System Integrator
Account-based campaign with elements of direct mail
Task
The customer has a reputation for aggressive sales tactics that alienate current clients and make establishing new contacts difficult. SellPromo was tasked with exploring cooperation opportunities with target companies, identifying IT infrastructure problems and needs (with an emphasis on virtualization), and organizing meetings with the IT directors of potential clients. A key requirement during these interactions was to foster a positive perception of the customer among decision-makers. Additionally, the customer wanted to re-engage dormant and former clients while acquiring new ones.
Solution
Since the customer provided a list of target companies, activities were conducted within an account-based framework. This involved studying the context and needs of each company and creating personalized interactions. To increase loyalty during initial communications, we used gamification — presenting easily achievable challenges in a playful format to create enjoyable experiences while overcoming them, with a personal reward at the end.
Implementation
During the preparation stage, we conducted an in-depth study of the IT needs of the target companies. This analysis included ongoing tenders, job postings, press releases, news articles, market rumors, and interviews with key employees. For each company, the decision-makers responsible for IT policy and the key influencers affecting decision-making were identified. A generalized matrix of problems and expectations across all target companies was compiled. Based on this matrix, engaging texts and personalized emails were written; a landing page was created; and conversation scripts were prepared for discussions with decision-makers regarding possible meetings.
As a gamification element, a LEGO set was chosen. A small, engaging quest to find the instruction manual on the landing page was implemented as an artificially created challenge.
During the active phase of the campaign, the disassembled LEGO set and a personalized letter were sent to the decision-makers and key employees of the target company. After visiting the landing page, a teleagent contacted the recipient and, using a personalized, non-sales-focused script, clarified the necessary details and guided them toward arranging a meeting.
Results
The campaign received a very positive response from decision-makers, who demonstrated high loyalty during their interactions with teleagents. Representatives from 56% of the target companies agreed to meet with the customer’s team. Additionally, 19% of contacts submitted technical specifications and were ready to begin negotiations for acquiring VMware solutions during the first calls (A- and B-leads according to the BANT methodology). Overall, 46% of decision-makers were qualified as having high potential for future interactions, and opportunities and needs for future sales and implementations of IT solutions unrelated to virtualization were identified. The customer highly valued the campaign results, and over the course of five years, more than 40 similar activities were carried out for them, covering over 2,000 target companies across all regions in which they operate.
