The application of an effective inquiry handling system for business-to-business marketing

This article substantiates the need to manage customer inquiries systematically, and describes procedures which have been placed into operation by the author and his colleagues. It clarifies the appropriate working relationships between the earliest stages of inquiry, the salesperson's final closure, and all the systematic steps between these two events. Business-to-business marketing has a long history of “lost” leads and opportunities. directly ascribable to the lack of such systems as those explained in the article. These methods involve the use of established direct marketing procedures at various stages, including the tracking and follow-up activities. The strong and growing relationships between personal selling, direct marketing, and general advertising are central to the author's theme.