Citrix A focus on business benefits rather than technical features scooped €18m pipeline for Citrix

Personalized communications and high-end telemarketing, with the close involvement of the Citrix sales team, convinced prospects in Germany to switch to a new SD-WAN provider

€18m

sales pipeline generated

150%

pipeline target achieved

Analysis revealed that Citrix’s competitors relied on generic technical arguments to sell their SD-WAN propositions.

We designed a demand generation program that outlined potential business benefits through compelling case studies and ‘challenger sale’ personalized savings calculations.

The challenge

Citrix needed a way to stand out in a crowded SD-WAN market and generate meetings with senior IT buyers in Germany.

Double-opt-in email regulations in the region restricted available communication channels.

The strategy

Prospects were selected in collaboration with the sales team.

A first wave of direct mails showcased the power of Citrix’s offering through a case study of the Danish Fisheries Agency, which deploys SD-WAN on 20 ships in the North Sea.

The second wave demonstrated the number of working hours an employer could save by using Citrix SD-WAN, and the resulting increase in employee productivity.

The figure was personalized for each account, based on their industry, number of employees and known downtime. The inside sales team, working closely with Citrix sales, followed up on the direct mail campaign to set meetings.

The results

The pipeline objective was €12m but the final result achieved was €18m.

The second wave performed so well that the CIO of a large automotive supplier proactively sought a meeting with Citrix about SD-WAN.

Key deliverables

  • Competitor analysis

    Audit of SD-WAN vendor marketing and messaging to inform Citrix marketing strategy.

  • Direct mail campaign

    Design and deployment of two direct mail assets, including ‘challenger’ cost-saving and productivity calculations.

  • Outbound calling

    Inside sales outreach into German target accounts, following up direct mails, to set meetings for the Citrix sales team.

This integrated demand generation campaign has been considered a great success across the board and has given TMP plenty of advocates within Citrix across the EMEA region.

Mathias Büttner
Marketing Director, Citrix