As the contacting processes had to be conducted for three different countries, ME.S defined three different questionnaires appropriate for the interviews in each country. As Italy, Germany and Belgium not only have different national languages but also different local conditions, the questionnaires had to be adapted to each country. All three countries are not only different by language and geography, but also by culture. Therefore, the communication style had to be adapted and incorporated into the contacting strategy in order to “push the right button.”
D&B was interested in knowing what the framework of the contact process would look like and what steps would have to be followed in order to get the target to agree to a personal meeting. Therefore, ME.S conducted thorough and pragmatic research. The following questions and points of research were included:
- Market overview in general: how is this market structured, what are the mechanisms, what is the overall development landscape? (Demographic pyramid etc.)
- Existing solutions: how are elderly people taken care of and how is this organized?
- Financial structure: how is the system currently financed and what trends can be identified in the market?
- Future prospect: what will be the future challenges of the German system and what would this mean for the enterprise?
- Legal framework: A short elaboration/overview of potential hurdles, registration etc.
To increase their credibility ME.S were authorized by D&B to act as an official representative of and member of the company in Germany. This ensured a serious approach and enabled the “opening of the right doors” at the client. ME.S advised D&B on the exact needs and right phrases etc. in case the client wanted to talk directly to the management in India.
Due to the fact that D&B had already contacted a few targets before, it was essential to find the right way of communication and to trigger the main point of interest at these targets.
In order to “have something in hand” after the initial contact to the clients, as well as to reach out to potential partners and investors, ME.S created a high quality, glossy handout, which had the function of a “teaser”. Furthermore, there was a detailed and pragmatic booklet (15-20 pages) generated to send out to interested targets. This was tailor-made for each specific market but included a certain common “communication concept” (for example what exactly are the primary arguments for the project etc.), with minimal graphic adjustments for each country.
The booklet contained much more information than the teaser. This was a solid, thorough presentation that contained important information about the background of D&B, the project itself, prospects, business cases and example scenarios of future collaborations.
In order to speed up the process for the client, ME.S tried to arrange all interviews and meetings at the earliest opportunity.
