Having valid, actionable databases of customers, be they current or potential, is a highly valuable marketing and sales tool which can not only drive new business, but can boost profits and improve CRM.
Louise Robinson, sales director of CG Consulting says databases go beyond providing sales leads that can be acted on instantly, and can also lead to excellent results over time when making up part of the longer-term strategy for pinpointing potential clients, winning back old ones, and keeping current ones happy.
Generally speaking, marketing to consumers usually means talking to large numbers of prospects, with a ‘mud against the wall’ approach, with little opportunity to find out about them, and sell to them based on their needs. “This is where outsourcing your databases comes in. A good provider will understand that the information on your database may be all the information you can ever get about a customer, and make sure you have the information needed to make a successful sale,” Robinson explains.
“Databases can help your business target the hottest prospects. You can identify the customers you really desire by selecting the most promising segments of your market. Once you know what you are looking for, you can identify what the prospects within this segment have in common, and can identify their needs, and target them with offers accordingly.”
She says a good database can also help you communicate at the right times, and will allow you to schedule and track activities to make sure you have the right frequency and type of contact for each group of customers. “In addition, you will be able to better monitor any progress that is being made. This will include being able to generate reports to show conversation rates according to market segment, and by activity, as well as identify previously unseen opportunities by comparing the different groups.”
Robinson says a database that is not easy to use and is unresponsive will be more of a hindrance than a help. “Databases must be simple to use, and quick to update and enter new data. Moreover, consider whether or not the sales and marketing teams work from home or from the office. If it is the former, remote access to the databases is of utmost importance.”
She says databases must also be flexible, and easily modified. “They need to support functionality such as mail shots and emails, and must work alongside other reporting tools to generate proper reports. Databases are essentially an analytical tool, and must allow the user to choose and view data in many different ways.”
In order to gain true visibility into your sales process, you must have validated, trustworthy data. Without a sales database that provides you with accurate information, you cannot make confident decisions for your business, she adds.
“Ultimately, true visibility into the sales process cannot happen without trustworthy, validated data. Without a good, clean sales database that provides your sales team with accurate and up to data information, targeting potential customers will be guess work at best, and the bottom line will suffer,” Robinson concludes.