Case Studies

Tango is proud of the work we have done with our clients. Below are a number of case studies demonstrating the depth of our services and the caliber of work we bring to our partnerships.

Challenge
A national pharmaceutical company seeking to reduce the number of promotional product vendors issued a Request for Proposal. To maintain the current business with this client and to open new avenues, VATEX needed a strong showing in this RFP.

The RFP consisted of:

• Thorough listing of questions regarding VATEX’s capabilities
• Market basket of items to price
• Request for a multi-faceted communications plan utilizing promotional product to drive usage of a vaccine. The product need to:
  • deliver collateral information
  • communicate benefits of a new medicine
  • be functional within the recipient’s work environment

VATEX hired Tango to work with their team on all elements of the RFP.

• Draft responses to questions
• Concept product ideas for the communications plan
• Assist in creating content for presentation
• Develop a market basket strategy that transitioned previous pricing while staying competitive in the RFP

Solution
Tango partnered with VATEX throughout the process.

As with all RFPs, Tango began with research. Because of the uncommon request for a communication plan, additional effort was required to understand the vaccine product, target audience, and competing products. To meet this demand, Tango conducted a focus group of the appropriate medical professionals.

Tango used the insight from the focus group to craft responses that spoke to the pharmaceutical program requirements. The focus group discussions also drove the product chosen for the communication plan.

Once VATEX made it past the first round of the RFP and was invited to present to the pharmaceutical company, Tango provided a presentation outline that incorporated product concepts and marketing ideas.

Result
Success! VATEX maintained their existing business, was accepted as a preferred supplier, and landed the additional program.

Merchandising

Client              All Points
Project           Merchandising an Online Store

Challenge
All Points, a marketing services company, won an RFP for a retail online store.  Geared toward a retail audience, the merchandise elements, including product selection, price point assortment, and inventory management were particularly important.  All Points engaged Tango Partners to meet the demanding merchandising needs of a client accustomed to choice, retail pricing / promotions, and on-demand delivery. 

Solution
Tango became an integral partner of All Points, working as part of a multi-disciplinary team comprised of store technology, marketing, fulfillment and distribution.  In this capacity, Tango participated in client meetings as the subject matter expert on merchandising.  Involved from the initial kick-off meeting through store launch, Tango performed the following activities on behalf of All Points:  

• Developed a compelling merchandise mix across all product categories and price points
• Set-up new suppliers in the accounting and ordering system
• Obtained samples from the suppliers and coordinated client approvals for the logo, actual product, and decoration method and placement
• Negotiated contract pricing
• Wrote retail appropriate copy for all product descriptions
• Communicated product specifics (name, description, pricing, decoration, inventory, store categorization, etc.) directly with the technology vendor
• Interfaced with warehouse regarding incoming product set-up
• Dealt directly with large licensed retail suppliers
• Forecasted sales and established initial quantity buys
• Managed the PO process for all incoming inventory
• Originated a product stock management system with approval levels and re-order points

Result
The team worked with tight time restrictions and multiple stakeholders to launch the online store in time for the holiday shopping season.  In the first six weeks, over 90% of the inventory “turned” or re-ordered, to re-stock inventory.  The attractive product mix was in-tune with the target audience and sales exceeded expectations by 50%. 

To maintain a smoothly operating store with exciting product offerings, All Points retained Tango for ongoing store maintenance, inventory management, and quarterly product refreshes. 

Challenge
The owner/president of Accolades, Inc. recognized that she spent too much time and energy involved in daily back-office activities.  She knew that to increase her sales with existing clients and to prospect properly, she needed more time available for active selling. 

Accolades, Inc. retained Tango Partners to perform an Operations Audit.  The goals:

1. Examine how work flowed through the Accolades’ system

• Order processing
• Invoice processing
• Accounts payable and receivable

2. Assess back-office personnel duties and performance
3. Identify areas for operational streamlining
4. Create an action plan that would achieve efficiencies in office operations and reduce the time the presidents spent on non-selling activities

Above all, the resulting recommendations needed to support the high level of service that forms the core of Accolades’ Inc. reputation. 

Solution
The audit began with an internal examination of existing processes and procedures.  Tango then interviewed the current associates to understand strengths and “best fit” within the organization.  

Tango’s audit identified three key actions that would streamline operations and reduce the amount of time that the president spent involved in operations.  These actions were the foundation of the Action Plan. 

• Internal work responsibilities needed to be redistributed
• Additional skill sets and personnel were needed to support operations (billing, collections, accounts payable)
• New processes and procedures needed to be implemented for accounts receivable and payable

Tango performed multiple activities in support of the Action Plan

• Revised the workflow through billing, accounts receivable, and account payables
• Developed new policies and procedures in support of the new processes
• Wrote new job descriptions for operational personnel to align with the revised workflow processes
• Conducted preliminary interviews to identify best candidates for newly created positions
• Trained new and retained staff on the revised policies and procedures
• Developed training manual for continuing education and new hires

Result
Accolades, Inc. experienced an immediate surge from a revitalized staff and the new hires.  With an efficient back office, Accolades Inc. moved more orders through the system and required 15% less of the president’s time.  Within six months of the internal reorganization, Accolades Inc. surpassed the current year budgeted revenue by 18%. 

Challenge
SWJ was invited to participate in an RFP by a company they had not done business with previously.  The RFP was from a major manufacturing company who wanted to consolidate their promotional product spend with a new and technologically advanced online store. 

Solution
In order to make the best possible showing in the RFP, SWJ utilized multiple articles from www.distributorsource.net.  Throughout the process, SWJ applied the site information and used the associated tools to create a strong RFP response document, develop a unique presentation, establish market basket prices, and negotiate the terms of the contract.

Phase I—Request for Proposal
Prior to drafting any answers, SWJ read the DistributorSource article, Responding to RFPs.  In it, they found strategies and tips for answering unclear questions, positioning their unique solutions, and standing out from the crowd of responders. 

When they were ready to start crafting the answers, SWJ incorporated policy and marketing material from the site to support their business processes.  They used diagrams and flow charts from multiple articles to visually demonstrate how they:

• Manage Drop Ship Orders
• Process Online Orders
• Utilize their showroom

Phase II—Market Basket
While this part of any RFP is stressful, SWJ relied on the Cost Model article from DistributorSource.  Here they found a detailed list of cost elements to include in the product pricing. 

They also used tips and advice from the article and included pricing assumptions and formulas in the response.  Now SWJ could be assured that the reviewers would fully understand their pricing.  This is critical so reviewers know if they are comparing “apples-to-apples” when evaluating pricing proposals.

Phase III—Presentation
After making the cut to reach the final round of this RFP, SWJ again turned to DistributorSource.   The section on Corporate Positioning was instrumental for SWJ to identify their key strengths and differentiators from the competition. 

Then, the content and step-by-step descriptions from the Program Development article became the backbone of SWJ’s presentation.  They led the client through the details of how an online store was set-up, maintained, and marketed to the end-users. 

Phase IV—Contract Negotiation
Having come this far, SWJ wanted to detail a fair and profitable agreement between the two parties.  The contract and agreement section guided SWJ in drafting terms for length and terms of the contract, inventory ownership and management, and program liability. 

Result
SWJ won the business!  Like all RFPs, the process took weeks to complete.  By using the industry-specific information on DistributorSource, SWJ was able to respond quickly and develop a relationship with the client that was based on the company’s commitment to service and quality.