SalesRoads

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product marketing at a global solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA, Inc.?

We've used VSA for the past several years to augment an outbound calling campaign that we do to increase attendance at our annual user conference. They do the initial calls to our customers to try to reach them and make sure it's an extra channel for us in the marketing campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve primarily worked with VSA on calling campaigns, short-term projects that we do once a year. We work with them to create a script for their staff. Their team provides us with daily updates to let us know how the campaign is going. We have weekly meetings just to make sure that everything is on track. 

They have also designed and worked with us to create some email templates that they send as follow-ups to phone calls. The templates are customizable and can be tweaked depending on whether they had to leave a message or actually held a conversation. Although they have these templates, they often send custom emails to truly personalize it to the recipient. In that regard, they’re really an extension of our company.

What is the team composition?

We have three main points of contact, but one main project lead. I’m not sure how many people are on the calling campaigns, but it seems like a lot, since they get through a lot of calls pretty quickly. For example, we did a smaller campaign this year, and they got through 700 calls within two weeks.

How did you come to work with VSA, Inc.?

VSA was already working with my company when I joined. When this project came up, we relied on them as a trusted vendor. At this point, they’re a partner to us.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent more than $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I personally started working with them in May 2017, but my company has used them over the last decade for minor call campaigns. They completed this year’s project, and I expect we’ll work with them again next year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For our most recent campaign, they were set to contact approximately 750 people. Within two weeks, they’d attempted to contact 719 of them, and they actually reached and talked to 341 customers. We got 60 conversions out of that.

How did VSA, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent in terms of meeting deadlines and being in regular communication with us. We needed a report from them in order to update our records, and we always had that before we started business every morning. This allowed us to process all of their results, because we were about to run a simultaneous campaign on our side to get a little deeper into it. They do the first blush for us, and then we go to the next level, so we needed their details to know who to contact. 

Before we get started, we do a really deep-dive call with them. We also have a deep conversation with their callers so that they can understand exactly who our customers and target audiences are. Throughout the project, we have weekly calls with them, and then they do a debrief call at the end. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing to their credit is that it’s not just a calling campaign to them; they really want to understand our customers and us so that they can do the best job possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything. 

Any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely trust them as a partner. They know what they’re doing, and if you let them do their job, you’re going to succeed as well. Don’t try to tell them how to do their job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Handwrytten is the leading handwriting as a service platform. Make the handwritten note as scalable as email. With our platform you can send 1 handwritten card or 10000 easily. I am the founder and CEO. I have been operating handwrytten since 2014.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SalesRoads?

Outbound sales. We were looking for appointment setting services for a specific vertical.

What were your goals for this project?

New appointments with qualified leads.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The reputation of SalesRoads preceeds them. I reviewed a few others but in the end the number of reviews and intros from other colleagues led me to them.

Describe the project in detail.

I was looking to find people to set appointments for my team. Salesroads was able to bring between 3 and 5 appointments to me each week. I was charged a fixed monthly rate for this service.

What was the team composition?

David Krieger was the relationship manager, but he introduced me to a key saleswoman who led the day to day charge. These two people were my key contacts for the entire project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Results were very good but any failure to close was my fault as I did not have a chance to cultivate the leads sent to me.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had weekly meetings to discuss progress and re-align goals. Everything was arranged via email, and the sales manager called me directly at the appropriate time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very quick to build out a whole team of qualified salespeople to assist with this project

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the GM of a SaaS company called Share911. Share911 built a critical communication platform used by 2000 schools nationwide. When an employee sees something dangerous, they immediately notify co-workers & emergency services, sharing exactly where the danger is, so everyone can quickly get out of harms way.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire VSA, Inc.?

Our company wanted to enter a new geographic market with our core critical communication platform.

What were your goals for this project?

Generate new sales qualified leads in a market we had no current clients in.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We identified 6 firms that did work similar to VSA. I rated each by prior vertical experience (education clients), cost, current client / logo roster, and the company's geographic location. I had calls with each of them, and asked for client references from the top 2. After calls with the clients, I selected VSA.

Describe the project in detail.

We had an onsite visit with VSA, where we explained Share911's product and competitor set. We talked about how to sell this product - it's USP, and performed a product demo. The VSA team created email and call scripts based on this information, which we edited. It was a very collaborative process.

What was the team composition?

We have a project manager and a calling team of 3 TSAs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have aggressively scaled our business in the new market that VSA helped us penetrate.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We've moved into new states and slowed our efforts when states do not have school in session - VSA is very prudent with our spend as they want to be an efficient sales lead partner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

VSA, Inc. are experts at cultivating sales leads.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We continue to look for ways to be more efficient on a cost per lead basis. It's an iterative process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m in business development for a dietician service called CHARGE. We offer 1-1 nutrition counseling with a registered dietician.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA, Inc.?

We were looking for more aggressive growth, so we hired them to help build out our sales pipeline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met at the offset of the project, looking through our background and getting to know each other. We went over a few lists of clients for them to call and focus on, creating a script and emails for the campaigns. They handle all of our outbound sales for new business, representing us in calls with potential clients, sending emails, and setting up introductory calls with me. Their efforts focus on funneling new opportunities into our sales pipeline. 

What is the team composition?

We work with five people from their team. This includes an account manager and different individuals who handle various parts of the process. 

How did you come to work with VSA, Inc.?

We’d worked with other agencies in the past, but what we really liked about VSA, Inc. was their structure and operations. We like their reasonable rate and they have a no-frills service, which we really like. 

How much have you invested with them?

The annual cost is $85,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020 and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We get about one appointment set per day, which is right in line with our expectations. They’re delivering on what they’ve promised and do a good job. 

How did VSA, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is doing really well—we’re satisfied and have never had a problem. Having an account manager that actually makes sales calls too is great. We have a weekly call to review successes and opportunities, so there’s a high level of touch. They’re very communicative about where things are at any given time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Overall, we’re just really satisfied with how they’re delivering on what they’ve sold us on. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Every business is unique, but we’re satisfied and I’ve referred people to them several times. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the VP of sales at TGW Systems, a material handling company. I’m responsible for sales and business development within North America. 
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA, Inc.?

We have a fairly small sales team and we work on large numbers of automation warehouses. Customers go through us while operating on a 9–18-month sale cycle. We needed help getting more information so we could generate more leads.

In the United States, we’re known as a golf warehouse, so we have a branding issue there. We needed VSA, Inc. to help us drive the pipeline.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VSA, Inc. provided appointment tracking services for us. We’d create a list of potential targets. Then they’d go through those contacts and find the right people for us. Once found, VSA, Inc. helped set appointments to hold initial discussions with those contacts.

Once those appointments were done and there was a match, their team would set up our salespeople with those customers. This is all in hopes to earn new clients.

We worked with their technical authors to develop scripts encompassing the featured product and information. Then, we would practice the different scripts—one generic and one for tradeshows.

When we come out of a tradeshow, we have a new list of people that we met. Their team will often curate appointments from that.

VSA, Inc. used emailing and cold calling for the appointment setting process. If we had potential names, we’d provide them but otherwise, their team would search for high-ranking supply chain specialists. It often took multiple attempts and different people to obtain the right person.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Lisa (Project Manager, VSA, Inc.). There were also 4–5 individuals assigned to our project.

How did you come to work with VSA, Inc.?

They were recommended to us from a marketing company that had previously worked with them. After interviewing VSA, Inc., we liked them and began our partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in April 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The cost proposal was low and our conversion rate was very good for cold calling. We're impressed with the pool of customers that VSA, Inc. has found.

Feedback from customers has also been very good. They express they are being approached and treated in the right way.

How did VSA, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We hold weekly meetings where we go over an updated list of achievements. Their team helps us keep track of the number of calls and time from initial contact to the actual appointment. We have several metrics to track how the process is working.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been most impressed with their attention to detail and proficiency in following up. They confirm meeting times.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s hard to say until we’ve truly concluded this season, but we’re not seeing anything that stands out. Everything has been good thus far. We try tweaking the scripts every once in a while and strive to stay away from being too technical.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you get your script and targeting list polished. The better the upfront work is, the better the downstream will be. It’s worth your time to accurately build the scripts so VSA, Inc. can do a better job for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m part of a group called Harris Providers, which is a division of Harris Computer. We provide software for utility companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA, Inc?

I pulled together a list of approximately 17,000 different services in the US, and we performed an analysis of our competition based on that data. We knew the utilities, but we needed help actually calling them and asking what kind of system they were using, so we hired VSA, Inc. to go through about 10,000 of those numbers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were given the list of people we needed called and given specific questions we needed to be answered. We instructed to make three attempts per company before marking them as unable to reach, and they worked their way through the entire list in that way.

What is the team composition?

The project started out with two members of their team and expanded to about 8 in order to get all of the calls finished by our deadline at the end of the year.

How did you come to work with VSA, Inc?

Other members of our company had worked with their team before, so they came highly recommended.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a little over $70,000 in total with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work lasted from about September–December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t completely finished the analysis yet, but their team was able to reach 43% of the companies we gave them in their first run through the names. The industry standard is between 15–25%, so we were very pleased with that result. I’ve suggested on our side that we have them continue calling the companies we haven’t reached, but the company is still deciding whether we’re going to put more effort into that.

Before their work, we had very little data about the market saturation of our competitors. We could tell how much of the market we had, but we couldn’t tell how much anybody else had, so the information they’ve provided us with has been very useful.

We anticipate that it will help us to grow revenue and increase efficiency in the future by identifying markets where we have more opportunities for growth and where we should spend our efforts.

How did VSA, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a weekly meeting where we go over the results from that week and can address any issues the team has come across as well as examine the cumulative results of the responses we’ve gotten.

On occasions where they did encounter people looking for a software provider or clients who couldn’t wait until the end of the week, they sent those to us right away to have somebody follow up with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Making phone calls is really never a fun thing, but their team seems to really have fun with it. They bring a great attitude to the project and are always eager and excited about what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything I wish they would have improved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would suggest that you get the script in place in a way that both of your teams feel good about, and then let them do their job because they are really good at what they do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the vice-president of sales for a mid-credit consumer finance company. We work with retailers across to the united states to provide financing options to their customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA Inc?

VSA Inc works with our sales team to reach out to prospective merchants that we want to get signed up for community finance options and set up sales appointments.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provide contact information for companies that we have identified as potential buyers, and then from there, they go through a few steps to set up a meeting with our sales team. That process includes everything from doing research to find decision-makers at each company, reaching out to those merchants, and following up on any questions necessary for an appointment to be secured.

What is the team composition?

We set a number of hours that they work per week and then that gets split amongst their team. I only have one main point of contact, but I would imagine they have about 3–5 individuals on the account.

How did you come to work with VSA Inc?

Our CEO found them before I was engaged with the company, but I know that he visited a couple of companies in person and decided that VSA Inc would be the best fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $50,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started officially working with them in 2016, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve done a great job securing appointments for us, which has been hugely beneficial to our sales team. Over the past four years, we’ve been able to sign hundreds of merchant companies through their efforts.

How did VSA Inc perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication skills are fabulous. They provide us with weekly statistics on how many merchants they’re reaching out to, what their closure rate is, and who they’ve had trouble getting in touch with. We have a follow-up call every other week to talk about results and answer any questions or work through any difficulties that they’ve had.

What did you find most impressive about them?

VSA Inc is very skilled at getting right to the decision-maker and not giving up, even if they face initial push-back.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’ve been extremely satisfied with the service that they provide.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think being open and honest about what you’re looking for at the beginning of any project is the best way to enable their team to be successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the regional account manager of a software solutions provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA, Inc.?

We were looking to get our name out there and reach as many people as possible. Our goal was to promote our company and introduce ourselves in new areas that we didn’t have the means to reach.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VSA, Inc. handles the outbound efforts, serving as a starting off point. They make initial cold calls from potential leads and gather information from them. Then, they’re responsible for setting up a second call or meeting for someone from my team to participate in. In that meeting, we can then gauge the lead’s potential interests and needs.

What is the team composition?

Between 6–8 people work on our project, including a project manager. 

How did you come to work with VSA, Inc.?

Our other business units within our parent company also use their services, so that’s how we came to use VSA, Inc. They had proven results during their other engagements and had the right resources. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their efforts have been extremely successful. Though it’s tough to quantify, we’ve earned a handful of follow-up meetings and calls because of their outbound work. Their calls also give the feeling that they’re a part of our team, which is great. 

How did VSA, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They are solid communicators. In addition to weekly regular reports, they’re also constantly looking to improve and learn more information. They’re always looking to get feedback, so our communication is a two-way street. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The passion and dedication they have for the work makes them stand out. Even though it’s not the most exciting work, they provide the best service and have a desire for the work they’re doing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Especially in the sales world, more results is always our goal. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything they need to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Visit their office to see how they operate. Any company looking to use them should provide as much information about their goals as possible. Don’t assume they understand your business, so you should give them as many resources as possible to improve the credibility of their calls. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a VP of sales at Snappet Connected Learning. We offer a digital learning platform to schools in Europe and the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SalesRoads?

We hired SalesRoads to replicate our outbound lead generation process for us as we worked to penetrate the US market.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SalesRoads cold-calls key decision-makers—principals of US schools—and schedules appointments on behalf of our company’s regional managers (RMs) for demos. Our goal is to fill every RM’s monthly calendar with 2–3 demos per day. We provide a database of targeted school districts and their information—the school’s name, phone number, and principal’s name. SalesRoads then takes the process from there.

What is the team composition?

We have one project manager who’s our daily point of contact. Our first interaction with SalesRoads was with their CEO, and we have a weekly call with about six people for check-ins.

How did you come to work with SalesRoads?

Since we were new to the US market, we hired a broke to introduce us to various call centers. They recommended three, all of which we interviewed. We like SalesRoads best because their prices fell within our budget, and our face-to-face meeting with David (President, SalesRoads) sealed the deal for us. He’s involved in each campaign and stays on top of things, which was a big plus for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The collaboration started in September 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our two most important metrics are how many appointments our RMs are getting from SalesRoads—the volume—and how much it costs to book each visit. We also look at other metrics, such as cancellation and conversion rates. Overall, since we started working with SalesRoads, the volume of appointments has gone up while the cost per appointment has gone down. They’ve fallen within our expectations, even exceeding them in some cases.

How did SalesRoads perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m not sure what goes behind the scenes at SalesRoads. Whenever I have a request for them—such as to focus on one region or to improve cancellation rates—I hand that to the project manager, and she handles it. We tend to see good output from those requests, but if we ever don’t, we talk about it in our weekly call. It’s been a seamless process from our side, which is the best indicator that things are going smoothly and well on SalesRoads’ end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because SalesRoads has an entirely remote team, they can attract even more high-quality talent. They aren’t limited to local sources, and I think that’s had an impact on our results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve said this before to them, but SalesRoads could offer a cleaner reporting set-up. I currently make my own internal report, but I have to rely on two different resources to collect metrics from SalesRoads. It’s not a big deal, but I’d prefer a single source.

Any advice for potential customers?

Bring David into your initial discussions. He provided really helpful insights when our project manager was presenting the project scope as our kick-off. Both the scoping process and David’s involvement impressed us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a family-owned geographical company with a multi-state footprint. We are a service provider, distributor, and seller of material handling and industrial weighing systems. We serve labs, industrial clients, food production customers, and weigh stations, among other companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA. Inc.?

We wanted to set up a lead generation program for our salespeople to set appointments and develop more business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They set up appointments for potential customers, and they did a lot of the cold calling to reach the right people. As we got more comfortable with them, they did outreach for customer satisfaction, and they follow up to make sure our services were to our customers' liking. Once we had better data and analytics, we targeted the right individuals within potential client companies. They took that information and contacted those individuals. That helped us generate new opportunities.

How did you come to work with VSA. Inc.?

I reached out to about five companies, but I liked VSA because they were local to us. We try to be high-touch, and we felt that would help them get to know our team better.

How much have you invested with them?

They charge us per hour of calling, and we spend about $2,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've worked together since at least February 2012, but I feel like we've worked together longer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They generate ten to fifteen appointments for us each week. Sometimes, that's too many for our salespeople to handle, which is a good problem to have. If we ever find a new potential customer, they get on it right away to set up appointments. They're very nimble, and they adapt to our programs.

How did VSA. Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They're more of an extension of our marketing program now, and we trust them to represent us well with potential customers. At the beginning, we met quarterly, but that model has changed to more regular conference calls. They tap into our Salesforce account to log calls and add information.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very helpful and accessible. When we get backed up on our side, they're always very patient with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything they could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your due diligence, but they will adapt to your needs. They focus on customer service, and they work hard to understand the businesses they support.