SUCCESS STORY - Why companies chose to partner HR Vision
Case Study: Talmundo
Talmundo is a disrupter, pioneer and innovator in the area of People Management tools for Managers
& Employees. Great tools that excite, simplify and get the (people) job done.
Stijn de Groef, CEO, Talmundo
Where do events fit into your overall sales & marketing strategy?
Getting face to face time with senior people is increasingly difficult.
In a year I might be able to get to meet with 100 people. That would be a good result.
At HR Vision I get to meet with 60 / 70 people in just 2 days.
So I can get 8 – 9 months work done in 2 days.
After I came back from my first HR Vision I described it to my team as like a kid being let loose in a Candy Shop.
What results do you get from meeting these people at HR Vision?
Typically it has worked like this
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Of the 60ish people I meet 20 people turn into solid follow ups
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Of those approx 10 do business relatively quickly
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A few more are longer burn – so a couple have taken about a year from when I first met them to become clients
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And some just fizzle out. It’s the nature of the beast
So currently I win about €200K of business as a result of going to an HR Vision event
Is there something about HR Vision particularly that makes it a great event for you?
What is great about HR Vision is two key elements
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HR Vision is in the highest league when it come to bring together people at a senior level
The ‘culture’ of the event makes people really open to making connections, so they actively want to have conversations with us rather
than seeing us as a pushy sponsor that they want to avoid because they don’t want to be sold to
But in the interests of fairness I should point out that HR Vision isn’t the only great event. I also get really good results from Teneo’s HR Corelab,
so if you are looking for an event that will bring you ROI these are the two I’d recommend.
You used to be an HRD before you set up Talmundo. Putting your HRD hat back on, what do you think attracts the HRDs to HR
Vision?
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Firstly there is a large variety of outstanding speakers. HR Vision is done in 4 streams so you have loads of choice and there is always a
really great talk to go to
Secondly HR Vision is in a virtuous circle right now – because it attracts the right seniority of delegate more senior people want to go
there to meet their peers
Thirdly HRDs that I spoke with at HR Vision really appreciated that the event is clearly designed around their needs as a delegate. So
they don’t feel like they are sales fodder for suppliers, instead they feel like the suppliers are chosen to serve their needs as delegates
Do you think that HR Vision will generate the same returns for any Solution Provider?
Maybe, but with important caveats.
You have a group of HRDs at the event who have paid alot of money to come to HR Vision. Their job is to create an outstanding HR function to
support their CEO’s business objectives, and they think that HR Vision is a great place to get ideas and contacts to achieve this. And what that
means is that if you genuinely have something interesting that will help them or their CEO then they are open.
But ….
You need to make sure that
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You have a product or service that is either doing something genuinely innovative, or if not genuinely innovative is delivering
outstanding results
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And most importantly you need to be able to convey this in a few minutes. It is not enough to have a great product / service, you need
to be able to convey this effectively in a short period of time
Our view is that we have the right product at the right price. What HR Vision does is give us the best possible shop window, but the shop window
won’t help if the product, the price and the pitch isn’t right.
My opinion is that many consultants – even ones who do great work – struggle to convey the difference in what they do and the value it brings. If
you can do this HR Vision will work for you, but if you can’t it won’t.
We have technology that people get within 2 minutes, and within 3 minutes people are really excited by. If you have invested in creating
technology that has this impact, then you will absolutely get the same ROI at HR Vision as we do .
You will be like a kid in a Candy shop!
What would you do if you have a great service, but are not sure if you can convey that?
Speak to Nick nick_tyrrell@osneymedia.com
I know from speaking to other solution providers at HR Vision, and I know from the work we have done with Nick ourselves, that one of the big
differences between HR Vision and any other events is the level of service and support you will get to prepare for the event. This is
genuinely outstanding.
First of all he will give you honest feedback as to whether your current description of what you do will come across as just a “me too” product /
service. Be prepared for brutally honest feedback!
Secondly he gives great coaching to help you refine how you describe what you do so that it really grabs the HRDs attention and engages them.
I also trust that if he felt the event wasn’t right for you he’d just tell you not to waste your money.
I also know that there are workshops that consultants can run where they get to display what they do rather than describe it. I can see how this
might work, but I haven’t done one myself so can’t comment on it.
Why have you agreed to do this interview - what’s in it for you?
There is no quid pro quo in terms of reduced price, or extra service. We gain nothing extra from doing this.
I really believe in the event, and I couldn’t ask for better service and support. The team at HR Vision have gone above and beyond to make sure
we get the best possible result, and so this is just my way of saying thank you.
My level of belief in HR Vision is such that I have already booked up for the next 4 events (to the end of 2016).
And what if someone is interested in finding out more about HR Vision, but doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of a typical
pushy sales call?
My experience is that the Osney team are more service focussed than sales focussed. In fact the reason that I have booked the next 4 events is
that they are not pushy enough on sales!
I speak to most of the other suppliers who come along and their experience is the same as mine:
The “sales process” actually just feels like a consultation to work out where your current strengths lie in terms of product and business
development, and then seeing if HR Vision will be able to achieve what you want
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I have no doubt that you would find the process of speaking with them both enjoyable and insightful
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The least you will get from a conversation with them is some more ideas into how you might do things differently, and I haven’t heard
anyone describe them as being remotely pushy
How would you summarise your advice to other people selling HR products & services?
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It is super-hard, and getting harder, to get face time with the people who can buy your product / service
You will have more real opportunities in 2 days at HR Vision more than a person can create in 8 months of full time business
development
You will get the best level of support and service that you could want in turning those opportunities into paying clients
But it isn’t a magic wand – you need to make sure that you have the product, the pitch and the price sorted.
Nick and the team can help with this. But in the end it is down to you. They provide the best shop window, but you need the right
product at the right price
So speak to them to see if it is right for you
If you want to speak to me in person to ask me directly about HR Vision please contact me at s.degroef@talmundo.com
Or perhaps I’ll meet you at the next HR Vision in Amsterdam.
Either way I wish you ever increasing success with your business.
Regards.
Stijn
Stijn de Groef,
CEO, Talmundo