The Company

Traffic Support Ltd (TSL) is a software company who specialize in delivering services using the best available technology to deliver added value products. All of TSL systems are engineered using proven methods to produce new and improved working environments. TSL makes management systems for MAJOR authorities. The flexibility and robustness of TSL’s solutions are demonstrated in their handling of the most complex and demanding, high traffic, city environments.  TSL’s systems are used for street parking enforcement via hand held computers and GPRS systems, for back office fines processing (>900,000 fines per year) and vehicle storage monitoring in car pounds

Product

The ICPS software package – an integrated parking fine processing and street scene management tool.  The ICPS software package is by far the most comprehensive suite of parking and street scene management software available. The functionality provided in the system covers all workflows and associated needs of professional parking services organisations.

The Project

The Sales Direct project requirement was to identify and approach back office companies with annual sales of over $24 million selling and servicing local authorities in the parking and street management sectors.

Results

It became apparent during the research that the market place was made up of either large companies with annual sales of over $158 million or small companies with annual sales of less than $10 million with very few middle sized companies of $20 - $50 million.  53 companies were identified through research.

SALES DIRECT encountered a number of difficulties when approaching the larger companies.

1. The identification of the appropriate contact.  SALES DIRECT was referred to a number of different contacts within the company.
2. Use of a formal application process – “We will call you if we have an interest.”
3. Refusal to connect to any company executive without having a name. (One company refused to transfer the call even with a named contact!)

Despite the above obstacles SALES DIRECT were able to send in total 34 Initial Supply Proposals with accompanying case studies.  A total of 264 calls were made, with an average of 5 calls per company.

Three companies were brought to a point of discussion with the client.

Company #1

Based in Virginia

• Contact: SVP Business Development Strategy
• Annual sales in millions: $127.90
• Employees: 412

Company Description

The company provides electronic payments processing (EPP) services for federal, state, and local government entities, school districts, utilities, and other public sector clients. Through subsidiaries Official Payments and EPOS Corporation, it processed more than 10 million transactions in 2008 for payment of federal and state income taxes, state sales and use taxes, court fees, property taxes, and utility bills, among others. Its largest single customer is the Internal Revenue Service, which accounts for one quarter of sales.

Company #2

Based in New Jersey

• Contact: V.P.
• Annual sales in millions: $4.2 in US ($161 worldwide)
• Employees: 30 in US (1100 worldwide)

Company Description

Leader in payment and ticketing solutions for parking and mass transit. Based in Europe (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and France - where the company is headquartered), and the United States.

Company #3

Based in California

• Contact CEO
• Sales figures: $1 million
• Employees: 8

The company strength is in its engineering expertise, experienced in the development of wired and wireless networked communications and related products. Past projects with include development of paging networks, point of sale communications for the parking and transit industries.

Client Feedback

Simon Meyer, Director from Traffic Support Ltd was very happy with the results gained by SALES DIRECT.  In particular the with company #1, which Traffic Support Ltd had been, for a considerable time before the project started, trying to make contact with.  SALES DIRECT had been able to indentify, speak to, send information and set up a conference call with the appropriate decision maker from company #1. Simon Meyer also referred a colleague from a different company to SALES DIRECT.