Cloudreach, an Atos company specialising in cloud computing consultancy, uses Cognism’s B2B data to:
- Achieve $4.9 million in pipeline from one rep in 2022.
- Obtain 30% of its Southern European pipeline.
- Gain 100-150 leads per week per rep from the Chrome Extension.
- Regularly pre-book meetings with prospects at events.
- Seamless integration with Salesloft.
Teams using: Sales
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The company
Cloudreach, an Atos company, is the world leading multi-cloud services company. With over 13 years of cloud native experience, they are the go-to strategic partner for Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. Their mission is to deliver the promise of the cloud to customers, including BP, Hearst, the Met Office, Skyscanner and Time Inc., to name a few.
The challenge
We interviewed Pierre Bourguignon, SDR Manager at Cloudreach, about his experience with Cognism.
How did they source new leads before Cognism?
“Our sales teams are based in Europe and North America. I joined the business over three years ago, and ZoomInfo was used across all global teams. The US team relies heavily on inbound activities to acquire fresh leads. Whereas the European team focuses more on outbound.”
Pierre explained the lead generation bottlenecks the European team experienced before Cognism.
“Having accurate data combined with the best tools is key for outbound sales. After using ZoomInfo for a few years, I became deeply frustrated with the lack of high-quality, compliant leads in Europe.”
Pierre explained the two reasons why they pivoted from ZoomInfo to Cognism in Europe.
1. Shipshape European data quality
“I tested Cognism’s data against my personal database and the data completely matched one another. I didn’t need any more proof that Cognism’s data was top tier.”
2. Leading compliant B2B data
“Our legal team reviewed ZoomInfo’s GDPR standards in Europe, and they were not up to scratch. As a result, they removed the European team’s access to the platform, which massively impacted our sales output.”
“A core reason for unlocking the Cognism conversation was for its compliant reputation. During the sales process, the legal team spoke with Cognism’s compliance team."
"They were very impressed that Cognism is dedicated to maintaining ISO 27701 and SOC2 frameworks. It was evident that security is a top priority, so the needle moved much faster in the sales process.”
The solution
Pierre conducts his own prospecting and is also responsible for managing the sales team in Southern Europe.
What is their target audience?
“We typically approach technical decision-makers in EMEA. It’s important that we target organisations that are not yet on the cloud, as our proposition is to help companies migrate to the cloud. We find these leads by excluding businesses that are already on the cloud using Cognism’s ‘technology filter.’ The technology filter is crucial for certifying our best fit prospects.”
He explained how the sales team uses the platform in a few ways:
“Firstly, the SDRs and I build lists in the WebApp based on our ICP. The data is generated and exported into Salesforce and Salesloft to start actioning the leads.”
“The whole team uses the Chrome Extension daily to find contact details and export to Salesforce. I love the ability to select the list directly from the Extension to Cognism in one click.”
What outbound channels do the sales team use to contact prospects?
“All prospecting is conducted in Salesloft using a blend of emailing, calling and LinkedIn. We always use Cognism’s phone-verified Diamond Data for cold calling because the identity of the prospect is verified by a human. On average, 80% of these mobiles are always correct.”
“Cognism’s Diamond Data is a game-changer because it eradicates the common stumbling block of calling false numbers.”
Pierre described how they also use Cognism’s sales intelligence platform to pre-book meetings at events.
“We attend many events at Cloudreach, and in a few months we will go to one in Paris. I am using Cognism’s data to pre-book face-to-face meetings with technology leaders visiting the event. Cognism’s data is at the heart of our event presence.”
How does the marketing team use Cognism’s data?
“A Cognism outbound lead that is initially actioned by the SDR can end up being used in a completely new campaign that is marketing based.”
Pierre explained how this works:
“The leads are exported from Cognism as a CSV, uploaded to Salesforce, tagged to a campaign, tracked from activity to performance and stored in our CRM. The marketing team has a lead scoring system in Salesforce based on demographics and behaviour.”
“A lead can change status without any direct action from the SDR. For example, if a lead interacts with a piece of content, they are nurtured through our email dripping programme. Once this happens, the lead status changes and is used by marketing for other campaigns.”
The results
We asked Pierre what quantifiable success Cloudreach has seen since using Cognism.
“On average, I obtain 100-150 leads per week from the Chrome Extension. This can vary depending on the inbound flow because if more inbounds come through the pipeline, they are prioritised over outbounds.”
“All outbound leads stem from Cognism’s data. Our indirect pipeline contribution coming from this vertical is 30% in Southern Europe.”
“In 2022, my Cognism pipeline value alone was $4.9 million.”
Pierre concluded that:
“If you want easy access to accurate data at your fingertips, then you need Cognism. It’s our major pipeline channel and we couldn’t work effectively without it.”
“Our leadership team saw the immense potential Cognism could bring to expediting Cloudreach’s European sales. I’m delighted that we took the opportunity as it’s hugely transformed our outbound activities in this region.”
Try Cognism’s sales intelligence solution
Over 1,000 revenue teams around the world trust Cognism to:
✅ Build qualified B2B contact databases.
✅ Plan and launch their outbound campaigns.
✅ Power up their social selling.
✅ Meet and beat their revenue targets.
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