Outbound Call Center

[January 29, 2013]

B&H Captures New Business Leads through Ariba

Like many companies looking to generate leads, B&H Photo, Video and Pro Audio, a leading retailer of imaging products, relied heavily on direct marketing and inside sales. While these efforts sparked some interest and requests for catalogs, they generally failed to connect the company with buyers who were ready to make purchases. Only a few percent of those targeted by B&H's e-mail campaigns, for instance, actually responded to them. So the company began looking for new channels through which it could turn up more qualified leads, and in the process, boost its sales and revenue. And it found one in Ariba® Discovery™, the premier service for matching business buyers and sellers, offered by Ariba, an SAP (News - Alert) Company and the world's business commerce network.

Delivered via the Ariba® Network, Ariba Discovery simplifies the process of lead generation by instantly matching buyer requirements to supplier capabilities. "With minimal investment, we have already acquired more than $200,000 in new business and many additional leads," said Barry Eisenberg, Business Development - Contracts & e-Procurement, B&H Photo, Video, & Pro Audio.

And the company has done it in less time with fewer resources. "We receive several qualified leads through Ariba Discovery every day and are able to respond successfully within only 15 minutes," Eisenberg says.

Compared to email campaigns, the conversion rate that B&H gets from buyers by using Ariba Discovery is "phenomenal," says Eisenberg. But the quantity of leads isn't the real value of the service in his mind. "The primary benefit is that they are qualified," he says.

In the past 12 months, more than $3 billion in new business opportunities were offered through Ariba Discovery, over 15 million leads distributed, and more than 15,000 matches between buyers and selers made. And B&H stands poised to capitalize on this powerful service.

"Many companies doubted the Internet would ever become a viable tool for business. But B&H knew better," said Tim Minahan Executive Vice President, Network Strategy and Global Marketing, Ariba. "An early adopter of the Ariba Network, B&H launched an online storefront through which it has been able to more efficiently connect and collaborate with its customers around the world. Using Ariba Discovery, B&H can gain fast access to thousands of targeted buyers and expand its customer base, and ultimately, its revenue."

About B&H:

B&H is the world's largest source for all of your Creative Technology (News - Alert) needs including professional Photo, Video and Audio products. In addition we also carry a vast selection of Security, IT, Multimedia, Optics and A/V presentation equipment. We are a true "one stop shop" for Corporate, Education and Government customers. For more information on our products and services, visit: www.bhphotovideo.com/b2b.

About Ariba, an SAP Company

Ariba is the world's business commerce network. Ariba combines industry-leading cloud-based applications with the world's largest web-based trading community to help companies discover and collaborate with a global network of partners. Using the Ariba^® Network, businesses of all sizes can connect to their trading partners anywhere, at any time from any application or device to buy, sell and manage their cash more efficiently and effectively than ever before. Companies around the world use the Ariba Network to simplify inter-enterprise commerce and enhance the results that they deliver. Join them at: www.ariba.com

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device - SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 232,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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