ClickSoftware
(www.ClickSoftware.com)
provides workforce management software that enables service-intensive
organizations to optimize customer responsiveness and utilization of
service personnel.
MarketCapture:
Why did you change your
approach to lead generation?
Amit Bendov: Our customers
are large field service organizations.
We looked at our market and realized there is a finite number of
potential customers, so at some point you start running into the same
people over and over again. We
figured the key to additional business is accelerating adoption with the
people we already know, not so much getting new leads.
It is also a matter of timing, and just like you cannot time the
stock market, the only way to be there at the right time is to be
consistently in touch with the people in our target market.
MarketCapture:
What do you do differently
today?
Amit Bendov: We are looking
for ways to establish ongoing dialogs with people in our target market.
We rely more on our database and use it more effectively rather
than buy lists and media placements. We use more interactive marketing
vehicles such as e-mail campaigns, newsletters, and Webinars.
We’ve also revamped our website to be more interactive and to
cross-promote other vehicles such as the newsletter and the Webinars.
MarketCapture:
How do you keep your prospects
interested in an ongoing dialog?
Amit Bendov: The key is
providing them with useful information and advice. Our newsletter has played a major role in establishing an
ongoing dialog. The
newsletter is not about ClickSoftware but about our customers.
We feature industry experts, but mostly people like to read and
hear from their peers, so we give the stage to our readers.
We do the same with the Webinars, inviting customers to talk about
their issues and experiences.
MarketCapture:
How do you enlarge your
database?
Amit Bendov: This is an
ongoing process. We are
concerned not only with enlarging the database but with reaching highly
qualified prospects. We use
the same vehicles – our newsletter for example – to get people engaged
in a dialog. We have
increased our newsletter readership from 7,000 to 13,000 in less than
eight months. People find it valuable and forward it to their peers.
This ensures that we get highly qualified readers: a quarter of the
readers are what we define as highly qualified prospects.
We believe that once the dialog has been established the
opportunity to sell will come when the customer is ready.
MarketCapture:
So you don’t buy any lists?
Amit Bendov: It’s hard to
find high quality lists, and there are issues of permission and cost.
Instead of buying lists, we partner with industry professional
associations for field service managers to create joint educational
offerings. They like working
with us because we don’t use it to promote our own solutions but to
provide information that their members really find valuable.
MarketCapture: How do you address
permission?
Amit Bendov: We are very
concerned with our customers’ and readers’ privacy, but for the most
of it permission has not been an issue, mostly because we rely primarily
on our own list. We give
people the option to opt-out, but we have extremely low opt-out rates.
MarketCapture:
What kind of results have you seen so far?
Amit Bendov: We have seen a
significant increase in the number of inquiries. Our brand equity has increased as well. We’ve always been industry experts and thought leaders, but
now we are also recognized for it.
MarketCapture:
How has it impacted your marketing cost?
Amit Bendov: Our marketing
activities are more focused and as a result more effective.
We have reduced the use of expensive promotions in tradeshows and
print media and increased the use of more cost-effective vehicles such as
e-mail and Webinars. As a result, we have been able to generate more responses and
at the same time reduce the cost per response.
MarketCapture:
What are some of the things
you’ve learned that you’d like to share with our readers?
Amit Bendov: One thing
we’ve learned is how important content is.
Our ability to establish a dialog with a prospect is based on the
quality of the information and advice we provide. It is also important to package the content in an appealing
way, and that’s where we’ve seen the importance of testing –
especially the testing of e-mail subject lines and messages.
MarketCapture:
Sounds like you’re doing
great things; is there anything that you plan on changing?
Amit
Bendov:
There is always more to be done… we have started a dialog with a good
portion of our marketplace and created great assets such as our newsletter
and its reader-base. We will continue to provide valuable content
and educate the market on the importance of service optimization.
One thing we plan on doing is segmenting our database and offering more
focused content. We started with industry-oriented Webinars and
campaigns and we plan on doing more of it.
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