Telemarketing Lead Generation Blog

Economy Drives Up the Importance of Data Hygiene - Part 2

Posted on Feb 26, 2009 by Laura Johnson, Senior Program Director

Jon’s comments last week on the importance of data hygiene in today’s economy got me thinking of some other things companies can be doing to serve their market in times of turmoil. Why not use a data cleansing/profiling effort as a reason to reach out to your customer base, let them know that you’re still there for them, keep your finger on the pulse, maybe offer them some ideas on how you can help solve their problems?

Although our services support the needs of the B2B world, here’s a personal experience that nearly everyone can relate to and we can easily apply to B2B…I’ve got this insurance agent who calls me once a year to try and sell me on an addition to my current policy. When does he call? As I’m sure you can imagine, he calls just before my existing policy is about to renew. It’s so much like clockwork, it has become a bit of a running joke in our house. What’s worse in many ways is that he thinks my husband’s name is Tim (it’s not—again: data hygiene = crucial).

Every year when he calls, I always think, “Right, renewal time. Time for you to sell me stuff. No thanks.” If he were smart, he’d be calling me periodically to check in throughout the year, asking about what’s going on in my life, finding out what’s new, looking for triggers that might indicate some new need. Did the Johnson’s have a baby? Maybe they need new life insurance. Are they putting in a pool, buying a boat, heading to Costa Rica? This is where trigger marketing really comes into play. If he’s not checking in with me periodically, how can he possibly know what to try and sell me?

Maybe check in with me when you’re not trying to sell me something, and I’ll give more serious consideration to your next pitch. Sure, in the end it’s all about building that relationship so he can ultimately make the sale. I get that. But if I’m going to buy something, I’m going to buy it for me. Nice as the guy might be, I’m not going to spend my money to help him meet quota.

We highlight the importance of ongoing database maintenance and profiling to our clients as much as possible because we believe it is crucial to establishing and maintaining relationships with customers and prospects that will ultimately fuel sales and marketing initiatives. It’s also a crucial way to let your customers and prospects know that you are a part of their business experience, a partner invested in helping them meet critical business needs, overcome challenges, and ultimately be there when they are ready to purchase. If you’re worried about the current economy and what it means to your bottom line, now is the time to think hard about how you’re supporting your current customers all year long—not just when their account is up for renewal.

Tagged: lead generation, telemarketing data cleansing, telemarketing data hygiene, telemarketing sales leads, lead nurturing

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