We want to give you a deeper understanding of what goes on behind the scenes at Barbour ABI, as well as connecting with major figures within the industry to learn what makes them thrive. This month we are speaking to Leigh Simpson, a marketing technology expert who has created Project Prospecta, a tool that automates the construction leads process and nurturing leads from Barbour ABI’s data.
Hi Leigh, what exactly is Project Prospecta and what does it do to make Barbour ABI customers’ lives easier?
Project Prospecta is an email marketing platform that works to seek out and nurture the most relevant leads for Barbour ABI customers. The data that Barbour ABI provides is an unbelievable resource, but it can take time and experience to extract the right information that you need to find the decision makers that can produce return on investment.
Project Prospecta does the work of mining for gold amongst leads and then automates the process of contacting and building relationships for you. We process thousands of leads per week for you so that you are being served only the hottest leads.
After initially making contact, we analyse how a lead has responded and then take them on different journeys to provide additional content and resources as their interest increases. We notify the client at different levels of journey to take action at the right time.
Our technology can track the leads who visit your website, so that you are able to contact them armed with the relevant knowledge in relation to their interests.
Tracking and analysing the decision makers visit your website before contacting them leaves you able to see the proof that Barbour ABI has generated the leads and, ultimately, the orders that you need for return on investment each year.
How does the new Barbour ABI platform work with Project Prospecta to improve the digital experience for customers?
I really like the modern, visually pleasing, map-driven approach. The way that you can filter the data down to such a small, specific number of projects is fantastic. To really nail it down to a small number of projects or contacts is very neat. It’s complex and has evolved very smartly.
What we’re doing with Project Prospecta is designed to support the use of these systems. We can analyse the key figures from a Barbour ABI project and see who has been visiting a client’s website, for the client to be able to then go and make the call confident in the knowledge that the figure is interested in their products or services.
Have you found an increase in the appreciation for automation and digital in the industry over the last 6 months?
We’ve seen a massive increase in demand and appreciation for what digital can do for your business. With external sales reps stuck at home, this has been the ideal time to focus and retrain employees across both sales and marketing to embrace digital opportunities.
There’s been an awakening to how effective and time efficient simple platforms like video meetings can be for all areas of a business.
Businesses are suddenly becoming far more informed of the potential for technology to drive revenue. This is what Project Prospecta is all about; using technology to drive a structured approach to communications, that ultimately will have a positive impact on your bottom line.
Why is it so vital for the current embrace of technology to continue for construction product manufacturers?
The pandemic has enforced some changes that have been coming for a long time, with regard to technology. We’re at the point where things have changed to the point that they won’t go back to how they were previously. The so-called “new normal” isn’t very new anymore, it’s just normal now.
Technology is an enabler, and the companies who have been proactive in embracing it are the ones who will continue to thrive in the coming months and years.
People almost exclusively go online to find information nowadays. The goal for manufacturers has to be to understand who we are and how we make the lives of architects and specifiers easier, because that is what will win their business. I heard a quote recently that “we’re all media companies now”. Manufacturers have to be media companies who also sell doors, or windows, or bricks. We have the opportunity through digital and social media to control our own stories, always be on brand and not worry about how we are portrayed by third party platforms.
