Sood
The SME Productivity & Innovation Centre (PIC) at Edge Hill University delivers impact through an intensive fully-funded programme that helps established SMEs, with the vision and potential for growth, build a coherent business model strategy to scale-up.
Sood case study
“The Rapid Innovation Sprint Programme was
Paalan Sood
the best programme I have ever been on, with
the support of the SME Growth Experts, I now
have a clear plan of action for sales and feel
confident in the direction I need to take the
business to grow sustainably. As a direct
result of the programme, we have increased
our market share and adopted a new
technology which has contributed to us
securing our largest-ever contract.”
Founder/CEO – Sood Marketing
Benefits and impact:
Technology adoption
- New digital technology adopted for collaborative work across the organisation.
Increase in market share
- Largest ever contract secured.
New customers secured
- Eight new customers secured in new markets.
Business profile: Sood
| Sector | Marketing |
| Product/service | Merseyside-based digital marketing agency providing web design services in Liverpool and across the North West. |
| Size (by headcount) | 9 |
| Location | St Helens, Merseyside |
The challenges
Paalan Sood, Founder and CEO entered the Rapid Innovation Sprint Programme to formulate a market development strategy for growth. Paalan wanted time to focus on the design and maximisation of existing business processes, allowing a level of delegation of sales and customer account management giving Paalan more time to focus on large accounts and targeting large prospective clients.
The opportunity
Sood Marketing worked together with the SME Growth Experts to address the challenges within their existing service offer. Together, they identified that the adoption of new technology would help them to shift their current transactional-based sales methods to a relationship-based model. This would provide valuable insights into understanding the business needs of their clients in order to provide them with dynamic customised solutions.
The key changes
Unlocking Sood’s scale-up potential started by exploring how Paalan can delegate more accountability to senior staff so he can grow the business through high-value activities such as developing new products or services, building partnerships, and acquiring new clients. It was also identified that more effective customer acquisition targets would underpin the market development strategy. A list of pre-sale questions and project requirements that Paalan is usually required to determine was also produced allowing Sood’s senior staff to take care of sales conversations and conversions. This would allow resources within the business to be used efficiently,
resulting in increased profitability and productivity for the business.
The plan and outcomes
Paalan used the latter stages of the workshops to focus on Growth Action Plans and refine and embed the new organisational chart into the plans. Since the programme, Sood Marketing has adopted a new digital collaborative workspace that has allowed them to secure their biggest-ever contract in a new market. Sood’s turnover has also increased by 10% just a month after completing the programme and they have recruited a new full time social media executive. The online fully-funded Rapid Innovation Sprint Programme has given Sood Marketing the plan and the infrastructure to achieve real scale by embedding new digital platforms into their service offer, creating new jobs and ensuring profitability.
What we offer
”The programme provides you with the opportunity to work on the business and not in it.”
Professor Simon Bolton – Director, SME Productivity & Innovation Centre
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