Glenigan began as a local planning and contract awards service in Dorset in 1973. It has grown in size and scope, merging with others and expanding its research team to what is now the largest in the industry. Today it is based in Bournemouth and is one of the two big construction sales leads providers – the other being Barbour ABI.
Glenigan is a market leader in the field of construction sales leads and marketing intelligence. Its sophisticated software collates and sorts around half-a-million planning applications a year. Smaller projects judged to be worth £100k or less are logged in a database, while a team of 100+ dedicated researchers go to work on the larger construction projects. They make a million phone calls a year between them, filling out the detail on companies, decision makers and contact information. These fully researched projects are then tracked through the planning process, on to tendering, contract award and even subcontract awards.
Paying users are able to access this database, identifying projects of interest with all the necessary information to pursue them. Users can get updates in real time, with information available through a mobile phone app for those keeping tabs on a project on the go. The full web portal offers a much more comprehensive suite of tools of course, presented in a user-friendly interface. The data goes back many years and can be mined in a whole variety of ways, such as tracing regional trends, market research or competitive analysis.
There are advanced tools for those that need them, including powerful mapping software and integrated email marketing. Larger firms with their own software systems can also use Genigan’s sales leads API and incorporate the data into their own processes. The company also offers market intelligence insights and forecasts, at the national and regional level as well as across sectors.
All of this is a goldmine to construction marketers, allowing them to proactively chase the work that best suits the ambitions of their firm. All construction firms and contractors would benefit from a sales lead service of some kind, though smaller companies will want to look at all the options to see what will offer the best value for money. (See our overview of the main four here)
If you know you’re in the market for one of the big two services, Glenigan or Barbour ABI, it can still be a difficult decision. That’s because the big two are very similar. Both Glenigan and Barbour ABI offer comprehensive and high quality researched sales leads, and the differences lie in the user interfaces, the pricing detail, and a handful of partnerships or exclusive speciality services. You’ll want to talk to both to work out which one will work best for you.
