A UK-based software company used Cognism’s sales intelligence platform to:
Based in London, Formation Tech is a hybrid office specialist helping companies create better ways of working. Proudly partnered with the likes of Microsoft, Poly, Logitech and Fortinet, Formation Tech provides the technologies that enable employees to be more productive, work smarter and more securely, from anywhere.
Formation Tech’s digital workplace solutions are designed to suit today’s ‘hybrid’ office, enhancing productivity and creating a connected workforce. Their mission is to help companies bridge the gap between physical and remote working through technology which is simple to use and easy to support.
We interviewed Carl Hardie, Director of Business Development at Formation Tech about his experience with Cognism. Formation Tech became a customer of Cognism’s back in July 2021.
What difficulties did they encounter prior to Cognism?
“Our method of acquiring B2B data was outmoded. We used another provider but it was not replenished or in real-time. We worked with LinkedIn Sales Navigator but found the emails were often personal addresses and therefore not compliant. There was obviously a real issue with data accuracy.”
“In addition to this, reaching the right person was perpetuated by COVID-19; people were now working from home and subsequently couldn’t get past the gatekeepers to be connected to their mobiles. On top of that, we didn’t have enough mobiles on our records in order to make that verbal connection. Email marketing was also a large focus of ours, but we had consistent difficulty with finding accurate email addresses.”
“This sparked my interest in finding a provider that was compliant, real-time and comprehensive with a strong presence in the UK and Europe. We looked at ZoomInfo and other providers but after carrying out our due diligence we found Cognism to be a much better fit - plus they came highly recommended from a trusted partner who’d used the Cognism platform to great success.”
Carl intends to hire a team of Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) within the next few months to support the business with its high-growth plans.
Formation Tech targets C-suite and IT decision-makers in UK-based mid-market businesses, predominantly industry agnostic, aside from the public sector.
What is Formation Tech’s workflow with Cognism?
“Having been in sales for a number of years, I know that calling prospects on their mobile is the best way to book a qualified meeting. In conjunction with this, well-written personalised emails are another great way to market our brand and spark new business interest.”
“I formulate our ICP personas and generate the data in the Cognism platform. I then sync the leads into Hubspot, through the integration, and run a 9-step cadence with calling and email template steps.”
“The training provided by our Cognism CSM was integral to achieving productive and successful workflows with the platform.”
Carl described how Cognism’s data has been instrumental to driving webinar registrations.
“Combining Cognism’s B2B data with our own marketing efforts we managed to achieve 100+ sign ups to a recent webinar we hosted. A good deal of those registrations have since developed into opportunities that we have developed through our sales funnel.”
Carl explained their growth plans with Cognism’s product suite.
“I intend to harness Cognism’s Intent Data. The plan is to find the most compatible intent topics to align with our core pillars and run the campaign on the platform.”
“Once the SDRs are trained, Cognism’s Chrome Extension will also be fundamental to their daily prospecting efforts.”
“We are a new customer and have only just begun our journey with Cognism. The plan is to build an entire SDR team and strong sales engine. Cognism is going to be really influential in this journey.”
Formation Tech’s average sales cycle is approximately six months. Despite only being a customer since July 2021, they have already seen measurable results.
“In the last 6 months, we have had 28 warm opportunities. A number of these are at the advanced stage of proposals which is very exciting.”
“We have closed a deal through Cognism which will expand as an account. Cognism not only opens the door to the right people but also enables you to start relationships with customers that will flourish into long-term partners, and ultimately generate ongoing ROI.”
Carl elaborated on how important Cognism’s support team has been.
“Our CSM has helped us harness the value of the tool. I find the guidance really reassuring. Whenever there is a minor glitch, it’s always resolved in ample time.”
What’s the biggest reason they’d recommend us?
“The quality of the data. The open rate is high, the bounce rate is low and the mobile numbers are phenomenal. To ensure efficiency in B2B sales, the data has to be in real-time and as accurate as possible. Cognism does exactly this.”
“It's also a peace of mind that the data is compliant. It’s reassuring to know that when I am ringing a prospect, it’s within GDPR guidelines.”
“Overall, for a small growing business like ours, a software like Cognism is the cornerstone of our success. I can see us maturing as a business with it and having the high-quality data and CSM support in place is crucial to this.”
Over 3,000 revenue teams around the world trust Cognism to:
✅ Build qualified B2B contact databases
✅ Plan and launch their outbound campaigns
✅ Power up their social selling
✅ Meet and beat their revenue targets
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