Sawtooth Software
Background
Originally founded in the Sawtooth Mountain Range near Sun Valley, Idaho, in 1983, Sawtooth Software started as a computer interviewing software before shifting to web-based surveys in the early 2000s. The company currently provides online surveys that mimic shopping experiences by asking respondents to choose among varying products described by features and price to help determine what drives buyer choices.
Challenge
Justin Luster, Sawtooth Software’s SVP of product and marketing, joined the company in 2000 with a background in computer science. Over his 24 years at the company, Justin transitioned from product management to overseeing marketing. Despite the company’s long history and expertise in software development, Sawtooth Software lacked a strong marketing presence, which became a challenge when Justin was asked to lead marketing efforts.
As the only “marketer” on the team, Justin needed guidance and expert advice to help get Sawtooth Software’s marketing efforts off the ground. “Even though we have been in business for a long time, we were a bunch of nerds running a business and lacked the sales and marketing expertise,” he says. Justin knew that he needed support to build a solid marketing foundation—however, given Sawtooth Software’s limited resources, hiring a full-time marketing professional was not an immediate option.
Engaging with Amplēo
Justin reached out to Amplēo for fractional marketing support after being recommended by multiple colleagues. While Justin remained in charge of the marketing efforts, Amplēo’s CMO helped analyze existing efforts like blogs and webinars and created a system for growing those programs.
Amplēo also helped Justin set up critical marketing channels, define strategies, and identify key campaigns that could drive results, such as events and building case studies. By fostering collaboration between marketing and sales, Amplēo improved communication, reporting, and results. Justin says, “The biggest benefit I saw from working with Amplēo is that I could spend time with and get advice from someone who has a lot of experience. Something we didn’t have previously.”
Results
After a year of laying the groundwork and building the initial marketing strategies, Sawtooth Software began to grow and needed a full-time marketing hire. Amplēo’s CMO leveraged her network to recommend a strong candidate for the position.
Justin reflects positively on the transition: “Amplēo helped us get on our feet and get to the next step, and when Amplēo recognized that we needed a full-time person, our CMO was supportive of that and helped us grow to the point where we no longer needed Amplēo’s services.”
Amplēo’s guidance and flexibility allowed Sawtooth Software to seamlessly transition from relying on Amplēo to having a dedicated, in-house marketing resource.
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