What does a good B2B call list contain?
Each row should have the company name, the contact's name and job title, a direct or mobile number, and a note on where the entry came from. If you cannot say why a company is on the list, it probably should not be.
Decide who you are targeting before you collect anything. Write down the industry, the company size, the role that signs off the purchase, and two or three signs that a company needs what you sell. A list of 1,000 companies that match those four points is more useful than 5,000 that match one. Keep a column for the source too. When a number turns out to be wrong, you will want to know which source to stop using.
Where do the names and numbers come from?
The best sources are the ones you already own: past customers, lapsed customers, people who asked for a quote, and contacts from events you attended. These people already know your name, so the call is easier to open and easier to defend.
For new names, use company websites, professional association member pages, trade show exhibitor lists and referrals from existing clients. Use ACRA's entity search on Bizfile to check that a company is still live and to see its registered address. ACRA describes the search as a way to check basic information about registered entities, including their live status. Registered addresses are often not where the decision maker sits, so treat it as a check on the company and look elsewhere for the person.
If you buy a list from a third party, ask where the data came from and when it was last updated, and sample 50 rows by calling them before you commit to the whole file.
Do you need to check a B2B list against the Do Not Call Registry?
Often the Registry rules do not apply to a B2B call, but that depends on whom the call is about and what it is for. The PDPC has said the Do Not Call provisions do not cover marketing calls to organisations for the organisation's own purposes. That protection is lost once the call is about the person's own needs, for example a personal insurance or investment pitch to a business owner on their mobile.
Sole proprietors, small firm owners and staff on personal mobiles are where lists get complicated, because one number can serve both business and personal use. If a call could be read as a pitch to the individual, check the number. Checks are made at dnc.gov.sg, and a result is valid for 21 days, so check close to the date you plan to call. Older web pages still say 30 days.
The PDPC's Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions (revised 1 February 2021) and the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 set out the detail. This is general information. For your own list, ask a lawyer.
How do you clean the list before calling?
Remove duplicates first, then companies that ACRA shows as no longer live, then rows with no number or only a switchboard line. Put one person per company on the first pass unless your sale involves several roles.
Keep a suppression list of anyone who has asked not to be called, and match every new list against it before you call. Date each row when you add or confirm it. Contact details go out of date as people change jobs, so a list that is a year old needs a sample call test before you spend money on it.
Plan for several attempts. Reaching a busy decision maker on the first try is unusual, so spread attempts over different days and times in business hours.
How does Greetsby work with your list?
Greetsby calls the people on your own list and books meetings into your calendar. You approve the opening and the reason for the call before it starts, and you check the list against the Do Not Call Registry before you send it. You confirm that you have done so when you upload it. Greetsby does not run that check for you.
Pricing is a flat S$1.80 a number, covering up to 4 attempts each on different days between 9.30am and 6.00pm. That is S$1,800 for 1,000 numbers, S$3,600 for 2,000 and S$5,400 for 3,000, paid before calls start, with no contract. Every call is recorded, so you can play back the ones that did not book and see whether the list or the pitch needs work. Greetsby does not promise a number of meetings. The first batch shows what your own list produces.
Financial advisory businesses should note that the firm has to sign up, not an individual representative. You can reach Greetsby at hello@greetsby.com.
Questions
How many contacts should a first call list have?
Enough to learn from, and few enough to be accurate. A few hundred well-checked rows will show you whether the targeting and the opening work before you scale up.
Can I use a list I bought?
You can, but ask where the data came from and how recent it is, and call a sample of 50 rows before committing. You still need to check whether the Do Not Call rules apply to your calls.
How often should I check numbers against the Do Not Call Registry?
A Registry check result is valid for 21 days, so check within that window before calling. If you call over a longer period, check again.
Can a financial adviser representative hire Greetsby directly?
No. Under MAS Notice FAA-N02, only the financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer, so the firm has to be the one to sign up.
Sources
- PDPC: Do Not Call Registry & Your Business
- PDPC: Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions (revised 1 February 2021)
- PDPC: Check Numbers Against Do Not Call (DNC) Registry
- ACRA: Using Bizfile's search functions
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.