Key Objective: Whistler Technology had strong sales driven by the pandemic disruption of the electronics components market. Recognising this was an opportunity to raise the profile of the business, owner Jon Vincent knew he needed to invest in marketing. The company was all but invisible online, and he needed it to be found on relevant search terms to generate leads. The business needed to look highly credible to those looking to sell excess stock, sourcing hard to find or obsolete components. Jon wanted to position the company for sale – or in the event the right buyer didn’t materialise – keep it, but be able to manage it more efficiently.
“Having been recommended to Quiet Storm some 15 years earlier, we had used them for one of our first ever websites. As a growing company we decided to bring this service in-house. However, following a major business restructure, we reverted to outsourcing the website. We subsequently went through two external suppliers who both failed to deliver on the promises made. Getting frustrated with the lack of proactiveness, I eventually reached out to Quiet Storm. They took the time to understand where I was with the business, where I wanted to be, and presented a website strategy to get there. The digital presence of the company was in a mess, with an old website competing for search terms resulting in our search engine presence being almost invisible. If people did search on the company, they were more likely to find the old website. Quiet Storm delivered on their promises, they sorted out our digital presence and got us found on relevant search terms. They created a marketing strategy which significantly raised our profile.
I have since sold the company, which was one of the strategic options I outlined to Quiet Storm.”
Jon Vincent, Managing Director, Whistler Technology Limited.
Whistler Technology is a market leading independent stocking distributor of Electronic Components and help their clients to make significant cost savings across their procurement range. Whistler Technology was first established in 2001 and set out to be a single source partner for contract manufacturers and OEM’s who needed to intelligently manage their electronic components supply chain. During the pandemic, when the authorised distributors of components were failing to provide a reliable supply chain, many contract manufacturers and OEM’s were forced to search wider afield to secure the components they needed. This gave Whistler Technology the opportunity to prove themselves as a highly credible partner – and word soon spread. Already holding a high number of accreditations, any additional criteria needed were soon achieved, and sales soared.
Issues: Their current branding and online presence didn’t reflect the capabilities or levels of accreditation Whistler Technology held. What’s more, the current website provider failed to act proactively, plus wasn’t responding to requests. Jon knew the window of opportunity to maintain the growth experienced during the pandemic and reposition the company was short. This was because authorised distributors were now enjoying the robust supply of components, with highly competitive pricing reflecting the abundance of availability. The service offered to customers acquired during the pandemic needed to be stepped up and beyond that of the authorised distributors.
Upon investigation, Quiet Storm found that the incumbent web provider had inadvertently left the older Whistler Technology website live after the restructure. Meaning the current website competed with the old branding and messaging when searching on the company name.
Quiet Storm also identified time zone differences as a potential barrier for communications with overseas clients. As the inconvenience of waiting for answers may have been tolerated when desperate for components – it was agreed as official supply chains resumed, it was easier prospects and clients alike to communicate with a supplier on the same time zone.
Resolution: The Whistler Technology brand was refreshed, the website architecture and content were restructured to incorporated new copy which more accurately reflected the advantages of the business. It positioned Whistler Technology as a highly accredited independent supplier of electronic components across the globe. It also incorporated an ongoing SEO strategy to get found upon the search terms identified. Finally, to manage client engagement across the different time zones, a bespoke customer portal was developed. Quiet Storm worked collaboratively with the independent developer responsible for Whistler Technology’s’ custom CRM – and a bespoke ‘two-way integration’ was developed to allow components to be searched upon the front-end website – as well as creating a custom portal for customers to securely make requests, view orders, invoices, etc, in real-time.
The new brand, website and customer portal was launched in July 2023 and within days the targeted search terms ensured the company was visible to prospects in need of the services Whistler Technology offered. The company was submitted for a business award in April 2024 by Quiet Storm – which it won – further boosting the Whistler Technology profile.
The Whistler Technology was acquired by MILEXIA Group in July 2024.