With market research, a team of Ball State students has been helping to grow a young Indianapolis firm that helps fast-growth companies boost their sales and acquire "whale-sized" accounts.

The Whale Hunters, LLC, is a sales and business process development company located on the north side of the capital city. The firm coaches companies to become more effective in identifying, tracking, closing, serving, and retaining larger accounts, and the results are noteworthy--its clients have closed in excess of $1.5 billion in new sales.

Through Ball State's Business Fellows program, seven students majoring in accounting, business administration, psychology, English, and public relations worked together to identify potential new clients and business opportunities for the three-year-old company.

The students researched and created a target customer base for The Whale Hunters by analyzing privately held firms in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. The team met numerous times with company executives, conducted extensive library research, and developed a client screening strategy with criteria.

In addition, the students designed and delivered a promotional campaign for one of the company's existing clients. They conducted needs assessment interviews, developed promotional materials, and identified media outlets.

"The Whale Hunters helps companies stuck in ‘no-man's land' to move forward," says Ray Montagno, associate dean for research and outreach for the Miller College of Business. "We are doing the same for them by examining new clients and potential new products."

Business Fellows
Business Fellows are juniors, seniors, and graduate students who participate in an intense applied work experience that will benefit an Indiana business, industry, or community. The initiative, funded by a $1.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. and coordinated through the Career Center, works in collaboration with Ball State's Building Better Communities initiative.