We're kind of the ghostwriters. 10 00:00:25.210 --> 00:00:29.110 line:15% And we also have been known to write blogs 11 00:00:29.110 --> 00:00:31.150 and do that kind of work. 12 00:00:31.150 --> 00:00:32.580 But it really all stems from 13 00:00:32.580 --> 00:00:35.320 the sales and marketing strategy that we start with. 14 00:00:35.320 --> 00:00:38.650 In the world of enterprise software, you know, 15 00:00:38.650 --> 00:00:41.601 we work with billion dollar companies, 16 00:00:41.601 --> 00:00:43.604 medium-sized companies, 17 00:00:43.604 --> 00:00:46.576 but primarily I'd say the last four or five years 18 00:00:46.576 --> 00:00:48.460 we've really been working with 19 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:51.140 relatively early-stage startup companies. 20 00:00:51.140 --> 00:00:53.138 So one of the companies I'm working for right now 21 00:00:53.138 --> 00:00:56.543 is a shipping company 22 00:00:56.543 --> 00:00:59.980 line:15% that has built a platform to help companies 23 00:00:59.980 --> 00:01:02.600 line:15% that own and operate oil tankers 24 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:06.240 line:15% manage their fleets more efficiently and profitably. 25 00:01:06.240 --> 00:01:08.950 The first thing will be, you know, 26 00:01:08.950 --> 00:01:12.650 why was I referred, what is the business need. 27 00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:15.230 Right, and in the case of the companies 28 00:01:15.230 --> 00:01:17.590 we've been working with for the last several years, 29 00:01:17.590 --> 00:01:19.964 they're all at a similar startup stage. 30 00:01:19.964 --> 00:01:22.070 And by the time they reach me 31 00:01:22.070 --> 00:01:24.612 they maybe have maybe between, you know, 32 00:01:24.612 --> 00:01:28.470 two and 10 clients, right. 33 00:01:28.470 --> 00:01:32.516 line:15% And they're figuring out how best to service them 34 00:01:32.516 --> 00:01:36.670 line:15% but what they don't have is really where I come in 35 00:01:36.670 --> 00:01:39.160 which is they don't have process in place, 36 00:01:39.160 --> 00:01:41.700 they don't know how to manage a sales process, 37 00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:42.880 there's no marketing, 38 00:01:42.880 --> 00:01:46.002 there's no sense of how you should tell your story. 39 00:01:46.002 --> 00:01:49.683 All classic sort of marketing 101 things. 40 00:01:49.683 --> 00:01:53.610 Market segmentation, understanding your customers, 41 00:01:53.610 --> 00:01:55.160 what are their needs, things like that. 42 00:01:55.160 --> 00:01:59.585 So what I come into an engagement 43 00:01:59.585 --> 00:02:02.000 line:15% is have a discussion around those areas 44 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.680 line:15% which would start with well why did I get referred to you 45 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:06.530 line:15% in the first place. 46 00:02:06.530 --> 00:02:09.230 line:15% Why do you think you need my help? 47 00:02:09.230 --> 00:02:11.470 My job is to say okay, this is the problem, 48 00:02:11.470 --> 00:02:13.857 here's where I can't help you, 49 00:02:13.857 --> 00:02:16.070 and here's where I can help you 50 00:02:16.070 --> 00:02:18.470 and here's what that engagement might look like.