Being alert to rumbles and storms on the business landscape – and having the vision to navigate a new direction – have put Astonish Results on solid ground – so solid that the Warwick-based company tops Providence Business News’ 2010 list of fastest-growing private companies for the second consecutive year.
The digital-marketing company launched in 2006 with four employees and one major liability – the company targeted its digital-marketing services to the mortgage industry.
Considering the mortgage fiasco of the past few years, Astonish Results had to quickly change direction to survive. It’s not only done that, it’s prospering.
The company had revenue of $555,000 in 2007. That jumped to $3.3 million in 2008 and $12.1 million in 2009.
“We’re projecting revenue of $16 to $18 million in 2010,” President Tim Sawyer said. “We have 75 employees and expect to add about 15 more by the end of this year.”
Sawyer and the company’s other executives – Chief Operating Officer John Boudreau and Chief Executive Officer Adam DeGraide – had solid business experience, technology expertise and the drive to kick Astonish Results immediately into high gear.
“We have a business model that can work in any industry,” said President Tim Sawyer. “Find. Sell. Keep.”
That means finding customers and increasing the quality and quantity of traffic to the business. Then selling products and services and keeping clients for life.
Astonish Results developed the elements: Websites that draw traffic by optimizing for search engines; audio and video elements on the website; an accessible online form for contact information; training business employees to respond quickly and substantially to potential customers; use of social media, including Facebook, Twitter and blogs.
Despite the combined business acumen and experience of the company’s leaders, it wasn’t a straight road. The company found its direction in late 2007 by way of an eventual client named Paul Murphy from Malden, Mass.
Insurance regulations were about to change in Massachusetts and Murphy was trying to figure out how his Paul T. Murphy Insurance Agency was going to stay afloat in the impending competitive environment.
“Until April 2008, we had noncompetitive pricing in Massachusetts, so 12 insurance companies would give you the same price,” Murphy said. “But once things changed, with big companies coming in, the small businesses were expected to take a big hit.”
Murphy started his business from scratch and after 23 years of hard work, he had seven employees servicing 5,000 insurance policies.
Murphy depended on traditional media, including the Yellow Pages, newspapers, sponsoring youth hockey teams, networking and word of mouth from satisfied customers.
As major changes loomed and Murphy wondered if he would lose his hard-won clients, his competitive juices began to flow.
“I figured I had three choices,” Murphy said. “Hide in the corner and take whatever lumps hit with the new state regulations. Buy, sell or merge – and retire. Or come out swinging.”
Murphy isn’t the kind who gives up.
“I think most small-business people have a tendency to come out fighting,” Murphy said.
By coincidence, he had checked mortgage information online. He started getting e-mails from mortgage companies. One day he was talking to an acquaintance in the mortgage business.
“How are they getting my e-mail address?” Murphy asked.
It happened that the man was using Astonish Results and Murphy became curious about online leads. Murphy began to wonder if he could get potential insurance clients that way.
Murphy came to Rhode Island to find out what Astonish Results was about and met informally with Sawyer.
“Tim asked me about how I did business,” Murphy said. “I was a little embarrassed because besides traditional media, I didn’t have a marketing plan.”
Sawyer and his business partners reviewed Murphy’s business history and his concerns about the future of the insurance business.
Astonish Results began to get a view of a new direction.
“As we looked at the insurance industry, we saw a high need for contemporary marketing and sales methods,” Sawyer said.
Murphy became the first insurance customer for Astonish Results.
“They didn’t push,” Murphy said. “The mortgage industry was fading, and they had to take their entire business plan and retool for insurance. I provided the data and had to make a commitment of time, money and energy.”
The direction became obvious for Murphy and Astonish Results.
“I was just hoping not to lose business and I grew,” Murphy said. His website created by Astonish went online in April 2008.
“I’ve added four employees since then and added 1,500 policies,” Murphy said.
It’s not a marketing method that allows coasting.
“You’ve gotta work it. You have to make it a part of your business every day,” Murphy said.
His insurance agency gets 150 to 200 leads a month from the digital marketing. The company added a dedicated, toll-free phone line.
“When we get a lead through the website or through e-mail or Facebook, we treat it just like a person walking in the door,” Murphy said. “We call them right away.”
For Astonish Results, Murphy’s increasing business was the light in the tunnel.
“Our focus became helping independent insurance agents,” Astonish’s John Boudreau said.
The mainstay of Astonish’s model is what Boudreau called “a virtual insurance office.”
“We build a website for them,” Boudreau said. “We have management tools to drive people to the site and handle leads. We record calls that come in and hear how employees are responding. We change the way they do business. “
That’s where Astonish’s Kelly Donahue comes in. She picked her own title – vice president of raving fan management. In other business climates, that would be marketing or customer service manager.
“My job is to make our clients raving fans of their own company and of Astonish,” Donahue said.
Donahue and her team of 12 people train clients in Rhode Island and at Astonish’s second office in Orlando.
“My team is trained not to believe that the customer is always right,” Donahue said. “We have to do what’s in the customer’s best interest, and help them focus on their most important goals.”
Sawyer said Astonish has found top-quality employees in Rhode Island, including Web developers and designers. The results are so good, Astonish has 300 clients nationwide and is planning to open a third office soon in Southern California. n
