Marketing
Meadows considered aggressive marketing to be another key requirement for .RL's success. He still sensed a "tainted goods" perception attached to RL and its associates, Stemming from AT&T line managers’ recognition that many of his associates had been marked for dismissal by their previous units. That perception had to be overcome, Meadows felt.
Marketing efforts stressed the staffing flexibility that RL could provide its customers
as well as the desirable attributes of its associates-for example, their energy, customer focus, and technical competencies; their ability to hit the ground running due to familiarity with AT&T systems and ways, and their status as members of the AI&T community.
The majority of marketing was done through verbal presentations, particularly during l99l-92. Meadows made numerous presentations it meetings and conferences of senior-level directors and officers. RL’s account managers held countless meetings with line managers and human resources staff at both the corporate and business-unit levels. Printed marketing materials came more slowly and were at first unsophisticated. A simple fact sheet was prepared and distributed in late l99l' documenting RL’s emerging track record of associate usage and performance. This facts sheet was replaced by a two-color folder in mid-1992 and a full-color brochure at the end of than year. The latter materials included testimonials from satisfied AT&T customers. RL also placed articles about itself in internal AT&T publications. "Looking back" said Meadows, .I was being pretty tight with the buck when it came to printed marketing material. I think we should have done more with the print stuff earlier on.”