faq

The Scout X methodology is based on a three-step process. We start by collecting and analyzing data about your market to identify your best customers and their specific needs and motivations. From there, we develop and implement tailor-made sales and marketing strategies to spend more of your valuable time and money on the greatest potential prospects and highest value customers. Then we continue to test and optimize alongside you to generate the strongest results over the long-run.

Clients earn a 5-30X return on their Scout X investment in the first year

No matter what state your data is in, Scout X works. We’ve seen it all, from organizations that have no data at all to those with a clean, organized data set. Our first step in the Scout X process is primary research, where we assess exactly what kind of data we’ll need to get you great results. For clients that have reliable sales, CRM, website, email, and/or digital advertising data, we will incorporate it into our analysis, but it is not a requirement. By the end of the Activate phase, you will be set up to measure everything that needs to be tracked going forward.

Our goal is to make recommendations constrained by the resources you currently have. When we propose a pilot you don’t have time for, we tap into our network of trusted third-party partners (vetted agencies, freelancers, consultants) to help you get things off the ground. Once we prove the business case with temporary support, you can replace them with internal resources on your own timeline. If you already have a marketing agency in place, we are happy to partner with them to implement new strategies.

We only follow one timeline: as fast as possible! Scout X has three phases: Segment, Activate, and Optimize. The Segment stage takes two months. Throughout this research phase, we constantly feed you quick wins while completing our full analysis. We want you to get an ROI from working with us right away. In one case, a client doubled their online conversion rate after just one week. Next is the Activate phase, which typically takes two months. We aim to be in-market with pilots during this phase and give the pilots time to run so we get an accurate measurement of results. Once we enter the Optimize phase, we establish a monthly cadence to monitor the results with you and run regular workshops to analyze results, double-down on the winners, and course-correct things that didn’t work as well. Clients typically earn back 5-30X the price of Scout X in the first year.

While data is the secret sauce behind our methodology, we are not IT infrastructure or SaaS procurement consultants. However, we have these types of consultants within our trusted network; we’re happy to refer you to someone who can help.

No, we are squarely focused on go-to-market levers. We know some great consultants who can help in these other areas.

It’s important to us that Scout X works 100% of the time, so we want to understand your business model before agreeing to work together. We partner with companies big and small across B2B and D2C. The Scout X process does require a minimum critical mass of customers. On the D2C side, we like to see at least 10,000 names on your customer file or 50,000 unique monthly visitors. On the B2B side, the numbers can be much lower. We like to see at least 100 active accounts and a TAM of at least 1,000 prospects. We typically don’t work with B2B companies that only sell to a small number of distributors/wholesalers. If your business does not have a formalized sales or marketing organization, Scout X might not be the right solution for you.

Scout X works because it follows five fundamental rules proven to consistently deliver near-term revenue growth. We’re happy to set up a call to walk you through them. In short, they are: Only your customers know what’s needed to increase your sales and profits. Make them the hero in everything you do. Averages lie. Focusing on your average customer yields average results. Stack the deck. Put a disproportionate amount of your limited resources toward your highest-value segments. When it comes to developing solutions, keep it simple. Test and learn. Repeat and succeed. Pilot then scale.

Let’s set up a free 15-minute consultation to evaluate if there is a mutual fit between Sterling Woods’ offerings and your organization’s needs. Calendar