The Solution

Lead Gen Dept immediately understood Intercity’s value proposition and marketing requirements. “The first challenge Jeff faced was convincing the different rail networks to embrace the Intercity concept, so they could put on more routes and increase the company’s service area,” summarizes Connor Addis, Managing Director. “Second, Intercity needed leads for medical companies who could use the service to deliver their consignments. They needed a unique campaign strategy to fulfil both goals.”

Getting Noticed with Targeted Email

With Screeton on board, Lead Gen Dept concentrated on targeted outbound email to start conversations on IRF’s behalf. First, they designed an email campaign to enhance Intercity’s public standing in the sustainability and logistics spaces. “We researched journalists who had previously written about trains, sustainability, and the environment, and emailed them with the opportunity to develop articles directly with Jeff and Intercity,” explains Addis.

Creating the Right List

Lead Gen Dept simultaneously began business development and lead generation efforts for Intercity. “We focus on making the right list for each client,” explains Addis. “That meant taking the time to consult with Intercity to find potential customers that are the right size, who sell the right service and occupy the right geographic location. Intercity had to identify each prospect as someone they wanted to do business with.”

“We hand-researched medical companies and laboratories that would be a good fit. Then, we mapped out the decision-makers within each organization and developed a personalised email opener for each client,” says Addis. Depending on the size of a prospect, Lead Gen Dept researched between five and fifteen viable email contacts per company, before settling on the one that best matched Intercity’s needs.

“We don’t spam people,” emphasises Addis. “We do our homework, research their colleagues and contact only the most carefully selected prospects. Then we offer them something of value — something they want to know."

Making it Personal

“By taking the time to research every prospect and write something personal about their business, it shows that each email has been written one-to-one. We’ve seen this increase response rates by 15%,” Addis explains. “For every email we send, we look for something appropriate to comment on, for example, congratulating the prospect on their new offices, an award they won, or perhaps a well-known client they are working with. Making it clear the email isn’t automated encourages prospects to read the whole thing and respond if they are interested.”