Ed Trachier, Founder and CEO
OnTarget Partners

Marketing to the top is not easy.

CEO marketing requires unrelenting patience and tenacity.  It also forces marketers to be at the top of their game at all times, understanding that powerful executives expect nothing less and often demand more.

I have been in the CEO marketing business for over 20 years now.  I suggest to new prospects and clients of OnTarget’s services that I have learned a lot more from my failures than my successes; the scars on my back enable me to be that much more successful (for them) today!

So, what have I learned about CEO marketing over this time?  Several things that may have an impact on how you approach selling to CEOs in the future:

CEOs are interested in solutions that help their companies become more effective and efficient.  They want to cut costs and increase revenue.  They are required to spend time on strategic initiatives that make the company better in the future.  They are expected to be visionaries and motivators, with great communication abilities and unwavering integrity.

CEOs are paid to make the right decisions quickly.  This does not mean that they do not do their homework; it means that they tend to say “no” much more readily than the average corporate buyer.  They process better.  They know what they need based on experience and talent, and if your offering does not create the value they require, you will be shown the door quickly.

I have written many times about “Demand Discovery” versus “Demand Creation”.  At no place in corporate buying decisions is demand discovery more important than the c-suite.

Therefore, studying and reading prior to marketing to a company CEO is paramount.

If you understand where the leader is looking to take the company, it is much easier to see where your solution fits in that journey.

Google the CEO and the company.  Do an advanced search and see what has been written in the past month.  (Not long ago, we at OnTarget would spend hours reading 10-ks and quarterlies prior to picking up the phone.  Now, information is at our fingertips with a quick online search).  Go to the company website and read the recent press releases.  Read the blog, specifically the “CEO’s Blog” if there is one.  Watch videos and listen to the podcasts produced by the CEO.

What are you looking for while studying and reading?  Trigger events that make your solution attractive to the CEO.

Look for situations, issues, and opportunities that match success stories and case studies for your company’s solutions.  If these exist, you may have just discovered demand.

Build your value proposition to highlight your solution in such a way that the CEO knows immediately the value you can bring to the table.  Maybe start with a dimensional mailing (FedEx works the best).  Send an email to support your phone call, and then coordinate an in-person meeting when it makes sense.  Don’t “sell”, rather, “market”.  Inform, prove and be honest.  The CEO will appreciate your candor and if your offerings match up to his or her vision, you may be on your way to a fabulous, long-term business relationship.

-Ed

Ed Trachier is Founder and CEO of OnTarget Partners, LLC.  He can be reached at 469-200-4901, or via email at trachier@ontargetpartners.com.

OnTarget Partners is pleased to announce our theme for the year 2013 — “Ride On”.

Celebrating the American spirit of freedom and our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, OnTarget is proud of the record growth it achieved in 2012, and plans to continue on the trajectory of success established over the last 18 months.

Ed Trachier, CEO of OnTarget, stated in the company kickoff meeting on January 02, 2013: “We are most proud of our clients and Associates for the faith and confidence they place in us.  Knowing that such quality companies and individuals believe in your vision and abilities is fulfilling and rewarding.”

Scott Bratcher, President of OnTarget commented on the recent growth: “We ended 2012 with 20 customers, almost twice as many as when we started the year.  We never have aimed to be the biggest, we want to be the best, and always deliver significant value to our clients.  The growth of our client base, coupled with the growth within our clients, is a testament to the dedication and determination of our great Associates who make up our delivery teams!”

About OnTarget Partners:

OnTarget Partners, founded in 1997, is an achievement-oriented provider of marketing and research solutions for the business to business (B2B) marketplace. OnTarget supports executives and marketers by offering “Intelligence for Business®” via five lines of service, delivered primarily on an outsourced basis:

• Custom research
• Custom prospecting
• Trigger event marketing
• CRM data cleansing
• Marketing campaign management

OnTarget adds value to our clients by delivering consistent results in a timely manner.

Operating on an international scale, with the ability to conduct research and prospecting campaigns globally, OnTarget solves real marketing problems for clients. OnTarget is not an advertising firm, but helps make advertising more effective. OnTarget is not your typical telemarketing firm, but uses proactive direct marketing to help you develop new business. OnTarget is a partner that can scale with you, and ramp projects quickly.

In short, our research and marketing services enable our clients to deliver the most appropriate and powerful marketing message to the right person in the right market at the right time and in the right form.

Congratulations to the following award winners for Q1 and Q2, 2012!

Tim Hixson, Q1 2012 Associate of the Quarter

Craig McDonald, Q2 2012 Associate of the Quarter

We occasionally spend time together outside of the office, and like to spend time together in different settings to create better teamwork and friendships.

We look forward to a tight race for the annual “OnTarget Associate of the Year for 2012″!

-Ed Trachier

Ed Trachier is Founder and CEO of OnTarget Partners, and can be reached at 469-200-4901, or via email at trachier@ontargetpartners.com

Jeff Fischer, Marketing Director

One of the things that I enjoy most about each new year is “renewed outlook,” and the rejuvenation that comes with it.  Personally, it is a chance to re-evaluate priorities and goals; professionally, it is an opportunity to do the same.  With the new year upon us, OnTarget Partners continues to look for new ways to grow and expand: new clients, new partnerships and new opportunities.

One of the exercises that we perform every year-end is to look at our growth holistically: are we “growing,” are we “swelling,” or are we growing AND swelling?  This is a tricky question, and one that deserves some thought. I would define swelling, from a business standpoint, as “the growth and expansion of current business,” or “expanding our footprint within an existing client.” When a business is swelling, it is bringing in additional income through an existing revenue stream.  This is a very good thing, as it suggests that the provider is performing at or above the client’s level of expectations. In addition to “swelling,” OnTarget Partners wishes to “grow,” which we would define as “the generation of new business through new clients/logos.” OnTarget wishes to swell AND to grow. As our recent commendation as one of Dallas’ 100 Fastest Growing Companies (an award given this past November) would suggest, we continue to do both at a remarkable rate.  When we look ahead to 2012, we feel confident that we are heading in a positive direction.

As we continue to swell and grow from a business standpoint, it is imperative that we grow internally as well. OnTarget Partners is currently seeking professionals to join our team and contribute to our success in 2012 and beyond. If you are in the Dallas area and are looking for a “fresh start,” or to expand your professional horizons, we want to meet you. We are currently looking for Opportunity Developers to work within our Demand Generation vertical, helping clients expand their sales pipeline and win new business. Ideal team members possess the following experience and qualities:

-          Goal-oriented individuals with a minimum of 5 years sales/marketing background

-          Professionals who have experience engaging with C-Level executives

-          Self-motivated developers that can help establish and maintain growing, working relationships with new and existing clients

-          Those that can evaluate and identify pipeline potential and can bring winnable business to clients

If you possess these qualities, and are looking for new opportunities/new challenges, we want to hear from you! Please contact Jeff Fischer at (469) 200-4903 or JFischer@ontargetpartners.com. We look forward to growing with you!

-Jeff

OnTarget Partners, as an operating company under Business Solutions Group, LLC holdings company, was honored during the Dallas 100 Event at the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center on November 16, 2011, which announced the 100 fastest growing private businesses in North Texas.

OnTarget Partners Associates

Scott and Laura Bratcher with Sheila Rogers

As you can see from these pictures, we had an enjoyable time celebrating and networking with other ‘movers and shakers’ in DFW.

OnTarget Team

Ed Trachier, CEO of OnTarget Partners, and Chairman of Business Solutions Group, stated “We are proud once again to be recognized by the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University as one of the fastest growing businesses in North Texas.  The credit for this award, and all of the recognition we receive, belongs to the great Associates we work with who believe in the vision of BSG, and produce the results that are valuable for our clients.  I thank them, and accept this award on their behalf.”

OnTarget Partners had a great time supporting the Charity Community Partners of Dallas recently.

Community Partners of Dallas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring safety and restoring dignity and hope to abused and neglected children by providing resources and support to the caseworkers of Dallas County Child Protective Services.

Community Partners of Dallas served more than 16,000 children last year through six unique programs:

• Rainbow Room, an emergency resource center providing critically-needed items for children in the care of CPS
• Kids in Crisis, provides funds for children’s clothing, transportation, therapy, enrichment activities, housing and medical expenses
• Adopt-A-Caseworker, connects individuals and businesses with CPS caseworkers to help them meet the needs of clients
• The Heart Program, an internationally-recognized program that provides therapeutic group treatment to victims of sexual-abuse and their non-offending family members
• Caseworker Appreciation, events that are held to show appreciation and gratitude to caseworkers
• StoryLine, (214) 446-2222, a phone line that children can call 24 hours a day to hear a story

As a result of its broad-based community support, Community Partners of Dallas was named the Outstanding Volunteer Organization of the Year by the Volunteer Center in Dallas. In addition, Governors Bush and Richards appointed two of our founding members to the Board of Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Community Partners of Dallas’ programs have been replicated across the state, and Rainbow Rooms and Adopt-A-Caseworker programs currently exist in more than 135 cities in Texas. For more detail on the children we serve please download our 2010 Fact Sheet.

For more information on how you can help us help the abused and neglected children in Dallas County, please contact us directly at (214) 624-7557, or follow Community Partners of Dallas on Facebook and Twitter!

For more information about child abuse and child abuse prevention, visit the following sites:

• Texas Child Protective Services
• Dallas County Public Defender’s Office CPS FAQ’s
• “It’s Up to You” Child Abuse Prevention Campaign
• “The Little Voice,” Texas Young Lawyer’s Association

To report a suspected case of child abuse, call the Texas Abuse Hotline at (800) 252-5400. The hotline is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Reports can also be made at https://www.txabusehotline.org/.

Here is a pic of some of us sorting and organizing school supplies:

And here is our “Community Involvement Leader”, James Widman:

Thanks, James, for a job well done!

-Ed Trachier

Our second sponsored event is one near and dear to our hearts. It is called Kenna’s Cup. Kenna is a little girl born with a form of craniosynostosis where the metopic suture running from her soft spot down to her nose was abnormally fused shut. Her condition, however, was not immediately recognized at birth. Her parents were assured this condition was not a major issue and would fix itself in a two year timeframe. Many visits to many doctors and her parents’ instinct were unfortunately correct; Kenna had a serious skull deformity. Kenna will endure numerous surgeries and treatments to ensure her brain has room to grow in her skull throughout her lifetime.

Kenna’s Kids is a foundation that provides funding for the hundreds of thousands of dollars incurred when a family has a child with a serious illness. Check out the website and read the heart wrenching stories of all of Kenna’s Kids. Kenna’s Cup is one of their biggest fundraisers and since a fun day of golf and food and drink is provided a great win-win for everyone who participates.

OnTarget Partners will be a sponsor of this benevolent event this year, and we are very proud to say we are involved with Kenna’s Kids. Join us in helping these kids and their families and play a round or two of golf while you are doing so.

Our first event is scheduled for May 4th, 2011. OnTarget Partners will be joining Texas Trees to assist in their goals to “green up” Texas. We are so happy to join forces with Texas Trees – the largest forestry organization the United States. We are pleased to support their efforts in planting three million trees in North Texas in the next ten years. This effort will contribute to the replacing the balance of clean air and natural forestry in the area. We have partnered our efforts with other organizations through the Entrepreneurial Foundation of North Texas and together we will combine the efforts of our companies to expedite the tree planting at Richland College 12800 Abrams Road, Dallas Tx. This event will run from 9am to 12 noon and the entire company will be pitching in! Learn more about this event at: Texas Trees Foundation or Entrepreneurs for North Texas. The company will enjoy lunch afterward before heading back to the office for the afternoon. Stay tuned for pictures!

Working at a company that promotes VTO (Volunteer Time Off) is a real honor. It is a very rewarding experience to be a component of such a good corporate citizen while helping our environment.