Virtual Company Achievers Real Success MarketSmartz develops proprietary products to help businesses succeed.
By Linda Cruse
As a youngster growing up in Wichita, Elizabeth Allen got her first job working at a plant store at the tender age of 10. Her responsibilities included sweeping the floor, and arranging and watering plants.
Her first boss, Sandy Licata, went on to become a successful entrepreneur who now serves as executive director of the Kansas Women’s Business Center.
Allen followed in her footsteps and launched a business at age 25. Called Awesome Advertising and Marketing, the Kansas City-based business served well-known clients such as the PB&J Restaurant Group, Matchmaker Worldwide Networks and the Veterinary Publishing Group.
Allen, 35, quickly evolved into a marketing strategist, and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, InfoWorld and a PBS television special. She has worked with companies ranging from $5 million to $150 million in annual revenue.
With 15 years of experience representing companies from more than 46 different industries, Allen now has embarked on a new business quest. She has renamed her company MarketSmartz Inc., repositioned it in the marketplace, and is preparing to unveil a trademarked and proprietary product called CODE.
Allen is doing what she has advised companies to do for a decade: understand your core competency and work to develop it.
“Only by focusing your talents will you achieve your full potential for success,” she said.
Although she’s competing with numerous other business consultants, her business management experience provides her with unique insight for a business consultant.
“What sets me apart from other consultants is that I think like a business owner,” she said. “I understand what it means to actually implement a strategy.”
Awesome Beginnings Born in Oklahoma City, Allen spent her childhood in Wichita before moving to Maine with her family. She returned to the Midwest to attend the University of Kansas.
“I obtained a political science degree,” she said. “Although some people have questioned what that has to do with advertising and marketing, I’ve found it to be quite useful.”
After working for a small advertising agency and observing what happens to a start-up company without a good business plan, Allen decided to start her own advertising business.
Allen, who is six feet two-and-a-half inches tall, said people often found her presence commanding.
“It’s one contributing factor to why the company was named Awesome Advertising. The most important factor, though, is that I wanted a memorable company name that had a promise associated with it,” she said.
Initially a copywriter, Allen decided to use her strategic planning skills and creative talents to pitch a creative advertising solution to a $50 million life insurance company. She landed the account and was soon in demand.
“I came up with a plan to rebrand their company and its products,” she said. “It worked and I was soon deluged with work.”
Fast Track Once Awesome Advertising was well on its way, Allen attended the Kauffman Foundation’s FastTrac II class. Her mentor, Ted Rice, founder of T.J. Cinnamon’s, proved invaluable in shaping her business approach.
“He taught me to think in terms of creating a business based on processes that could be reproduced or franchised,” she said. “That, combined with concepts from Michael Gerber’s book ’E-Myth for Entrepreneurs,’ made me realize that businesses must be defined by processes to be truly successful.”
Embracing processes as a point of differentiation was a novel idea for the advertising industry, she said.
“Advertising is mostly voodoo—creative ideas thrown about by creative people,” she said. “The idea of establishing measurable and highly scalable processes was dynamic and a departure from the norm.”
Allen realized that all business—particularly mid-market companies facing the challenges of commoditization, market penetration and erosion of the customer base—could benefit from this type of strategic thinking and methodology.
New Direction That knowledge, combined with technological advancements and the dawning of the new economy, led Allen to shift her focus. In 2000, she renamed her company MarketSmartz, Inc., and introduced a proprietary planning process that provides companies with a real-time look at their markets in light of their business model.
“It’s called the MarketSmartz Methodology,” she said. “It essentially allows me to get inside an entrepreneur’s head, understand his or her assumptions about the marketplace, validate those assumptions, then come up with strategic recommendations designed to get results.”
The outcome of this investigative process leverages clearly defined strategic direction with quantifiable market opportunity for companies.
Companies implementing the system are witnessing the results first-hand. The Meyer Brothers Building Company, a $25 million construction company based in Blue Springs, Mo., is working with Allen to develop a reliable source for new customer leads.
“Meyer Brothers had no formal sales process for customer acquisition and management,” Allen said. “Our core challenge was to identify new prospects and design tools and procedures to speed response to market opportunity while synchronizing customer information management across multiple divisions.”
After research and phone interviews with prospective customers and others, Allen developed an integrated sales and marketing campaign aligned with the company’s target audiences, including realtors, developers, architects, core customers and prospects.
“We had a sporadic approach to marketing prior to contacting Elizabeth,” said Jon England, Meyer Brothers Marketing and Development. “We’re now confident in having a road map in place that will help us achieve our marketing goals.”
Know the CODE Allen’s experience with MarketSmartz Methodology has led her to launch another proprietary product, CODE. The trademarked name stands for Communication, Organization, Documentation and Evaluation.
“CODE is the DNA for high growth,” said Allen. “I believe it will revolutionize companies’ abilities for success. Although it will be initially targeted at mid-market businesses, my goal is to eventually offer it to start-up entrepreneurial ventures as it is critical that they think in terms of scalable processes from day one.”
Allen said businesses that think in terms of the CODE philosophy will have employees who understand the importance of their role in contributing to their company’s bottom line.
“This scalable training system and reference tool gives companies unparalleled opportunity for growth, helping them with the tough task of benchmarking and managing daily employee performance,” she said. Virtual Team In her first business, Allen employed a staff to assist her with the business. In her new business, Allen has developed a virtual team approach.
“I’ve hand-selected experts to supplement my skill set,” she said. “This senior level, contractual talent team is necessary to implement successful creative solutions for clients.”
Members of the virtual team include Jerry Weinstock, president of iBizinitiatives, who assists with strategic e-marketing plans; Jim Williams, a financial consultant who provides operational expertise; and Paul Welsh, a writer and strategic marketing consultant.
Welsh’s association with Allen began five years ago when he provided copywriting services to Awesome Advertising.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Elizabeth and her work,” said Welsh. “The really great thing about her is her passion for her work. It’s very important to her to do a good job for her clients. She takes their results personally and will do everything in her power to satisfy them. Achieving their goals becomes her ultimate goal.” Linda Cruse is managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly.
Entrepreneur: Elizabeth Allen
Company Name:
MarketSmartz, Inc. 9229 Belinder Leawood, KS 66206 (816) 753-7560 www.marketsmartz.com
Type of Business: Business consultant
Year Founded: 1994 Number of Employees: 1 plus a virtual team
Keys to Success:
“Focus on what you do well. Understand your core competency. Then work to develop it.” - Elizabeth Allen
