VNC Automotive is one of our longest-standing clients: we’ve been helping the company license its connectivity software to Asia’s top automotive OEMs and tier one infotainment head unit manufacturers since 2012.
While many clients would have ‘graduated’ from our Surrogate Sales Program after 12-36 months, VNC has kept us on board for so long because the sales have kept flying in.
First commercial presence in Asia
Rewind to 2012: VNC originally appointed us to act as an extension of its international sales team and provide the company with its first commercial presence in Asia. Our job was to present their technology to decision makers across Asia’s automotive sector, generating interest and seeking licensing deals for their smartphone virtualisation technology, competing against big-name products like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
We know the best way to understand the ‘real’ opportunity and quickly progress towards deals is through face-to-face discussions. So, we tapped into our network of senior automotive execs to get initial buy-in and understand their product roadmaps.
At the same time, we weren’t afraid to get our hands dirty with the more mundane tasks: a day in the life of our project teams included wheeling around VNC’s demo kit to present their technology to rooms of engineers – an equally vital part of the sales cycle.
The payoff
Of course, major licensing deals don’t come easily. In total, we’ve met 1,970 contacts from 570 companies across Asia’s leading automotive players on VNC’s behalf.
But the hard work has paid off. We’ve closed licensing deals for VNC with more than 10 Asian corporations including heavy hitters Sony, HTC, Panasonic, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer and Humax - for use in cars from Toyota, SAIC and Chunghwa Motors, among others.
And our story with VNC is now finally concluding, as the company is moving on from our sales programme to set up its own Asian operations.
To ensure a smooth transition, we’re helping them develop and implement a robust localisation strategy by managing headhunters, screening and interviewing candidates and hiring staff in Asia on their behalf.
We can look back on our long relationship with VNC with considerable pride – and look forward to seeing the company continue its rapid growth in Asia on its own feet from now.