Meet Sharon Sloper...

Sharon has worked for Thomson Local Direct Marketing Services for over 8 years as a Sales Manager.  During this time she has spoken to thousands of small businesses about their direct mail, telemarketing and email needs, making recommendations to help them reach their sales targets.

What is the most common problem small businesses have once they have purchased business data?

The most common problem we come across when speaking to our customers is that they haven’t set aside enough time to effectively work the data they have bought from us.  Contacting the data on a regular basis is essential for a positive return on investment. 

What do you recommend to them as a solution to this problem?

Businesses that don’t have time to call the data or send out a mailing in-house should consider our B2B Direct Mail service.

B2B Direct Mail takes the hassle out of sending a mail shot. It is ideal for SME’s who want to prospect for new business by mail but don’t have the time or expertise. You can have a letter enclosed and franked in a business envelope and posted in line with your specified date. It’s also very cost effective with prices starting from 63p for a colour A4 letter.

What if a company doesn’t know what to put in their letter?

We understand how important first impressions are and we can offer tips on letter writing, or indeed we do offer a Letter Writing Service. 

There are also a number of agencies that can advise you for a fee.  Using a smaller, local creative agency will probably be a cost effective option for most businesses.

Do you have any other tips for converting prospects into leads?

To maximise response from a mailing you should really follow up each mail shot with a tailored telephone call.  This will help you increase your conversion from prospect to lead and help you close a sale.

What do you think 2010 will bring for small businesses?

I feel really positive about 2010.  We have already seen an increase in sales and marketing activity with our own customers in the last few months.  I think any SME’s that have cut marketing budgets in 2009 will start to feel the negative effects on their business in 2010, if they have not already done so.  Whilst those companies that have maintained or increased their marketing spend this year will see the positive effects of maintaining their presence in the marketplace. 

History has shown that companies who steadily increase their advertising and marketing efforts during times of economic uncertainty experience overall growth of their businesses at the expense of their competition.