Growing with Technology Awards

Childs Capital, LLC

Sales/Marketing
Grand Prize Winner

URL: www.childscaptial.com
Location: New York, N.Y.
Employees: 14
Executive Sponsor: Donna Childs, CEO
Cisco Products: N/A

Donna Childs doesn't believe in paying public relations consultants, but she does believe that her company's 40% increase in annual revenue growth over the past three years is due to her sales and marketing efforts. Her firm, Childs Capital — which supports financial services in the developing world — has discovered is that good marketing feeds on itself, even for a small buisness. You have to make yourself available for editorial opportunities and use your Web site to give journalists a headstart on what they're looking for, but once the effort begins, be prepared to reap the benefit.

For instance, Childs was being interviewed on National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., when an executive from a Hong Kong corporation, in town on business, heard her and followed up with a suggestion they work together. In all, Childs Capital has been featured in articles in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, and a variety of local print media; it's also been featured on CNBC, NBC and other broadcast networks. That's just the coverage in the United States; Childs Capital's work in places as far flung as Russia and Africa has been covered in at least 14 countries in Europe and Asia.

"It's really the Internet and networking technology that makes this possible," says Childs, who has a financial background but understands the challenges the media face. "Reporters, editors and producers are always on deadline always. If you cannot be reached immediately, they will simply move on to the next contact on their list. There are no second chances." To keep herself accessible, Childs uses the find-me/follow-me features of Cisco Call Manager so that calls are forwarded to her whether she's in China, Africa, or her office in New York.

"With our laptops networked and all data about our organization immediately accessible, we can promptly retrieve the facts, figures and back-up data and sources the media demand," says Childs. "Because all of our applications are Web-enabled, we can run numbers, crunch data, write reports or whatever else the journalist requires." That's not all — Childs Capital's Web site has a media portal, available to members of the press, containing ideas for stories, with links to current news stories that make the ideas timely, as well as RSS feeds that alert journalists when new information is posted.

To give reporters and producers examples of Childs executives' expertise, Donna Childs has posted audio, video and text information on the portal (yes, she's the Webmaster). "That gives producers the chance to evaluate us before they decide to book us on their news shows," she says, noting that the site also includes photography and artwork, which editors always appreciate so they can add graphics to stories.

If nothing else, Childs' refusal to hire either a PR firm or a Webmaster runs counter to current conventional thinking regarding the benefits of outsourcing activities that aren't part of your basic work. Childs shrugs this off. Most PR agencies want a $6,000 per month contract, with a minimum of six months, with no guarantee of results. So besides saving money, she also believes that outside consultants can never know your business as well as you do. "They may not understand your business or convey what you want. Our site may not be technically elegant but the press loves it because it avoids the homogeneity of other sites." That in turn sets them apart, which is, after all, one of the fundamentals of good marketing. The cumulative effect of the Web site creates an "authenticity for our work," Childs says. "It helps us build our brand."