Five Tips for Effective Lead Generation With Email Marketing and Telemarketing

Email marketing and telemarketing are considered as one of the best methods to generate leads for they are direct, cost-effective, and have already stood the test of the changing times. However, sending a mere email or giving out a simple call introducing your company are not enough to generate leads and attract potential gains. As a growing company, you need an action plan that will put you, your company and your potential customers in a win-win situation that allows you to grow and develop together.An effective action plan for generating leads involves a well-planned combination of strategies that transform a simple reader and listener an active part in your business.

In developing an effective action plan utilizing both email and telemarketing, you must keep these five (5) tips in mind.

1.    Give them a reason (or two) to remember you- With the presence of competitors in the business, you must stand out in order to make potential leads and customers take notice at you.Develop a signature brand or style that matches your company's goals and target.It is important to constantly and consistently use it on your email or on your calls to further strengthen your company's brand recall.Incorporateyour company's unique logo, color scheme, and well-designed layout on your emails, and make it easy to read toattract both tech experts and tech novices alike. Use your company's signature introduction spiel in both your initial and follow-up calls to develop feelings of familiarity with the listener, therefore receiving a welcoming response on the other line.

2.    Content must be relevant- A reader or a caller does not want to spend his time on something that is not relevant in his life, no matter how informative it may be. Make your email or your call relevant by addressing problems, talk about his needs and concerns, and provide the products and benefits that your company can offer to ease out his concern.

3.    Being personal and positive matters- An email or a call is more likely to be forgotten when it is generic, boring, and impersonal. In order to be easily remembered, one must be positive and personalized in approach.  Receiving a call from a telemarketer who is pleasant, helpful and informative gives a strong and positive effect on the person in the other end of the line, and is more likely to look forward to your calls.As for your emails, make sure it is casual, easy-to-read, and friendly to establish a good rapport with the reader.

4.    Prompts action - So you have informed the reader or the listener about your what company offers, but is that enough? Prompt your potential lead into action by giving him links or addresses on membership sign-ups, subscriptions, and other important offers such as sample products or discount vouchers. Word usage is also important to prompt action. Words such as subscribe, order, post, share, sign-up, and visit boosts interests and leads to explore your company and your products.

5.    Combine traditional and new mediums of marketing - Email marketing and telemarketing is not enough for it only reaches only a few members of your marketing demographics. In order to expand, you must also combine new methods together with the tried-and-tested ones. An account on social media such as on Facebook and Instagram gets you connected with the teenagers and young adults, whereas putting on posters, advertisements, and giving out flyers on trade shows and seminars allows you to reach out with people who are more used in traditional media.

Use Financial Lead Generation To Save Your Strength

Think of financial lead generation like a car mechanic and your financial services company is the casual driver who just wants something to get them places without worrying too much about engine trouble. The more of your own business strength is spent on lead generation, the more you should consider re-evaluating it.

Get Health Sales Leads From Temporary Solutions

In healthcare, your health sales leads can be like those patients who are not that keen on paying for a full procedure. Rather, the are the kind who would rather pay for painkillers, changing bandages, or anything that only involves keeping an ailment at bay instead of a more permanent solution. And like them, your sales leads can only prolong it for so much without suffering in the long-term.

Speedy IT Lead Generation – Got Enough Gas?

As with IT products and services, your IT lead generation process is expected to work at a speedy pace. You have competitors and prospects alike getting ahead because they inform themselves faster and have a lot more sources at their disposal. The faster your lead generation process churns out business leads, the better right?

Have Your Software Sales Leads Migrated?

The biggest sign of a dying B2B industry is that its software sales leads are migrating elsewhere, leaving a market environment that has become too barren and incapable of sustaining any business life. For software companies, the natural reaction is to see how badly you have been rendered obsolete. The first step to that though might lie in knowing why and where your business sales leads have migrated.

Number of Sales Leads – Make Up Your Mind!

Being picky is not only problematic with qualifying sales leads. It is also a problem when setting the number that you need. If you do not feel confident about how many (or even how few) sales leads that you want, the rest of your business will have trouble keeping up to your fickleness!

Lead Generation Tips – Avoid Selective Correction

When your services goes on a lead generation campaign, it sometimes feels like a crusade of correction. That is actually not a bad thing by the way. Many people, businesses and consumers alike, suffer from financial illiteracy. Your lead generation strategy involves finding as many people as you can so you can fix this epidemic and have more people worry less about their cash.

The only problem with this little crusade of correction is when you are being too selective with who you are correcting! This leads to many lead generation mistakes like biased lead qualification, hypocritical marketing image, and it might even get you sued!

Cleaning Services Leads – Getting Strength In Numbers

The concept of getting cleaning services leads through strength in numbers really reflects the model of many commercial cleaning firms. Instead of spending so much time looking for people who are good enough to do a large set of tasks, you can divide those tasks among different people. And when you think about it, this does not just apply to cleaning leads but also to lead generators producing them.

Telemarketing – How To Integrate It When It's Outsourced?

A common misconception about outsourced telemarketing is that it's simply giving the task away without having to hear about it ever again. There is obviously still a need for close cooperation and collaboration between you and your provider.

It becomes even more critical when you need to integrate their tools and services in the larger machine that is your marketing. Today, it would seem that singular forms of marketing aren't even enough anymore, whether it's telemarketing or newer forms like social marketing. In fact, social marketing expert Ric Dragon has been quoted for the following words on Social Media Today:

'Social can be the lighter fluid on the marketing bonfire,' says Dragon, explaining that 'marketers are in the business of creating more value.'

'By integrating traditional marketing tactics with social, more value will be realized from each component of the marketing,' he says.

You need to realize this same value in the process of your outsourced provider. This is what establishes the need to close the gap between your businesses and collaborate more closely:

• Information sharing: Don't just leave them hanging! Make sure your social media efforts are generating as much information on the market and can help them gain insight as to how to mold their outbound messages. If you're handing out the number of their contact center, they should be well prepared to handle nbound calls and inquiries. 

• Emphasize on quick learning: Information means nothing if it is not understood properly. This is why you should only select providers who have enough experience to learn about your company as quickly as possible in order to give campaigns a faster start. 

• Delivers as promised: And of course, no outsourced telemarketing firm should deliver less than what they were paid for. It might be too ideal to ask for more but you're at least still in your right to demand a reasonable return. Don't also forget that you're now also giving information so expect them to only use this information to improve the campaigns and services they run for you. 

Finally, as the word itself implies, integration requires a union. Be it outsourced or not, you can use social media with telemarketing to generate more B2B leads. As a matter of fact, they even have something in common. Just look at this other quote from Dragon:

'Brands that embrace these new approaches to building communities, leading with passion and purpose, and one-to-one conversations are going to assume a leadership role,' he says, and 'will be difficult for competitors to usurp.'

One-to-one conversations? The fact that a traditional form of marketing (telemarketing) has this in common with a new form (social media) only goes to highlight that they operate on the same principles and make integration all the more easy! Just because it's outsourced to an outside party is no excuse from making sure you're both working together. You might even be surprised at how these telemarketers would appreciate the integration because they too have experienced the value that social media can add to their methods.

B2C VS B2B Lead Generation – Where Do You See Your Content?

Content marketing actually has a broad range of application that goes across many different styles of lead generation and marketing. On the other hand, the type of content being generated needs to correspond to a specific marketing style if it's used for targeting a B2B or B2C market.

Lately, many marketing experts, bloggers, and other professionals tend to blur (or at least ignore) the line between B2C and B2B lead generation. At this rate though, some companies might become dangerously lax when it comes to evaluating their content. Never forget that successful marketing, from advertising to B2B telemarketing, depends on accurate targeting. That's where the distinction between B2C and B2B products and services will play a critical role.

One example is in using online content. And yes, it's hard to deny the effectiveness of new online marketing strategies as more and more people place themselves on the internet. A simple technique you can try is to put yourself in the seat of a potential customer and imagine how they will encounter this content.

• Time – If you're a B2B firm, your targets are automatically people who don't have a lot of time on their hands. For instance, you wish to market powerful business tools and services to executives that can make use of them. So where do you see your content fitting in to their busy day? Do you require their mind to be relaxed and open to long reads or would you prefer quick reads that give them more time to take action? The truth is B2C marketing has a higher advantage of targeting a relaxed audience more than B2B. 

• Purpose – Regardless of length, there are still many purposes for content. What are those purposes? Is it used to explain your business? Is it a list of facts about what you're trying to accomplish? Sure, you can say both B2B and B2C have many purposes in common. But again, their target audience plays a role on the specifics. Do you see your content entertaining or informing prospects? Would you prefer to try and opt for both? Even then, there are varying standards between B2B and B2C on what counts as informative and entertaining. 

• Action – Finally, you have action. In online content, not all B2C materials really call their audience to some kind of buying action. Those that do generally accomplish this through some kind of ad box that doesn't necessarily have to do with the content itself. On the other hand, a B2B lead generation company has a stronger dependence on unique CTAs because it's that action that will draw a prospect's attention more than mere text or images. Put yourself in your prospect's shoes once more. If they're in a hurry to find a solution or a needed product, skimmed through your content, what then? Obviously, you'd give them the luxury of contacting you straight away! 

Taking all those into consideration, you need to also see your content in the context of your entire marketing strategy and sales process. You didn't seriously think that content alone is enough to attract your market's attention and engage with prospects? Okay so in B2C, a few gimmicks and fun-to-read articles can keep your audience hooked. B2B marketing on the other hand targets potential customers who are less likely in the mood for such gimmicks. Their needs tend to be urgent and possess a stronger gravity that require a quick solution.

How Telemarketing Is More Realistic Than Popular Opinion

Telemarketing is no stranger to knocking heads with popular opinion. More specifically, when it comes to clashing with popular opinion on themselves. But as conventional as this might sound, appeal to popular opinion has always been a logical fallacy.

Popular opinion likes to depict the telemarketing industry as one that's going the way of snail-mail. The labor is often depicted as drab and weary. Agents are infamously portrayed as being overworked and exhausted despite the supposed simplicity of their work. Thus, the prospect of using it in marketing processes like lead generation and appointment setting seems archaic and therefore highly unrealistic. Who wants to hear a marketer on the phone these days right?

The reality is hearing a live conversation is as realistic as you can get (well, perhaps with the exception of actually meeting face-to-face with a prospect). On the other hand, it's plain to see that many companies and their customers don't necessarily want to reach that level. Who would want a face-to-face meeting just to purchase something?

If you're in any B2B market, your surprising answer would be: a lot.

Many B2B companies offer complex products, services, and even just solutions in order assist other companies in their endeavors. Such complexity requires a lot of discussion, a discussion that can only be had in a live business meeting.

Ironically, this is based on the simple logic that a real phone call is, in fact, more realistic compared to other forms of business communication that many telemarketing critics like to champion. Just a few examples range from lesser anonymity compared to email while still sharing the flexibility and flow of an email conversation. (You can even argue that B2B telemarketing is a lot faster.)

Here are a few more ways that telemarketing can seem more 'real' than mere popular opinion:

• Live feedback – Whether it's in a customer survey, a raw survey, or even customer support, you get to literally hear it straight from the mouths of B2B prospects and customers. The fact that telemarketers make a note to record their conversations only serves to prove that point. 

• Empirical results – With live feedback comes results that are more empirical than text-based messages and conversations. Tracing the source of an email can be a lot harder than tracing the source of a phone call. Even if you can't find the source, you have the live recording a of a real person's voice against a message that anybody could've typed. 

• Makes you realistic too – Opening your business to phone calls is a good way to insure transparency and avoid bad PR. Whether you're contacting potential B2B clients or receiving calls for current customer concerns, they'll both know your business is real. They have as much evidence of your validity as you have of theirs. That not only emphasizes on how real your business is but you're also being fair too. 

As always with popular opinion, it doesn't constantly win out. Most people may not see much of telemarketing from the privacy of their own homes. But when it comes to attracting B2B leads, it remains an ever present tool even in multi-channel marketing.

Don't Waste Lead Generation On Bad Sales Processes!

People are really mistaken when they think outsourcing somehow equals forsaking responsibility. Lead generation is one good example. Some professionals think that it's a lazy way to get outside marketers to do all the work for them.

But on the contrary, it only calls them to be more productive.

Remember, the purpose of lead generation isn't automatically a guaranteed sale. It's only supposed to help salespeople succeed. That's where the responsibility of your lead generator ends and the work of your salespeople begins. Generating leads is only one part of the entire sales process. The professionals are right when they say that your sales team shouldn't use the leads from your outsourced provider as an excuse to get complacent. Even worse, blaming your provider is completely anti-ethical when the problem in the funnel is outside of their control.

These problems include:

• Not acting on a lead – They've already contacted your prospects and qualified them. You're off to a quick start so what are your salespeople waiting for? Their leads are right there and all the information they want on their potential customer is easily accessible. However, that information is perishable. Just because you've learned of a prospect first doesn't mean your competitors are far behind. You also have to remember that even verified prospects can have changing interests. Leaving them too long with their unsatisfied needs will only result in them going off somewhere else to fulfill them.

• Not using the information – Many customers (both B2B and B2C) hate presumptuous salespeople. False assumptions are the result of ignoring the data gathered about your prospect. Winging it when contacting targeted potential clientèle is certainly not the way to go. One purpose of lead generation is to act as the eyes and ears of your market's community. A major concern of marketing is seeing things from the customer's perspective. Don't waste the time they spent saving you the trouble of knowing your target market. Make sure your salespeople pay close attention to what they've learned.

• Not showing up for the prospect – What's the purpose of setting an appointment if your salespeople have a bad record of not showing up? Your sales leads have fulfilled their purpose of making sure your prospect will likely to show. They've also taken note of the time you promised that your salespeople would be available. Why on earth should they disappoint the both of them by not showing up on the agreed date?

As you can see, outsourcing a business process is not a license to forsake responsibility. This goes especially when that process is only a part of a bigger one. As a matter of fact, if that stage is the only good thing compared to the rest, then you're only wasting the efforts of those responsible for that particular stage.

The role of a B2B lead generation campaign does not equate the whole of the entire sales process. Before you spend money on outsourced services, make sure that your own salespeople remember that they still have an area of responsibility when it comes to making the most of them. That way, the only responsibility you'll have left is making sure your lead generator lives up to their own.

B2B Telemarketing – Targeting DMs With The Right Authority

Aiming straight for the CEO isn't always the solution in B2B telemarketing. For one, these are likely the busiest individuals throughout the entire organization. There's no question that a lot of safeguards have been set up both by the organizations and the CEOs themselves to prevent callers from wasting their time.

Now one form of safeguard is by diverting calls (most often to voicemail). If you're lucky, they might instead direct you to someone who they believe has the proper authority to discuss business with you.

But take a step back and think: don't you realize that there are other people you could call in an organization who will, in fact, see more relevance in what you're offering? That's why a common selling point among B2B telemarketing firms is their accuracy in identifying the right decision maker (DM).

And guess what? These DMs aren't always the CEO.

You can't rely on luck forever though so stop aiming for the CEO all the time and expect their people to redirect you. You can start improving yourself by taking the following steps:

• #1. Getting the general idea – First, review your offer. Unlike B2C, B2B transactions most often involve some sort of business solution, wholesale supplies, or another form of business assistance. Simply put, your business helps their business. So exactly how is that accomplished? What particular function are you supposed to help with? This will define your target market. Identify common needs and familiarize the processes you're supposed to benefit. 

• #2. Ask more questions – The general idea can still be too general. In B2B, there's a higher demand for the specifics. Your telemarketers shouldn't be afraid to ask questions. You already know the basic functions and needs that you're supposed to serve. Use that knowledge to ask who is in charge of dealing with these concerns. Some functions tend be to tossed back and forth between two departments so focusing on the function itself will help determine who's really overseeing it. Also, it never fails to ask permission through other means before being too direct. 

• #3. Avoid participating in internal politics – In a perfect world, businesses should always work together as a united organization. Alas, this isn't a perfect world and tensions will always arise. Your telemarketers should avoid getting caught in the crossfire of internal politicking. Stay objective as much as possible and if all else fails, back out and wait for things to simmer down. 

• #4. Use appointment setting just to be sure – All right so your telemarketers think they're close to qualification. As a final test, have them offer to schedule an appointment. They can even start hinting towards this just so they can be sure that the people they're talking to will be the same ones who will meet their sales representatives.

CEOs aren't always the best targets for your B2B leads. The best targets are those who are knowledgeable about the business processes and functions that your business seeks to help with. This knowledge allows them to understand the benefits of your solutions and products. At the same time, it gives the right authority to accept and close the deal. That authority should be the prime focus of your telemarketing tactics when targeting DMs.

Why People Are Cautious About Telemarketing Services And What You Can Do About It

Even B2B telemarketers themselves will admit that more than a handful of people either don't like what they do or just have a negative understanding of it. There are good reasons for that though and they're either the result of bad telemarketing practices or just a lack of transparency. In both cases, it's the duty of those in telemarketing services to avoid such practices and be crystal clear about what they do when engaging with businesses.

So first off, what are some of the things that turn people off from telemarketing?

• Pushiness – B2C telemarketing isn't the only form of the practice that was stigmatized by the pushy attitude of both marketers and salespeople. Such hardheaded characters don't give decision makers any peace of mind because of their constant marketing calls. Gatekeepers can easily sniff out a persistent caller and take necessary security measures to block their calls completely.
• Contact Data – While decision makers are more or less used to the idea of publicizing their contact data, telemarketers still have an obligation to use that information responsibly. And once they know it's listed on your customer database, they expect you to keep it secure. A breach in that security will result in a severe breach of their trust.
• Impersonality – Impersonal marketing approaches are just that: impersonal. They're bland. They're repetitive. They're also a terrible waste of time. It's no wonder that not even company gatekeepers are impressed with a message that they've heard over and over again.

Now, what can be done about this? This might be surprising but those of you who were just considering outsourced telemarketing still have good reason to, despite the above flaws. Why? It's because many telemarketers have long taken the hint. The mark of a good company is one that is aware of these mistakes and has taken measures to avoid them. And if you're using your own in-house telemarketing team, you might be able to employ some the following yourself!

• Exercise proper follow-ups – Instead of being pushy, make sure your telemarketers find ways to get around instead of constantly hammering the decision maker. If they're not willing to talk just yet, then call at another time. They can also learn to use other channels of communication in order get permission (e.g. emailing them first or attracting their interest with a website).
• Treat data responsibly – Secure that data as much as possible. In the case of current customers, you should also make sure they're aware that you're using their data and know how you're using it. If you're contacting businesses to qualify completely new B2B leads, then you have tell them where you got their contact information when they ask.
• Diversify your marketing approach – Use other forms of marketing like blogging or social media to show that you're not just limited to telemarketing. You can also improve the telemarketing approach itself by turning it into an opportunity to engage with prospects so you'll know more about how your business can help theirs.

Ultimately, it's all about improving the quality of the telemarketing service and not really about doing away with it entirely. Even if it does prove a hassle for yourself, the continued existence of experienced B2B telemarketers is living proof that it can be done right.

And when it's done right, fewer people will be cautious about it.

Professional Telemarketing – Professionalism Goes Both Ways

Many people dread the prospect of professional telemarketing whether they're being the ones called or they themselves have to do the calling. May it be the former or the latter, there are just times when businesses feel that the process has become too stigmatized. The fear of getting (as well as giving) angry responses haunts the minds of marketers everywhere.

However, on that note, maybe this fear isn't so well-founded as you might think. Professional telemarketing is called 'professional' for a good reason. Not only that, the context of B2B telemarketing also means that this professionalism goes both ways. Therefore, if you're still either afraid of getting cussed out or feel tempted to rage at a telemarketer, you might want to read about this research recently cited by Forbes. Just from the title of that article, you can already tell that dirty words reflect badly on character when it comes to business. It denotes a lack of professionalism (as stated directly by the quote below):

“It found that employers tend to think less of an employee who swears at work for a variety of reasons. A majority of hiring managers said they believe that the use of curse words brings the employee’s professionalism into question, while others are concerned with the lack of control and lack of maturity demonstrated by swearing at work. More than half said using dirty words at work makes an employee appear less intelligent.”

If such a majority has a negative view on swearing in the work place, why continue to fear being on the end of it? In the worst case, a raging response will only say more about them than they will about you. And since that a majority of managers and decision makers don't have high regard for such people, you probably wouldn't want to do business with them anyways.

Still, be warned as the same goes for you. If you're going to contact decision makers, then you have to make sure that your telemarketers are also professional enough to maintain proper business decorum. In fact, this call to professionalism isn't just limited to telemarketing. It applies just as equally to any other marketing approach. The statistics in the article above should also indicate how important it is to train your telemarketers to avoid unprofessional behavior. And in the case of an outsourced provider, you need make sure that they also live up to such standards. Ask around for referrals and do some research on the companies that you're considering if you want a telemarketing service.

The standards of professionalism aren't just about indicating if a telemarketer knows what it's doing. It's about knowing if that telemarketer exhibits professional behavior that is only befitting the standards held not just by you but by your prospects.

Ultimately, it goes both ways

But on that note, this should also be good news for those who are still terrified of telemarketing. If you think that telemarketing has been stigmatized, there's a lot more stigma upon the unprofessional behavior that it gets. The statistics above should indicate that you have nothing to fear and that there is still a call to professionalism within the business world.

Pick A Lead Generator That Knows What It's Getting!

These days people are saying that the business world is now being driven by an entirely new resource. It's not just money. It's not just raw materials. It's not simply property. Today, businesses are being driven by a need for information.

And you have to admit, knowledge is proving to be really powerful. The speedy acquisition of data and its abundance now on the World Wide Web has enabled new ways for companies to determine demand and study their markets. Despite how the complexity of research, you can't deny the simple logic: If you know what your customers want, you'll know what to do.

However, this wealth of information isn't all gold. In fact, not all of it is even valuable!

That is the danger that is present in the new online frontier. Not all acquired data can necessarily serve the purpose that it is being researched for. One of the best examples of this danger is found in B2B lead generation.

Information overload is definitely a negative for all lead generation professionals. Your prospects want information but you need to first ask yourself: What kind of information? See, this is where all the enchantment with data starts to disappear. You'd be surprised at how specific potential clients can get when asking questions. And since this is B2B, decision makers certainly rank high when it comes to making critical evaluation. Whatever your industry, targeting businesses means you'll be speaking with them and you will answer to them. If you want your company to be of any service to theirs, you need to pay really close attention to what they say.

From there, you should know that information overload is bad for you too. There are a lot of useful things you can learn about a prospect but there is still the risk of gathering information that's not at all useful for you. Contact information and company name, for example, are only useful to a point. That point is when you call and end up facing the gatekeeper. That still doesn't tell you what you can say to convince the gatekeeper to let you through. If your lead generation comes with an appointment setter, such minimal information barely cuts it! You need to arm yourself with knowledge of a prospect so that the appointments will end well. You can't just get that from a phone number.

This all applies regardless if you're forming your own lead generation campaign with your own marketing team or you're searching for the right lead generation company to outsource. A lead should only give you information that works to your advantage. This ranges from knowing about the opportunity to knowing about the needs you're sure you can fulfill.

Remember, the ideal which fuels today's race for information is that it's supposed to teach your business how to be of better service. It tells you what your markets want, what potential clients want, and what they actually need, all so that you'll know the next thing your company is going to do. Ironically, all this data-hype has only blinded people to that ideal. Make sure you're not one of them and know what kind of information you'll need to get!

Use B2B Telemarketing If You Need To Make Things Quick

Rushing is never a good idea when trying to generate sales leads. However, that doesn't mean you can take your sweet time either. Speed is just as equally important as control. There are times that while you can't rush the prospect, the prospect will rush you!


And of course, there are plenty of good (and obvious) reasons as to why.

• They may have scheduled a lot of meetings throughout their day so they can't talk for long in between.
• Paperwork and management duties will always take top priority so obviously you need to have a good reason as to why you just interrupted them in the middle of their work.
• You also have the possibility of calling them when they're analyzing data and making important future plans. It may not be a good idea to interrupt their train of thought.

At this point, you might wonder why telemarketing? Why not just send them an email or even a real marketing letter? The problem with that is that it's going to the complete opposite extreme. You're avoiding all means of directly contacting the decision maker but at the cost of being completely ignored too. Did you send an email? It might never be opened. Sent a real letter? It's the same thing. The worst case scenario is you'll get labeled as a spammer or a junk mailer and now your messages won't be read at all.

The key here is balance. You need to balance getting their attention while not taking too much of their time doing it. B2B telemarketing can accomplish this (or at least, it can play a significant role in the overall technique). Unlike email or direct mail, a ringing phone is harder to ignore. Once the prospect has answered, you only have a window of a few minutes in order to accomplish what you set out to do and that is get their interest. Take note, there's a difference between getting their interest and trying to make a sale right out of the bat. Getting their interest means trying to get to know them first. It might even help to do some research before making the call. Try to ask questions that will help determine needs and make it as objective as possible. Once that's done, evaluate the response and politely end the exchange as soon as possible.

Another technique involves mixing both email or direct mail with telemarketing. Again, it's similar to the first technique. You make a call, make it quick, and then just say you'll send the rest in an email. Think of it as a new way of dropping off a letter. It also tells you beforehand if the prospect would really appreciate the message and won't just toss it in the trash. After that, wait for some responses and don't be afraid to follow-up.

As you can see, you're not rushing the prospect here. But at the same time, taking only a few minutes with a call at convenient intervals shows that you don't want to take up too much of their time. It may not even be an issue if you can't afford to invest in telemarketing yourself. There are plenty of telemarketing services who use similar (if not the exact, same) techniques so can outsource to them instead. It will still always be important to make things quick when contacting busy decision makers.

Defrost Your Cold Calling Approach

One of the reasons why people dislike getting random phone calls is that it's just that: purely random. And when you look at the worst examples, you have to admit that the whole thing sounds a lot like a numbers game. You get a list and start calling. That's it. You don't do research. You don't try and see why these particular companes might make a good business leads. You just dial in, fling your pitch, and expect a Yes or No (chances are, you'll get a No more often).

Why do you think it's called 'cold' calling in the first place? You need to defrost your approach and improve your chances with each call. And as implied above, the key is to do a bit more research. Is it really too much to first look up the company? Maybe it would have been a few decades ago when telemarketers were still scanning phone books.

Today, with internet and social media, you have more opportunities to learn more about who you're calling. This isn't even comparable to B2C telemarketing because unlike consumers, businesses can be quite eager to talk about themselves. It's how they impress their own markets. More and more companies are setting up websites and establishing presence in social networking sites. These places are excellent sources of information that can help you make yourself more relevant to the needs of their decision makers. Another advantage you have with information is that you also know a few things that would make for a good conversation.

Furthermore, information isn't just the only way to boost your chances. Throwing in a bit of email marketing can help too. Try contacting prospects that way and get those who respond into receiving your call. If you're going to insist that you don't have the time to look up a company, then you a list of addresses instead of numbers. At the very least, your emails are going to be less disruptive.

Of course, there are limits to what you can find on the internet. And yes, companies are also taking measures to make sure that the online channels of communication don't get clogged with marketing efforts in the same way that the phone now has.

That's still no excuse to do things far too randomly. B2B leads are defined by the information they have on the prospect. Information is supposed to help improve the accuracy of your marketing efforts. It's supposed to reduce the uncertain factors which lead to randomness. An appointment setter who shows sincere interest in finding out problems and offering solutions has a higher chance of getting people to meet them than those who just try and set the date without showing that same consideration.

Ask yourself, would you rather burn through a whole list by just rapidly calling the numbers on them or would you rather improve your chances with each, single one of them by knowing more about who they are? Defrost your impersonal telemarketing approach and remember that getting information is what you're supposed to do, even from the very start!

Helpful Tips for your Lead Generation Efforts

You need to ramp up your marketing efforts, that’s for sure. In order to generate interest in your products and services, you need to put an emphasis on your brand and promote it within your target industry to generate B2B leads. However, when you do that, you will either have warm leads or cold leads. As much as your sales team would like to work with warm leads, you cannot help but generate cold leads within the lead generation process. So, what are you to do with these types of B2B leads? How can you make use of them? Well, one way is through nurturing them in order to bring them closer to your company.

The importance of prospect education – Generating leads is not an easy thing. If your products and services serve no importance to your prospects, or if they have no knowledge about it, then you can’t hope to have them come to you with the intent to buy. As per what has been said, warm leads are what your sales teams want to be working with but the chances of generating warm leads through your marketing efforts are slim when your prospects don’t even have the slightest idea on what products and services you are offering them. Educating your prospects about your brand, your products and services, and your company is the best way to make them aware of not only your existence, but also of how you can be of benefit to them. You may be providing the long-time solution to their problems, but they wouldn’t know about that if you don’t pursue and nurture them, would they? So thus begins our look into nurturing leads…

When does the process begin? – The process begins as early as when your lead generation campaign starts. During this time, you’ll be generating both warm and cold leads. The chances of drawing in prospects that are interested and that have the intention of buying from you may be low; however you can definitely work with these leads and close sales with them. The problem falls under when you generate cold leads. This usually happens when you use B2B telemarketing; however cold-calling still remains to be one of the best ways of doing lead generation. Although cold leads may be hard to pursue, proper nurturing can turn them sales-ready if done right.

How to do it – You can do this through any way you see fit as long as you can maintain a flow of communication with your B2B leads. You can do this through sending emails, or through your B2B telemarketing efforts. Keep in contact with your prospects and offer them your professional advice and other possible solutions to their problems. By doing this, you maintain your working relationship with them as well as continuously educate them about your brand and company. You can say that you are hitting two birds with one stone as you slowly open their eyes to the benefits of working with your company, all the while turning them from B2B leads into sales-ready leads.

Keep this in mind when doing lead generation. Working with warm leads may be what you really want, but you can’t ever avoid generating cold leads. I hope this blog post finds you well and helps you in your efforts.