The costs of marketing data – the myths debunked

Alex Tremlett, Insight Data’s Commercial Director, explores why the cost of not having accurate and reliable prospect data far outweighs the investment.

The trade show season is coming up, and no doubt many delegates will be returning to the office with a jumble of business cards and hastily scribbled phone numbers that they hope will be converted into sales. Meanwhile, your competitor is targeting their ideal prospects with highly focused campaigns based on the latest accurate data. Shall we take a wild guess at who will secure the next big fenestration contract?

In today’s business climate, the difference between thriving and surviving often comes down to a single crucial factor: the quality of your marketing data. Yet, there’s still widespread suspicion among too many firms that investing in professional data solutions has very little cost benefit. Ironically, it’s this misconception that could be holding your company back from achieving the growth it deserves.

The value of quality marketing data

For fenestration companies of all sizes, from local installers to national manufacturers, identifying and connecting with potential customers is the lifeblood of business development. If you don’t have clients, you don’t have a business! Unfortunately, many firms continue to rely on outdated methods – a bit of advertising here and there, generic mailshots, unwanted cold calling –  and hope for the best. And at best, this is unpredictable. At worst, it’s a complete waste of time.

In contrast, precision marketing based on high-quality, real-time data transforms this process from guesswork into strategy. If you have information of this quality, your sales team can simply focus efforts where they matter most.

The price of bad data

Of course, every investment decision must be made wisely, particularly when the business climate isn’t exactly favourable. If you’re looking to purchase marketing data and you’re concerned about the cost-benefit ratio, consider this: how much time (and therefore money) are you wasting pursuing outdated leads, draining your sales team’s productivity daily? Plus, poor data means that opportunities vanish when competitors reach potential customers first, often without you ever knowing they existed. Critically, without quality data you face a fundamental inability to identify emerging market trends and new opportunities. In short, this is all very frustrating, demotivating and loss making.

What’s the solution? Well, as a marketing data company we’re bound to say that investment in quality data is the way forward. And we would be right. Our Salestracker CRM platform is tailored for the fenestration sector, providing real-time access to extensive prospect data and advanced lead management tools. It’s a user-friendly and extremely comprehensive data solution, etc – but what does it cost?

Insight Data’s Salestracker offers a bespoke approach to pricing, ensuring businesses of every size can access the information they need at a cost that works for them. Our packages start at as little at £150 + VAT per month. By any stretch of the imagination, that really isn’t a lot, particularly when you’re getting access to a live system with continuous real-time updates. As Insight Data’s research team contacts companies within the database, the information is updated simultaneously, meaning you always have access to the freshest possible data.

This real-time approach ensures you’re not working with information that could be months out of date—a crucial difference when businesses close, open, relocate or change key personnel regularly.

Return on investment?

The real measure of any business investment is its return, and this is where Salestracker truly excels. If, for example, your average order value is £10,000 and Salestracker helps your team secure just one additional sale per month through better targeting and follow-up, that represents £120,000 in additional annual revenue. Now compare that to the investment in the platform itself and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that it’s pretty good value for money. In fact, many Insight Data clients report that Salestracker pays for itself within the first quarter of use, with everything beyond that representing pure additional profit.

Making the decision

When evaluating the cost of marketing data, the most important question isn’t “Can we afford to invest in quality data?” but rather “Can we afford not to?”

In today’s competitive fenestration market, businesses that employ detailed, real-time data gain a significant advantage over those relying on outdated methods. They identify opportunities faster, respond more effectively to market changes and build stronger relationships with prospects and customers.

With flexible pricing options and a rapid return on investment, Salestracker removes the financial barriers that might otherwise prevent businesses from accessing the data they need to thrive.

The myth that quality marketing data is prohibitively expensive doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. When the right data is properly leveraged, it doesn’t represent a cost at all—it’s an investment that pays substantial dividends in growth, efficiency and profitability.

For more information about Insight Data’s service, click here or contact 01934 808 293.