I have earlier written a post on 10 things that B2B marketers should know, where I covered the importance of telemarketing and why it is the easiest way to reach the right person and probably have the right impact. Some of the common threads that run in the minds of B2B marketers would be:
1. Can I use telemarketing/telesales in my lead generation programs?
2. Can I use telemarketing/telesales for my prospecting?
3. Can I use telemarketing/telesales for nurturing my leads that have fallen off my pipeline? and many more…..
Essentially, it is a tool that if used effectively can work wonders and how to use it effectively is what is covered in this post. The role of telemarketing in B2B lead generation programs is growing as it offers a human element unlike other low-cost activities like email marketing. For telemarketing to be very effective, multichannel integration becomes a necessity. Some insights that will help maximize the telemarketing efficiency:
- Telemarketing can be used as a follow-up on events and webinars
- Telemarketing can be used for doing research and surveys
- Email and direct mail campaigns integrated with a telemarketing program increases the relevance level of marketing messages for the prospects
- Cold calling as a strategy is bound to result in missed opportunities and dissatisfaction among the ranks
- Move away from the concept of agents towards marketers; move away from no. of calls made on a particular day and the metrics associated with it; this would be ideal for commodity selling but not for B2B sales
- Telemarketers need to understand thoroughly about the product or service that they are selling for them to have intelligent conversations with the prospects. Telemarketers skills are the most important aspect of any telemarketing activity and also ensure that there is alignment of product/service with the target market
- Create customized telemarketing plans based on the demographics of the prospects
- Do seek feedback from the sales folks on the quality of leads generated by telemarketers
May 27th, 2009 at 5:42 am
Good one.
-Create customized telemarketing plans based on the demographics of the prospects.
Can you give me an example for this.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Thanks Suba for your comment. Essentially, what appeals to a CTO may not necessarily appeal to a CFO or a Systems Head. Hence essentially, you need to research whom you are calling and structure their concerns in your message.
Maybe, if you are talking about a specific scenario where customization is required, do let me know and I would be very happy to help you.
Thanks for the comments.
Saba.
June 8th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Telemarketing is a proven sales strategy for many different types of business. To maximise the effectiveness of any telemarketing campaign it is important that the calls go beyond just sticking to a script. Following up and nuturing potential leads should also be part of the strategy.