We all known that the mobile industry is in a state of flux. Consolidation, competition, co-operation conspire to create new commercial and technological challenges. As a result, it has never been so difficult to sell to operators. ConneCt is a project from CCgroup - a B2B tech PR agency in London - to reveal the communications platforms that drive vendor inclusion in operator procurement, the influencing factors when shortlisting and the critical factors in vendor selection. The full white paper is available here: http://info.ccgrouppr.com/selling-to-operators

1. © 2009 CCgroup© 2013 CCgroup
How to successfully
sell to Telecoms
Operators
July 2013

2. © 2013 CCgroup
• Industry is in a state of flux –
consolidation; competition; co-
operation
• Operators therefore face new business
& technology challenges &
opportunities
• But vendors face toughest trading
conditions ever – increasingly difficult
to „sell‟ to operators
Everything‟s changing in Telecoms

3. © 2013 CCgroup
• Requirement to protect legacy investments
increases integration complexity
• Consensus buying behaviour means a larger
number of purchase influencers
• Reliance on analysts & consultants to
inform/manage procurement process
• Professionalisation of purchasing – formal
supplier ID & RFX processes now the norm
The way operators buy has changed…
RFI
RFP
RFQ
RFT

4. © 2013 CCgroup
• Our research suggests many vendor sales &
marketing efforts are dated & disconnected -
wasting time, effort & money
• At worst, marketing campaigns:
• Use ineffective platforms & channels
• Provide content that doesn‟t engage customers
• Create generic, unsubstantiated messaging
• At worst, sales teams:
• Don‟t provide proof points of capabilities
• Neglect to share customer intelligence
• Fail to use content or messaging provided
…But the way most vendors sell hasn‟t

5. © 2013 CCgroup
• To understand how vendors need to change their
sales & marketing approaches, CCgroup launched
the ConneCt Research Project
• CCgroup interviewed operator CEO, CTO & CTO
group reps, plus senior advisors that consult to
operators
• Also reviewed market influence studies & industry
research from respected sources
• In summary, the project investigated and
analysed:
• Communications platforms that drive RFX
inclusion
• Influencing factors on RFX shortlisting
• Critical factors in final selection
RESEARCH:
How do today‟s operators select vendors?

6. © 2013 CCgroup
How operators identify vendors
0 10
Existing supplier relationships
Peer relationships
Internal business analysts
Industry conferences & workshops
Industry analysts
Trade show exhibitions
Articles in the press
Direct marketing
Webinars
Advertising
Social media
The most influential communications platforms that drive RFX
inclusion (from operator interviews) – scale of 1-10, with 1 being
the least important and 10 being the most important

7. © 2013 CCgroup
How operators shortlist vendors
0 2 4 6 8 10
Familiarity / existing or previous relationship
Reputation / Profile
Pure ability to meet criteria set out in RFP
Perceived thought leadership / vision
Recommendation (personal, consultant etc.)
Price
Greatest influencing factors when shortlisting vendors (from operator
interviews) – scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least important and 10
being the most important

8. © 2013 CCgroup
How operators evaluate vendors
0 1 2 3 4 5
Price vs. business case
Ability to deliver goods or services as promised
Demonstrates understanding of my business
Roadmap for future solutions
Post sales support
Reputation
Price alone
Greatest influencing factors in purchasing decisions (from operator
interviews) – scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least important and 10
being the most important

9. © 2013 CCgroup
How operators evaluate vendors
“…when I think about which vendor to select, I need to
see a high level cost/benefit analysis. That analysis must
show that if I deploy their technology, there must be a
revenue or customer generating effect. I‟m amazed how
often this doesn‟t happen – 90% of vendors just don‟t get
this – it‟s what I need.”
Telecoms Operator CXO

10. © 2013 CCgroup
How operators decide…
Unequivocally, yes
Unequivocally, no
Depends / not on its own
“When finally making purchasing decisions, do you perceive thought
leaders as a „safe bet‟?”
“You can‟t judge on thought leadership alone – you need to know the
foundation of the „vision‟ and claims. You need to see the product or
service, and the execution plans for delivering a project.”
Telecoms Operator CXO

11. © 2013 CCgroup
• Core Messaging – often too weak and
undifferentiated, lacking edge or vision
• Content – often lacking in proof points
because “the customer said no” and other
Sales and Marketing content struggles to
provide insight, show understanding of
operators‟ needs or to help sales teach
customers something new
• Outreach – too much resource is dedicated to
“brand-building” such as display advertising
or spurious trade shows, which is shown to do
little to help drive inclusion in RFX processes
So how does current vendor marketing
stack up?

12. © 2013 CCgroup
• Reset – your expectations of how mobile
operators buy
• Rethink – your approach to lead generation
& sales support
• Reconnect – with your audiences in a more
meaningful, powerful way
Combatting inertia

13. © 2013 CCgroup
• Use effective communications platforms:
• Identify, gain access to & leverage direct, in-
person platforms for sales execs
• Support & reinforce through indirect platforms –
analysts, conferences & media
• Arm your sales execs with compelling content:
• Insight & new perspectives on operator business
functions, organisations, challenges or markets
• Tie that content to strong company messaging:
• Content that leads to the uniqueness of your
company to solve operator problems
• Make it „real‟ with proof points & references
The solution for vendor S&M teams

14. © 2013 CCgroup
• Successful sales & marketing teams should have high expectations
of each other as they are mutually-dependent:
Shared roles & responsibilities
Marketing Sales
What you say Messaging & positioning Customer insights, proof
points
How you say it Insight generation, sales
collateral, campaigns
Customer intelligence,
customer research
Where you say it Platform provision Front line delivery,
feedback
• Demands commercially-focused team with deep market
understanding, proven experience and privileged access

15. © 2013 CCgroup
• The full ConneCt white paper from CCgroup
includes:
• Details conclusions on what influences RFP
inclusion, shortlisting and selection and how to
make the best of each approach
• Specific quotes from board level operator
interviewees
• Detailed advice on how to adjust vendor sales and
marketing teams for best effect
Where can I find out more…?
Visit http://info.ccgrouppr.com/selling-to-operators to download the
full ConneCt white paper, or contact us on hello@ccgrouppr.com to
request a copy

16. © 2013 CCgroup
• We‟re not „normal‟, we practise
commercially-driven PR
• We use PR to support commercial objectives.
That means we:
• Provide new perspectives on your market
& business; identifying your points of
uniqueness and what sets you apart from
the competition
• Re-frame your audience problems to
challenge, linking to your unique
solution; teach them something new
• Drive awareness across
platforms, increase sales lead
generation, boost organisational value
We‟re the team you need

17. © 2013 CCgroup
• Best mobile consultancy in EMEA
• GSMA – 17 year relationship
• Incredible client synergies –
entire ecosystem covered
• Unbeatable contacts in industry –
media, analyst, consultant, spea
ker, commentator
• Dominate Mobile World Congress
Telecoms & mobile

18. © 2013 CCgroup
• Established „ConneCt‟ research:
Demonstrates our privileged access & single-minded
focus on our clients‟ commercial success
• Embraced the „Challenger Sale‟
Cutting-edge approach to sales in highly
complex, competitive environments – like mobile
• Strategic partner for „Hot Topics‟:
The platform through which global technology
leaders, innovators & influencers
connect, understand and shape the industry
We‟re ahead of the „game‟

19. © 2013 CCgroup
We‟re a PR consultancy with a strong commercial focus. We help our
clients generate sales leads, demonstrate value and position for exit.
The next few pages prove that via case studies & references.
What happens next?
We should present more detailed findings to you (and send you the full
white paper). Then we should talk about how we can help you adapt &
succeed in a changing world. Call us.
Richard Fogg, MD
+44 7887 845236
richard.fogg@ccgrouppr.com
Paul Nolan, Head of Mobile
+44 7717 723440
paul.nolan@ccgrouppr.com
Duncan McKean, Dep. Head Mobile
+44 7500 875614
duncan.mckean@ccgrouppr.com
Who is CCgroup?

20. © 2013 CCgroup
“As a new player in a
crowded market, getting
our messaging and
positioning right was
essential for the success
of our wider marketing
efforts. CCgroup created a
bank of key messages that
truly differentiates Encap
& positions our business as
the natural solution to
the most critical
challenges in our target
markets.”
Thomas Bostrøm
Jørgensen, CEO, Encap
Kind words about us
“Choosing to work with
CCgroup was an
important decision in
achieving our company
objectives. Not only did
CCgroup‟s strategy help
us develop our sales
pipeline, it helped build
the value of Fundamo
and attract the interest
of international
investors.”
Aletha
Ling, COO, Fundamo, a
Visa company
“With strategic thinking
and content, CCgroup
exemplifies how PR can
instigate & lead highly
successful marketing
programmes that unite
digital, event & ATL.
Just one „peak‟ during a
CCgroup campaign
generated 30 sales leads
and directly impacted
the Tellabs bottom line.
This is an outstanding
achievement in B2B
marketing.”
Sonny Waheed, former
Head of Marketing EMEA
& APAC, Tellabs

21. © 2013 CCgroup
Challenge
• Make a tech company interesting to the global
business community; generate sales leads
Creative
• Worked with CTO to create unique story angle
• Developed compelling content including
supporting news angles and whitepaper
Consequences
• 25+ media briefings, 1,500+ global articles
• 500+ tweets with 1.8 million reach
• 100+ white paper requests, 25+ sales leads
from customer & partner prospects (first
month – requests will continue all year)
Sales leads for

22. © 2013 CCgroup
Challenge
• Own & develop „smart mobile Internet‟
concept; deliver sales leads
Creative
• Linked „smart network‟ strategies to MNO stock
performance; work with STL Partners to
quantify returns
• Launched integrated global campaign at STL‟s
Telco 2.0 event with strong claim
Consequences
• NA, EMEA & APAC trade & business media
covered story, carrying „smart‟ messages
• 100+ downloads in first fortnight; more than 30
operator sales leads delivered
Engaging content for

23. © 2013 CCgroup
Challenge
• Turn unknown tech company into „thought
leader‟, prime market for attractive exit
Creative
• Sustained development of opinion & content;
influencer relationship-building
Consequences
• Speaker slots at all key events; positive
positioning in industry analyst reports
• Blanket coverage in global business & trade
media; multiple award wins
• Acquired by VISA in June 2011 for $110m – PR
called out as major contributor to exit
Securing exit for

24. © 2013 CCgroup
Just visit
http://info.ccgrouppr.com/selling-to-operators
to download your free copy of ConneCt
Download the full ConneCt white paper
tel: +44 207 535 7203
email: hello@ccgrouppr.com