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Lead Forensics sales tactics

We feel it’s time to right some wrongs because we’ve long been aware of some Lead Forensics sales tactics that are, at best, misleading.

The purpose of this blog is to be updated from time to time, as we become aware of more.  It was last checked and updated in January 2021.

 

We consider ourselves fortunate

Businesses that trial A1WebStats will typically be trialling other systems, including Lead Forensics.  We consider ourselves fortunate that many of our triallers provide feedback when Lead Forensics have made comments about our system, both verbally and by email.

Everything included here has been either verbal or (mostly) written in communications between Lead Forensics and their potential buyers.  We feel it’s important to share such information so that you’re aware of the type of business you may be signing up to …

 

Database updates

Here’s the exact wording used by a Lead Forensics staff member:

Other suppliers would be the first to admit that we identify businesses using enhanced databases.  Essentially, they use a standardised static database that is updated very rarely (perhaps once a year)

We can’t speak for others in our industry (although putting the above in context, it was also referring to others in our industry) but speaking for ourselves, it’s an area of complete ignorance (or blatant lie) on their part.  Our database is constantly comparing IP address information to the established data, updating as appropriate, and on a daily basis.

 

‘Success’ without evidence

Words from Lead Forensics:

Lead Forensics has grown 400% every single year for the last 5 years, this is largely down to the 93% RENEWAL RATE that cannot be compared to these other suppliers with a HUGE churn.

There are many faults here:

  1. There is no evidence that Lead Forensics has grown 400% each year for 5 years.  However, it could be creative writing.  Does it mean turnover? (their accounts don’t back that up).  Does it mean headcount? (it certainly rises but not at that rate).  Is it database size?  Is the 400% a growth in ego?!  That’s a possibility.  It’s a figure that has no substance to it and it’s also a too precise 400% per year (which, frankly, wouldn’t happen year on year so precisely in any business).  So please, Lead Forensics, do feel free to contact us to put flesh on the bones so that we can publish it here!
  2. 93% renewal rate – again, where’s the evidence?  We speak to many companies who signed up to Lead Forensics for a year and then realised they’d made the mistake and so want to move to another supplier.
  3. HUGE churn – that’s a fascinating statement to make when there’s no way Lead Forensics could know the churn.   We can’t speak for other suppliers, but the A1WebStats churn rate is in very low single figures, and we suspect other suppliers are similar.

Interested in the many reasons that A1WebStats will gain you more business from your website than Lead Forensics?  Click here to see 16 of those reasons.

 

Endorsements

More words from Lead Forensics:

We are endorsed not only by the leading Marketing bodies in the UK , but also now by over 10,000 clients globally.  Including Panasonic, Barclays, Virgin Media.

Due diligence is applicable here – challenge Lead Forensics to provide details of the endorsers so you have the option to try and hear it from the horses mouth.  Do they really have 10,000 clients who can be proven to endorse them?

Since we originally wrote this article, we’ve heard figures of 20,000+ clients quoted.  Interestingly, a remarkably low percentage of clients are featured on their website, considering they supposedly have so many supporters.

As for the big name clients, they also have big budgets.  Back in the real world of most triallers we speak to, they tend to be more sensible about how they allocate more limited resources because they’re what we consider to be ‘normal companies’.  Who cares what system big brands use?  It doesn’t impress anyone except other big brands.  And our target market is certainly not the big brands.

 

Irrelevant data

One sales tactic used by Lead Forensics is to send subscribers data.  To use their exact words:

I’ve attached a couple of recent side by side comparisons with A1

The spreadsheets of ‘comparisons’ are not related to the trial subscriber but are data that’s been sourced from somewhere unidentifiable, and therefore there’s no way to determine the accuracy of that data.  In short, it could have been ‘creatively’ produced.

The only data that has any relevance is for the trialler to directly (themselves) compare data sets between providers, and then to give those providers the opportunity to explain if there are any differences.   This leads onto …

 

Misleading data

We’ve had trial subscribers who allow Lead Forensics to access their A1WebStats data, and Lead Forensics then present a ‘comparison’ between systems.    When we’ve looked at such ‘comparisons’ and dug into the data ourselves, we’ve found that much has been conveniently left out of the data, resulting in Lead Forensics looking better than the real picture.    And these weren’t just small differences – they were extensive, as you can see in our detailed comparison article here.    While we wouldn’t pretend to be perfect, we’re not how Lead Forensics portrays us to be.

To reinforce the previous point, trial subscribers should compare data themselves, and then encourage potential suppliers to comment on their findings.  Otherwise, there’s potential to get a biased view.

 

Caveat Emptor

In English, ‘Let the buyer beware’.

It’s extremely easy to be misled by potential suppliers who are incentivised to get the sale.   If anyone’s system is so brilliant, then why not do direct comparisons to competitors on their own website, or encourage independent reviews?   The answer is simply because they know it’ll lead to losing potential sales when people make up their own mind.

It’s also worth noting what’s most important about this type of software – it provides you with information about a company/organisation that has visited your website.  It may also provide you with supplementary information relating to that company.  However, you can only get ROI if you have the culture, resources, and skill to then bridge the gap between knowledge of the company visit and the person you’d like to be speaking to.    Few businesses can seriously consider the cultural change required within a relatively short trial process, and we consider it unethical to push to a sale so quickly (which is why we offer 30 days on our trial).