Selections are the “menu” from which B2B direct mail marketers choose to build their mailing lists. With more data available than ever, it pays to really understand the choices. This includes the usual selects, plus some very useful risk metrics.
Want to know who, where and what a business is?:
Top contact. Phone. State. ZIP. SIC Code.
Need a bit more dimension or business culture?:
Sales volume. Number of employees. Year started. Women-owned.
How about business activity triggers?:
Explore UCC filing (or PPSA in Canada) databases to discover secured interests in the business’s operations. You’ll see seasoned business loan activity. You’ll find contact information for both borrower and lender. You’ll see descriptions of the pledged collateral. An understanding of the life cycle of that collateral, particularly equipment, software, etc., can help marketers schedule campaigns to meet borrower’s needs as – or just before – they arise.
Then There’s Business Risk:
UCC filings inch closer to one of the most important questions that arises when prospecting for business: Is this business a good risk? Have they paid their bills? Will they continue to do so?
Dun & Bradstreet has created a suite of risk assessment tools that make this easier. Users can selectively filter for Paydex business credit score (the business counterpart of FICO), Prescreen Score, a business bill payment reliability indicator, and the comprehensive D&B Viability Rating that employs proprietary predictive analysis tools to assess future business risk. The data these tools yield is available for all D&B business lists. Direct marketers will therefore find more efficient and effective ways to target public and private-owned U.S. businesses.
All in all, the total range of selectable data can paint a vivid picture of prospective business customers. It is important to know who you are doing business with, but also to gauge the likelihood of potential partners paying their bills, and being there in the future. Risk assessment information like Paydex and Prescreen scores, and Viability rating are best of breed and worth requesting with every business mailing list.
In a world of rising costs, like the 2017 USPS Standard Mail price hikes, direct mailers need to be sure that the paths to contact don’t become a road to ruin.
