At LSA16, ReachLocal’s Director of Strategic Client Services talked about how the company has transformed their customer approach and how these changes are impacting the company's bottom line. For more on this session visit: http://bit.ly/1YtsD5F

1. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
Presented by
Katrina Witherspoon
Director, Strategic Client
Services

2. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
Industry Situation
According to historical data, anecdotal
information and collected industry wisdom,
there are many different causes of churn.
Some are outside [of our] control … including
the end of a seasonal campaign or SMB
business failures. Others, such as advertiser
expectations of ROI, exist in an ambiguous
zone where the service provider has some
control. Still other factors, such as the
availability and quality of client experience,
may be entirely within the marketing provider’s
control.
Sources of SMB Advertiser
dissatisfaction
60%
55%
45%
30%
25%
Poor program
results
Poor service levels
from providers
Price is to high for
the
products/services
Too many errors
made
Other
SOURCE: SMB ADVERTISER CHURN: NEW DATA FOR AN OLD INDUSTRY PROBLEM
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3. Copyright 2015 ReachLocal, Inc.4
2014 was a
challenging year
for ReachLocal ● Shifted from
relationship oriented
culture to transactional
sales model
● Client and employee
retention suffered
● Bottom Line: We lost
touch with our clients

4. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
Introduced a full service model
Combined people and systems to deliver goal-driven ROI
Marketing Expert (ME)
Client consultant,
transactional relationship
owner and technical
marketing expert
2014 Media Delivery Model
Account Executive
Relationship management
to cross-sell & upsell
2015 Client-centric Model
Digital Marketing
Consultant (DMC)
New client acquisition and
relationship management
to cross-sell, upsell and
generate referrals
Sales Executive
New client acquisition
Campaign Professional
Campaign management
to support campaign
performance

5. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
How did we improve retention?
Culture of Ownership
Own the client at every stage. Tore down
internal silos between sales, service
and product
Trusted Partner
Focused the team on understanding the
client's business and tying results to
customized goals for each client

6. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
How did we improve retention?
Hiring the Right Team
Shifted hiring focus from technical capabilities
to experienced client managers who care
Training Staff and Ongoing Education
and Coaching
Now invest 3+ months training upfront and
added QA and ongoing coaching programs
Pay for Performance
Created a strong variable incentive and
tied it to client satisfaction and retention

7. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
How did we improve retention?
Client Touch Points and System Improvements
Inserted effective proactive touch points with clients
Invested in systems and tools to make it easier to
manage clients and campaigns
Simplified Client Accessibility
Multi-point client accessibility via chat, email, phone
Made it easy for clients to connect with us
Systematic Ongoing Feedback from Client
Ongoing feedback from clients tied to actionable follow
through and improvements

8. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
Sales Channel
Marketing Expert
● Edge Analyst
● SEO Analyst
● Digital
Marketing
Manager
Marketing
Experts
Tiered service
experience based
on spend
Service
Operations

9. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
Case Study
The Situation
● Community College
spending $5k in search and
display
● On and off client since 2012
● Client was unhappy with
service
The Solution: Marketing Experts
Service Model
Client now benefits from a single
point of contact, available by
phone to respond to questions and
provide a high level of technical
knowledge on their campaign
performance
The Results
● The client increased
budgets with ReachLocal
● Client doubled their
monthly spend
● Client also places flighted
campaigns during peak
fall and spring enrollment
periods
I had been disappointed with the lack of customer service and feedback on my
campaigns. I was considering discontinuing this marketing service for the coming
year. Dan Almeida impressed me greatly. He’s demonstrated exceeding courtesy
and attentiveness in answering my questions, really understanding my questions
too, and demonstrating thorough knowledge of the services. I was really impressed
and regained much confidence. - Happy Client
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10. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
The Accolades
In 2015, ReachLocal won
several awards
• Received several Google Awards worldwide
• Recognized by the American Business Awards with a
People’s Choice Stevie Award for our business
products and customer service
• Awarded Confirmit Achievement in Customer
Excellence Award for our superior client experience
Client transaction survey score - 2015

11. Copyright 2016 ReachLocal, Inc.
Making sure we don’t take
our foot off the accelerator…