CG Consulting develops African leads database

Louise Robinson

"Everyone wants to do business in Africa, it continues to be the last untapped market that people want to crack," says Louise Robinson, sales and marketing director at CG Consulting. "There are a number of factors that hold people back from getting through the front door, not least of which is just a lack of understanding of how to do business but also knowing who to talk to and how to get hold of them."

It is against the backdrop of failed projects, inaccurate database information and a list of lead generating companies that offer access to fictitious data that CG Consulting has developed a core database of organisations in the enterprise and mid-market throughout sub-Saharan Africa looking for a myriad of services from a number of suppliers, vendors across a multitude of vertical industries.

CG Consulting has apparently developed key underlying support skills to be able to communicate to the people in these countries in a number of languages including French and Portuguese. According to Robinson, while you can buy the data outright, the real value comes from using the company¹s core skills to either survey or canvas the market on your behalf. Developing campaigns to touch these people, or to contact the relevant people within its database via email or campaigns to encourage them to attend events or to gauge any potential interest.

According to Robinson it is one thing getting your people to sell, but it is another getting them through the door. CG Consulting aims to deliver leads that are qualified and accurate, after engaging directly with the potential customer.

"I think the services we provide are unique as the data we have is relevant and up to date, and in South Africa when we provide lead generation services we know that the leads we generate are qualified, the appointments we set up genuine, and the pitch we make to the client is not designed to muscle your way in the door, but rather to touch on the direct needs of the potential client," she adds.

"There is nothing worse than getting to a client and finding out that the lead generation company you used has over or under pitched your services. Or just simply missed the mark completely."

The data and leads on Africa, currently owned by CG Consulting has been developed by the company, as it discovered working with available data that much of what is out there is inaccurate, old or irrelevant.