Jade Greenhow, Operations Director at Insight Data, explains why the uncertainties that coronavirus brings have made accurate, up-to-date market intelligence more important than ever before.
At Insight Data, we’ve often talked about how much the fenestration landscape has changed in recent years. Businesses have collapsed. Mergers, acquisitions and consolidations have all become much more common.
But none of us could’ve anticipated the scale of the shift that 2020, and the coronavirus pandemic, would bring.
At the time of writing, the general feeling in our industry seems quite positive. We’ve come back after lockdown and found that demand for glazing products hasn’t evaporated – in fact, it’s thriving, with many Insight customers reporting that they’re having record weeks for leads and sales.
However, we’re certainly not out of the woods yet. Economists and policy-makers are still predicting the pandemic will cause severe economic fallout throughout the second half of 2020, and, unfortunately, that means we’re likely to see further disruption in our industry.
One key moment will come in October, when the government’s multibillion-pound Job Retention Scheme comes to an end. At that stage, we’ll see whether the market has recovered to a point where Britain’s glazing businesses can do without it, or whether it’ll lead some companies to collapse.
One thing we know for sure is that, during this incredibly challenging and unpredictable period, insight will be more important than ever – and that’s why we’ve seen a surge of interest in what we, and our comprehensive sales and marketing platform, Salestracker can provide.
Unparalleled insight, available 24/7
Salestracker is Insight Data’s groundbreaking online portal, which combines a comprehensive prospect database with a powerful CRM system and an integrated email marketing platform – STEM.
Salestracker brings together live data for over 60,000 potential customers, including contact details and business information such as key decision makers, suppliers, output and credit ratings. Whether it’s architects, housebuilders, main contractors, local builders or fellow professionals from the fenestration industry, Salestracker allows you to target the right prospective customer for your business.
At the heart of Salestracker is what we call ‘real-time data’ – hugely valuable information on Britain’s glazing businesses that we put through an in-depth seven-stage verification process to ensure its accuracy.
Insight Data’s team of expert in-house researchers make over 20,000 calls per month to gather and update the records we hold, and through a direct feed with a leading credit reference agency, we’re able to check companies’ finances, and identify companies that have gone bust, moved location or changed directors.
This means our 700+ users, including major systems companies, fabricators, component suppliers and manufacturers, always have access to the most up-to-date data and market intelligence.
What’s more, Salestracker is instantly accessible, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Compatible with PCs, laptops, tablets or mobiles, it’s at your fingertips, wherever you are.
The difference between surviving and thriving
But that’s not all. With Salestracker, you can combine all that insight with powerful, user-friendly email marketing.
STEM is the industry’s first and only dedicated email marketing platform, harnessing the power of Salestracker’s unrivalled prospect data.
Now, customers create a list of contacts from our database, then design and build dynamic email campaigns in HTML or using an intuitive drag-and-drop design suite.
Once it’s sent, STEM will effectively track any responses, leads or enquiries using an in-built landing page, and transferring them to the Salestracker CRM, ready to be followed up by your sales team.
In the uncertain months ahead, in other words, Salestracker could be the difference just surviving and thriving in 2020 and beyond – letting you keep on top of changes in the industry, identify liabilities, zero in on new, lucrative customers, and even expand into new sectors entirely to help your business grow.
For more information contact Insight Data on 01934 808293 or via email at hello@insightdata.co.uk.
