In my daily conversations with the best and brightest in sales, marketing, recruiting and sourcing, it is fascinating to see just how pleased some are with splashing around in the shallow end of the data pool. They seem satisfied with swimming in and amongst their CRM and online database or high traffic active candidate job boards as the safe or easiest source for the information, fully aware that it may not be the best nor most updated data needed. The general feeling is the information they get, without a great deal of effort, is all that is needed to launch a successful email campaign, a compelling initial sales call or high touch recruiting call.

Perhaps so.

But ...

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The Challenge

Brittenford found that in order to sustain and grow their business, they needed to expand their marketing efforts. They had purchased lists in the past, but had found them to be very constricting and expensive. List quality from reputable sources was only 60 – 70 % accurate, and many of the targeted lists were costing them between $2 to $4 per contact name.

Brittenford decided to tap into Internet sources such as corporate websites, newsgroups, and press releases so they could improve the quality of their information. They hired two resources to tap these real-time sources, and quickly found that while the quality was vastly better, without automation it was not a sustainable or cost effective alternative.

Read More about Brittenford's success

Looking to get the most out of your investment in Broadlook tools? Mike Tischer, Director of Client Experience, was asked to talk about the key ways people can maximize their results with their investment in Broadlook tools.

1) Q: How much time would you recommend a new client spend in training?
That really depends on the client and their comfort level with technology. We’ve made it a point to give new Broadlook clients many different vehicles for learning the tools: live training, pre-recorded sessions, interactive tutorials, and one-on-one training. We hope they’ll take advantage of each of these offerings, as each training experience is unique but have proven to be an effective method of learning.

2) Q: Is it necessary to learn everything before you get to use the tools?
That’s a common misconception about Broadlook tools – the complexity of the software makes it hard to get started. Actually, the opposite is true. Many applications – Broadlook Profiler for instance – may have a lot of settings and views and filter/export capabilities, but the product’s core functionality can be learned in about three minutes. When a client first joins the Broadlook Community, I work with them on establishing what their first research initiatives look like, and then offer them the basic product techniques necessary to complete the project. This way, they’re getting data they can use at their business, and learning that while the tools make look complicated, they need not get technology anxiety over them.

3) Q: Are there special things you do in classes that are not part of the interactive tutorials and on-line videos?
Jokes. Reality – coming to live training offers a unique experience every session. You’re in a group with other Broadlook Community members who are often asking the questions you thought about, but didn’t want to ask. Plus, since it’s live, clients get to see us (mostly me) make mistakes, proving that we’re all human, and that we’re not “scripting” the class. Sometimes the initiative we’re working on doesn’t yield the best results. That’s a real part of research, and the more transparent we are about this, the more confident our clients are about their results, and getting work done.