ETI Account Management Provides a Suitable Alternative

Attend a trade show, and you fast discover the massive number of prospects most successful companies obtain: all the people who pass your booth, all the attendees at the seminars, at the parties and "on the master list" who you never saw.

Database management can help insure that all of these prospects -- and more -- are being carefully integrated into our sales process.

Lead Tracking

Closing business is not a function of a clever line recited by a salesperson, but the culmination of a successful sales process. In fact, effective lead tracking is the only way you can measure the actual cost of your sales. If your organization is like most, this process includes mailings, telephone calls, updates on your activities and press clips.

Knowing who received which mailing when, which prospect received a raise/promotion or got married, the right time to follow-up calls, who knows about announcements in your company -- and who doesn't -- is not in any way a function of the quality of your salespeople. After all, you pay them to sell. It is a management job that will succeed and fail by the quality of the lead tracking systems you put in place.

Using a Database to Sell

A database is a collection of data organized especially for rapid search and retrieval. A database management system manages the way in which a database is maintained and the method in which data is made available to computer operators. Once you have committed your list to data, fields can segment and allow you to target market quite succinctly. For instance, your list can be segmented to gather prospects whose purchases exceeded certain parameters last year. Of course, you can use the database to target mail customers in certain locations or industries. The key is that database management converts your prized prospect and customer list to a useable tool that you can leverage to develop more business.

The Essentials of a Quality Database

Accuracy tops the list for a quality database. All names should be spelled right, all corporate titles exact. Addresses should be checked, and account information continually verified. Secondly, a database should be interactive, and prompt you to perform tasks -- such as a follow-up call to a mailing made seven days prior.

But database management can go much further. All types of details can be incorporated about your buyers and even integrated with layers of demographic, financial, and lifestyle data from outside information brokers (data enhancement). This information can then be used to understand your customers' buying habits. Wouldn't it be glorious to truly understand how a certain prospect buys so that you can tailor your sales presentations accordingly? Bank of America, one of the fastest growing banks in the country, uses its database as a marketing tool. The San Francisco-based financial giant has customer data extracted from bank card, checking, and savings accounts. The information is then used to target mail -- or telemarket new products and services.

Ensuring Tomorrow's Sales

Database management is not an easy task. It is a disciplined application that may in fact pull together several divisions of a company -- from marketing to billing -- in order to gather its continual information. The good new is that your company is not the first company to experience these challenges. By outsourcing database management ETI, you can rest assured that the job will be conducted effectively. After all, your database today contains your customers of tomorrow.

Back To Articles

Phone:(800) 466-4384Fax:(914) 747-3466