About Ecorus

Bauke Bakker has been director of Ecorus Home since March 2018. The company was established in 2010 as a joint venture between Groep Coenen and Beaurega BVBA. For companies, housing corporations and landowners Ecorus provides the entire solar energy process. From subsidy application, permits and financing up to realization and commissioning.

Create speed with remote telesales

“From the moment tenants from housing corporations have a say about the commissioning of solar panels, Ecorus experienced that it did not have the capacity itself to take on the sales and after sales. “The consumer in this segment is very skeptical, we know from experience”, says Bakker. For that reason we were looking for a telemarketing agency that distinguishes itself in enthusiasm and involvement, but from seniority.”

“We do not want greenhorns on the phone, it’s more than telesales only”

“In May we started with WeCallForYou from Monique Hoogkamer. The ladies who work for us have a ton of experience and they have people skills. Together we were able to shape a tone of voice which strengthen our wish for a personal and professional approach. We also pursue the same philosophy with our advisers at the door. The team of Monique generates leads for our consultants, which makes an integral approach essential. Both teams must sense what is going on, what doubts there are and how to tackle them. And that starts with really listening and asking questions. ”

“At one point our agents spoke to a number of troubled tenants of a housing corporation. They clearly indicated that something had to be done on their roof first, before talking about solar systems. We then informed the corporation and were able to remove the turmoil and set up the sequel step by step.”

More than a high conversion
“We have compiled a good offer and were optimistic about the intended objectives. Precisely because of the mature approach, the results were quickly positive. The conversion was between 20% and 30% and that was in line with our expectations.”

“But the efforts of WeCallForYou gave us even more. Of the leads that these ladies generated for our consultants, the deal was closed in 95% of the cases. ”

Advice for the future
“I would like to advise everyone who wants to work with a telesales agency to invest in quality. Telesales is so much more than just repeating a script. It is an ongoing process where continuous improvement is possible. The ladies from WeCallForYou are eager to learn more about our company and the technical details. Therefore they advise better. That entrepreneurial spirit is essential. We expect that from all our partners. With larger numbers, structure and reporting are also important. We are also succeeding in this, together with WeCallForYou.”

About the VNSG
We talk to Rob van der Marck, Director of the VNSG. More than 8,000 SAP professionals working at 700 different companies in the Netherlands and Flanders are active in this Dutch association for SAP users. Each year, the association organizes over 100 events on various SAP-related topics, including seminars, focus group meetings, workshops, master classes and a series of webinars. And the VNSG organises an annual conference in collaboration with SAP Netherlands: Connect to Innovate. In addition, the VNSG represents the interests of its members towards software supplier SAP.

From status quo to steps forward
As with most other associations, recruitment and retention are constant points of attention and on the agenda every year. New members usually do not sign up automatically, active recruitment is required. In practice, however, this happens too little and not necessarily in the right way. “Our employees at the back office are not trained for acquisition and do not always like it”, says Van der Marck. “It is very important, but the focus is often on organizing our activities and retaining the existing members. We also receive a lot of appreciation for this and that is reflected in the positive figures for retention.”

“It does not feel good when there is no growth. From the start in 1988 to 2008 the organization grew. We have been very stable in recent years, but that is not enough. We have previously invested in traditional and online campaigns, often combined with an offer for membership fees. But this does not yield enough. More action needed to be taken.”

“I was skeptical about the use of telemarketing, but ended up at Monique Hoogkamer through a business relationship from this branch. We did not choose to sell direct memberships. We are not a supplier of products or services and did not want to be discarded on the phone. More important was that leads would be generated. The goal was to get me, as a director, at the table with the IT managers of this world and especially at the SME. After all, we already know the big companies well and they are often members already.”

“In addition to the lead generation projects, we used WeCallForYou to invite guests to the annual event. They were asked to come and share knowledge and networks. The focus was on the people who had been there a year earlier, but who had not yet signed up. Warm leads.”

“Involved? Even after the campaign ended, Monique called a prospect. She had promised that.”

Nicely driven

“From the first contact Monique and I had a connection. She and her team took care of things well. The preparation was thorough and with the sales script the conversations were also substantive at the right level. The projects ran very well, even though we did not have a reference. WeCallForYou is very passionate about the approach and the follow-up and that is often lacking in sales. Even after the campaign ended, Monique insisted on calling one of the prospects. She had made that appointment and wanted to keep it at all costs. ”

“We completed a campaign for lead generation twice and there were 15 concrete agreements. The conversion to these conversations has proved to be high. Fifty percent of the companies became members. With the contribution for a year that was already an excellent investment, but companies usually remain longer members of the VNSG. This fact made these campaigns certainly successful. The campaign for the event was also a success. Forty people were registered, who represent an amount of about 500 Euro per person.”

Not every campaign succeeds
“Unfortunately, the last campaign we have carried out had less good results. We opted for an approach whereby a license was offered for the Learning Hub, the online platform with SAP training. In this case it was direct sales by telephone. The offer was good, from 2,500 euros to 800 and the reactions from existing members were positive. We think that the results were disappointing for three reasons: many SMEs get their SAP expertise externally, the file has become obsolete, and a direct hard sale on the phone is very difficult. This was also instructive.”

“WWe are therefore very pleased with the collaboration with Monique and her team. They are professionals, but also kind and nice to work with. And I say that consciously, because cold calling is an art. Both in the contact with me and my colleagues and with the people on the line, they have found an excellent balance. You hear and feel their experience. As an association, we want to be professional and friendly, so it does not fit to call as annoying tell-sell-like teams.”

My advice for the future
I would advise others to take a good look at the instrument and fill it in as befits your organization. Outsourcing has really become a barrier for us. I thought that a lot of knowledge was necessary for a successful campaign. But too much knowledge causes ballast. We need to receive a goal-oriented but pleasant call and it always works positively. Even if no direct sales take place.

About Commvault
Speaking to Angelique Roelse Marketing Manager Northern Europe at international data management specialist Commvault:

“I deploy telesales with a strong belief. All data is recorded in the CRM of Salesforce and translated into tailored interaction in areas of interest with the different target groups. Both inbound, via events and downloads from the website, and via outbound contact. In addition to direct sales, the knowledge gained is used for the continuous enrichment of profiles, the sales and marketing strategy and for white spot analyzes.”

Cold calling is very difficult. Never giving up is perhaps the most important quality.
Angelique works with various agencies at various levels. The choice per agency depends on the specific target group and objectives. “Through contact with Lisette she came into contact with Monique. That felt great from the first moment. “Through contact with Lisette she came into contact with Monique. That felt great from the first moment.”

“A previous agency scored well on the agreements and was also accounted for, but the leads were not properly qualified and so the end result was low. That is deadly sin. Because you put a lot of time together.”

“WeCallForYou already ran a project in the field of GDPR. Unfortunately, we were too early in 2017. The market was not ready yet. In addition, the summer period was not the best period afterwards. But we saw the potential, it felt good. WeCallForYou is now calling the local government target group for the introduction of a new appliance. We do not have a large marketing machine for this and the personal contact with IT architects is important. We do not have final results yet, but agreements are made and call-back requests are planned. This process runs according to expectations and in line with international projects.”

“Monique and her female team bring something extra with their seniority and people knowledge. Partly for this reason Monique also coaches one of our project managers and we want to use her Telemarketing skills for recruiting new Service Providers. WeCallForYou can serve both the commercial and non-profit sectors because the team understands people. Of course, it helps in IT when there is a call from women, but it is more. They are attentive, seek the interaction, regularly choose an unexpected approach and record agreements in the agenda in a very structured way. But perhaps the most important thing is that they never give up.”

“Monique came to our office, really understood us and worked along the sales agents. You do not often see such an investment at other agencies.”

Qualification
“Expectations in a commercial organization are always high. Especially on sales. But there is more than just scoring short term contracts. We gauge needs, we discover the “not” and must be able to adjust continuously. That requires flexibility, perseverance and dedicated people. A previous office scored well on the agreements and was also accounted for, but the leads were not properly qualified and so the end result was low. That is deadly sin. Because you put a lot of time together.”

My motto
“My motto is therefore to select your agency per assignment. think about the specific objective, the target group and the tone of voice. Do you need native speakers, for example, or specific technical knowledge? You reach SMEs through methods other than the top 100 clients or the government. A telesales agency must fit as a tailor-made suit.”

About the Amsterdamse Zoncoalitie
Maike van Grootel had a wonderful challenge as Project Manager of the Amsterdam Sun Coalition in 2016: realizing 1 million solar panels on the roofs in Amsterdam. What started as an idea within the Municipality of Amsterdam and Amsterdam Smart City in 2015 resulted in a driven project organization with the support of a large group of regional and nationally operating energy and installation companies. In that start-up phase it was necessary to connect the right specialists.

Do not shit but brush

“We had a strong need for commercial decisiveness,” Van Grootel says. “We knew what we wanted, but needed the specialists. Professional and structural contact had to be established with house owners and managers throughout Amsterdam. Within the team we did not have that time nor the expertise.”

“A sales manager with aura”

“Monique was a hit. She immediately took over control in the field of sales and structure. She taught us in the initial phase that the sale is not scary at all and in the meantime built her own team with eventually four ladies. This included the investment in our own CRM program and the associated working method. Step-by-step the sales organization got shape and with that the Zoncoalitie as a project organization.”

“Essential in the approach was that knowledge was acquired during the process. The feedback from the discussions led to new initiatives and opportunities and gave the organization guidance in the decisions to be taken. The input from the partners and the customers was indispensable. The organization needed traction for the scale-up and after a few smaller campaigns and events the campaign Hello Sunshine Amsterdam was launched.”

“Doing, learning and doing better”

Hello Sunshine
“On this platform, the Zoncoalitie, its partners and pan owners in Amsterdam informed consumers and businesses about the steps that can be taken to realize solar energy on their premises. The main philosophy: solar panels are a great idea on every building. Interested parties got in touch with the subsidies, the platforms and the forerunners and the preliminary phase was made as easy as possible with the help of an online quickscan. Throughout this process, Monique and her team played a very important role in following up the leads and interacting with the marketing department and the group of partners.”

From cold calling to hot leads
“The business became increasingly professional and the structural, warm and personal approach of Monique led to the first successes. Together with her team she ensured that we got big players interested. A lot of contacts were made and the first contracts were concluded. Do not wait until something is 100% off, but go for it. That makes Monique successful. She understands that the customer is needed in the process and how to take someone into the story. Her strongly advanced gut feeling is leading in this. Internally she also ensures that connection through her open and warm approach. Do, learn and then do better. That is what I believe is essential in a project team and what Monique does not only exude, but also exerts.”

About Vrendly
Maurits Geelkerken is entrepreneur and founder of Vrendly, which offers companies advanced IT solutions in personal debt management. In line with the business of Vrendly, the marketing is organized in such a way that everything went automatically. Customers signed up and we sent out mailings. The click behavior was monitored extensively, but because we had no focus on sales and too little time, the leads were left behind. Moreover, we noticed that it was not our favorite activity and we are not so good at it. At least not vigorously enough. The pile of leads was not followed consistently and we left too many opportunities. That just feels bad.

Convert leads to users
“We had just started, Vrendly was live and wanted as much direct feedback from our customers as possible. Many first users were friends and acquaintances and they were less critical than we wanted. In order to optimize the process and the systems, we needed critical clients. All leads therefore had to be set up to actual users. We could not do that without help. For that reason I contacted Monique I had previously worked with. Monique is a real stickler, someone who always fulfills her commitments and listens carefully to what the customer needs. Moreover, I knew it would be nice to work together again. ”

“We left too many opportunities and that just felt bad.”

“WeCallForYou was more on top of the start, thorough but in a pleasant way. Even before we were internally ready, the team was ready to get started. That was a big win. Without too much explanation and with some examples WeCallForYou started. Especially because the team dug deeper. And that also gave immediate confidence. Only if there was a problem with the customer, there was contact. We were simply unburdened. And that’s also how Monique is: proactive, she sets clear goals and goes into action. No worries.”

“With this personal approach we have brought out many things that we would not otherwise hear”

Driven
When we sent a mailing for the collaboration, we had an average conversion of three to four new customers. From the start with WeCallForYou that became much more. And that proved to be a substantial improvement compared to our own method. With this personal approach we have brought out many things that we would not otherwise hear. Customers indicated what they missed and we acted on that. In the meantime our customer portfolio has changed and we do not do the lead follow-up ourselves anymore. That way we continue to improve.

We now know that our actions are more profitable if we outsource the telephone contact. That also takes away stress.

Advice for the future
“The realization that you as an organization can set up the marketing, but don’t do well in the follow-up is enlightening. We now know that our actions are more profitable if we outsource the contact by phone. This took away a stress factor. It really felt like we got a colleague. And that colleague was good for a turnover growth of 400%. It made the investment worthwhile. I would do it again without hesitation. And after several experiences with telesales organizations, I will not be joining forces with another party so quickly.”