Don’t sell the Eskimo ice

It is sometimes said that a good salesman can sell anything to anyone. Sand to the Bedouin, honey to the bees and ice to the Eskimo. We dare say it's stupid. Especially in the B2B segment. And especially if you are not looking for a one-time sale, but for long-term cooperation.

Despite the constant development of new business channels , direct marketing remains the most effective way to acquire new clients in the B2B area.

However, for this to really be the case, three prerequisites must be met:

• quality product or service
• able businessman
• a potential client who can actually use the given solution

We will stop at the last point in this article. And at the same time, we will immediately give a specific example.

How to (not) sell industrial bearings

Let’s say that your company produces industrial bearings and decides to expand its customer base as part of business development.

If your salesperson mindlessly casts their nets in all directions in the hope of simply “snapping” a client, the result of their efforts will probably be threefold:

1. pitiful efficiency – because with such a blind shooting, the trader will also approach a lot of companies that do not use industrial bearings at all
2. frustration of the businessman – because he will hear the word “no” much more often than he would like
3. the frustration of the person addressed – because your salesperson will enthusiastically offer him something that his company cannot even theoretically use (unless it completely changes its focus just to be able to purchase your bearings)

In order for your company’s business development to be truly functional, your salesperson needs quality data above all.

Specifically:

• information about companies that really use industrial bearings
• (ideally) direct contacts to the companies’ production or purchasing departments, so that communication is as efficient as possible

The NACE classification is sometimes not enough

Large index company databases classify companies into individual branches, for example, according to the European classification system NACE , or according to national classifications based on NACE.

These classifications are a useful tool for basic orientation in fields. At the same time, they do not allow more precise targeting , which is often necessary for effective business development.

About waffles and macaroni

Let’s take one more illustrative example: Your company offers professional baking machines for the production of waffles . Your clients will logically be bakeries that produce waffles.

However, the NACE classification will not allow you to target in a similar way. You will find the following items in it:

• 7 – Production of bakery, confectionery and other flour products
• 71 – Manufacture of bakery and confectionery products, except durable ones
• 72 – Manufacture of crackers and biscuits; production of durable confectionery products
• 73 – Manufacture of macaroni, noodles, couscous and similar flour products

How many companies can you find in these fields? According to the NACE classification, there are over 4,000 of them in the Czech Republic alone. And there are over 180,000 in the entire EU .

But of course you are not targeting all companies that produce flour products. Macaroni makers probably won’t appreciate even the best waffle maker.

You need to contact companies that produce waffles . And no register company database will help you with that.

But we will be happy to help you with that.

With Intedat, you reach the right people in the right companies

Intedat is a unique solution that can successfully process similarly detailed tasks (e.g. companies in the Czech Republic and Germany with over 100 employees that produce waffles ).

For this, we use both the skills and experience of our data specialists and the potential of artificial intelligence .

Thanks to this, you will find in our database:

• the right companies (i.e. those that can really use your solution meaningfully)
• the right people (i.e. competent managers who can best assess the feasibility of your offer)

This way, you can be sure that your salespeople are working meaningfully and that they and those to whom your solution offers are not frustrated.

Find out more. Non-binding

Whether you make industrial bearings, waffle makers, or something else, you too can sell to the right people at the right companies.

Contact us and arrange a free consultation.