OneUp Sales, a UK-based sales productivity software, uses Cognism’s B2B data to:
- Obtain a 89% accuracy with mobile numbers.
- Close 60% of deals with Cognism’s mobile numbers.
- Discover qualified audiences using the ‘technology filter.’
- Seamlessly integrate with HubSpot and Salesloft.
Teams using: Sales
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The company
OneUp Sales is a sales motivation & management platform that helps sales teams to report on, gamify, and visualise their performance data. They work with over 200 sales teams worldwide to motivate productivity, drive CRM adoption, and create a culture of success.
OneUp integrates with dozens of CRMs, VOIP systems and other third-party solutions to enable sales leaders to see their key metrics in one place. They aim to empower directors, managers and consultants with the tools they need to succeed.
The challenge
We interviewed Marc Parsons, SDR Team Lead, about his experience with Cognism.
OneUp was established in 2016. We asked Marc what sales technology was in place before signing with Cognism. He told us more:
“When I joined two years ago, the business was still finding its feet. As a relatively new company, there were no data tools in the tech stack to help with sales acceleration. As an SDR, I know how valuable a B2B contact database is for finding new leads. As time was of the essence, I quickly researched B2B data tools and came across Lusha. We initially signed with them.”
What was the main turning point to start exploring other lead generation providers?
“After using Lusha for a short period, it was evident that we were mis-sold for several reasons:
1. Multi-tagging
“The product consisted of multi-tagging, a feature that uses multiple filters to attach to the data. This yielded irrelevant leads and frustrated the team because they targeted decision-makers unrelated to OneUp’s target audience.”
2. Non-compliant data
“The SDRs would often ring prospects only to discover they were under CTPS. This central opt-out register allows individuals to register their wish to not receive unsolicited sales and marketing calls. Lusha’s platform did not flag these individuals in the database. Also, the email opt-out link directed the prospect to an expired form which could land us in a lot of hot water.”
After a succession of lead generation struggles, Marc started exploring other options. He explained what vendors they considered in the buying process:
“Firstly, we trialled Apollo using a test data sample which didn’t produce adequate results. We proceeded to evaluate ZoomInfo but found the data to be too US-centric. This didn’t fit our ICP of targeting UK companies.”
These pain points prompted Marc to explore Cognism as the market leader for sales intelligence in Europe. How did he discover Cognism?
“Our Account Executive (AE) at Cognism was astounding. He set us up on a trial and aligned expectations that the data will never be 100%. The clear-cut honesty was highly-appreciated. After the trial, the data accuracy was second to none.”
Marc complimented the overall sales experience with Cognism:
“The entire buying process was transparent and upfront. After the success of the trial, the AE helped me build an internal business case for the wider business. His variety of outreach was head and shoulders above the rest. As a result, he had buy-in from our CEO. We signed and never looked back!”
The solution
OneUp Sales have been a customer since June 2022. Marc praised the initial onboarding set-up:
“Our dedicated training manager was awesome and really engaged us throughout the platform set-up. The tool was easy to understand, and we were up and running within a week.”
What is their target market?
“We sell to senior decision-makers at recruitment and sales firms in the UK. OneUp works with organisations that have a sales team with ten seats or above. Our sweet spot headcount is around thirty.”
In 2022, Marc was promoted to SDR Team Lead managing a team of SDRs. The team uses Cognism’s WebApp to build ideal-fit accounts and lead lists in seconds. He told us more:
“Each week, the SDRs pull data in the platform relevant to OneUp’s ICP. They generate the lists and import the contact details directly from the platform to our HubSpot CRM and Salesloft, a sales engagement system.”
“Cognism’s integration with our tech-stack is a game-changer as it ensures that none of the SDRs overlap accounts. It also gives me fantastic visibility as a manager on what accounts are being worked on at any given time.”
Marc explained what WebApp features the SDRs find most valuable.
“The SDRs use the ‘technology filter’ regularly in their searches. As we work with several recruitment firms, it’s important that we approach companies using recruitment software such as, Bullhorn, Vincere and JobAdder. With Cognism, we can identify which recruitment companies use these softwares."
“Now, instead of the SDRs targeting 250 recruitment businesses at random, they can target 50 that use Bullhorn, for example. Suddenly, they have a relevant list of companies to go after. This information is synced to Salesloft, and they can run personalised sequences accordingly.”
“In order to book a qualified meeting, it needs to be with a technology system we work with. Through Cognism, we can search what systems prospective businesses are using. It’s so efficient!”
Marc elaborated on how the SDRs also use the Chrome Extension on a daily basis.
“The SDRs search for relevant leads on LinkedIn and automatically sync the contact details to Salesloft to take action. It’s awesome!”
What outbound lead generation methods do the SDRs use to action the leads in Salesloft?
“We used to be very cold call heavy, but now we apply many techniques - cold calling, email, video and LinkedIn.”
Marc described how impactful Cognism’s direct phone numbers have been to their output.
“Pulling numbers from the Cognism database has brought the SDRs in front of decision-makers that they wouldn’t normally be able to reach. This added touch point has been transformative to our overall outreach.”
The results
Firstly, Marc is impressed with Cognism’s connect rates.
“In Q4 2022, 89% of the numbers called were valid. Cognism eliminates the stress of having the wrong number.”
How has Cognism’s accurate data expedited sales results at OneUp?
“The SDRs have pulled data from Cognism for every demo booked. For every deal closed, the AEs have used the database to pull relevant contact details to influence the deal.”
“Overall, 60% of our deals have come from the team pulling a number from Cognism.”
Following these high conversion rates, Marc is pleased with the cost-savings gained from Cognism.
“The tool has paid for itself. The largest deal closed in company history was helped by generating an email from the Cognism platform. The email address allowed us to reach the contract decision-maker and close the deal earlier than anticipated.”
The top reasons why OneUp would recommend Cognism
1. Transparency in commericals
“The honesty around deliveries and pricing was really reassuring. In a world of deal cowboys, it was refreshing to have a fun sales process. Cognism does exactly what it says on the tin.”
2. Integrates with most SAP, CRM & prospecting tools
“The platform’s automatic integration with HubSpot and Salesloft has saved the SDRs a minute per contact. It’s awesome!”
3. Consistent, replenished data
“Leveraging the SDRs with the right sales data enables them to hit their targets faster and earn more commission. The sales team and the wider business have a real appreciation for the tool!”
4. Highly-compliant data
“Cognism’s GDPR compliant database prevents the business from receiving a hefty fine. What’s more, if a prospect questions where we’ve obtained their number from, we have the confidence to say that we are using a reputable data tool that most firms use in this space. Cognism’s compliant data has transformed the SDRs confidence when pitching to prospects.”
Marc summed up his thoughts about Cognism:
“Cognism is essential to our tech stack and for influencing our deals. The superb data quality has instilled a unique level of confidence in the SDRs.“
“We are very proud to be using Cognism!“
Try Cognism’s sales intelligence solution
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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