VSA Prospecting

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are currently the largest private software development company on the planet. We’ve been around for 45 years and we develop software for analytics, AI, machine learning, and other purposes within that group of technologies. I manage a handful of partners in North America, doing business in Canada and in the US.

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA Prospecting?

The partners that I work with are all very tech-savvy. In fact, many of them have been working with us for decades. However, they're trying to transition from simply providing reactive technology and support services to being proactively engaged in sales pursuits. This being the case, there is a gap in their in-house capabilities, so we looked to VSA to support our R&D program and internal personnel. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

VSA provides support on identifying and following up on leads to convert them into potential prospects. We hand over contacts that their team could conduct quality control over and report or give feedback on. They touch base with those contacts by email or phone to validate which ones are qualified for the next step, which is setting appointments for a discovery call. 

At that point, we discuss our specific value proposition and timelines with warm prospects to determine whether they’re a fit or not. This allows us to engage in sales pursuits that could ultimately result in revenue for all the partners involved. 

What is the team composition?

We have two main contacts from VSA, but there are probably about half a dozen people who are working on this project.

How did you come to work with VSA Prospecting?

We already had an idea for the program and were trying to find partners who could fill in the gaps. We experienced a misstep with one agency that overstated their capabilities, however, and had to look for someone to fill in for the functionality that was not being delivered. That’s when one of my partners referred VSA.

We got in touch with the team, underwent an interview process, and tried them on a pilot project. We were suitably impressed with how they went about things not just on the call center components but also with the reporting, feedback, and quality control around leads. It was a good experience from the very beginning so we continued to grow that relationship from there. 

How much have you invested with them?

On my part of the project, we’ve probably invested around $15,000–$20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in November 2020 and is ongoing. As we get renewed funding, we’ll probably continue working with VSA.

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

It’s really been a case of going through a large number of contacts to find which of them is the right fit for our company. VSA has helped us take those raw numbers and bring them into the prospecting stage by identifying potential leads. Although our success is wholly dependent upon the quality of the contacts that we feed them, their team has put in the effort to try to achieve a high conversion rate. 

How did VSA Prospecting perform from a project management standpoint?

VSA has been excellent on the project management front. We've been able to evolve the original concept for this project over the course of our engagement, so their team has been an upgrade over other agencies that we’ve previously worked with. 

They've been highly participatory and are fantastic at reporting and communicating. We’ve set up weekly and biweekly calls, depending on who the partner is, and we communicate via email and phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is very flexible and accommodating of any feedback that we give them. They take all of our suggestions under advisement and foster positive conversations, which is very customer-centric. It’s also the other way around; I think they have close to 20 years of experience so they share any ideas or insight they have with us. 

There are no false promises with VSA. They’re truly good at what they claim to be good at. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I have no complaints.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Sales for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Platform for Banks and Credit Union.

For what projects/services did your company hire VSA Prospecting?

Our Company previously had it's own internal prospecting program in place which had not proven successful. We struggled with hiring the right people that could produce the results expected. We hired VSA to handle all of our lead generation with outreach to selected Banks and Credit Unions.

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

We considered a few firms to handle the lead generation, but were referred to VSA from a mutual business partner who had used VSA with positive results.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

We worked with VSA to tailor a script and provided them with target leads. They took our lead list which consisted of Banks and Credit Unions and refreshed the list with the key contacts at the Bank/Credit Union. We developed an introductory e-mail which went out in order to create a "warm" introduction for the call which would take place the following week.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Our main point of contact is our Program Manager, however the Executive Team is always willing to participate in weekly calls as needed.

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

To date, the VSA team has generated 60 leads/prospects that we would never have been in touch with had the program not been in place. Of the 60 leads - 35 are current leads in process where there is interest/future interest.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We initially had weekly meetings and eventually transitioned to bi-weekly meetings. VSA sends a report prior to meeting which is basis for discussion. Meetings provide a recap of the prior week and strategy for upcoming week.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The team at VSA is devoted to making the program successful. They do a great job of keeping our team up-to-date and also want to ensure the success of the program. During slower times, they have recommended a pause on the program as needed. We are extremely pleased with our partnership.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We are currently refining our program as we are providing better data for the Banks and Credit Unions we plan to target. We will be updating lists and call scripts to assist with generating additional qualified leads.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a remote patient monitoring company.

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA Prospecting?

We needed business development representative (BDR) services to help with outreach campaigns and lead generation.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We train VSA Prospecting’s BDRs on our software, and they then reach out to potential leads that we provide. They work on phone and email campaigns, complete call and email tasks, and document all customer interaction.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project lead and at least three BDRs. I believe they have part-time BDRs, as well.

How did you come to work with VSA Prospecting?

We met through a mutual contact. We had worked with a different vendor previously but felt this team had more affordable costs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $50,000–$75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in September 2020, and it’s ongoing.

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

We’ve gotten leads and multiple demos scheduled as a result of their services.

How did VSA Prospecting perform from a project management standpoint?

All activities are tracked through our software. We also have weekly calls to address any issues there may be.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s easy to work with them, and they’re more affordable than their competitors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask for feedback and opportunities for improvement from the BDRs.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Advent. We’re an experience design and creation company.

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA Prospecting?

We had streamlined our organization as a result of the pandemic and realized we were missing some competencies. Most notably, we were missing the competency of cold calling and appointment setting.

Rather than trying to specifically recruit employees who may or may not have those skills, we chose to evaluate potential outsourcing firms. We brought on VSA to aggressively dial and set appointments for prospective customers we’re trying to reach.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they conducted research to better understand our organization and the campaign we were using at that moment. VSA learned the organization and assigned part of their copywriting and campaign teams to our account. They did database research to see who the potential audience would be and what quantities of those people would be available.

Eventually, their team came up with recommendations to us as to how we’d launch. All of that was collaborative, but it was all enabled by their ability to research and their commitment to creating prospects and setting appointments. VSA brought us a recommended strategy that we tweaked a little through evaluation and collaboration.

What is the team composition?

Early on, we had a team of seven people. As we launched, that became a core team of three people.

How did you come to work with VSA Prospecting?

We were recommended to two firms by an organization that we have a strategic alliance with. We interviewed both firms. At the same time, I had done an online search to find where these firms were compared to the top of the game. During this search I found VSA.

In comparing and contrasting, we noticed VSA has a much more proven methodology and transparent process. There was an air of confidence about them in terms of the benchmarks they’d achieved in the past and knew they could achieve for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re spending an annual amount of about $60,000–$75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in September 2020.

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

We set certain goals and strategies in terms of what we wanted to accomplish, and VSA is exceeding those. An average conversion rate is about 5%, and in comparison, VSA is delivering an average of 8.5% for us. We couldn’t be happier with that. Not only are they achieving our benchmarks, but they’re also exceeding them. This shows that there’s something special in terms of their expertise.

For this ongoing campaign, VSA has set 67 meetings for us. This is all considering that we’re in a pandemic; that’s a pretty good number. We’re very pleased by the quantity and those metrics.

How did VSA Prospecting perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re happy with management reporting. We get a weekly dashboard that’s presented at an executive high level. It shows the results for that week and the results cumulatively. Attached to that dashboard, we’re able to drill down and see specific conversations when an appointment is set. We can see background information on the appointment and their business’ address. That information helps prepare us for the appointment.

Additionally, we hold a weekly Zoom call for 30 minutes where we voice any concerns and ask questions. We talk about upcoming appointments and appointments that have passed. The level of communication has been outstanding and over the top. It’s more than we could’ve ever imagined in terms of transparency, clarity, and precision. VSA is among the best I’ve ever worked with before with a subcontractor or professional service provider.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s extraordinary that this is a predominantly woman-owned and woman-run business. They receive awards for being an outstanding place to work as voted by their employees. VSA’s employees are super happy, satisfied, and engaged. As a result of that, the happiness and employee satisfaction feeds into our engagement.

We’ve found them to be outstandingly professional and precise. They’re warm, gracious people. We’ve developed friendships with them because they’re good at their job but are also good people. Their team members are among the finest people I’ve had the privilege of working with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. They’re outstanding, and we’re delighted with their work. VSA is open to feedback and coaching. If we’ve offered that, they’ve taken it and it has already improved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Honor and listen to their expertise because they’re experts within their domain and discipline. Do your best to be transparent, open, and thorough in how you educate them about your business and value proposition.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are in the healthcare industry and we provide solutions to help healthcare facilities manage their equipment. We offer deep cleaning, disinfection, and reporting of patient care equipment. 

What challenge were you trying to address with VSA Prospecting?

We wanted an additional marketing channel for outreach to new hospitals that may not be familiar with us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provide a strategic list of prospects who VSA Prospecting then reach out to and if they're directed into a different department, they then find the right contact. Using email and phone outbound marketing, they introduce our services and generate conversations about how our company can help healthcare facilities. They're basically utilizing their team to create awareness, education, and to connect key members to our team. 

After passing along a list of interested contacts, our team then has a conversation with these potential clients to discern how we can review what they are currently doing internally and how we can offer some additional support. Our goal is to create a full-circle equipment management program between their internal efforts and our scheduled services for the deep cleaning of equipment. 

What is the team composition?

We engage with around 8–10 people. We work with a success manager and an assistant, and then the other team members are the ones who call each of the facilities in the campaigns.

How did you come to work with VSA Prospecting?

I came across them through research — I had identified several groups that were in that space and I contacted them. After having conversations that allowed me to understand their internal strategy and how they operate, I decided they were the best fit for our team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019, and it’s still ongoing.

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

We've been able to work with new health systems as a result of their efforts, which is great. 

How did VSA Prospecting perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is good and they communicate well — they provide us with reports through weekly video calls and we do phone calls as needed. If they have any questions or there’s anything that needs to be addressed, they bring it to our attention quickly within the day. 

They’re a very fun, energetic team that allows for a lot of collaboration. Due to their expertise and experience, they have been very self-sufficient in their operation. Overall, they’re a great partner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What distinguishes them is their level of experience. They've been in the business in the lead generation market for around 15 years now — the average tenure of their team members is also quite significant, meaning they’ve worked on many projects for quite some time. 

Their dynamic, how they put together campaigns, and their internal proprietary strategy of how they do calls and emails make them stand out significantly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very specific on expectations and the different scenarios that they could encounter and provide different solutions. Maintain a very open communication loop — make sure to have a series of role-playing so you could provide immediate feedback and then have an open discussion for any questions team members may have.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the regional sales manager for North America for a German-based monitoring company.

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

When we started with VSA, Inc, we had a number of trial leads that we were unable to touch due to bandwidth and employee restrictions. We decided to work with VSA, Inc. to get in touch with those trial leads and then remain in contact with them until close.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Originally, they worked through a significant number of trial leads per month. They scheduled product demos with sales engineers and our inside sales team.

We used them to contact leads that we don’t have a lot of information on. Often, we just had an email address, and they were able to use that email address to find the proper contacts within those accounts before scheduling the calls. From there, we did a few other campaigns with them.

They’ve approached our channel partners to get some attention with them. For this project, VSA, Inc. worked with our channel partners to engage them and schedule calls with our channel account managers, who could then drive more engagement.

We’ve also tried to drive attendance to our phone support webinars and pilot programs. They’ve been able to adapt depending on the types of campaigns we were working on.

What is the team composition?

Since my original contact, I’ve had two other team managers and have worked with their CEO. Right now, I think there are 4–5 people conducting calls for us at a full 40-hours per week. We’ve also been able to scale up and down depending on our capabilities.

How did you come to work with VSA, Inc?

We’ve worked with another outsourcing agency in the past, but I wasn’t overly excited about their work. That lead me to search for another agency. I actually spoke to another agency, but we couldn’t afford them, and it didn’t make sense to have them work on what we needed. They introduced me to VSA, Inc.

We spent 2–3 weeks on a POC with them and evaluated whether or not it made sense to continue working on the project. We had some good success in that time period and decided to continue our partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in July 2019 and have been working with them ever since.

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

It’s difficult to measure the impact they’ve had because of our sales cycles and COVID-19, but we’ve definitely seen an increase in what we classify as opportunities. They’ve been able to schedule 300–400 more calls this year.

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

They perform very well. They’re very adaptable. For example, I come to them almost weekly with a new campaign to run. We have weekly calls on Wednesday morning, but by Monday they’re up and running that new campaign and are driving those meetings for us. They do help with different messaging and are open to trying new things.

They’ve been very helpful and responsive. Other than our weekly calls, I communicate with them over email. If something is urgent, I can also give them a call.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their adaptability has been incredibly helpful. They started by interfacing with our end-users, and they were able to adapt and work with our channel partners. They each require a different message, but VSA, Inc. been able to accommodate that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t really have an answer to that question.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

After the POC, we waited a month and went on-site, where we were able to work with the team that was supporting us full-time. That was very beneficial. They heard things before we visited, and that made the visit more engaging. They actually had questions and use-cases for those questions.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 
 

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.

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.

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.