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Timing Ireland Sponsored Group Practicum
Edmund Dooley, MMKDavid Fox, MMK
Ciarán Dunne, MMK
AgendaSection of Presentation Group Member
Client Overview Edmund
1. Research Edmund
2. Development of a Plan of Action Edmund
3. Executing the Plan of Action
• Sales Training Kit for Ireland and Britain David
• Social Media Marketing Ciarán
• Search Engine Optimization Edmund
4. Recommendations Ciarán
Conclusion Ciarán
Client Overview
Products Example
Sports timing equipment Start and finish clocks, photo finish systems etc.
Clock systems Time and temperature displays, bell ringing systems for schools etc.
Sports services Finish gantries, video wall operation, lead car clocks etc.
Scoreboards Basketball, rugby, soccer, hockey, GAA etc.
Athletic equipment Javelins, discuses, hammers, shot-puts, hurdles etc.
• Established in 1982• Brian Price is Managing Director
Real world problem:• No sales procedures in place• No experience in social media and SEO• Sizing the British market
1. Research
Research Questions1. Who purchases sports timing equipment/clock
systems/scoreboards/athletic equipment in Ireland and Britain? 2. How do these people go about purchasing this equipment? 3. What criteria do they base their purchase decision on? 4. How often do they purchase this equipment?5. Do these people use social media? 6. Is networking important in the markets in which Timing Ireland
operate in?7. How can Timing Ireland improve their presales and post-sales
service?8. Is there an opportunity in the British market for a foreign-based
sports timing equipment supplier?
Type of Primary Research Conducted
Qualitative InterviewsReasons for qualitative interviews:• Flexibility• Use of related and ad-hoc questions• Probe the respondent to a higher degree• Geographical and financial reasons
Qualitative InterviewsIrish Market
Interviewee Position
Jenni Robinson Office and Events Manager for Athletics NI
Karl O’Connell Equipment Officer for Munster Athletics
Peter Hanlon AAI Technical Committee Member
Tom McCormack AAI Technical Committee Member & Member of Dublin County Athletics Board
Eamonn Tilley Chairman of Kilcoole Athletics Club and Tri Rock Triathlon Club.
Brian Crinion Full time race organiser e.g. Dublin triathlon and duathlon series
Non-sports MarketInterviewee Position
Sean Connell Jade Electrical Contractors/Electrical Maintenance for schools
Qualitative InterviewsBritish Market
Interviewee Position
Graham Shaw Competition and Events Manager with Basketball Scotland
John Ormston Organiser of the Wallingford 10k Thames Run
Mark Thomas Co Director for Wedding Day 7k
Anthony Rogers Committee member of Staffordshire Moorlands Athletics Club
Derek Cowdrey Committee member of Worcester Athletics club
Duncan Anderson Leisure Facilities General Manager with Adur and Worthing Council Services
Research FindingsIrish Market
Research Question Findings
Who purchases the equipment? National governing bodies, provincial and regional athletics boards, triathlon clubs, race organisers , schools and universities
How do these people go about purchasing this equipment?
Internet was most prominent. Using contacts in the market and tendering process also included
What criteria do they base their purchase decision on?
Loyalty was most important. Reputation of the company and price also highlighted
How often do they purchase this equipment? Ranging from 4-5 times a year (athletic equipment) to every ten years (photo finish system)
Do these people use social media? Not on a personal level but accounts were set up and managed for the club, organisation etc which they represented. Members of clubs also use social media.
Is networking important? Very important
How can Timing Ireland improve their presales and post-sales service?
Be more involved in the pre-sales processInvoicing needs to improveTestimonials and online product manuals were positively received.Product trials were deemed unnecessary.
Research FindingsBritish Market
Research Question Findings
Who purchases the equipment? National governing bodies, local councils, organisers of marathons, athletics clubs
How do these people go about purchasing this equipment?
Internet was most prominently used. Real-time trials and tendering process also included
What criteria do they base their purchase decision on?
Price, quality, value and brand loyalty all mentioned as important factors
How often do they purchase this equipment? Ranging from once a year for sports timing to 2-3 times a year for athletic equipment
Do these people use social media? Not on a personal level but accounts were set up and managed for the club, organisation etc which they represented. Members of clubs also use social media.
Is networking important? Very important
Is there an opportunity in the British market for a foreign-based supplier?
Mixed reactions regarding the sports timing and scoreboards markets.Positive response towards opportunity for athletic equipment.
Research FindingsNon-sports market
Research Question Finding
Who purchases the equipment? Electrical maintenance providers for the public service
How do these people go about purchasing this equipment?
Searching online for suppliers
What criteria do they base their purchase decision on?
Availability and convenience noted as important
How often do they purchase this equipment?
Usually a once-off purchase
Do these people use social media? They use very little social media
Is networking important? Indicated as being important
How can Timing Ireland improve their presales and post-sales service?
All feedback provided for Timing Ireland was positive
Research Limitations
Learning Outcomes
2. Development of a Plan of Action
Project Initiation Document
3. Executing the plan of action
Sales Training Kit
What is a Sales Training Kit?• Structured method as to how a company should approach all the various
angles accredited to their sales– How they should sell their products/services to all potential customers
• Numerous different angles to a company’s sales procedures • Divided report into the following ten sections which covers all aspects of
Timing Ireland’s sales and marketing;
Why we constructed a Sales Training Kit for Timing Ireland?
1. Market Overview
Customers (Purchase Influencers)Segment Ireland Britain
Sports Timing equipment National, Provincial and county athletic boards, Athletics clubs, Race
organisers, Schools/universities
Athletics clubsLocal councils
Race organisers
Clock systems Hospitals, schools, airports, banks etc N/A
Sports services National, Provincial and county athletic boards, Athletics clubs, Race
organisers, Schools/universities
N/A
Scoreboards Sports clubs, stadiums, schools/universities, provincial
branches,
National governing body (e.g. Basketball Scotland)
Local councils
Polanik athletic equipment National, Provincial and county athletic boardsAthletics clubs
Event organisersSchools/universities
National, Provincial and county athletic boardsAthletics clubs
Event organisersSchools/universities
SWOT Analysis
2. Positioning Sports Timing Equipment
a. What customer needs do we address?– Reliability, durability, and accuracy– Lifespan and affordability– Ease of transportation and delivery– User-friendliness
b. Qualifying questions– What type of event do you organise?– Do you have the financial resources to purchase sports timing equipment?– What is your geographical location? Are you based in Ireland or Britain?– Have you previously bought any sports timing equipment?
c. Key messages– Products are of the highest standards and are internationally renowned
brands – Products are reliable, durable, and have a long lifespan. – Products are both user-friendly and time-friendly. – Full product maintenance and repairs are offered by Timing Ireland
d. Elevator Pitch“Timing Ireland is at the forefront of sports timing equipment. The sports timing
equipment market is an ever-growing one and Timing Ireland is the leading company in Ireland and Britain for the quality and range of sports timing
equipment that they provide.
Timing Ireland offers state of the art sports timing products for all types of race meetings from marathons to motor sports. The customer can either rent or
purchase these products which give the customer a flexible option to suit their financial resources.
These first-class products are then supplemented by Timing Irelands vastly experienced and dedicated team. Having come from an athletics background, they
have been in the timing equipment market for decades. This enables them to provide first-class post-sales support and maintenance which has been cited by
previous customers as the vital element of their experiences with Timing Ireland.
Although there is competition in both Ireland and Britain from less-experienced companies, Timing Ireland can alleviate this threat through ‘its vast experience and dedication to top of the range services and to treat every customer as an
individual.”
3. Products• Sports timing equipment
– Alge and Timetronics
• Clock systems– Profil, Cristalys and Style
• Sports services– Race meetings
• Scoreboards– Indoor and outdoor
• Polanik athletic equipment– Track and field
4. Sales Pitches“Timing Ireland is at the forefront of the sports timing equipment market. As an organiser/owner of (insert
name of race/event/sports club etc here), you want to have top of the range sports timing equipment from experienced full time professionals at a reasonable price, giving your event the accreditation and
professionalism it deserves.Timing Ireland can offer you this supplemented by a personal experience from its knowledgeable and
dedicated staff, who are there to help you at every stage of the process. The sports timing equipment market is an ever-growing one and Timing Ireland is the leading company in
Ireland and Britain for the quality and range of sports timing equipment that we provide. Since establishing in 1982, Timing Ireland has been offering sports timing services to a variety of different
sporting events/clubs that require their results to be highly accurate. Timing Ireland offers state of the art sports timing products for all types of race meetings from marathons to
motor sports. We understand what the consumer wants from sports timing equipment, and so we provide the following to each and every one of our customers;
• Reliability, durability, and a long lifespan for the product • Top of the range products with high brand quality • User-friendly products which do not consume the event organisers time on event day • Superior service and company reputation from an experienced and dedicated staff of employees who
treat the customer as an individual, both pre and post-purchase • Affordability
The customer can also either rent or purchase these products which give them a flexible option to suit their financial resources.
These first-class products are then supplemented by Timing Ireland’s vastly experienced and dedicated team. Having come from an athletics background, we have been in the timing equipment market for decades.
This enables us to provide first-class post-sales support which has been cited by previous customers as the vital element of their experiences with us.
Although there is competition in both Ireland and Britain from less-experienced companies, Timing Ireland should be your first choice as we can offer you affordable top of the range products with a personal
service that no one else can match.”
5. Sales Process
6. Customer presentation and Product demonstration
• Customer presentation
• Product demonstration– From our research we have found that customers value
seeing a product working in its natural environment.– Timing Ireland differs to other companies in that the best
product demonstration is one done in the field. – Trial of product not applicable to Timing Ireland
7. Questions and Answers• Main questions and answers related to each separate segment of Timing Ireland’s
business• Utilised as FAQ’s on the company’s website
– Limit the number of direct enquiries company receives• Employees of Timing Ireland will also be able to use this list of questions as the
standard response format for any queries from customers– Common responses to all customers
8. Competitive Summary• Detailed overview of all of the main competitors which Timing Ireland will be facing in
each of their business segments– Both the Irish and British markets
• For each competitor– Name – Logo – Location – Website – About– Products and services– Distinct website features– External online activity
• Sports Timing Equipment Market
Ireland (4)
Precision Timing
Sports Timing
ChipIt Race Timing Systems
Redback Biotek
UK (8)HS Sports
Sports Timing Services
Race Timing Systems
Sports Timing Systems
Mikrotime
Cambrian Timing
Sports Systems
Black Sheep Sports Ltd.
9. Marketing Overview
10. Customer Service Overview• Customer service is a critical factor– Customer acquisition, retention, and referral
Social Media
Some of the sites we used:
CategoriesSocial Media Blogging Social Bookmarking Media Aggregators
Facebook WordPress Digg YouTube
Twitter Reddit Flickr
LinkedIn Delicious Slideshare
Stumbleupon Scribd
Social Media
Facebook TwitterActivities: Activities:
•Posting Links •Posting tweets
•Interacting with other users •Finding users
•Finding relevant users •Posting links
Statistics: Statistics:
•Friends 285 •Following 352, Followers 62
Social Media & BloggingWordPress LinkedIn
Activities Activities•Create interesting blogs •Find Relevant users•Send links to blog from the other social media accounts
•Build a profile page for the company
Statistics: Statistics•Blogs 3, views 109 •Followers 12
WordPress
WordPress
Social Bookmarking Sites
• Digg• Stumbleupon• Delicious• Reddit
• Used to promote the website through links about interesting content created by us.
Delicious
Media AggregatorsFlickr Slideshare
Activities: Activities:
•Post photos to Facebook •Posted the customer presentation to the account
Statistics:
•Photos 163
Flickr
Flickr
Slideshare
Media AggregatorsScribd YouTube
Activities: Activities:•Post documents to the account sent from the client
•Posted videos from the client
•Promoted them on other accounts
Statistics:•Uploads 6•Subscribers 3•Reads 209
Scribd
YouTube
Difficulties & Limitations
Search Engine Optimisation
Search Engine Optimisation
Initial SEO Report
Implementation of Recommendations
Social Media Accounts on Website
Use of ImagesALT Tags
Use of ImagesTitle Tags
Backlinks
Submitting URLs to Web DirectoriesDirectory Name Directory URL PageRank
Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org/ 9
CANLinks http://www.canlinks.net/ 5
Illumirate http://www.illumirate.com/ 5
Classifieds 1000 http://www.classifieds1000.com/ 5
Search Sight http://searchsight.com/ 5
Pegasus Directory
http://www.pegasusdirectory.com/ 5
Navigation
XML Sitemaps Robots.txt
Website Promotion
Results of SEO and SMM Campaigns
Metric Before Campaigns After Campaigns % Difference
Visits to website 586 695 +18.60%
Page views 2,328 2,773 +19.12%
Pages/visit ratio 3.97 3.99 +0.43%
Average time on site 3:18 4:14 +27.82%
Absolute unique visitors
446 501 +12.33%
Traffic from Ireland 291 381 +30.93%
Traffic from USA 33 65 +96.97%
Google Analytics
Results of SEO and SMM Campaigns
Keywords Analysis
Keyword Google.ie position (before)
Google.ie position (after)
Timing Ireland 1 and 2 1 and 2
Sports Timing 5 5
Sports Timing Equipment
16 16
Polanik Athletic Equipment
4 3
LED Scoreboards
14 13
Scoreboards 8 6
Limitations and Learning OutcomesLimitations
Learning Outcomes
Overall Recommendations
Sales Kit Recommendations
Social Media Recommendations
SEO Recommendations
Additional Recommendations• Provide testimonials on website:
“Athletics Northern Ireland has used Timing Ireland for a variety of services, from equipment sales to on-site timing provision at international events. We have found the level of customer service to be excellent, and the commitment from the staff to provide, maintain or even replace equipment in time for major events is second to none, even at short notice. Athletics NI would not hesitate to recommend Timing Ireland for any equipment/timing requirements.”
Jenni Robinson, Athletics NI
Recommendations
Conclusion
Feedback Transfer of project to client:
• Brian Price, MD of Timing Ireland:
“I am astonished at the extent, detail, time, effort & thought that has gone into these reports....I have found the interview reports to be particularly helpful in highlighting our weaknesses which we have with our biggest clients, this information in itself will prove to be invaluable.... These reports will facilitate us with the future direction of our company and have certainly made that direction more clear”
-excerpt from feedback
Thank you for Listening
We would like to field any questions you may have
