Getting a Boost in Leads
Since 1995, Aegis Software has helped companies streamline and accelerate their manufacturing operations via software that provides process tracking and control, quality and test management, materials verification, and more. The Pennsylvania-based company serves clients around the world and has offices in the United Kingdom, China, and Japan.
As Aegis's solutions became more advanced, the company found it harder to develop new sales leads. The company's product was initially used mainly by midlevel manufacturers, whom sales representatives met with directly, Shaun Black, director of marketing at Aegis, explains. "Over time, the solution started to touch more areas and really impact different parts of the manufacturing industry. We didn't have established relationships with these companies, and our sales team had to battle its way up the food chain, which was pulling down sales. It didn't take long to realize that we needed to make a change. We needed to gain access to upper management and come up with messages that resonate with them."
When representatives from AG Salesworks, a Norwood, MA.–based B2B marketing firm, reached out to Aegis, the timing couldn't have been better. Black says he and his colleagues were impressed by AG Salesworks' approach and their knowledge of enterprise-level software companies.
Black and his colleagues met with AG Salesworks representatives in March 2011 and developed a strategy for helping Aegis find more qualified sales leads.
The AG Salesworks team walked Aegis sales representatives through its best practices module, including working on a script for telephone calls and emails that AG Salesworks would use to find new sales leads. "They [Aegis] told us if the messaging was on target," says Laney Pilpel, director of client operations at AG Salesworks. "Our salespeople then worked on finding the decision-makers of companies who would be interested in Aegis's solutions." In response to Aegis's request for market intelligence reports, Pilpel says AG Salesworks provided information identifying its competitors, companies that were not the right fit, and potential prospects that needed additional attention.
The program officially launched in May, and within two weeks, Aegis's sales team started to see results, according to Black. "Every week we receive a report and have a meeting with AG Salesworks where they [AG Salesworks] tell us what they're doing. The report contains details about the calls they've made and where they are in their conversations with prospective clients. Our sales managers love it," Black says.
At the time of this writing, Aegis's sales team had received 74 qualified leads and 51 prospective contacts. AG Salesworks continues to send seven to 10 leads each month to the Aegis sales team.
Another benefit of AG Salesworks' research, Black notes, was learning that a huge opportunity exists for Aegis to upsell to its existing customer base. He says the company also plans to extend its work with AG Salesworks to its international offices. "This is one of those rare occasions where a vendor has come through," Black says, "and did exactly what they said they were going to do.
The Payoff:
Soon after implementing AG Salesworks' strategies, Aegis:
- received 74 qualified leads and 51 prospective contacts;
- continues to receive seven to 10 leads per month; and
- plans to expand the program to its international offices.