April 14, 2023
As a busy salesperson, it’s one thing to sign up for a free trial for a new database platform, but another thing entirely to have the time to explore it properly before your trial ends.
However, it’s also true that the best way to make sure a new data platform is right for you is by really taking the time to dig into the new platform to see all of the features and ways it can benefit you and your team.
As data providers ourselves here at Dakota, we’ve seen firsthand how challenging it can be to implement a new system, especially one as integral as an institutional investor database, or other software platform.
One key way to ensure a successful implementation or data platform change is to put your new platform through the ringer during your free trial, and act as if you’re really traveling to, setting up meetings with the accounts and contacts within the platform.
In this article, we’re going to be outlining 3 ways to get the most out of your Dakota Marketplace free trial. By the end of the article, you’ll have a clear path forward, so that you can make the best decision for your firm.
We’ll be covering:
This might feel like a huge number, but if you’re going to be bringing on a new data platform, you’ll be using it to look at far more than 20 accounts if you decide to move forward, and it’s better to know up front what kind of data is inside the platform, how accurate and up-to-date it is, and how easy it is to find.
A database should be working for you, not the other way around, so if it’s difficult to navigate the platform to the information you need, or the information you find is out of date, chances are, it’s the wrong fit for your firm.
At Dakota, we encourage free trial users to look at at least 20 accounts.
Not the accounts you know like the back of your hand, but a large sample of firms across the country, as if you’re planning a visit to a particular place and need to fill your day with meetings. This is the best way to get a feel for the breadth of information within the platform.
Marketplace features to help you accomplish this: Map It and Custom Lists.
If you’re the one on the team leading the effort to implement a new system, you likely already know what makes it great and different from what you have now. Now it’s time to get the rest of your team on board.
This means understanding:
Make sure that the key stakeholders within the different groups across the company know this information, and that insights gained throughout any free trials are understood and shared across the board.
In this case it really is the more the merrier, because the more people who know about the new solution, the less convincing you’ll have to do down the line.
This is important because the way you’re treated as a trial user is indicative of how you’ll be treated as a full user.
If you have questions, corrections, or other concerns, how long does it take to get a reply from the customer success team? Not all customer success teams are created equal, and it’s not uncommon for this to take days, if not a week or more, before you see a reply.
At Dakota, one of the things our members like best is our responsiveness. Our customer success team is available anytime you need them, whether you have a question, want to learn about best practices, or something else entirely.
We also offer daily office hours that anyone can access to get their concerns addressed.
Are you ready to take the next step in exploring a new data platform for your firm?
With these steps in mind, we’d love to offer you a free trial of Dakota Marketplace, so you can get a feel for all of the helpful features and how your firm can put them into practice to save time and effort as you’re scheduling meetings.
Gui Costin is the Founder and CEO of Dakota.
