Sarah Merz - FranklinCovey Products
In July of 2008 FranklinCovey Products was established as a privately held stand-alone company split after splitting off from publicly traded FranklinCovey. Sarah Merz, the former president of the products division at FranklinCovey, is the new CEO of this more technology focused spin-off. We recently caught up with Sarah to discuss how Franklin Covey Products was established and what we can expect from them in the future.
Silicon Slopes: How did FranklinCovey Products come about and what do you do?
Sarah Merz: FranklinCovey Products LLC was created in July of 2008 when FranklinCovey decided to separate its consulting business from its products business. The products business which includes all of our technology, software, paper planners and business cases was developing in one direction while the consulting business was evolving in a different direction. Both companies could be better positioned with a clearer core value proposition as two different organizations. I had been in the role of President of the Consumer Products Business at FranklinCovey since 2003. In the new organization FranklinCovey Products I am now the CEO.
Silicon Slopes: You’ve recently announced some new products, specifically CRM related products, can you tell us a little about these products and how you got involved in the CRM space?
Sarah Merz: Since 1983, FranklinCovey has trained millions of people and thousands of organizations on how to become productive through goal setting, prioritization and data-tracking techniques. As we looked forward, FranklinCovey Products saw an opportunity to extend the training concepts by providing sales support tools that tracked and prioritized information down to an account-specific or customer level. A FranklinCovey branded-CRM product was a logical extension given the sales management activities of many of our customers. Customer Relationship Management tools can be overwhelming to many users, and our unique approach clarifies priorities and creates huge efficiencies.
Silicon Slopes: I read somewhere that your products incorporate technology with methodology, can you explain what that means?
Sarah Merz: For decades, FranklinCovey has been the global leader in effectiveness training and productivity tools. Most of those tools used to be paper-based. However, as planning methods change, so have our planning tools. Today, we still start with the methodology but provide it in a wide range of digital formats, from desktop software and web-based applications through a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, all of which sync with smart phones like Blackberry devices and i-Phones. We also designed FranklinCovey planning tools specifically for mobile phones through a new service called FCMobileLife.
Silicon Slopes: What sets you apart from other competitors or providers of CRM solutions?
Sarah Merz: It's the unique value proposition of combining activity prioritization, daily and weekly planning combined with values-based action plans into a hosted, collaborative environment that is accessible anywhere, anytime and from any web-enabled device.
Silicon Slopes: I see you’ve partnered with a number of other companies, including a couple of Utah companies (COMPLETExRM and SCO), what do these partnerships enable you to do or what benefit do they provide to FranklinCovey Products?
Sarah Merz: Our strategy is to become a major player of SaaS-based solutions. Each of these technology partners enables us to better execute on this strategy. COMPLETExRM provided a web services foundation that allowed us to create an environment where we could plug our methodologies into a feature rich CRM tool. We plan to add values and features with current and future partners.
Silicon Slopes: What is your background and how did you become a part of FranklinCovey Products?
Sarah Merz: My educational background was at The University of Chicago and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, focusing on Economics and Business Management respectively. The first dozen years of my career, I worked from Chicago, helping consumer products companies develop business and marketing strategies as a business consultant. I also held sales and marketing leadership roles in the toy and software industry, and was responsible for new product and business development domestically and internationally. Those experiences were great preparation for my role here at FranklinCovey Products.
I have been with FranklinCovey/FranklinCovey Products for nine years now, beginning as a VP of Product Solutions, later Consumer Marketing, and finally President of the Consumer Business Unit in 2003. With our recent spin-off, I became the CEO of FranklinCovey Products.
Silicon Slopes: What is your business approach and how does it set you apart from others?
Sarah Merz: My business approach is to begin with the customer - a classic “outside in” approach. That lines up well with FranklinCovey’s tradition on customer focus and excellent customer service.
However, great customer-focused strategies fail if an organization lacks the systems and culture to execute effectively and consistently. We have focused in recent years on making sure our strategies are accurately translated and implemented all the way to the front line. We target and scorecard key business metrics which are reviewed daily and weekly so we can identify what is working and what isn’t. It allows us to be nimble and execute quickly on any adjustments, whether they are marketing, supply chain, financial or personnel issues.
I also believe in building strong partnerships to extend our reach and relevance. We team up with thought leaders and experts with national and international profiles in developing products for customers. We also work operationally with product developers, rep groups, distributors and outside financial advisors who can bring much broader reach, expertise and resources to specific initiatives.
