As you look to partner with a digital marketing agency, it's natural to prioritize speed and immediate sales results.  However, as we have learned at GK3 Capital, embarking on such a crucial partnership without a thorough discovery process can lead to costly delays, misaligned strategies, and, ultimately, a compromise on the very goals you set out to achieve.

This article highlights why the discovery process is indispensable for premier agencies like GK3 Capital and why our unique approach to discovery helps ensure consistent alignment between your objectives and the strategies we develop for you.

Why Discovery is Critical

At the heart of any successful partnership lies a deep understanding of each other's strengths, weaknesses, goals, and challenges. Without this foundation, financial service providers often find themselves facing missed opportunities and unforeseen expenses. The result? A damaged relationship that costs more than just money. It costs time - the very essence of what firms seek to save by rushing the process.

Discovery is necessary because in the early stages of any partnership, there may be a fair amount of uncertainty. There can be knowledge gaps between departments within the company, often due to a siloed working environment. And ill-defined assumptions and a lack of a shared vision among employees will likely create conflict among project participants if left undiscovered.

GK3 Capital stands by the conviction that discovery doesn’t have to be a lengthy ordeal. We've honed an expedited discovery program that can get asset managers up and running with us within 60 to 90 days, assuming they have  some marketing staff and infrastructure already in place. Our program, designed with speed and efficiency in mind, ensures that we align our strategies with your goals right from the start.

Discovery Breakdowns: Learning the Hard Way

We've had our share of learning experiences at GK3 Capital, which have underscored the value of thorough discovery. In our early days, we encountered a few situations where communication gaps occurred with a few new clients that ended up costing more and delaying their projects.

For example, we once signed a client and worked diligently over the next 30 days to develop a 12-month plan in which we would execute a comprehensive digital prospecting program. When we showed up to the kickoff meeting with the client prepared to implement the plan, we discovered our client had also hired another agency and that we would be splitting up the workload between our two firms. We ended up throwing our 12-month plan out the window and starting over.

Another example of incomplete discovery was when a client hired us to “deliver fast results” on a new fund they had launched. We started the engagement by launching their first campaign within 30 days, only to realize they wanted to pivot from focusing on raising assets in the intermediary channel to marketing to direct investors. All the work we had created for the first 90 days was wasted, and again, we had to start over. The time and effort to go through proper discovery would have allowed the executives to make that decision before any campaigns were launched and to create the right plan for their business.

These experiences taught us that skipping or shortchanging the discovery phase can derail even the most promising of partnerships.

DD360: A Comprehensive Discovery Program

Our response to these early challenges was to develop DD360, GK3 Capital's comprehensive discovery program. Spanning 60 days, DD360 is a testament to our commitment to getting it right from the start. Here's a closer look at what the program entails:

Summary: The Value of Experience

Experience is the best teacher, and at GK3 Capital, our journey has deeply ingrained the value of a thorough discovery process. The initial missteps and the significant information we missed with our first few clients were costly but invaluable lessons. They taught us that the time and effort invested in discovery are far from wasted; they are essential to the success of any capital raising program.

As you consider partnering with a digital marketing agency, remember that a well-conducted discovery process can save you time, money, and ensure the long-term success of your capital raising efforts. At GK3 Capital, we're committed to making that process as efficient and effective as possible, ensuring that your journey with us is both successful and rewarding.