ORLANDO, FL — Accurate, complete list data can make the difference between a losing telemarketing campaign and a profitable one, Lynn Rovelstad, president of Accudata America, said yesterday.
Using the right data, ensuring it's clean and employing segmentation strategies all can contribute to better close rates, said Rovelstad, who spoke at the Direct Marketing Association's annual Teleservices Conference here at the Omni Championsgate.
Keeping data accurate in a highly mobile society, where addresses and phone numbers change frequently, can be challenging. But the bottom line is that bad data cost you money, Rovelstad said. Obtaining data often presents marketers with a choice between quality and quantity, but in telemarketing it's important to have both, she said.
Telemarketing lists should be scrubbed against no-call lists monthly and before every campaign, Rovelstad said. Disconnected numbers should be appended with mover data to maintain the file and generate marketing opportunities.
One Accudata client increased its calling file from 5,000 to 7,500 records by appending new phone numbers to disconnected numbers, Rovelstad said. The client also raised the callable records in the file from 75 percent to 85 percent. These improvements turned the file from unprofitable to profitable, she said.
Segmenting lists and using data modeling are also important, Rovelstad said. Segmenting lets telemarketers target different parts of their lists with specific messages, and modeling helps them focus on the parts of the list most likely to respond.
Scott Hovanyetz covers telemarketing, production and printing and direct response TV marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
