How financial insight helps build stronger relationships
Alex Tremlett, Insight Data’s commercial director, discusses how real-time financial insight is transforming customer relationships across the fenestration industry.
Today’s economic landscape is politely described as ‘uncertain’, and when such conditions prevail, it’s all businesses can do to keep their heads above water until the thunderclouds have passed.
When times are tough, it’s tempting for a firm to take any work that comes its way, even if the deal might be less than ideal. But this is when a red light should appear – one that flashes ‘financial health’ – because financial stability matters more than ever. For suppliers across the fenestration industry, extending credit or investing time into a new relationship without checking financial health can be a costly risk.
It is no longer enough to rely on gut feeling or a bit of Dr Google-led research. From start-ups to established firms, any business can present a professional front while masking financial issues. That is why more companies are investing time into understanding the financial position of both prospects and existing customers.
At Insight Data, we believe better business decisions begin with the best information. As a company built on accurate, live data, we’ve seen how timely financial intelligence helps businesses avoid risk and focus on relationships more likely to deliver long-term value.
Financial due diligence
For many sales and marketing professionals, financial vetting has traditionally been left to finance or carried out only once a deal is close to completion. But the earlier you understand a company’s financial position, the more strategically you can approach the conversation.
Identifying credit risk before your first call or knowing which prospects have a strong financial foundation and are more likely to convert will help your team spend time where it counts. When used correctly, credit data becomes part of your qualification process, shaping how you prioritise leads, tailor communications and manage expectations.
Experts in financial profiling
We’ve spent nearly two decades building one of the UK’s most trusted databases for the fenestration and wider construction industry. Our research team makes more than 20,000 calls a month to verify details, track changes and maintain record accuracy.
However, we go further than contact information. Through our Credit Manager feature within the Salestracker CRM platform, we provide a financial snapshot of every business in our database. This includes company registration, incorporation date, credit score and any recorded county court judgements (CCJs). These insights are presented clearly and updated daily, so you always have access to the latest financial picture.
Credit scores are colour coded – green for strong, amber for moderate and red for high risk – allowing your team to assess financial health at a glance. It removes guesswork and puts independently sourced data at your fingertips.
Reducing risk
CCJs are one of the most telling indicators of financial trouble. If a company has been unable or unwilling to settle debts through the courts, it raises valid concerns about their ability to meet obligations.
By highlighting these judgements, Credit Manager supports your team in deciding how to engage or whether to proceed. This is about giving your team full context so they can make decisions based on evidence, not assumptions.
Financial vetting also protects your brand reputation. If your business becomes associated with unstable companies that fail to deliver or fold shortly after a deal, it can erode trust and create additional workload.
Financial intelligence that works
While credit data may once have been the reserve of accountants and credit control, it is now a vital tool for everyone involved in growing your business. With the right insights, your sales team can qualify leads more effectively, your marketing team can target campaigns with greater precision, and your finance team can ensure safer trading terms from the start.
By integrating credit checking into Salestracker, we’ve simplified the process. There’s no need to switch systems or request manual reports. Everything is within the platform you already use. And because the data comes from one of Europe’s most respected credit reference agencies, you can be confident the insights you receive are reliable, relevant and secure.
Financial checks are not just about avoiding bad debt. They are about making smart choices, aligning your sales and marketing activity with market realities and building relationships that last.
With Salestracker and Credit Manager, Insight Data offers more than just information; we provide the tools to act on it. When your team is informed, your business becomes more resilient, more focused and ultimately more successful. To learn how, speak to the team at Insight Data.