The perfect pitch: MakerLab and MIX join forces for Viaconnect

As a consultancy firm for tech companies, Viaconnect specializes in services. But introducing a new physical product to the market? And an innovative, never-before-seen game-changing product, no less? That's a different ball game. It requires a solid business plan with an appealing layer of storytelling wrapped around it.

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It became a one-two punch within MakerStreet: Business Designer David Lijnse of MakerLab took on the business validation process and Mark Schoones, Managing Partner and founder of marketing agency MIX, handled the glossy sales sauce.

How does such a collaboration work?

Mark: "The metaphor we often use is that you need two things to make a business run well: a well-arranged shop and a good shop window so that people walk into that shop.

David: "Good one, Mark. Indeed, MakerLab manages the shop. That there are products in it that people are eagerly waiting for. That the type of customer that needs to be attracted is clear. That the employees in the shop understand what they are selling.'

Mark: 'What MIX excels at is finding a core within those products and that brand. Then, representing that core in the shop window, whether in the form of a sales story or a campaign.'

Without the two, the business doesn't work.

Mark: "Without a nice window display, nobody walks into the store. Or you can have a great window display, but if the store is a mess, everyone runs away screaming. Or the wrong people come in.'

How did your collaboration come about?

David: "MakerLab and MIX are both part of Makerstreet, a network of creative agencies. We all specialize in a different field and know how to find each other when a different expertise is needed. We reinforce each other.'

Mark: 'Super advantageous for a brand like Viaconnect, because they can optimize their entire store in one go through us. You actually get two parties, each with their own specialty, helping the customer within the same process and looking along with each other.'

Okay, and then the customer: Viaconnect.

David: 'Viaconnect is a Rotterdam-based consulting group that provides experts in fields such as data science and engineering, among others. Two years ago they started building a solution to a problem they identified at data centers.'

And that's Coolgradient?

David: "Yes. Coolgradient focuses on making the energy management of data centers more efficient through artificial intelligence. It delivers up to 20 to 30% savings - that's huge in this business.'

Sounds like a gamechanger.

David: "That's right. They also already had a launching customer: one of the largest real estate owners of data centers in the Netherlands, in the world actually. In those data centers they were allowed to experiment with the platform.'

Why did they need you?

David: "The product was set up by a an organisation that is very strong technically and in terms of knowledge, but not so strong in terms of marketing.

Mark: "They are skilled people who have a very comprehensive understanding of their product. Therefore, they are inclined to want to communicate fully. They want to tell every inch of such a product. However, in marketing a product, you have only a small window to tell your story.'

How did you know what they needed?

David: "MakerLab establishes the strategic accountability for the product. How do you position Coolgradient in the data center market and in relation to competitors? Who is the target audience? What are their unique selling points (USPs)?'

Mark: "The next step is where MIX comes in. We listen to the business validation process and see what customers have said. For example, what problem does it solve? Our creatives and strategists can then very effectively indicate: "Okay, there. That's where the story is. This is what it is. That's what you should focus on."'

David: "In the case of Viaconnect, there was a big discrepancy between who the Coolgradient team was and what the brand needed to convey.

What was the difference?

Mark: "It's a team of creative, adventurous, risk-seeking creators and techies.

David: "But then when you apply an analysis to their customers, they are the opposite. If there's one thing a data center manager doesn't want, it's risk. And change or uncertainty.'

How do you deal with that?

Mark: 'We show that there are certain values that characterize the Coolgradient team and certain values that the brand wants to portray. The two don't have to be the same.'

David: "During workshops, we dig into what the team cares about and what we can incorporate from that passion into the brand.

Mark: "Viaconnect must facilitate both. The Coolgradient office should be a place where they can be creatively engaged. However, this should not reflect on the product or brand itself..'

When do you pass the baton to each other?

David: 'Mix was present during all the sessions we organized. Purely to listen and see where focal points are and where the pain is.'

Mark: "In turn, David was with us like a sort of canary in the coal mine. Because the moment you open all the creative shutters for a campaign, there's a danger that you'll drift away from the business objectives. That's when he said, "Guys, do we still remember from the validation process that these and these things occur?"'

And then there is one end result.

Mark: "We created a very complete sales deck with concrete marketing statements and visuals that Viaconnect could use to go directly to customers.

David: 'MakerLab tests such a sales deck with customers and relations, making everything even sharper.'

Mark: "So it's not the case that we throw a story down from Mount Olympus and say, "This is it, good luck." Everything is discussed.

David: "That's how you develop a solid plan that resonates with the customers you want to reach. At Viaconnect, this immediately yielded some great leads. And that's what you do it for.'

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