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Partner Spotlight

Partner Spotlight: Deliver SaaS Products to Your Customers with Andrew from Chat HQ

Hey, thanks for tuning in to another Partner Spotlight interview at OutsourceSchool.

My name is Connor Gillivan. I’m the CMO and an Owner of Outsource School.

We’re on a mission to help 10,000+ business owners master hiring virtual assistants and freelancers, and industry partnerships is a big way that we’re able to make it happen.

We’re all about creating win-win partnerships where we are able to grow with other companies in the eCommerce, agency, SAAS, and online space.

In this exclusive interview, we interview Andrew Kamide from Chat HQ. Andrew provides high-quality, industry exclusive, lead generation using Google Adwords and Facebook ad campaigns.

With nearly 10 years of marketing experience, he is able to maximize his client’s lead generation opportunities using highly targeted audiences across various marketing channels.

To put it simply… Andrew helps businesses grow with proven marketing strategies!

Connor: Hey Andrew, thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. As a company, one of our goals is to highlight our partners so that our clients can benefit where it makes most sense. To get started, can you give us a high-level introduction to Chat HQ and a little bit about how the company got started? 

Andrew: ChatHQ helps digital marketing agencies deliver SaaS products to their customers. By incorporating ChatHQ products into their product offerings, we are helping these digital marketing agencies transition either into a full SaaS company, or a hybrid SaaS company that offers both software and marketing services to their clients (SwaS).

ChatHQ was founded back in Feb 2021 when both myself and my co-founder and CTO Sergio Leon almost became competitors. We both had ideas for a particular software add-on to a popular platform called HighLevel, and instead of competing, we decided to partner up and leverage each other’s strengths to grow together.

Connor: Thanks for sharing that! Can you dive a bit more into the products and services that you offer to help increase profit margins and customer retention rates? Our audience is always looking for reputable companies that they can lean on for specific parts of their online businesses.   

Andrew: ChatHQ’s flagship product is called the Engagement Widget™ that was designed to be used in both sales and support capacities. This widget looks like a website chat widget, but operates as a “shell” to many other tools and gadgets that function independently and differently of one another.

The sole purpose of having multiple tools and gadgets is to provide the exact combination of options for website visitors or customers to interact with in order to achieve a specific outcome or conversion event.

We also currently offer:

  • Livechat software
  • Workflow Automation software
  • and soon will have other software solutions like knowledge base building software, onboarding help guide software, and Ai bot functionality

Our product suite at ChatHQ was designed to help our customer’s business internally but also designed to be white-labeled by our customers and resold to THEIR customers. So when we reference “increasing profit margins and retention rates” we are referring to the ability of the digital marketing agency to provide their customers with sticky software solutions that solve THEIR problems.

Increasing Profit Margins – Generally, digital marketing agencies have low-profit margins, while software companies tend to have large profit margins. This is statistically documented. This tends to come from long sales cycles and a heavy reliance on human labor to fulfil traditional marketing services sold by the agencies to their customers.

By incorporating ChatHQ software into their offerings, they have the ability to cut down the length of the sales cycle by offering a lower ticket product/service up front. With a lower ticket product/service, the digital marketing agency will get less objections, resulting in more sales at a higher profit margin.

Once the software starts providing results, their customers will gain more trust for the digital marketing agency, and they will then have the opportunity to sell higher ticket services moving forward.

Increasing Retention Rates – SaaS holds one of the highest customer retention rates ranging from 92%-97%, while most digital marketing agencies’ retention rate is anywhere from 75%-80%. So if digital marketing agencies incorporate Saas into their offerings, and provide results for their customers with that software, then they will ultimately increase their retention rates by becoming a hybrid SaaS company.

Connor: Jumping off of that…when you’re thinking about your ideal customer, who is that? What are they selling? Where are they located in the world? How much sales do they typically have in a year? If there’s any other qualities, please include them as well. We’re all about making introductions where it benefits both parties. 

Andrew: ChatHQ’s ideal customer profile is as follows:

  • Digital marketing agencies selling traditional marketing services
    • Short term: Digital marketing agencies using HighLevel
    • Long term: Any digital marketing agency
  • 3 to 200 customers
  • $100k + in gross revenue
  • Global

The perfect customer would be a digital marketing agency that already uses HighLevel and is determined to add additional revenue streams to their agency through SaaS, or looking to make the switch from a digital marketing agency to a SaaS company entirely.

Connor: For our audience to truly understand what makes you stand out from other companies in the SaaS space, can you share a story of how ChatHQ truly helped one of its customers?

Andrew: We have not gathered any case studies from our customers yet. We can only speak on behalf of our perspective of their success using ChatHQ.

Connor: As you and your company think about the next year ahead, what does it look like? Are there any specific initiatives that you’re working on as a team to better your product or service for your customers?

Andrew: The year ahead has many challenges for ChatHQ, but ones we are very excited to take on. We will be incorporating Ai into our product in both livechat and the knowledge base software, and we will be making our product much more flexible so customers can customize more and more to best suit their needs and their customer’s needs!

We will also be adding more software solutions to our product suite like onboarding software!

Connor: How about this…everyone loves a company’s growth story. We all naturally go through ups and downs as a company. What was one of the biggest challenges that the company faced in its growing stages? 

Andrew: The biggest challenge we faced, and continue to face, is being bootstrapped. We have launched a few different products to try and boost revenue so that we can properly engineer the software solutions we are imagining and ideating, and that process of building many products creates a fragmented organization with many points of failure.

We are in the process of consolidating our product suite and combining products to make it easier to understand, purchase, and consume as a customer. This will also help our team stay focused and organized as we grow which is a top priority of ours.

Connor: Thanks! Let’s talk some outsourcing! What’s been your experience with outsourcing for your business? What platforms do you use most? And how has it impacted your business over the years?

Andrew: We do not outsource as of today. There are a few projects that we will need outsourcing for, such as creating product videos, SEO, and some others, but we are managing all projects in-house as of today.

Connor: On a similar train, what do you look for when you’re hiring someone online? Are there any specific countries that you prefer to hire from? What traits are most important to you in a remote hire? 

Andrew: We do not have a specific country in mind when hiring. We have the need to hire on both sides of the world as we are a global company and could use the active workforce during all hours of the day. Our team today has US, Latin American, Filipino, and Indian workers.

The most important aspect to a remote worker is punctuality and self-motivation. If they have attention to detail and they are able to manage their time and energy, they will succeed in almost any project/department they are needed in.

Connor: Finally, outsourcing can have a bad rap, what would you say to someone who is thinking about outsourcing for the first time? What advice do you have for them?

Andrew: Pick your outsourcing partner wisely. If you invest too much and don’t get the return you hoped for, you will have not only wasted money but also wasted time the could have been spent with the RIGHT partner.

Connor: As we close this out, I just have one more question. Where is the best place to find and follow you and the company online? Also, if you have one, is there any special offer that you’ll be offering to the community today? 

Andrew: Website, Facebook,IG,  YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter

Special offer – Anyone that signs up through this partnership will receive a 10% discount for life on any/all ChatHQ products!

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Partner Spotlight

Partner Spotlight: Simplify Your Marketing and Sales with Hailey Rowe

Hey, thanks for tuning in to another Partner Spotlight interview at OutsourceSchool.

My name is Connor Gillivan. I’m the CMO and an Owner of Outsource School.

We’re on a mission to help 10,000+ business owners master hiring virtual assistants and freelancers, and industry partnerships is a big way that we’re able to make it happen.

We’re all about creating win-win partnerships where we are able to grow with other companies in the eCommerce, agency, SAAS, and online space.

In this exclusive interview, we interview Hailey Rowe, Business Coach. 

Connor: Hey Hailey, thanks for taking the time to chat with us here. We love getting to know our partners better so that our community can benefit from what our partners are offering and doing in the industry. To get started, can you give us a high-level overview of what you do and how you got started? 

Hailey: I’m a Marketing & Sales Coach and LinkedIn Lead Generation Service Provider. I help coaches and service providers attract more clients, visibility opportunities, & profitable partnerships without letting social media overwhelm or lack of time stop them. 

I got my first life coaching & behavioral change coaching certification when I was 16-years-old & got my Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship at Loyola Marymount University. After college, I worked in Business Development & Marketing for several fast-paced personal development startups. Then, in 2017… one of the startups I worked for had to let everyone go due to project delays & that was my “sign” it was time to go ALL IN on my own business. I began coaching online coaches and entrepreneurs, started a podcast & Facebook Group called Health Coach Nation (Business & Marketing Support for online coaches), and have been loving it ever since.

I’ve been named as one of the Top 25 Coaches in Chicago & top 6 Business Podcasts for health coaches. 

Connor: Love that! Can you dive a bit more into the products and services that you offer in the business coaching space? I’m sure our audience would love to know exactly what problems you could solve for them. 

Hailey: I offer custom private coaching options, but my main program is my 6-Month Coach Inner Circle

It’s a hands-on small group coaching & private coaching hybrid program that helps health, life, and mindset coaches get focused on booking clients, marketing their standout program, & turning their coaching “hobby” into a sustainable business. 

I also offer LinkedIn Lead Generation Services for service providers and coaches who want to book more discovery calls with potential clients, get more speaking & collaboration opportunities, & form profitable partnerships. My team and I grow your connections every week on LinkedIn with your target audience & help you build relationships with your niche. 

If you’d like to learn more about the various ways I work with clients, here are a couple resources:

Connor: Jumping off of that…if there was one problem you’d say that Hailey Rowe solves best for your clients, what would it be? Why? 

Hailey: I help my clients simplify marketing and sales with my “4 Basics of Client Attraction” approach. So often, clients come to me frustrated about “the algorithm,” where to put their focus, and feeling like they have so many ideas but are struggling to implement what matters most for growing their business. I help them prioritize the client-generating activities & principles… as opposed to overthinking or “majoring in the minors.” 

Connor: As the company continues to grow over the next year, what are your plans for expansion? Any new products or offerings or enhancements to your current products? 

Hailey: I am doing more and more corporate & motivational speaking gigs and also am launching a test group for a monthly membership. The membership will be providing tools, strategies, & personal development support for business owners looking to increase sales, stop self-doubt from holding them back, and create a business & calendar they love.

Connor: And how specifically would you say that Hailey Rowe and your team is different from other similar businesses in the coaching industry?

Hailey: I help you attract clients “The F.A.S.T. Way.” Rather than obsessing about posting on social media or needing fancy tech or ads to succeed, we get you focused on timeless principles of marketing and sales

My F.A.S.T. Framework stands for…

  • Followers: We determine who you want to attract as clients & customize a marketing system that’s aligned with your strengths to bring in new leads every week, give value, & convert to clients.
  • Action: We develop content, messaging, branding, & calls to action that DRIVE your dream clients to TAKE ACTION! 
  • Sales: We get you selling your STANDOUT, NO BRAINER services WITHOUT being PUSHY & attracting more qualified people who want to PAY for your services 
  • Time Management: We shift you from “busy work” to smart work in a way that allows you to grow your business while still having time for your family & personal life
  • Transformation: We help you become the confident, resourceful entrepreneur you’ve always wanted to be & ensure that your program is transformational & differentiated. 

Here are a couple other ways I am different from most business coaches…

  • I’ve worked in business development & marketing for several wellness and personal development based startups, so I know these industries very well.
  • I have been a singer and performer since I was 5-years-old, so I can help my clients gain confidence by putting themselves out there, overcoming nerves, being on video, & being polished.
  • I am very hands-on. I review client assets every week… Many coaches don’t take the time to actually give client feedback on websites, their sales calls, webinars, Instagram posts, etc. 

Connor: What’s your outsourcing story? We find that everyone has a different experience when outsourcing and hiring online. What is your first memory that comes to mind?

Hailey: I started out with 1 virtual assistant I found in a Facebook Group and she is still on my team today! 😊 It took me a while to learn that people can’t read your mind & how to delegate well, but I’ve come a long way in being a better delegator. 😂 

Connor: Love it! Talking more about outsourcing, what advice would you give to yourself if you were just about to start outsourcing and hiring online? 

Hailey: Know how to do the task first yourself so that you can document and explain it to your team members clearly. Film yourself or your screen doing the task, write it out, and go through a “test project” with your team member as a starting point. 

Connor: How about this one…how do you communicate with the people you hire online? What’s your best practices there and how has it changed over time? 

Hailey: I communicate with them via voice note, check-in meetings, standard operating procedures, & weekly checklists. Best practices include having a weekly report about what they’ve done this week, leading with the POSITIVES about what they are doing right FIRST before giving feedback about improvements, and making sure you clearly communicate ALL the steps (making the standard operating procedure so simple & broken down that anyone could do it).

Connor: Finally, this is one that I think our community will love, who’s been your best online hire? What do they do for you? Why are they your best hire? Tell us all about them and that story!

Hailey: I have several WONDERFUL team members who I love, but I’ll share that one of my favorites is Irene. She helps me with organic marketing and Facebook Group Management. The reason why I love her is because she’s reliable, goes above and beyond what I ask her to do, and is consistent. 

Connor: As we close this out, I just have one more question. Where is the best place to find and follow you and the company online? Also, if you have one, is there any special offer that you’ll be offering to the community today? 

Hailey: I’d love to share my Free Weekly Planning System to help you LOVE your calendar, get 2x more done, & prevent overwhelm. 😊

You can also find me using the following links: