Telemarketing for industry is a business in its own right. The target market of suppliers to industry is often limited to one or a few industries. The number of manufacturers in an industry is also often small. On top of that, big decisions are often involved: expensive machines and equipment. Moreover, those machines and equipment are essential to the production process for the producer. This requires intensive contact between supplier and client within the industry. Telemarketing can therefore successfully support sales to industry. As a specialist in industrial telemarketing, we can help you well to get more customers.
The particularity of an industrial target
Actually, there is no such thing as "the industry," for under this rubric come all sorts of high-technology companies serving just as many sectors and markets. The commercial challenges of a petrochemical supplier are quite different from those that serve the food sector.
However, there are also similarities. All industrial suppliers deal with clients who use expensive assets to make a sophisticated product. Sometimes for a national, often for an international market. And precisely this technical sophistication means that in this market a simple sales pitch is not enough.
Especially if your target group is limited in number of prospects, you need to nurture the relationship with each potential customer. This is a substantial difference from ordinary b2b sales, where the target group in the Netherlands alone often numbers tens of thousands of companies. An industrial target group in the Netherlands is sometimes only a few dozen or hundreds of companies. Then the relationship with each prospect is important. Attention is then decisive and telemarketing for industry plays an important role in this.
Multiple decision makers at each prospect
Procurement of industrial systems, production lines, etc. involves expensive equipment that is purchased for a long term. The procurement process is a joint effort of several people. Among them are production managers, heads of technical services, engineers and management; the decision making unit (DMU). And the final purchase must enable the client to regain technical leadership and competitiveness for years to come.
That requires a commercial approach that addresses those different decision makers in the DMU each on their own arguments and knowledge level, and at the right time. Go figure! Fortunately, we have a team of experienced people who know this market well. They have a feel for technology and speak the language of the target group, even if that language happens not to be Dutch.
You have the best salespeople
We fully realize that when it comes to technical know-how and knowledge of specialized markets and production techniques, you have the best salespeople in-house. Put them in the place and time where they bring the most benefit to you. That is, for example, at prospect presentations and tours of your showroom.
Precisely in order to keep your own sales free for the most important contacts, industrial telemarketing can provide the permanent contact with your target group. Our Industry Team explores the market for them and makes appointments for a presentation when the commercial opportunities are greatest. With this strategic partnership, we ensure that your commercial people bring in the most and you can grow faster.
What can telemarketing in the industry do for you?
We map the market
When your target market is limited in number of companies, it is important to have contact with every potential customer. From available databases and through web crawling techniques, we can precisely identify your target market. With telemarketing, we gather information about decision makers, equipment present, current contracts and needs. Based on this data, we determine next actions. If a prospect meets your requirements, we make an appointment for your account manager.
Installed base / aftersales
Production resources and equipment often last for years, sometimes decades. Modern developments such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and remotely readable sensors now make it possible to better estimate when to replace, supply parts or perform maintenance. But do you actually remember all your old customers? If this information is not available, we will map it out for you. We renew contact and at the right time we make an appointment for your account manager.
Good after-sales is an important means of realizing new business. After all, the trust in you as a supplier is already there. By keeping regular contact with customers, you know what is going on. Telemarketing is the appropriate tool for this. Is your customer going to expand? Is maintenance or replacement needed? Have the technical requirements changed? With industrial telemarketing, you spot it and can respond proactively. Your customers appreciate this and it offers plenty of sales opportunities.
Nurturen
Manufacturing equipment is purchased only sporadically because it lasts for years. To determine the exact buying moment, it is important to keep in regular contact with your prospects(nurturing). Moreover, each prospect often has multiple decision makers (the decision making unit or DMU). Maintaining those contacts with all decision makers is quite labor intensive. We have the techniques and people for it. With a good combination of telemarketing and account management, there is still a lot to be gained in the industry. A little active account manager will be happy and you will see your sales increase.
How do you deploy telemarketing for industry?
As you can see, telemarketing for acquisition in an industrial market can help tremendously. A good first step is an exploratory conversation with us. Provite is the oldest acquisition agency in the Netherlands. We have been helping suppliers to industry with B2B telemarketing to increase their sales for decades.
Here's how we do it: 3 times sales growth in the industrial sector
Obviously, we have a lot of experience in the industrial sector, nationally and internationally. But how does this work in practice? Here are three examples, with information on the growth strategy followed that takes into account the market position and commercial strength of the client, the current situation of the market, new developments in the sector and opportunities among the various target groups.
Engineering firm in the field of asset management and maintenance
This Dutch engineering firm with an international scope of operations ensures at all kinds of companies and organizations with production facilities or technical installations that machine downtime is kept to a minimum and that maintenance only needs to take place when there is a planned downtime, not downtime due to failure.
The engineering firm supports its clients in three ways:
- Plant maintenance consulting (consulting).
- Secondment of an (a.i.) asset manager with knowledge of the organization to improve processes. He/she helps the technicians present to reduce downtime and improve maintenance.
- Supply and install equipment, such as sensors, that detects wear and tear and predicts and prevents failure in a timely manner.
The client has no real sales department; contact with new customers is through the main partners in the company (all engineers). To facilitate further growth, Provite was asked to make appointments with the asset managers and heads of TD of large and medium-sized companies mainly in industry, but also, for example, water boards, utilities and provinces with important technical installations such as locks and bridges.
Three campaigns were created for the three activities mentioned above. These are run side by side. In doing so, we were able to bring the client in with the target audience. From there, a number of orders followed fairly quickly from very large companies, including manufacturers in the food industry.
We have been working for this company for about three years now. The campaign for delivery and installation of equipment has now ceased due to being overcrowded with work. For the other two departments, we supply about three appointments per week with a commitment of ten hours per week. In doing so, we approach two levels: partly executive (asset manager, head of TD), partly board members to make asset management a strategic focus area within the organization.
Manufacturer of air technology equipment
Dutch manufacturer of air technology equipment with an international customer base in the industry. For decades this company has supplied equipment, including through brokering, to manufacturing companies throughout Europe and beyond. However, this has not properly tracked where this equipment is now and how old it is. The renewed management of this company wants to map this in order to realize commercial opportunities for replacement or improvement of the equipment once delivered.
The manufacturer itself has a commercial department that focuses primarily on heads of TD, production managers, etc. Provite was asked to approach the target group's senior management in order to achieve a higher brain position or appointment with arguments such as customization, process knowledge, efficiency and environmental awareness.
With an effort of fifteen hours per week, we make approximately eight appointments. In addition, the client gains a better view of outstanding equipment once delivered, when it is due for replacement, and/or when the manufacturer is planning new construction or expansion of the production facility. This information allows the manufacturer to approach their clients at the right time in future years to replace their air technology equipment.
Dutch branch of an international inspection and certification company
This certification company is one of the largest providers of construction inspection services worldwide. This ensures the quality of the construction process during both the design and construction phases. They have a broad target market ranging from industry, contracting to governments.
The company sees interesting commercial opportunities precisely at this time in connection with the upcoming introduction of the Building Quality Assurance Act. In short, the future legislation increases the liability of clients and contractors in construction work, unless it can be impartially demonstrated that procedures around safe construction have been followed.
Taking advantage of this current development, the client currently wants to enter the petrochemical, chemical and pharmaceutical industries in particular, because that is where the risks and liability are the heaviest and where the attention from these audiences is the greatest.
As a foreign company, the certification company also had a somewhat unfamiliar image. Therefore, strengthening this image was also important to take full advantage of the current development. The company has its own commercial department, but engaged Provite to "make extra meters.
Provite approached nearly eight hundred companies over a period of about six months. In doing so, it made 130 promising appointments (about 5 appointments with a commitment of 20 hours per week). The name recognition of the client in the most promising part of the target group increased significantly and the company "got in" with more than one hundred interesting potential clients.
THE BEST PART IS WHEN SOMEONE WHOSE SCHEDULE YOU FILL IS HUGELY SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF YOUR APPOINTMENTS!
Bob | Business Developer
THE FIRST STEP TO NEW BUSINESS
Is a conversation. Online or on location. You talk about what you want to achieve, your target audiences, your wonderful product and/or service. We put our more than 45 years of experience against it and discuss a strategy. After all, B2B Telemarketing as part of lead generation offers unprecedented opportunities. Let's discover it together!
Want to know more? Contact Tom +31 70 3134444.
