A LeadGen.com Case History

Industrial Filters

A manufacturer of industrial filters found themselves in a several catch-22 situations which caused prospecting for new customers to take a backseat, leading to a steep sales decline.

Find out how LeadGen.com solved the problem and enabled the manufacturer to directly engage with every buyer in the market!

Background

A nationwide distributor of industrial filters covered the market with five regional offices. But because his salespeople had large territories, they had little time for prospecting. Visits to customers to solve filtration problems took up most of their time, as the product was highly technical and used in complex industrial processes. Salespeople could either work with customers or make cold calls, but not both. And as a result, they could either hold their market share, or try to grow it and lose their base.

The Problem

Making matters worse, one of their principal suppliers had decided to go around them and sell directly to the end users. The company found some new lines, and even started manufacturing filters they could no longer get, but they often found themselves having to convince customers to change product in order to keep them as customers. Prospecting took a back seat, and the sales decline steepened.

The Solution

Bringing in JV/M meant that the salespeople could keep to their routes, but have a lot more prospects to talk with along the way because JV/M was able to schedule appointments near customers the salespeople were already scheduled to see. And although the product is fairly technical, a little training in how to use the manufacturer’s documentation enabled the Lead Generation Specialists to find applications, uncover needs, and set up a true value-added sale.

The Results

As the campaign progressed over more than a year, with three Lead Generation Specialists working full-time, the company was able to meet virtually every potential buyer in the market. In addition to adding hundreds of new customers, they were able to push back successfully against the manufacturer that had gone around them, and convert most of their major accounts to the new lines. And because of the excess leads generated, the salespeople were able to cherry-pick the business, extending their margins throughout the program.