Despite this being an election year, we promise not to get political here. You may remember
several years ago, there was a lot of talk about a Senator who was able to push through funding for his state project to build a bridge in Alaska that became known as the “Bridge to Nowhere”. If you Google this term, you will discover that there have been many such projects over the course of recent history. These are feel-good projects that:
- Benefit very few people
- Cost significant money
- Create the perception of progress
As we know, these projects are often politically motivated and they have come to represent wasteful government spending. Hence, the term “Bridge to Nowhere” has become a euphemism for any endeavor that gives a feel-good boost at the start, but really achieves little more than wasted time and resources.
So, let me ask you: Are there parts of your sales process that could be likened to a “Bridge to Nowhere”? Do you have sales processes in place that expend significant time and energy, but there is little result to show for it? If your company is like most, the answer is unfortunately, but likely, YES.
Using sub-par marketing lists is a good example.
Like the Bridge to Nowhere projects, you may have opted to create the appearance of forward progress in your marketing efforts by hand-building lists or purchasing inexpensive lists. But, if the use of those lists doesn’t result in the development of a significant sales pipeline of qualified leads, isn’t that effort more like building another Bridge to Nowhere? It may feel like progress when you select or purchase the list, but in the end, you really don’t have much to show for all the time, energy and effort that were applied in using the list to attempt to develop qualified leads.
The reality when prospecting with such lists may look more like this:
1.) Digging for Decision Makers: Your sales reps are bounced around from one person to the next, sitting on hold, trying to find the appropriate decision maker.
2.) Outdated Information: How often have your reps heard the receptionist remark, “Oh, that person hasn’t worked here in 3 years!” Depending upon the quality of your list, I know it can happen quite frequently. After more than 20 years in B2B sales, I can tell you that I have experienced this numerous times, especially while working for companies that decided to “save some money” by renting or buying a list that initially appeared inexpensive.
What a huge waste of time, money and resources!
When calling on one typical poor quality list, I remember the admin answering the phone reported, “I’m sorry, but Joe Smith passed away 4 years ago…”
Wow – what kind of list is that? Where did that information come from?
Don’t feel you’ve failed if this describes your typical list. You are not alone!
On this very day, throughout corporate America, there are hundreds of sales/marketing execs and their sales staffs suffering from the results of employing poor quality prospecting lists. The sales staff is dialing for dollars all day long, trying desperately to locate the decision makers they seek.
A cumbersome process, with Bridge to Nowhere results?
Consider this: Even if your marketing list was accurate when you bought it, did you know that according to Hubspot, “… In B2B marketing on average after 1 year, lists only retain 75% of their members due to turnover at companies and other factors. Marketing lists have a tendency to expire at a rate of 25% a year…” This means that on average, 25% of the marketing list you purchased last fall will be invalid today. Over the course of a year, assuming it was a good list to begin with, there is a natural degradation of the list due to turnover, corporate changes, new hires, etc.
So your sales staff could be wasting 25% of their time calling on contacts that are simply no longer there – talk about a Bridge to Nowhere! So…what can you do about it?
What you need is a direct route from point A to point B in the sales process. You need a solution that acts as a bridge to take you directly to the decision makers you seek. And this exactly the kind of information that exists within the Mentor Tech Group database.
I can honestly say that in my 20+ years of sales experience, having called on thousands of B2B companies in numerous industries, Mentor Tech Group’s lists are truly and simply the best I’ve ever called – and that’s a fact. Using MTG’s lists while representing a corporate training company opened my eyes to what is possible when you use an up-to-date, high quality list for your prospecting efforts. The results were amazing. MTG has created the opportunity for you to connect directly with the decision makers you seek in corporate training and HR, without a lot of wasteful wrong turns, dead ends and missteps.
This is because we hand-build our lists, via personal conversations with every contact to determine not only their contact details, but also their responsibility within the organization and if they merit membership in our database. This is exactly what your sales reps are always looking for when prospecting – and we have now created it for those lucky enough to sell to the corporate training, HR, and e-learning industries!
And to top it off, when you purchase a minimum of 1000 MTG leads, you receive a complete update of any changes to your list every 4 months for one full year. Your sales staff will no longer be wasting up to 25% of their time calling on expired leads. Our database is current, accurate and qualified. No more wasted time, money, or effort. We provide the link, the “Bridge” to the decision makers you seek.
MTG offers many options to customize our database, creating a customized list to meet your specifications. Or you can choose our Total Solution – that’s the entire MTG database of corporate training, HR and e-learning contacts.
Here are a few MTG database stats we thought you might find interesting as you review your list vendor options:
Mentor Tech Group Total Solution Database – 4 Month Change Rate
Here’s what has changed in the MTG database in the last four months – since 6/1/12:
- Added 2,947 brand new contacts (9.6% of 30,651)
- Modified 6,596 existing contacts (21.5% of 30,651)
- REMOVED 2,132 contacts (7.0% of 30,651)
Total Change Rate: 38.1%
Today – four months later, our Total Solution database has 31,476 contacts – a NET GAIN of 825 contacts, or 2.7% net growth.
If you had this kind of information, how quickly could your team locate qualified leads? What could your sales pipeline look like in 3, 6 or 12 months?
The next time you decide to build or purchase a list, think of it as a crossroads:
- Will you choose the “Bridge to Nowhere”? OR
- Will you choose the “Bridge to the Decision Makers you Seek”?
I know which route your sales reps would choose. Do you?
For more info regarding MTG’s marketing lists for corporate training, e-learning, and HR, please call us today at (651) 457-8600. We’re here to help you!
(P.S. I told you we wouldn’t get political – aren’t you relieved?)
