Case Study

KGS-Alpha Capital Markets Learns: Messaging Starts at the Top

Agency CMOs.  Callable and bullet agency debt. Non-agency RMBS. A complex product mix, yes? It is. And they are the foundation products offered through KGS-Alpha Capital Markets.  Spearheaded by Dan Goldman, Levent Kahraman and their partner, KGS is a relatively new company yet with many years of combined experience in asset backed securities.  They have created a strong team charged with explaining these products while acting as trusted advisers to create long term revenue streams for KGS.

The situation:

Goldman’s challenge was building a sales team that could deliver the company’s complex value proposition in much the same way he did.  Then he realized…he needed help refining his own presentation before rolling it out to the team.

Steve’s assessment:

“Dan had everything he needed in his presentation, but the order was confusing.  It lacked a linear path that gave the audience an easy way of understanding why KGS was formed in the first place.  I could see they had a great value story to tell and I felt they owed it to their customers to tell it in an understandable way, allowing for a sense of confidence in their purchase decision.”

Process:

Goldman contracted with Steve for executive development training at the time the company was forming.  Together, they created strong, clear messaging with a focus on making it easily repeated by different associates.  From the start, Goldman knew he had made the right choice.  “Steve had the ability right off the bat to understand our business quickly and then help me package our products effectively so our sales team would feel confident selling them.  He is a very quick study.”

Results:

Steve then worked with the KGS sales team, training them on how to effectively prepare for meetings, how to assess client needs through intelligent questioning and delivering solutions that set them apart from their competition.  “Several were skeptical about Steve at first but within 20 minutes, he had them converted!  His command of the room, knowledge of our business and effective techniques won them over.  They trusted him from then on.”

Goldman says the results were immediate and that within a month, several on his team were creating new results.  “We knew his work would have an impact, but we didn’t think it would be that quick.  That really is the value of working with Steve, he gets people to put things into action that get results. We look forward to continuing our work with him.”

Steve’s View:

“KGS is on a very clear path.  The team is listening first, which Levant has coined ‘trapping the fit.”  Then they assess the client’s needs and possible objections, after which they create tailored solutions that make it clear KGS is a valued advisor.  The company has taken the systems I helped them create and owned them.  They feel invested in how we arrived at the new processes and have put them into practice, creating positive, measurable results.”

ALSO SEE:
Return on Executive Investment
Accelerated and Anchored Change
Increased confidence and peace of mind