Belkins

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO at Fireart Studio. Fireart Studio is a one-stop-shop for product design and development. Our team provides a comprehensive suite of services, including Mobile App Development, Web Development, Product Redesign and Refreshment, UI/UX design, Graphic Design, Digital Illustration, Motion Design, and Explainer Video Production.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belkins?

We hired Belkins to set up sales qualified appointments.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking for new clients and decided to test outbound marketing.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I read Belkins blog and he reached out to Michael after reading one of the articles.

Describe the project in detail.

Belkins researched prospects for us, then they set up mailboxes and created email copies. Afterward, their SDR engaged with researched prospects on our behalf and scheduled sales qualified calls. Apart from scheduling calls, the Belkins team, in general, created the whole funnel in a way that is adequate to client’s expectations and really professional.

I know that it’s not the rule for everyone, but what I really liked here was that Belkins did their best to form close relationships with clients even if cooperation wasn’t relevant for clients at this point in time. It wasn’t their direct responsibility, but I think that this is what created this wow-effect. Appreciate that a lot.

What was the team composition?

We worked with the account manager, SDR and the Researchers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We received 7-10 sales appointments on a monthly basis. The majority of these appointments were cooked and sales-ready.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was amazed by their professional attitude, expertise in outbound marketing, and results-oriented approach.

Are there any areas for improvement?

All was good.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am running the sales and marketing divisions in the SaaS company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belkins?

We are a small team and have no time nor experience to run target outreach in the US. We didn’t want to invest in generic lists with leads and we had no experience in email outreach.

What were your goals for this project?

Build a database of prospects and then engage with them to set up sales qualified calls.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We have found this vendor via Clutch

Describe the project in detail.

Belkins was able to support us with target list building and create a list of 5,000 target prospects with 98% quality rate (impressive!). Also, they assisted in setting up outbound campaigns and provided us with anti-spam support,so we were able to achieve one of our best campaign metrics.

What was the team composition?

Research Agents, Email Deliverability Specialist and Account Manager (Alex, a great guy!).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We did several campaigns with Belkins where they built a list of 5,000 tier-1 prospects and set up targeted campaigns. As a result of the campaign, we doubled our pipeline and achieved our sales targets.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We used email, Slack and Zoom and the communication was pretty effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team was very lean and professional in everything, it felt like they launched hundreds of similar campaigns. Although, we personalized our approach and tailored our campaign, so I wouldn’t say that because of their experience they provided a generic experience. Everything was tailor-made for our company in a very well-oiled manner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a marketing firm. I’m responsible for shepherding new business and strategy for our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belkins?

We brought Belkins on to lead research on anti-spam services and appointment scheduling for sales prospects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They really serve as an outsourced Business Development Representative (BDR) service. We’re a tech-enabled marketing automation partner, and, in this instance, we wanted to focus on clients in a particular range of revenue. Belkin has helped us target those companies. They create contact lists, begin the outreach, and identify the points of contact at each particular prospect company that is open to a conversation. They basically plant the seeds and then set up initial connect call appointments, and then we go from there. 

What is the team composition?

We really work with a team of four people that are lead researchers and account managers. Our primary points of contact are Yuriy (Account Manager & Sales Development Representative) and Olha (Business Development Representative). They set up emails and deploy communications.

How did you come to work with Belkins?

We connected with them on LinkedIn; I saw the co-founder Michael’s (Managing Partner) profile and just really appreciated their approach and intentional effort. We’d been approached by many service providers that do what Belkins does, but it never really resonated with us. We really clicked with Belkins; they have a presence in Delaware, and the fact that they knew our region and client base and had a lot of knowledge to share made us super comfortable with them.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has a $5,000 monthly package. We’ve spent around $20,000–$25,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began discussions with them in October 2019 and really kicked things off in November. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They’ve been consistently booking 5–7 sales-qualified appointments for us every month. We just closed one of our largest contracts based on their lead research yesterday. They are the real deal. I can’t say enough good things about Belkins. They’re ethical, transparent, effective, intentional in their approach, and a pleasure to work with.

By working with Belkins, we’ve been able to refine our ideal customer profile and unique selling proposition. Through their research and outreach efforts, they’ve consistently booked sales-qualified appointments for our sales team. We thought we could take on smaller clients, but it became clear that we needed to upgrade our profile. Once we began taking on bigger companies, we immediately started to see a change, and things resonated with that contact base a little bit better.

How did Belkins perform from a project management standpoint?

We feel super supported to this day. The follow up is fantastic, and their onboarding is buttoned up. They’re very communicative and take coaching well. Belkins is a professional organization with intentional people. Once you’re set up with them, they regularly catch you up and send reports. We have weekly calls with them on Mondays. It’s a very straightforward way to work with a client in a support role. I could not recommend them highly enough.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Belkins is really good at lead research. They also really excel in anti-spam. I know that they have other offerings, like LinkedIn services, but we haven’t worked with them in those areas yet.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I think that they’re doing everything they can do at this point.

Any advice for potential customers?

Just be really clear upfront on what exact targets you want; don’t give broad strokes. For example, if you’re a company that can really only help large enterprise organizations, be very straightforward in the beginning. We learned through the process of collaborating with Belkins how to identify a better right-fit client for us. The more you as a business owner know about the target companies that you want to go after, the better they are at plugging in and supporting you.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position.

HIdeez Group inc COO

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what purpose did your company hire Belkins?

We were looking for an agency to do lead generation on our behalf for the healthcare industry

What were your goals for this engagement?

To increase our lead generation capacity, attract new clients, build top-of-the-funnel.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended as experts in B2B sales and lead generation. We decided to take a shot and it turned out great.

Describe the engagement in detail.

We developed a product to ensure security, save passwords. Belkins reached out on our behalf to our potential clients and set up calls for our sales team. We were able to reach and exceed our targets last quarter and Belkins was a great partner ensuring that we meet them.

What were the terms and the value of the lease?

NA

What was the team composition?

We worked with SDR who was handling our mailbox and setting up calls. Although, we had few calls with the research team and marketing team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

The Belkins team delivered over 30 booked calls with healthcare companies. We are looking into converting about 25% in contracts.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had a smooth onboarding process and then transitioned into an actual campaign without any delay. Overall, we had only positive experiences throughout the entire campaign.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to brainstorm different ideas and offer multiple campaign approaches on the spot.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the EVP of sales and marketing for a technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belkins?

We needed lead generation services. It was a mix of two goals: one was to identify contacts such (names, emails, and phone numbers) and there was also outbound lead generation through drip marketing campaigns, which is sequenced outbound email lead generation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them parameters and told them what we thought, and they offered their own ideas. With their help, we helped create personas of different types of ideal client profiles. They did the research for the leads, and we validated, certified, and approved those leads.

We then started the emails in an outbound strategy in a sequenced period. We have a re-engagement campaign too, as well as there are multiple different email campaigns that we have targeting different demographics and business profiles. We’ve leaned on them, but they have done it with our leadership.

What is the team composition?

I believe we’ve worked with three people. Yuriy (Sales Development Representative, Belkins) is our main contact and the person that manages the account day to day.

How did you come to work with Belkins?

I looked at a bunch of companies. They had a good price with a competitive offering, and I thought they could execute what I wanted. I felt a good rapport with them for my initial interaction. I definitely chose them out of a bunch of options, and I think they are good. It depends on your sales strategy, but they are excellent at what they do.

How much have you invested in them?

On a 12-month scale, I think we will be investing $40,000–$50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in October 2019, and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We started off monthly, and I kept them on. They are very flexible, which made it easy; it was a big part of it, I think. If you’re using them for what I’m using them for, and you know your client, I think you have a good chance of a high success rate.

They’ve set up some meetings with serious folks in the business too. They open the door, set up the meeting, and they are doing their part. If I had to rate them on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest, I would give them 10 across the board. They are very good at what they do and are extremely communicative and diligent.

How did Belkins perform from a project management standpoint?

There is something to be desired, but I think that it’s part of our growing pains. I am not expecting them to lay foundational strategies. You have to know what you are buying, like with anything else. We have weekly calls, but we also use email. They are super accessible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their effort sets them apart. Effort always shows. They are definitely diligent. They are very good at doing research, identifying contacts, and getting the right information. They are also very good at following strategy when you tell it to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are already tools that do machine learning and AI, as well as record more data. They are expensive, but they could incorporate them into their workflows. I think it is a matter of time for the technology to become more widely available.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand your needs and what you are looking for. You have to be able to understand what you are buying in every situation. They gave me references for existing clients, and that helped me understand what set them apart and how to work best with them. I thought that it was super helpful to speak to those existing references. They were super honest and great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Head of Sales and Marketing at Precoro where we help our customers organize their purchasing processes and reduce work with a simple yet powerful cloud solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belkins?

We've been growing at a healthy rate for the last few years and wanted to increase our funnel size and closed business in various geographies. That entailed lead generation services, email outreach, and appointment setting, and we needed expert help with the strategy.

What were your goals for this project?

We were looking to expand in various areas and establish a regular sales cadence. Our main goal was predictability. We wanted a scalable pipeline of prospects and a sustainable growth rate.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I happen to be a subscriber on the Belkins blog where they cover sales and marketing topics. I personally trusted their recommendations and expertise and after a while decided that a professional outsourced team could scale up and test new markets and industries than we ever internally.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided a list of potential targets and areas which allowed Belkins to augment and enrich the list with their own contacts every week. They also qualified prospects and reached out to them via email and LinkedIn to ultimately find the decision-maker and pass the warmed up lead along to our sales team.

What was the team composition?

An Account Manager (Marina), two SDRs (Alexei and Alla) and our Research specialist (Boris).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They exceeded our initial goal of 3-4 qualified meetings every month by a long shot. They're always interested in improving our numbers so their proactive approach is a big plus.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their workflow is quite effective and straight-forward. They know what they're doing and always adapt to address our concerns and suggestions. Any small issues we had were quickly resolved.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their knowledgable approach and attitude. The results were quite impressive too. They understand the process inside out, and we were able to learn quite a lot from them. Our regular rhythm and sales cadence has been improved significantly ever since we started working with Belkins.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of right now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of a video production company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belkins?

Belkins helps us with a few projects. The first one was to review the health of our domains and ensure they were all set up correctly. Then they did a blacklist and Spam review to ensure any issues were corrected.

What were your goals for this project?

To ensure all of domains were set up correctly and ensure our emails did not go to spam.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I reviewed Clutch and talked with mutliple vendors before selecting Belkins. We started on a small projects and since they were so successful we extended to a larger project.

Describe the project in detail.

They did an extended audit of our domains, and then fixed all of the technical issues that were uncovered from this audit.

What was the team composition?

We had a main contact that helped set up the project and report on results. Plus we were able to work with one of their co-founders on this project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They were able to solve numerous issues in a very quick manner and helped ensure our domain's technical set up was correct as well as fix other related issues. The project was a total success and we would consider using them again.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their communication was prompt and solid throughout.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They solved difficult technical issues in a speedy manner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No issues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the SMM/PR Manager at eSputnik.com, a marketing automation service made to embody the toughest ideas of enterprise-level solutions in a very clear and efficient way.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belkins?

We were looking to expand our business development workforce without hiring internally and opted for an outsourced firm to see if they could manage their resources better.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to explore new demographics as well as focus on the US market. We were looking to find a pool of quality leads with specific key points such as geographic location, number of employees, and recent funding.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We‘ve learned about Belkins through a referral by one of our partners.

Describe the project in detail.

After our conversation with Michael, we started to work with our research team by filling in our requirements and outlining each crucial data point we had hoped to see in our lists. Within the next few days, their team reported back with the first batch that matched our requirements perfectly.

If we were apprehensive before, the first few weeks have totally put us at ease - the leads were delivered weekly and on time, and so far we haven’t had any issues and were always reassured that our approach may be tweaked at any point if our business requirements change.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with their CEO, Michael, their Research Team Manager to make adjustments to our requirements and customer profiles, our dedicated Researcher, and their QA Specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Ever since we’ve started to work with Belkins, we were able to target various regions in the US and prioritize our leads and outreach based on key criteria. On top of that, starting each week with a fresh batch of leads has sure improved the morale in our business development department.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were attended to 24/7. They’ve constantly made suggestions and various other improvements that we were happy to accept.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Belkins crushed it. At this point in our partnership, we no longer verify the lists and were able to put lead generation on autopilot. We’re currently in conversation with Michael to expand our research to various other geographies.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Personally, I can’t think of anything. Our friends at Belkins implement any suggestions we make quickly and handle criticism very well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Head of Content at a product company where we’ve created an online service that increases image quality with the help of AI.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belkins?

We were looking for a reliable lead generation partner to drive more traffic to our service. We thoroughly explored our options and selected Belkins to help us put together a strategy.

What were your goals for this project?

The team at Belkins delivered weekly leads and reached out to prospects on our behalf.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched companies doing lead generation and digital marketing. We came across Belkins on Google and felt like it was a good match for the kinds of markets we were looking to explore.

Describe the project in detail.

We were introduced to our dedicated Belkins team who put together a strategy for our lead generation and email outreach within the first few hours of official partnership. We provided them with collateral materials and filled out various questionnaires to help them better understand our business.

We’ve created several ICPs to test various markets so that their team could begin generating leads. We were later reported back with our first batch of leads and some email templates. They’ve created email accounts for us and made sure we were off to a good start before they began reaching out on our behalf. The project took off and appointments started flowing in.

What was the team composition?

We worked with an Account Manager and a few other members of their team - an SDR, a Researcher, and a Quality Assurance Specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were able to fill our pipeline with multiple opportunities in the first month of our collaboration with Belkins. As we progressed, we saw more and more appointments flowing in, allowing us to close more business each month. It evolved into a stable model with a healthy ROI.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We’ve received reports each week and always had an ability to tweak our messaging or change our approach. Each weekly call had an impressive agenda and the team was highly adaptive and genuinely invested in our business.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re good at creating initial traction in market areas that we would have spent months figuring how to approach.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As far as we’re concerned, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a project manager at a proofing collaboration software company that helps designers and marketers deliver design projects faster.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belkins?

We were lacking the resources and time to dedicate to lead generation within our inhouse team, so we were looking for a partner to help us out.

What were your goals for this project?

Belkins worked with us on: - to help generate leads by finding targeted prospects. - to reach out to potential clients on our behalf. They should loop me into the process once the prospect was qualified.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I spoke to Belkins' CEO on LinkedIn about the kind of services his team offers and decided that we could benefit from them, so he connected me with their sales team.

Describe the project in detail.

The Belkins team created the outbound marketing channel from scratch. Together with them, we have developed several ICPs for testing different audiences. After that, they found the leads and created email lists for outreach campaigns.

Next, SDR specialists from Belkins wrote e-mail templates, configured the service of sending e-mails and launched campaigns. They communicated with the brochures on our behalf and set up meetings for us. These meetings were much better than those from other channels, because Belkins qualifies all the leads, leaving only those who fit us.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with the Account Manager and Sales Development Representative on their team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

As a result, we have a predictable and stable sales funnel. Every month we get about 10 hot leads. Working with Belkins has been one of our most effective marketing investments.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We don't feel like we're working with another company. For us, it's like a remote in-house team. We have every week call and we receive a detailed report on our work and results every month.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am impressed by the high motivation of SRD Belkins. I don't know how Vlad and Michael motivate them, but they work better than they need to do our KPI.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be great if they provided other types of marketing like Content Marketing and PR.