From Schmidt communications to Buzzlytics: the story behind our new name

If you landed on this page, you probably typed "Schmidt Communications" into Google.

Or you've seen in an email or on social media that we've changed our name and are curious about the story behind it.

In this blog I share:

• Why we changed our company name to Buzzlytics
• what else has changed in our company recently
• What are the benefits of our new service for our customers

In 2022, I was approached by Danielle Navas-Brandt. She was translating Marcus Sheridan's book They Ask, You Answer into Dutch and asked me if I would like to write a piece about it for her book from StoryBrand Netherlands.

Yeah sure, I wanted to.

I bought the book and started reading on a Sunday afternoon. It grabbed me immediately.

Within three days I had read it and wrote my recommendation. At that moment I also realized: this is something we also have to do to make StoryBrand Netherlands big.

We need to start implementing TAYA not only at StoryBrand, we need to start helping our clients with this.

I decided to apply to IMPACT to get my certification as a They Ask, You Answer coach, although it was not my intention to become a coach at all. I wanted to implement They Ask, You Answer (TAYA) at StoryBrand Netherlands, and for that I thought it would be helpful to be close to the fire.

But already in one of the first meetings with my coach from IMPACT, something happened that I had not seen coming.

The coach showed two business models: one from a traditional marketing agency that companies can outsource their marketing to. And one from an agency that teaches companies to do their marketing and sales themselves according to the They Ask, You Answer philosophy.

That second model resonated with me so much that from then on I thought: we not only need to start implementing TAYA at StoryBrand, we also need to start helping our clients with this.

So I was excited about TAYA, but I thought it was important to involve our team as well. So we asked all staff to read the book and give their opinions.

Fortunately, they were as excited as I was, and we decided that 2023 would be a test year for us: we would spend a year, in addition to our existing work, helping clients implement TAYA. At the end of that year, we would make a decision whether to continue with this.

That you are reading this on Buzzlytics' website and not Schmidt Communications' already gives away how it ended.

Here's the recap: that first year was so successful that we've turned our services around. Not only do we ourselves find it much more fun to teach our clients how to take control of their marketing and sales, our clients find it much more fun to be able to do it themselves and to see the results of the work they've done.

They Ask, You Answer fits perfectly with what I believe in deep down: you can give a man a fish, then he has food for a day. But you can also teach him to fish, and he'll have food for life.

Give a man a fish and he has food for one day. Teach a man to fish and he has food for all his life.

With a new offering comes, of course, a new company name. Schmidt Communications had not fit our services for quite some time, and since the Schmidt Communications trade name already existed when our company was founded, we were already registered under the name Buzzlytics.

The transition to our new services was the ideal time to change our name to Buzzlytics also towards the outside world: Buzz for creating a buzz and lytics for making marketing measurable. This name perfectly matched our new vision and approach.

Our team has also expanded and changed because, of course, we now need They Ask, You Answer coaches and trainers. Our team now consists of nine people, including a number of people with a lot of experience with TAYA. That has given our company a huge boost.

We also hired a content manager who is responsible for all written content on our channels.

Since we started with They Ask, You Answer, I have found that this new approach has many benefits not only for us, but also for our clients.

Below I list some of them.

In the projects we are now running, we see that the time required to complete a sale has been significantly reduced. Where a timeframe of a year or more was normal, we now see that this process can be reduced to just a few months. This obviously has a positive impact on our customers' cash flow.

Also read: What are the benefits of They Ask, You Answer for sales?

In addition, I find that the quality of the leads that come in to our clients is much higher than what a calling agency can provide. Through the organic route, you get a different type of customers that make you happier. You don't buy clients, you earn them.

Another great benefit is the increased involvement within the team. I often hear from business owners that the entire team is enthusiastic and becomes involved in the process. Experts within the company who at first may have been a bit reluctant to be interviewed soon see the value of their contribution. They find that they can contribute directly to the growth of the company, and this leads to a greater sense of satisfaction and ownership.

Improved cooperation between marketing and sales is also a big advantage. Traditionally, these departments often work with different goals and this can cause friction. With They Ask, You Answer, I see these departments really starting to work together.

Common complaints from marketing about sales and vice versa disappear as both departments focus more on customer needs. This leads to more relevant content and a more effective approach to sales.

People also often enjoy working in an organization where this cooperation is good.

They Ask, You Answer leads to improved collaboration between marketing and sales.

Finally, I hear from clients that their position in the market vis-à-vis competitors is changing completely. Even smaller parties can now compete with larger firms that may have larger budgets by presenting themselves as a trusted advisor. This is done not just by shouting this, by behaving that way. After all, trust is the basis of doing business.

We have ambitious plans for the future. We want to build a portfolio of clients we are proud of and who make a real impact. In five years, I see us working with a team of 30 people, all focused on training, coaching and helping clients. We really want to make a difference and hope that we can help businesses grow and prosper with our approach.

Curious about They Ask, You Answer? In my blog What is They Ask, You Answer? I explain what it entails.

Or read my blog on why StoryBrand and They Ask, You Answer fit so well together and why They Ask, You Answer can be an interesting next step if you've already done a StoryBrand process with us.