Intelligence Networking Ltd.

Are you targeting the right SMEs?

Published on 22 February 2012 in IT Sales Leads

Market researchers SMB Group is reporting that it sees a distinct category of SMEs emerging, a category that the company is terming “Progressive.” Despite economic uncertainties, these Progressive companies plan to increase IT spending.

These companies see technology as a vital tool for business transformation, a mechanism to create market advantage and a way to level the playing field against bigger companies.

Although price is still a key factor for these Progressives, they are more likely to rate other factors—such as ease of customisation, strong reputation and brand, and ability to provide local service and support—higher than price when making technology decisions.

But how do you find these key prospects? INCo, whose business is finding and qualifying sales leads for IT and Consulting firms, claim that there is no susbstitute for detailed market knowledge.

According to INCo’s managing director, Neil Ritchie, “Shotgun marketing is no longer going to get results. What’s needed today is precise targeting, and you only get that from intensive contact with the market. Market intelligence and insight – such as that supplied by INCo – is the key to developing successful sales in this fragmented market.”

SMB Group say that Progressive companies invest more in technology and expect to see the results in terms of higher revenue expectations. (SMB Group has found that 73% of medium businesses that are investing more in technology anticipate revenue increases in 2012, compared to just 17% among those decreasing IT spending).

Technology vendors need to develop different sales campaigns and more sophisticated solutions and target Progressives if they are to win in this very important segment.

www.smb-gr.com

Leave a comment Tags: IT investments, SMEs, technology buyers

2011 Figures on Outsourcing Point to More Opportunities for IT and Consulting Firms

Published on 1 February 2012 in IT Sales Leads

Total spending on IT outsourcing in Europe last year was the highest ever for a 12 month period and a massive 27% higher than in 2010, according to Information Services Group’s (ISG) TPI index.

Total European outsourcing contracts in 2011, including BPO and IT contracts over €20m, were valued at €44bn.

In the UK, private sector demand for outsourcing increased. There were 15% more contracts in the final quarter of 2011 than that period of 2010. The total value of these contracts was 40% higher.

Neil Ritchie from INCo, whose business is to find qualified sales leads for IT and consulting clients, underlined that, despite uncertainties, there are still many new business opportunities in the market. “Through our continuous telemarketing programmes, we continue to find opportunities for our clients among customers who either want to improve efficiency or want to transform their business for the future”.

http://www.tpi.net/web/research-insights/tpi-index/

Leave a comment Tags: continuous telemarketing, Outsourcing opportunities

Companies search for ‘innovation premium’

Published on 16 January 2012 in INCo Advice, IT Lead Generation, IT Telemarketing, Market Predictions

Opportunities for IT and consulting firms, particularly those who can show solid evidence of contribution to successful business innovation, are continuing to grow, report new business development specialists INCo.

INCo, whose business involves finding and qualifying sales leads for its IT and Consulting clients, is reporting that potential buyers are still “very interested” in investing in innovation, particularly at a strategic level in the organisation. INCo’s awareness of this growing trend stems from its process of continued calls into IT and other departments within likely purchasing companies, a process which allows INCo to pass on knowledge of market trends and opportunities – as well as specific sales opportunities – to its clients.

Neil Ritchie, INCo managing director, commented, “Our continued contact with the market indicates that while some companies are postponing purchases, many more are confident that they will benefit from a market resurgence towards the end of 2012 and into 2013, and are investing now in innovative new processes and methods that will help them take advantage of improved market conditions.”

INCo is finding that potential purchasing companies who have maintained sales during the last half-year will invest both in IT systems and Consulting projects that can help them improve efficiency, customer satisfaction and market presence, ready for an upturn in confidence which many see coming in the latter half of 2012.

“There are many forward-thinking companies who aren’t waiting for the European crisis to resolve itself. They argue that they should be ready to take advantage of improved conditions.”

Leave a comment Tags: consulting firms, European crisis, innovation premium, IT and Consulting sales, lead generation consulting, lead generation IT, sales lead generation, successful innovation

Understanding Market Motivations for 2012

Published on 14 December 2011 in INCo Advice, Market Predictions

What’s going to drive sales for ICT and Consulting firms this year?

What CIOs need to know is not how much pressure there will be on budgets and ROI in 2012 and beyond, but what will be the key issue they have to respond to.

In 2011, it was cloud computing. Now, according to some commentators, it is monetizing IT, a trend that some picked up on this year but which many believe will be a game-changing issue for CIOs in 2012.

Broadly, the argument is that technology has become so integrated with how a business runs and serves its customers that CIOs are being asked to contribute to the bottom line. IT is no longer a cost, but a profit-enabler, as key to the business as finance or marketing.

So now, it makes sense that CIOs are being asked to help others in the enterprise contribute to the bottom line. CIOs are working with chief marketing officers to promote and create new services. New technology practices are being conceived and adopted by the rest of the business to speed up product time to market and add value to the business. CIOs are working directly with customers (external customers, not internal end users) to gauge how the business can create a better user experience.

Cutting costs, efficiency gains, business process automation — those all are givens. What CEOs want to hear about is technology that will capitalize on the enterprise’s information assets. They want CIOs to rein in big data to deliver new insights and make money.

In that situation, it’s important for sales companies and IT consultants alike to keep their finger on the pulse. Clients and potential clients may be using the quiet period over Christmas and the New Year to plan or conceive game-changing strategies for the future. If they do, it will have a fundamental impact on sales outcomes for all kinds of companies as they plan possibly radical diversions from past ideas.

INCo, because of its continued contact with companies and the market, can help ICT and consulting firms anticipate key trends like these, and find those organisations with a real product, system or service need and help to position suppliers to take advantage of sales in the New Year and beyond.

From INCo, to all its many ICT and consulting clients and our many friends across the industry, we wish you all a very happy and a prosperous New Year. And of course, if we can help make it more prosperous for you, please do get in touch.

Leave a comment Tags: CIOs, consulting need, consulting sales, ICT Sales, IT product need, lead generation consulting, lead generation IT, lead generation systems, Market Motivations 2012, Monetizing IT, sales outcomes

Consultancy Business. More Opportunities; More Difficult to Find?

Published on 22 November 2011 in INCo Advice

The Financial Times published its ‘Business of Consulting’ special report this month (www.ft.com/reports/consulting-2010).

While the publication agreed that business was generally growing for consulting firms, it pointed to some significant difficulties that they are facing in the current environment, most notably the difficulty of finding new clients and new assignments.

The report quotes Alan Learman, chief executive of the UK’s Management Consultancies Association. (www.mca.org.uk)

“As economic change bites, more organisations will see the real value of looking outside their own ranks for the highest quality advice. There is clearly discussion about how much they can afford and return on investment, but they will need help to manage and exploit change.”

Other organisations are finding that they need help to cope with regulatory or technological changes. Technology in particular is underpinning so many new developments and so much structural change that understanding its potential, and then applying it, becomes critical to the corporate future.

INCo is a professional firm whose business is built around finding sales opportunities for all kinds of IT and Consulting organisations, reinforces the view that new business sales will be key to a successful period of growth for consulting firms.

“Change and a need to face new realities are forcing companies to change. We know from our continuous contact with the marketplace that consulting assignments – particularly at a high level – are there. In recent times it has never been so critical to ensure your firm has a professional business development and deal origination strategy backed up by a robust bid management process.” said Neil Ritchie of INCo.

Leave a comment Tags: business of consulting report, Financial Times, lead generation consulting, lead generation IT, management consultancies association, management consulting sales, Neil Ritchie

When does a sales lead become a real opportunity?

Published on 14 November 2011 in INCo Advice, IT Sales Leads

There are sales leads, and then there are qualified sales leads.

If you’re investing in sales leads for your company, you want more than a list of potential purchasers. You want real opportunities for business.

But when is a sales lead real? And when might a contact with a potential new buyer turn into real business?

At INCo, we understand a qualified sales lead to be one which fulfils the BANT criteria.

BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need and Time. So a properly qualified sales lead (for us and for our many IT and Consulting clients) will have to specify and confirm the following attributes:-

Budget – there has to be a realistic amount of money allocated to a potential purchase. That purchase has to be budgeted for and included in corporate planning.

Authority – whoever is named as the contact for a sales lead needs to have the authority to take action, whether conducting an evaluation of available products and services, recommending purchase or authorising it. At INCo, we take time to understand how any purchase might be made. That is valuable information for our clients.

Need – the need for a product or service should have been identified within the business. There might be a technical or business justification for the purchase, or both, depending on its significance. We always try to identify what precisely is driving a potential purchase.

Time – any sales lead has to come with a timescale within which actions will be taken. We’ll gather as much detail on that timing plan as we can. It’s important too, to know when it’s too late. When the time for decision-making is past, move on to the next real opportunity.

Of course, it’s often impossible to get all of that information at once. That’s why our continued process of market contact is so valuable. We help to put opportunities on our radar early and then continue to track them until – according to our clients’ own criteria, specified with us – they become real, either in terms of BANT qualification, or the rules of our individual clients.

Because many of our clients are involved in high-level consulting, they are interested in establishing contacts at an earlier stage and at a higher level than perhaps other companies interested in a technical software sale for example.

But because we are experts in gathering intelligence on potential companies’ intentions, we can help deliver sales leads that provide real potential for the future.

Leave a comment Tags: BANT qualified sales leads, consulting sales leads, IT sales leads, qualified sales leads, sales lead specialists

Customers wary, but growth continues in IT

Published on 7 November 2011 in Market Predictions

Finding buyers and sales opportunities may not be easy in 2012

Now, more than ever, IT and Consulting firms need to stress value and results as buyers search for demonstrable efficiencies and expertise in emerging technologies. But finding those buyers may not be easy in 2012.

Currently, market researchers Forrester, for example, are still predicting positive growth in world technology markets, even though the US and European economies are dancing on the edge of a recession. Their prediction is that business and government purchases of technology goods and services will see slowing, though still positive growth, in 2012. (http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/global_tech_market_outlook_for_2011_and/q/id/57815/t/2)

Throughout 2012, the pressure to maintain an effective sales pipeline will continue, particularly in the UK and Europe.

INCo, a sales lead generation firm, working to help established and emerging technology firms identify qualified sales leads for products and services sees its services becoming more commercially important.

“Ambitious companies in the IT sector need to be able to generate a future pipeline of sales on the basis of good understanding of what is driving customers to buy. We not only help IT and Consulting firms to find business leads that match their products and expertise, but we also help them to understand the business rationale for purchases in both the public and private sector,” said Neil Ritchie of INCo.

Forrester is predicting that 2012 growth will slide to 5.5% (from around 7% in 2011). IT markets of Western and Central Europe will have the slowest growth, with Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and Latin America growing the fastest.

Leave a comment Tags: Consulting market, finding buyers, IT market, lead generation consulting, lead generation IT, sales leads, sales pipeline

Never mind the prospects you know. What about the ones not on your radar?

Published on 27 September 2011 in INCo Advice, IT Lead Generation, IT Sales Leads

In-house sales teams sometimes have a narrow focus on how to achieve sales goals. They like dealing with companies or industries they know. Sales prospecting on a broader basis isn’t what they’re good at.

But in today’s environment, it is more important than ever to ensure that IT solutions and service providers are meeting and engaging with as many prospective customers as possible – potential clients that have active projects relative to the portfolio the sales team can offer.

With pressure on corporate budgets ratcheting up,sales people are faced with two problems. The first is that, because of budget pressure, any remaining loyalties to existing suppliers are likely to be forgotten. The second is a matter of skills and bandwidth. How do sales teams find potential buyers in new companies and industries?

INCo is the UK’s leading provider of direct marketing and lead generation services specifically to IT and professional services organisations, and successfully resolves that issue every day.

INCo’s aim is to ensure that its clients are engaged with the ‘ideal prospects’ that they are not already aware of. The company already provides these services to software authors/developers, application and hardware services providers, system integrators and professional services organisations.

As well as providing qualified sales opportunities that our clients can immediately engage with, INCo also manage the “warming” queue of opportunities (in partnership with each of its clients) that with the right nurturing and development, will become fully qualified sales opportunities in the future. This is important as it allows sales teams to focus their efforts and resources on fully qualified opportunities, while their forthcoming pipeline of potential opportunities remains visible and measurable.

In this way, to paraphrase an old advertising line, in-house sales teams can ‘do what they do best, while INCo does the rest’. It’s a formula that is already working for many leading and emerging IT suppliers and consulting firms.

Leave a comment Tags: ideal prospects, IT lead generation, lead generation, new business consulting, new business IT, qualified sales opportunities, sales goals, sales leads, sales teams

4 Reasons to Think About Oursourcing New Business Sales

Published on 7 September 2011 in INCo Advice

New business sales. Overhead or investment?

Many IT and consulting firms (seeing this as a period when ‘who sells, wins’) are increasing their sales efforts to capitalise on future market potential. But will their investments pay off?

With at least some of these companies relying on increasing internal sales headcount to build their sales pipeline, INCo question whether that is money well spent.

INCo believe an outsourced sales model may get better returns and represent much better value than simply relying on in-house staff. The company bases its argument on four key points, as follows:-

1. Farmers and Hunters

Most in-house sales staff are naturally farmers. They are used to looking after big accounts, strengthening relationships, ensuring customer satisfaction and ensuring that clients will provide referrals to peer groups. What they aren’t so good at is finding new opportunities with new clients. It’s a specialist skill and it needs specialists to find and develop those sales leads. INCo staff are calling and emailing into the market on a regular basis. They are specialist, skilled hunters.

2. Inhouse vs Outsource

Hiring expensive sales people to find and develop sales leads is something that IT and Consulting firms have done in the past. What they find is that the return to effort is often small. Once the opportunity has been highlighted, then different skills are required to open up and develop the relationship (farmers and hunters once more). Meanwhile, those expensive sales people sit on their hands. Hiring a company like INCo means you only pay for the resources you need.

3. Specialists needed

It takes specialist awareness to begin to find important opportunities for IT and Consulting products and services. The higher up the organization you target, the more your people need to talk about current business issues rather than technology features, solutions rather than products. Training your staff – who have focused on features and products – to do this will be difficult. INCo staff have a continuous education programme to keep on top of the issues of the moment. That knowledge is a key part of their telemarketing success.

4. A win/win situation

The INCo service works because it provides value to both client and potential customer of IT and Consulting products and services. Clients receive properly qualified sales leads and opportunities. Customers receive good advice on potential suppliers with the skills, market knowledge, products and experience that they are looking for.

Gaining new business can be a long and time consuming process. Using the right specialists at the right time can help companies find and qualify opportunities outside their normal sphere of operations. This is especially true for companies who need to be in touch with ‘C’-level executives.

Leave a comment Tags: C-level execs, Farmers vs Hunters, new sales leads, outsourced sales leads, outsourced sales prospecting, Who sells wins

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