Statement Toni Fitzgerald

One of our company principals, Toni Fitzgerald B.Bus AJA AFMAA is considered an expert in the rapidly evolving fields of customer-focused strategy, customer relationships and increasing demand chain, managing CRM and ROI, and customer equity building. Toni has been a value creator not just for this business, but for our many clients and associates.

If a company wants to build long-term relationships with customers that will generate higher margins, increased customer loyalty and greater customer satisfaction, Australia's best-selling author on 1to1 marketing, and customer business visionary Toni Fitzgerald, can explain how to get the job done - clearly, concisely and without ambiguity. Toni has regularly been invited to deliver keynote addresses, workshops and consulting projects for clients in five states.

Karen Derne of the Australian Newspaper, in her July 2001 article "The Future Stars of the Future Economy" named Toni Fitzgerald because of her "amazing ability to think customer forward and company back, she is one of the few Australian marketers to fully understand the concept of 1to1 marketing and realise that because of the internet it is now the customers who have the power."

Toni Fitzgerald says she believes that marketing is the last major business process to be reinvented! Toni's strengths have always been in the arena of B2C where she has always been able to offer her clients unique insights into dealing with their customers.

'One to One' and 'Customer Relationship Management' have become the most misused mantras within the marketing community.

The CRM acronym would be more accurately translated as customer relationship mismanagement…as very little of it is handled properly.

First the software manufacturers hijacked CRM to sell their technology to unsuspecting companies that knew they needed to, but had no idea how to use the vast array of data the systems spew out.

A greater understanding by companies that customers mean revenue has resulted in multimillion dollar investments in CRM technology But now there is a growing realisation that many programs have failed or are failing.

This is due to three key aspects: the CRM function is housed in the IT department as opposed to marketing where it belongs, they have no idea what now to do with all this valuable data resource they are collecting about their customers, and thirdly, companies are neglecting the fundamental tenets of good customer service. But we take almost a 180 degree view of these three things, we work with clients to ensure their attitudes, actions and reactions are instrumental in changing these functions.

Technology, and those who create it, no matter what their background, are only part of the answer - not the only answer.

We are fervent advocates of 'promoting to a marketing of one' and we use, not exclusively but as our primary tools, the technology of the web, email and the internet. We believe this will bring success when CRM is used effectively and when companies are given the tools and the education over the long term to create true 'Customer Managed Relationships'.

Companies that place themselves well in the eyes of their customers are setting the cornerstone that will position them for hypergrowth. We recognised that until recently, the CRM industry has still be green and there were no innovative, flexible and affordable products in the marketplace. Because this changed, we feel the time to act is exactly NOW.

"Power changes hands in market places only when market share shifts. These shifts are structural, pervasive and unprecedented. By understanding the dynamics of high tech market development, companies can time their strategies to be ready for the shift itself - when the entire marketplace, seemingly overnight, changes allegiance from the old ways to the new ones. Whoever wins the battle for market share at this moment will dominate the market until the next shift occurs. Finding the next wave and exploiting the opportunity to gain market dominance is the key. We believe 1 to 1 marketing and customer managed relationship marketing is the next big wave."

Toni uses her varied experience to help clients form strategic alliances and partnerships, and spearheads the creation of ongoing backend marketing products to ensure our client companies get superior value from their CRM, email and direct marketing initiatives.

As part of putting together the pieces to create this new vision, Toni formed an association with Hot Fish Global Pty Ltd, a IT company that has design and technology skills in house, but also has a bank of over 200 contractors to draw on. This would provide support to the Yellowbrick concept in the form of on client site hardware and software rollouts and initial training.

Because of our unique understanding of the B2C and retail business, particularly in the area of licenses and franchising, we are aware that high upfront costs would be prohibitive to the acceptance of CRM in the market place. To this end, we have formed alliances which give us the support of four major financial companies including the Bank of Scotland and Hewlett Packard International Bank, meaning we are now able to arrange finance on not just computer hardware into our client sites at store or office level, but also finance the software - the CRM solution.

Toni Fitzgerald knows first hand the complexity of building profitable customer relationships. Because of her natural ability and her passion for ever increasing her knowledge and perception of how end customers think, feel, react and buy, Toni spearheads the team that ensures that our CRM offerings and web-enabled databases are not only technically superior and meet not just the needs of our clients' required tools, but more importantly provide their customers with relevancy, appropriate personal offerings, and within the accepted emotional boundaries of their brand.

Over the long term, we will continue to work with our clients and be pro-actively responsible for creating, directing and implementing additional, value-added, customer focused marketing tools and campaigns, that will not only further justify your investment in CRM and direct marketing, but will strengthen and accelerate your Return On Investment.