Set up in 1998 and based in Bournemouth, Astute works with technology clients in the UK and abroad, offering B2B marketing communications services including lead generation, Gap Analysis, data profiling and landscaping. Key clients include Sonicwall, HP and Plantronics. Originally set up as a data management company, 80 per cent of Astute’s business now comes from lead generation and profiling. Astute employs 150 staff.
Strategy
Each lead generation campaign (which formed part of the overall Demand Generation Programme) was created in conjunction with T-Mobile. Astute’s strategy was to nurture the entire data set via online and offline channels and accurately select and target end-users when they reach the agreed timeframe for lead criteria. It is now responsible for managing T-Mobile’s leads through the entire lifecycle (data segmentation, sending marketing communications, generating leads to a set criteria, distribution, tracking and on-going reporting) in partnership with T-Mobile stakeholders.
Working within its strategic partnerships, Astute often faces a number of business issues including tight turnarounds for campaigns and limited budgets. Astute is T-Mobile’s only external agency with access to their entire client database, so wider business considerations include trust, confidence and integrity.
Particular challenges also included communication about the campaign with multiple layers of stakeholders (40+ direct sales, 5+ sales managers, 3+ marketing). Astute is now also responsible for educating T-Mobile direct sales staff on lead management, as part of their T-Mobile induction.
Objectives of the campaign
In order to meet campaign objectives of providing an increased number of quality direct B2B sales ‘accepted’ leads, the overall programme incorporates Astute selecting targeting data for: personal email campaigning – volume and individual mailing, hard copy DM mail, telephone follow up, inbound response management, and event registrations from a database of 53,000 tightly managed companies. Specific tactical campaigning to nurture particular leads included all of the above and personal letters.
The business relationship for Astute is based on a 100 per cent risk reward/performance-related payment structure, created to reward Astute’s success and reflect under performance accordingly. T-Mobile only pays for the leads generated and to achieve targets, Astute needed to average in excess of 20 pre cent lead conversion. The model also enabled T-Mobile sales to accept or reject a lead based on an agreed set of criteria, offering them real value for money.
To facilitate 360 degree reporting, Astute created a full lead pipeline tracking process providing full visibility of all accepted leads, closed business and first year revenue value. By integrating its systems with T-Mobile direct sales systems, Astute facilitates direct daily emails with lead information to sales individuals (ccing Manager) and a daily upload for T-Mobile’s CRM system. Leads are also added to a feedback tracker, which means that tracked information can be monitored and reported on both monthly and annually.
Target audience
This campaign was targeted at business prospects with a competitive mobile contract due for renewal within nine months (SME, LE, Major Account and Public Sector).
Particular considerations when targeting this audience included the quality of the information held in the existing T-Mobile lead database, T-Mobile’s brand awareness as a business solutions provider, contract renewal dates of end-users’ business mobile contracts, the loyal installed base for competitors including Vodafone and O2, network coverage perceptions and limited above the line business marketing.
Media channels or techniques used
Astute completed an extensive GAP analysis using many of the UK’s major B2B list owners to complete as full target audience as possible. Additionally, Astute continues to mine the database externally and internally for additional fields that benefit the programme and enrich the data held.
Astute has transformed the lead generation data by managing T-Mobile’s prospect base, proactively nurturing the entire data set and accurately selecting and targeting end-users when they reached the agreed timeframe for criteria. Astute then selects targeting data for personal email campaigning – volume and individual mailing, hard copy DM mail, telephone follow up, inbound response management and event registrations.
Astute is responsible for managing, profiling, enriching and the on-going development of the database, which has already seen a massive reduction in the number of duplicates, the increase of quality data and key contact information.
Timescales
From January 2009 to April 2010, Astute worked on a broader campaign along with several T-Mobile special offer campaigns. All are linked to one another using data captured by Astute.
Astute and T-Mobile formed a steering committee to discuss what messaging is resonating, trends being identified and what objections Astute is facing. Campaigns were scheduled on a month by month basis while reporting by campaign type is on a daily basis using campaign codes and weekly using summary statistics.
Astute now manages the lead expectations and deliverables through detailed analysis of the database dynamics and outcomes on a daily basis.
Results
The campaign was measured by the number and quality of leads generated, the number of sales accepted leads and the value of the lead pipeline and closed won business.
Results for the campaign included:
- 4800+ new leads generated
- 45,127 emails in original database, was 750
- 70% contract renewal date population, was 20 per cent
- 80% decision makers in base, was 30 per cent
- 1.4 genuine contact per company, which is growing (was less than 1)
The ROI for this campaign was in excess of £15-1. The annual target percentage achieved was 105 per cent and closed won business in 2009 was £15million. With the value of the lead pipeline added, this was £39 million which will result in further ROI for the activity over-time as the sales cycle continues.
Amanda Holton, SME & LE Campaign Marketing Manager, T-Mobile said, “T-Mobile has been working with Astute for a number of years to drive new business leads and support T-Mobile’s aggressive sales targets. Year on year, Astute have consistently provided an increasing number of leads for T-Mobile’s Direct Sales Force against tightening quality controls. The innovative approach and expert execution throughout numerous high quality campaigns in 2009/2010 has resulted them in delivering over and above their targets. T-Mobile have already converted a number of these high quality leads into sales and there are many more in the pipeline. A fantastic lead generation campaign!”
