Example Markets

Attfield James Banking Advisers

Background

Attfield James offer a unique service to medium and larger companies, negotiating a better deal with banks on behalf of their clients. They can make significant cost reductions through developing a more appropriate charging structure for their client.

Since the service proposition is complex, and requires some detailed assessment from Attfield James initially, appointments are critical to the growth of the business.

Brief

Attfield James approached us with a brief to generate appointments for each of their consultants, concentrating on specific post code areas.

Strategy

An ongoing weekly telemarketing schedule, based on one day per consultant. One day’s telemarketing generates an average of five appointments, which equates to around a week’s work. This means that the client has a constant stream of new business appointments.

Targeting businesses with a minimum turnover level of £2.5 Million means that contacts are more likely to have bank charges above the minimum specified by our client. Equally, a turnover ceiling of £25 Million was applied, in order to avoid companies more likely to have this specialist knowledge in-house.

‘Pre-cleaning’ the database to ensure the appropriate decision maker is reached is critical for effectiveness. The decision maker may be the Finance Director, Managing Director or Company Secretary, for example.

Attfield James fax the appropriate diary updates for each consultant before telemarketing commences. A report detailing appointments made and call notes is faxed back to the client at 5pm.

Outcome

Working on an ongoing basis for the client, Business Appointments Limited achieves an average of 5 sales appointments per telemarketing day. Our lead generation is the client’s major source of new business.

SCA Hygiene Paper Limited

Background

SCA Hygiene Products are leading manufacturers of tissue wipes and wiping systems for the washroom.

In the UK, their sales are driven through a network of hygiene supplies distributors.

Brief

To maintain growth and support these distributors in a competitive market, the client required a campaign to stimulate new business activity, which would be gained by the distributor, under the supervision and management of SCA’s sales force. Direct marketing activity was to be evenly spread across sales territories, and avoid overlap between distributors.

The objective was to create new business appointments for each distributor’s sales force to convert.

Strategy

Business Appointments Limited implemented a series of ‘mini-campaigns’ linked to selected distributors in specific regions. For each distributor, we produced a database of ‘facilities decision makers’ in businesses with a given minimum number of employees (clearly there is a direct correlation between employee numbers and washroom paper consumption). These were all single site or head office locations, ensuring that a company-wide decision maker was reached.

We worked closely with each distributor’s Sales Director, linking the SCA mailpiece to a bespoke covering letter on the distributor’s letterhead. This lent the mailing a ‘local’ feel, but clearly having the backing of SCA. Mailpieces were then mailed to the pre-cleaned database, and followed up, generating and reporting outcomes in daily reports (copied both to the client and distributor). This enabled SCA to monitor progress, and measure each distributor’s success in converting leads and appointments.

Outcome

Business Appointments Limited achieved a rate of appointments to contacts of 7%. Additionally, 8% of contacts requested further information or a call at a future date.

Fairight Limited

Background

Fairight Packaging are a Luton based contract packaging business, having a specific range of specialist contract packing capabilities, particularly relevant to certain types of food, cosmetics and food manufacturers.

The client experiences strong seasonality of demand, and sought to stabilise this through broadening their client base and generating business from new niche markets.

Brief

To generate sales appointments and requests for quotations from key decision makers in companies conforming to Fairight’s stringent targeting criteria.

Strategy

A direct mail and telemarketing campaign aimed very specifically at packaging decision makers.

To produce a database selecting businesses in the Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Confectionery industries. To then pre-clean, inputting the name and position of the relevant decision maker. (not the Buyer / Purchasing manager). Only companies with certain minimum and maximum employee levels were included. Further stipulations were that the business be a manufacturer, and the contact address be a head office or single site location. Geographic boundaries by post code were also set. The resulting database contained just over 1 000 names, selected from a ‘universe’ of more than 2.5 Million businesses across the UK.

A mail piece was created, outlining the client’s services, and their particular relevance to the prospect.

Telemarketing follow up was made within three days of mailing, to further promote Fairight Limited, gain relevant information on likely packaging requirements and volumes, and agree an appointment time or other outcome. All leads and appointments were faxed to the client on a same day basis, along with comprehensive call notes.

Outcome

A total ratio of 13% leads to contacts was achieved, of which 9% were requests for an appointment or immediate follow-up.

Ai Qualitek

Background

Ai Qualitek is a substantial international business, manufacturing leak detection equipment and systems. They have their UK office in Cambridge, with subsidiaries in the US and Germany.

The client had previously been a player in the specialist Gas Appliance Leak Detection Market, where flow measurement instruments are used to determine product performance and quality.

Several years ago, through a process of rationalisation, it was decided to withdraw the flow measurement instrument. It was recently agreed that the time was right for a re-launch.

Brief

Ai Qualitek required a specialist direct mail and telemarketing campaign to launch the Q622 Mass Flow Leak Detector, generating sales appointments.

Strategy

A highly market-specific database was produced, giving a total UK potential of around 900 manufacturing companies likely to use Gas Leak Detection equipment, and being of a certain minimum size. The technical decision maker’s name and position was added to the company address details, to produce a full mailing and telemarketing database.

A secondary objective was to gain relevant competitor information where possible.

We used a mailpiece together with a covering letter to introduce the product, outlining its enhanced features and benefits.

An integral part of gaining an appointment was to offer a free on-site demonstration of the leak detector.

Outcome

We achieved a ratio of 8% sales appointments to contacts, plus a further 5% requesting information, or a call at a future date.