NewTek TriCaster User Story: Whirlpool Corporation
By Jim Bask
NewTek TriCaster User Story: Whirlpool Corporation
It’s been a problem for businesses for decades. What’s the best way to quickly and effectively disseminate product information and support material to a far-flung sales force spread across miles of territory? For Whirlpool, a global corporation headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the challenge wasn’t new, but the answers they came up with were.
As manufacturers of the Whirlpool brand, as well as such other well-known appliance brands like Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, and Amana, the challenge was a daunting one. The Whirlpool North America sales force B2B customers need a steady stream of information about this expansive and ever-changing product line to do their jobs efficiently. The people on the sales floors need effective strategies for touting Whirlpool competitive advantages, and they need an opportunity to get their questions about a particular product answered on the spot. But how to do that without spending millions on training and travel? It was a problem that vexed the company, just as it vexes every company of its size.
Enter Ryan Scott, hired in 2009 as Media Manager for Whirlpool’s North American Sales Force. Scott, who came from a television production background working for networks like The Discovery Channel and The History Channel, confronted the challenge head-on. Scott quickly realized that creating effective video content and the potential for live interaction with product experts explaining Whirlpool’s many appliance lines was essential to engaging the sales troops on the ground, thereby increasing sales and moving the company forward.
“Content is king,” Scott says. “Studies say that more informed sales people are going to sell more. The more informed consumers are about what you have, the more likely they are to buy. From a marketing standpoint, websites with video content create higher click-through rates. People are on the website longer. They’re more likely to buy if they see a video, but it’s got to be a good piece of video.” [Continue Reading…]