The most compelling collateral tells a story, in order to gain your attention and keep you reading. While advertising is meant to stop or jolt you; public relations is designed to create exposure or validate; and interactive is created to speedily communicate the facts or weed out weaker choices; collateral is meant to bring clarity and enhance the sales process. Most, if not all, high end technical, health-related, scientific, financial or engineering product and service clients require a diagram, explanation and description before they agree to speak with a sales person, and after, to remind them of key features and benefits. Collateral also gives substance to a product or service that cannot be seen or felt directly by the buyer, and is used to present “the finalists” to a decision maker or committee.

Great collateral, like great advertising, incorporates both tangible attributes and intangible messages of a company, product, or service, only is presented in a longer message format and acts as a surrogate sales force because of its pass-around value.

Collateral is a joint project between an inside communications or marketing department and an outside marketing firm. This provides both the essential insider insight into the company and it’s strengths and an outsider’s more objective and creative perspective on the market, often enhanced through market research and full branding programs .

FSM Consulting brings special strengths to clients who are looking to tell their stories through collateral. As marketing and sales executives, we embody the skills and talents of both a creative advertising agency and sales consulting firm, so we are able to build effective, engaging collateral that enhances the sales process.

Deliverables can include:

• Company brochures and Annual Reports
• Product brochures
• Technical data sheets
• Direct mail campaigns
• Client success stories
• Trade show materials

Creative Process
Our creative process begins with a series of questions for discussion that may be obtained through market research, if not available internally.

• What key audiences will read, use and pass-on the collateral?
• What are the biggest challenges in effectively communicating the company’s or product’s key benefits?
• How does your sales department use collateral?
• Exactly what does the product do? For whom? Why?
• What are the current and anticipated features of the new product?
• Who are the product’s competitors? How are they similar? How do they differ?
• Will the product be marketed/advertised/used nationally or internationally?
• Who from the company will be involved in the creative portion of the project?
• Who, ultimately, will be making the final selection? How involved in the process will that person be?