B-to-B Prospecting: Dig Deeper for Better Names
“Vertically orientated, small businesses need to focus on the people who buy multiples of times,” points out Chris Pickering, senior vice president of B-to-B list firm MeritDirect. “Conversions to second purchases are the key to lifetime value.”
The lack of a second purchase conversion isn’t necessarily because of the quality of your follow-up offer or bounceback piece in your fulfillment package, Pickering points out. In B-to-B, the key is finding customers who have the up-front need to make multiple purchases in the first place. The best designed bounceback in the world isn’t going to create a high-volume repeat customer out of somebody who only needs one ream of paper.
A columnist for Retail Online Integration, George founded HAGUEdirect, a marketing agency. Previously he was a member of the Shawnee Mission, Kan.-based consulting and creative agency J. Schmid & Assoc. He has more than 10 years of experience in circulation, advertising, consulting and financial strategy in the catalog/retail industry. George's expertise includes circulation strategy, mailing execution, response analysis and financial planning. Before joining J. Schmid, George worked as catalog marketing director at Dynamic Resource Group, where he was responsible for marketing and merchandising for the Annie's Attic Needlecraft catalog, the Clotilde Sewing Notions catalog, the House of White Birches Quilter's catalog and three book clubs. George also worked on corporate acquisitions.
