MarketFirst Software Inc. and Onyx Software Corp. are offering a joint software package targeting event marketers as well as business-to-consumer firms offering high-dollar services.
The package allows firms to send e-mails containing prospect information to the appropriate sales representative. For instance, Web site inquiries about products or services can be routed to representatives according to their areas of specialty or even geography. The e-mails can be sent to wireless devices such as personal digital assistants.
The package also features an e-mail marketing suite of services. Users can send messages that address the recipient by name and can make individual or segmented offers. A technology marketer, for instance, can send a customer an upgrade offer if that person has yet to buy the marketer's recently enhanced software or service.
The e-mail marketing suite can be used as an alternative to telemarketing and direct mail, said Alan Blume, vice president of sales at MarketFirst, Mountain View, CA. Blume said his firm recently switched from telemarketing to e-mail for promoting its seminar events and has more than tripled its response rates.
“With direct mail or telemarketing, it takes a while to get results back,” he said. “With e-mail you can get the results in 24 to 48 hours, which allow you to tweak the offer.”
