Reheating Your Business Leftovers

I'm working with a client who sells GPS tracking systems to small businesses.  The process is simple - the company advertises, and small businesses with more than 5 vehicles buy a GPS phone and connect it to the software.

The company turns on the software, and like magic, can track the vehicle throughout the day.  We were talking about their marketing mix, which includes SEM and SEO, and I asked about e-mails.  The Blast Companies store is easy to use, and starting $35 a month, they can send 1000 e-mails out to prospects. 

Where do I get the leads from?  That's the question.

My first thought was to find a competitor who went out of business, and buy their database.  It's a truism that the best clients are those who've bought your service before.  Even if they were burned, they represent a group of individuals who saw value in the services you provide.   Companies go out of business all the time, usually for reasons not related to the product itself.

Finding a bankrupt, or near-bankrupt competitor and purchasing their leads and database could be the easy way to market your services with a phone and email campaign for thousands less than brand new shiny marketing campaign using print, television and radio.

Think of a failed competitor's database as cold pizza.  All it needs is a little reheating to make it a filling and delicious meal.