Lots of companies get this one aspect of Marketing completely wrong. Tech companies, probably most of all.
They build brilliant products, then try to sell them to people who don’t understand, not just the technology, but the terminology. There is just too much focus on the specs and so much jargon! Which is fine if you’re into that kind of thing – but what if you’re not?
What if, you just need to know if this new-fangled digital phone system is going to work in your large independent hotel, do everything you need it to do… but you don’t know your IP PBX or your 3CX, from your elbow?
That was the challenge I faced whilst working with a IT Managed Services Company, who were selling a new state-of-the-art telephone system.
They already had a number of large independent hotels on their books they knew could benefit from the new features and functions the new technology made possible – and they wanted to target a few more.
Knowing I had experience in both the hospitality and technology sectors, they approached me for help with their campaign to sell this sophisticated system that could recognise callers and route them automatically.
The number-recognition technology alone was genuinely impressive. Couples planning their Weddings were automatically patched through to the Hotel wedding planners. Food suppliers connected straight through to the kitchen. Calls from the website booking page, went straight through to the reservations team.
No more “Press 1 for this, Press 2 for that” for clients and the Reception staff could finally focus on guests instead of playing human switchboard.
What my insight told me, having worked with hotels like this in the past, was that the people researching these systems wouldn’t be IT professionals. Far from it. They may not even be that tech-savvy.
They would be the managing director’s PA. The reservations department manager. The person in the hotel who knew best how to work excel. Someone who’d been handed a task they never asked for, and probably didn’t know where to start.
Getting the Targeting Right
We already had solid connections within the hotel industry. Staff tend to move around between hotels, so even in hotels where there wasn’t an existing relationship, there was usually someone in the organisation we who could point us toward the right person to “target”.
Our LinkedIn targeting was surgical. We went after proprietors, their PAs, booking team managers, heads of reception, and front-of-house managers. These were the people who either made the decisions or got landed with the research.
The centrepiece was a detailed blog post that guided prospects through everything they needed to understand about choosing a phone system. No jargon. No assumptions about technical knowledge.
We structured it with short paragraphs, keyword-rich subheadings, and regular calls to action. People could scroll to the sections that caught their attention. We included frequently asked questions and multiple download opportunities.
The conversion rate was impressive: most readers downloaded our connection identification guide.
The Download that Maintained Engagement and Moved Prospects Down the Funnel
We identified the biggest stumbling block early on. These non-technical people needed to understand what type of connection their hotel had before anyone could help them.
This was pre-digitalisation, when hotels had separate lines for phones and internet. There were three possibilities: standard copper lines, ADSL connections, or fibre connections.
Our download included pictures of all three connection types. Prospects could find where the connection entered their hotel, match the picture to what they saw, and instantly know what they were working with.
Each picture had a QR code underneath. Scan it, and you’d get a dedicated article explaining exactly what that connection type meant for phone system options.
Copper connection? You could answer calls, but that’s about it. ADSL? Some advanced features, but still limited. Fibre? Full access to everything the system could do.
We even offered to project-manage the connection upgrade process for free with a phone system purchase.
The Manual Processes Holding Us Back
The campaign worked brilliantly, securing 30 leads on deals worth £20,000-£48,500 each in the first year alone.
However; the execution was held together with manual processes and disconnected systems. It was laborious, time-consuming and mind-numbing it parts. It was crap.
When someone downloaded the guide, their details came into our website. We had to manually enter that data into our CRM, then export it to our email marketing system for follow-up campaigns.
Tracking the QR code paths was particularly challenging. We used a third-party system that linked IP addresses to companies, but this only worked if hotels had dedicated IP addresses. Most didn’t.
So we had to encourage users to log in with their email address to access the connection-specific content. This meant manually setting up user accounts after they downloaded the initial form.
Depending on staff availability, this took anywhere from the same day to three days. In the digital world, three days might as well be three months.
I reckon we lost prospects during those delays. With better automation, a 15% conversion rate could easily have been 25%.
How Impello Would Transform This Campaign Today
Running that same hotel campaign today with Impello CRM would eliminate every single manual bottleneck that cost us prospects and revenue. Here’s exactly how each feature would streamline the process:
Integrated LinkedIn Campaign Management
Instead of managing LinkedIn ads separately and trying to piece together performance data afterwards, everything runs through Impello’s integrated platform.
Real-time engagement statistics show exactly which ads are working. Automatic optimization suggestions prevent budget waste on underperforming creative. Most importantly, every LinkedIn click flows seamlessly into your CRM pipeline.
No more disconnected data. No more guessing which prospects came from which ads.
Instant CRM Lead Capture and Scoring
The moment someone downloads your connection guide, their details automatically populate the CRM. No manual data entry. No three-day delays waiting for someone to process the information.
Impello’s lead scoring system immediately assigns points based on their behaviour. Downloaded the guide? 10 points. Came from LinkedIn? 15 points. Spent more than 3 minutes on the pricing page? 30 points.
Hot prospects get flagged for immediate follow-up. Warm leads enter nurturing sequences. Cold leads get educational content until they’re ready to buy.
Automated Email Marketing Sequences
When prospects download the guide, they’re instantly added to a tailored email sequence. No manual list building. No remembering to send follow-ups.
The system sends a welcome email with the download link, followed by connection-specific guidance based on their research results. Each email includes trackable links that feed back into the lead scoring system.
Open rates, click rates, and engagement levels automatically update their CRM record and trigger the next appropriate action.
Dynamic Pipeline Management
Based on their connection type response (Copper, ADSL, or Fibre), prospects automatically move to the appropriate pipeline stage. Each stage triggers different email sequences, task assignments, and sales actions.
Copper connection prospects get upgrade-focused content. Fibre connection prospects get advanced feature demonstrations. ADSL prospects get comparison guides showing the benefits of upgrading.
Pipeline movement happens automatically based on prospect behaviour, not manual updates from busy salespeople.
Smart Task Automation and Follow-Up
When a prospect needs a phone call, the system creates a task with full context. No more wondering who this person is or why you’re calling them.
If the call goes to voicemail, an automated email goes out the same day with links to book a callback. If they don’t respond within a week, they automatically move to a longer-term nurturing sequence.
The system ensures no prospect ever gets forgotten, while freeing up your sales team to focus on actual conversations instead of administrative tasks.
Advanced Marketing Automation Workflows
Impello’s workflow builder handles complex scenarios without manual intervention. If someone visits the pricing page twice but hasn’t booked a demo, they get a different email than someone who downloaded three guides but never looked at pricing.
Workflows can pause sequences if prospects book meetings, restart nurturing if deals go cold, and automatically schedule follow-ups based on specific timeline requirements.
The system adapts to prospect behaviour in real-time, delivering the right message at precisely the right moment.
Integrated Appointment Booking System
Instead of back-and-forth emails trying to find meeting times, prospects can book directly from any email or webpage. The booking system shows real availability and automatically blocks time in your calendar.
Confirmation emails include connection guides, relevant case studies, and preparation questions. Reminder sequences ensure higher show-up rates.
Meeting notes and outcomes feed back into the CRM automatically, keeping the entire prospect journey documented in one place.
Comprehensive UK CRM Reporting and Analytics
Real-time dashboards show exactly where prospects are in your pipeline and which marketing activities generate the best results. No more guessing about campaign performance or lead quality.
Track conversion rates by lead source, email sequence performance, and sales team activity. Identify bottlenecks before they cost you deals.
GDPR-compliant data handling ensures all prospect information meets UK privacy requirements without additional compliance overhead.
The Impact: From 15% to 25% Conversion Rates
With these automated systems eliminating delays and improving follow-up consistency, that 25% conversion rate becomes entirely achievable.
The original manual campaign generated 4-5 sales worth £80,000-£240,000 in first-year revenue. With Impello’s automation, those same 30 leads would generate 7-8 sales instead.
The additional 2-3 sales represent £40,000-£145,000 in extra first-year revenue, plus ongoing maintenance contracts worth £10,000-£40,500 annually.
But the real value isn’t just the extra sales. It’s the time saved, the consistency gained, and the ability to scale without adding manual overhead.
What This Means
Every B2B purchase involves a reluctant researcher somewhere. Someone who’s been handed a task they didn’t choose, dealing with complexity they’d rather avoid.
Your job is to help them first. Make them feel competent and informed. Give them something valuable before asking for anything in return.
The phone system campaign worked because we understood that psychology. We executed it with manual processes that created friction and missed opportunities though.
Modern marketing automation doesn’t replace human insight. It amplifies it. You still need to understand your prospect’s journey and create genuinely helpful content.
You don’t need to manage every step manually anymore.
The reluctant researchers are still out there. They still need help navigating complex purchases. The question is whether you’re going to help them one at a time with manual processes, or build intelligent systems that help them at scale.
The campaign was successful because we got the psychology right. With Impello, it would have been transformational because we’d have got the execution right too.
Stop Losing Prospects to Crap Processes
Look, you know your manual processes are costing you sales. Every delayed follow-up, every lead that gets forgotten in a spreadsheet, every prospect who fills out a form and hears nothing for three days.
You can keep doing it the hard way, or you can automate the boring stuff and focus on what actually matters – talking to people who want to buy from you.
Book a 15-minute call and I’ll show you exactly how we’d automate your lead process. No sales pitch, no bullshit demo of features you don’t need. Just a straight conversation about where your prospects are falling through the cracks and how to fix it.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a complete marketing automation platform that handles everything from lead capture to sale closure. Think CRM, email marketing, landing pages, appointment booking, and pipeline management all in one place. No more juggling five different systems that don’t talk to each other.
Simple – it eliminates the gaps where prospects fall through the cracks. When someone downloads your guide at 11pm on a Sunday, they get an immediate follow-up email instead of waiting until Dave gets back from his holidays on Thursday. Speed matters. Consistency matters more.
Lead scoring, automated email sequences, SMS campaigns, appointment booking, pipeline management, reporting that actually makes sense, and integration with pretty much everything you’re already using. Plus it tracks every interaction so you know exactly where each prospect is in your sales process.
Built for it. GDPR compliant, UK phone numbers, integrates with UK payment systems. We’ve helped everyone from independent hotels to manufacturing companies to professional services firms. If you’re selling B2B in the UK and drowning in manual processes, it’ll work for you.
Most clients see improved response rates within the first week just from the automated follow-ups. The real impact – better conversion rates, saved time, fewer lost leads – usually kicks in after 30 days once all the workflows are properly dialled in.
A typical manual campaign like the hotel one I described would cost £15-25k in agency fees plus your internal time. Impello costs a fraction of that monthly, and you can run multiple campaigns simultaneously without the manual overhead. Do the maths – it pays for itself pretty quickly.