Sales leads are the lifeblood of any enterprise, but generating leads of good quality takes the right approach, the right channel partner and plenty of hard work

Redstone Managed Solutions is a UK-based provider of managed IT services, as well as connectivity and information security solutions. Its role in securely connecting customer organisations to applications means that it relies heavily on partnerships with network operators. An important benefit of these partnerships, besides ensuring a high quality of network service, is the joint development of new business opportunities in the form of lead generation campaigns.

Over the years, Virgin Media Business has become one of Redstone’s most trusted partners in the creation of new business openings. “We've been working closely with Virgin Media Business to identify a compelling strategy to take to market, and which combines key services from Redstone alongside access components from Virgin Media Business,” says Larry Dutton, Redstone’s Connectivity Product Manager.

Next Generation Now

Larry identifies the recent ‘Next Generation Now’ campaign as a particular success in encouraging customers to take up WAN (Wide Area Network) services, managed by Redstone and based on Virgin Media Business’s next generation products. “We are targeting organisations with multiple locations, in areas that are serviced by Virgin Media Business,” explains Larry. “We worked with the company on all areas of the campaign, from the positioning of our services to the messaging within the sales teams.”

Larry believes the importance of a well planned sales lead strategy is vital. “We have invested a lot in our own core networks and the individuals who manage them,” he says. “We have to continually evolve our own solutions by engaging with organisations that are looking to take advantage of the benefits delivered by next generation networks.” He adds, “The sort of successful sales lead campaign that makes this happen starts with the initial conversations from the telesales teams, ensuring that the potential customer understands the message we’re delivering and sees an advantage in engaging with us further. I’d define a winning strategy as when the majority of these conversations are relevant and of interest, and we're seeing this with the ‘Next Generation Now’ campaign. We're delivering the exact message businesses are looking for and doing so at exactly the right time.”

The right words at the right time

The ideal sales lead campaign is about more than just opening doors, it’s about improving the way business is done. “By engaging with customers better, we help to evolve our own solutions,” says Larry. “Everything we do is based on what our customers ask for. If we find customers are not interested in a solution for some reason, we can use that sort of feedback very quickly. By looking at responses to a campaign, we can tell if we have a winning one on our hands. It’s about having the right conversation at the right time.”

Larry believes a campaign is always richer and more fruitful with the backing of a reliable wholesale partner. “Working with Virgin Media Business directly is important for us,” he says. “As a long-term partner, we have always been close to their account management team, but with a joint exercise like this we can pool the extensive experience we have between our businesses. In particular, the assistance and direction from the marketing and account managers has been excellent, with a group focus on driving the campaign onwards and being competitive with every opportunity gained.”

Combining talent

 An alliance with a globally recognised brand is another advantage, says Larry. “An association with Virgin Media Business is hardly going to damage our image,” he says. “Plus the company has done a lot of these campaigns before and knows how it all works better than we do. It’s certainly a lot easier than doing it all ourselves.”

Redstone Managed Solutionsis in the business of providing connectivity, information security solutions, support and infrastructure to help customer organisations unlock business potential across their network, e.g. via mobile working and ‘anywhere’ collaboration, as well as information security.

“As a provider of IT security, connectivity and IT products and services, Redstone is able to support customers with efficient access to business intelligence in a secure environment,” says Connectivity Product Manager Larry Dutton. “Our Secure WAN, for example, is a managed wide area network product, built on Virgin Media Business’s Ethernet services and enabling the safe, free flow of business intelligence. It relies on our own core network to provide best-in-class performance and reliability. On top of this, we layer leading security solutions to safeguard the gateway to a customer WAN, prevent intrusion into the network and protect endpoints.”

Larry believes the free flow of information is the lifeblood of any organisation. “It’s IT infrastructure that helps keep vital business intelligence moving,” he explains. “Redstone Managed Solutions understands that reliable communications are essential for a successful business, and it’s our job to make sure messages get through safely and securely every time.”

Redstone Managed Solutions run on the company’s own core network, and use the latest MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) technology to control network traffic. “We also work with trusted connectivity providers, broadband services and our own civil engineering teams to link customer sites securely into the MPLS core. This flexible approach ensures that the customer gets the best connectivity for each site, delivered by the right provider using the right access technology. Redstone manages and develops the network in line with specific business requirements.”