Zen and the Art of Data Archery

The recession offers a fantastic opportunity for the would- be data archer who needs to hit the bulls-eye with targeted, accurate data!

It’s a time of recession yes, with many challenges for personnel responsible for purchasing data. Never has the weight of responsibility weighed so heavy on the marketing data mangers to ensure that money is spent wisely on data that will perform with the best ROI possible. The risk of the impact of buying poor performing data is higher than ever before. It’s not all doom and gloom! This is an amazing opportunity for the data archer to hone his or her data archery skills. Because these are particularly challenging times marketing data managers really have no option but to be extra vigilant in their data purchase decisions.

Perhaps the most urgent insight the marketing data manager needs is that while the bulls eye, the goal of getting sales may be a static target, the data itself, the lead generation information should not be a static commodity but one that is constantly changing and evolving. The potential customer is a moving target. He or she may be literally moving house, or changing their surname or marital status. Their buying habits may change because of an accident, a new-found hobby or passion, a mid-life crisis, or an interaction with a brand or advertising campaign. So with customers’ circumstances and buying habits constantly changing, the data and records that one might purchase need to be fresh, up to date and accurate at the slice of time in which they are bought.

This is why I propose telemarketing survey data and leads as a very effective method for obtaining fresh, up to date, reliable, responsive and accurate data. The top data archers, those who ensure they consistently hit the bulls-eye, will choose to sponsor a relevant uestion or questions, bespoke to their requirement, from a trusted telemarketing survey vendor. The data can be sent batch email delivery no more than twenty four hours old. The data can be highly targeted and will be valid, fresh and relevant at the point of purchase. Also you will know the context of the data - how the information was gathered and the customer will be expecting your call. Compared with other lead generation methods it is very cost-effective. Because surveys include other non-competing questions from other companies the price per lead can be kept low, with several companies sharing the cost of the survey.

In these challenging times it is simply not enough to stuff your marketing pipeline with a mass of cheap, worn -out or untargeted data, and in an increasingly modernized world where the speed of change keeps increasing a half hearted attempt to periodically cleanse your database will leave you behind somewhere in the Dark Ages.

This is a call to marketing data managers everywhere: take a deep breath of fresh air, plant your feet on solid ground, compose yourself and pick up the telephone. Call your telemarketing survey lead vendor and ask him for a quote for the most relevant one to four qualifying sales questions that in an ideal world you would like to ask your target prospects. Reserve those questions for yourself and place your order. Have a glass of wine. Shut your eyes. Imagine you are in a forest. Its an archery competition. You pull back the bow and you watch your arrow fly to the bulls-eye. The audience is applauding. You notice it’s all your work colleagues cheering. Your managing director steps forward smiling broadly,

shakes your hand firmly and announces to everyone that he is promoting you and although it’s a recession things are looking up for the company and he is giving you a raise.

Dialer Data Media
We are Dialer Data Media - (see www.dialerdata.com)