Challenge

Axioma entered the portfolio optimization category with a truly superior product. The founders of Axioma were able to provide portfolio managers with software that optimized their investment portfolios faster, more accurately, and to reflect their own investment strategy. Axioma's optimizer superiority revolved around the better, more robust math its creators used to build it.

Axioma went to market promoting the product's superior mathematical foundation. But sales were slow, and the optimizer simply was not being embraced by Portfolio Managers.

Our challenge was twofold: first, to identify how to best communicate Axioma's superiority to Portfolio Managers in a way that generated sales, and second, to help overcome this target group's resistance to changing from their current optimizer. They were afraid what might happen if they changed.

Our research directly with Portfolio Managers quickly and clearly identified that they really didn't care about the superior math Axioma used. They only cared about the results. Axioma's portfolio optimizer gave them the most flexibility, allowing them to get a portfolio optimized to THEIR standards, not those imposed by less flexible optimizers. And that meant superior results for their portfolios, more profit.

To make it quick, painless and totally risk-free for them to change, we packaged all the support Axioma was already providing clients, but not taking credit for, and sub-branded it as the Axioma Quick-Switch™ Trial. Axioma experts made the switch for them and trained them, totally removing the fear of change.

Results

Even before beginning advertising, Axioma's sales force just start talking about the new "flexibility" positioning. Meetings started happening where they hadn't before, and sales were being made. The Axioma Quick-Switch™ Trial program clearly made Portfolio Managers comfortable with switching as well.

We rebuilt the Axioma website and launched brand advertising fully behind the position "Flexible is Better," with the Quick-Start™ Trial reassurance. Sales have continued to grow quarter to quarter over the past two years, and the most recent quarter of 2009 has been Axioma's most successful sales period in the company's history.

For further information contact:

Paul Blakely
212-243-2022 Ext. 302

paul@thejamesgroup.com