“Cold calling potential prospects is the fuel to any sales engine. Whether it is achieved by internal or outsourced telemarketing it needs to be done in order to consistently generate new business. Since most companies lack the manpower, experience, or desire to make these calls you should rely on a dedicated call center to be an extension of your internal sales/marketing strategy.“
– Bill Kerth, Movere Teleservices
The following article appears in, Marketing MO
The phrase “cold calling” sends chills down the spines of many business people. It’s often viewed as an intimidating, difficult, and boring process … and that means it doesn’t get done as often as it should.
Telemarketing for B2B helps companies reach a group of targeted prospects or customers to communicate a message, gather feedback, and determine a next step for the relationship. Telemarketing can be an important part of any marketing strategy – for example, you can use it to
- Generate leads
- Qualify prospects who have downloaded information from your website or attended a webinar
- Follow up on a direct mail or email offer
- Take orders for special promotions
- Keep your marketing database current
- Conduct marketing research
In many companies, sales reps should make hundreds or thousands of cold calls every month to set appointments and/or generate leads. But busy reps usually prefer to work on closing their existing pipeline. Prospecting often slips on the priority list; as a result, the sales pipeline isn’t always filled with new prospects.
If cold calling is an effective way to introduce your company to new prospects, don’t ignore it. Instead of forcing a sales team to devote time to prospecting, many companies use an in-house or outsourced telemarketing group to make a high volume of calls, find decision makers and qualify leads for the field sales group.
When telemarketers handle prospecting, salespeople can spend 100% of their time selling and closing. Your company can produce more revenue in the same amount of time; your reps earn more commission, they’re doing what they love, and they’re more satisfied with their jobs.
You can use telemarketing for B2B in a variety of campaigns:
Before you begin
If you can immediately gain new prospects and customers, don’t hesitate to launch a telemarketing campaign right now. You may also decide to pursue telemarketing after developing your annual marketing plan.
Set your goals
You can use telemarketing in many ways; brainstorm the campaigns that will work best for your company. For example, you may need to generate leads for your sales team or use telemarketing to support other marketing campaigns.
Forecast and budget; determine whether to build in-house or outsource
- Estimate your call volume, then think about hours of operation, fluctuations in call volume, and the skill set you’ll need in your reps.
- Your call volume also drives your headcount, software, phone system and the office space you’ll need.
- These requirements will help you decide whether to use a vendor or hire and manage a team in-house. If you look at vendors, the requirements will make your discussions easier and faster.
- Budget for everything including headcount, software licenses, bonuses and management.
Develop good scripts
- Reps will need to capture attention, build value, and close; a good script will help them do it consistently.
- Make your scripts conversational, simple, and focused on the end goal.
- It helps to make and listen to calls as you’re developing and refining your script. What looks good on paper may not work on the phone.
- Get feedback from your team as well.
Train and coach your team
Regular coaching and quality assurance is crucial.
- Engage your reps, role-play and guide them through calls.
- Listen to calls regularly, evaluate your reps and coach them to improve their performance.
Make it fun!
Telemarketing is a tough job and turnover is a big issue.
- Make things fun with contests, events, and other incentives.
- Make their space comfortable and interesting – tiny cubes, old chairs and windowless rooms don’t put a smile in anyone’s voice.
Report your results
- Define the reports you’ll need — your system may not be able to provide all of the data, but you can probably find an alternate solution.
- Use reports to consistently evaluate progress and improve your campaigns.
Learn More about Movere Teleservices.