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Pivot Communications Management Team

Gold Stevie Award Winner 2013, Click to Enter The 2014 Steve Awards for Women in Business

Company: Pivot Communications, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Company Description: Pivot Communications is an innovative channel marketing firm that develops demand generation and sales enablement programs for F500 hi-tech and SCN Top 50 audio visual companies. Pivot leverages a proprietary marketing platform and award-winning content to accelerate business growth and maximize revenue performance for their global client base. Pivot was founded in 2005.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Management Team of the Year – 10 or Less Employees

Nomination Title: Pivot Communications Management Team - Jane Johnson and Erin Bolton

Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated management team since the beginning of July last year (up to 525 words):

The high-tech field of professional audio visual (AV) is 92% male. These demographics combined with complex technologies and hefty certification requirements discourage women from entering the industry. Pivot Communication’s management team, led by co-founders Jane Johnson and Erin Bolton, decided not only to embrace AV but to establish themselves and Pivot as leaders in the industry.

This past year has been one of tremendous growth and progress for Pivot because of the achievements of the management team. Both Erin and Jane write articles for the industry’s most read publications, building a strong reputation as women who know AV. Erin’s contributions were recently honored with a nomination to the Leadership Search Committee (LSC) for Infocomm, a global association for AV professionals with 75,000+ members. As a member of the LSC, Erin will serve a three year term during which her focus will be on increasing participation among women and recruiting more women to industry. Jane was recently invited to head up Utah chapter for the Women in AV (WAVE) association, an organization that provides mentoring and networking opportunities for women.

The Pivot management team is also heavily involved in promoting and supporting AV in Utah. Jane and Erin met with local officials and the Governor of Utah to bring more awareness to the AV industry. Governor Herbert recently signed a proclamation declaring October 13-19, 2013 as AV week in Utah.

In addition to increasing Pivot’s participation in AV, the management team had a critical financial goal for 2012-2013: to convert more of Pivot’s project-based clients to retainer clients. To achieve these aggressive goals, the management team worked hard to demonstrate ROI and justify retained services. The team identified seven key clients for business growth, developed strong proposals and approached the clients with their recommendations. It was a tremendous success. In 2011, over 80% of our business was project-based. Currently, 50% of Pivot revenues come from retainer clients, creating strong, sustainable growth.

The level of success the management team creates is exemplified by client work highlights from 2012-2013:

• Generated a $3.8 million increase in revenue over the course of 12 months for a networked audio manufacturer through content-driven lead gen programs. By April 2013, more than half of the client’s prospect list had downloaded information, with one third requesting a meeting with the client’s sales team.

• Took a $30,000 budget and turned it into $500,000 in qualified opportunities for an interactive whiteboard manufacturer with a two-month lead gen program.

• Turned a cloud-based solution provider into a recurring content client by creating premium content that drove exceptional results for their lead gen engine.

• Delivered 375 marketing qualified leads in a six week period for a high-end ceiling microphone manufacturer.

• Won international business from an existing client. The second program, which concluded March 2013, generated 1,000 leads and more than 200 requests for in-person meetings.

The management team was recognized in 2012 for five content and leadership awards including Female Entrepreneur of the Year for Stevie Women in Business and Best Executive of the Year for Stevie International Business and Women in Business. The Pivot management team is highly deserving of recognition from the Stevie Women in Business Awards.

Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated management team (up to 125 words):

Pivot Communications was founded in 2005 by Jane Johnson, Managing Partner, Strategic Content, and Erin Bolton, VP Channel Marketing and Sales Initiatives.

Jane Johnson is a visionary with a passion for content marketing and AV technology with over 15 years of experience targeting technology buyers. Erin Bolton is a dynamic and driven senior marketing strategist with over 15 years of experience in channel and traditional marketing. This women-led management team develops revenue-driving lead generation programs for F500 hi-tech and the Top 50 professional AV companies. Pivot’s programs for manufacturers, integrators and distributors not only solve business challenges, but maximize revenue performance and accelerate business growth for their global client base.

The CEO (or other principal manager) of this company is a woman, and at least 40% of the management team is comprised of women.