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.

B2B Lead Generation – New Sales Skills Need Complimentary Marketing Support

B2B lead generation is a tool that offers sales not only opportunities but also insight on their prospect. That insight is critical given the rise of new sales techniques that are allegedly doing away with the old.

At least, that's what Lynette Ryals and Javier Marcos are saying on the HBR Blog Network. To summarize, they're echoing the beliefs of many other sales professionals that the old modes of traditional selling are making way for the type of selling that emphasizes on relationships prior to the sale. These in turn would require new skills from sales people and thus, marketing should be able to come up with complimentary support to help them meet these new demands:

“Commercial skills and capabilities are about financial insight, business acumen and customer insight — specifically, insight beyond what the customer has articulated.”

This only raises the amount and grade of information that marketing services should acquire. The methods also need to be more subtle. Techniques like taking surveys need to ask questions that are formulated based on knowledge and analysis that's beyond the capability of prospects.

“Relational skills and capabilities include the ability to manage multi-level, multifunctional relationships, to understand relational dynamics and to inspire trust.”

Establishing trust is one of the initial tasks in any marketing approach. You don't attempt the sale when you're first contacting a prospect. They have to be qualified first and more interest needs to be established. That interest however can be affected by the amount of trust that you gained. Acquiring said trust means you're helping sales to develop a connection and gain more and more permission to stay connected.

“Managerial skills and capabilities needed by people in sales roles include people management skills (because so much business-to-business selling is now done in teams and cross-functionally); high ethical standards and integrity (growing customer demands in relation to corporate social responsibility and ethics are changing selling behaviors); openness to change and adaptability; and influencing skills.”

Now just because high managerial skills are necessary doesn't mean you can't make your marketing efforts easier to manage. If sales is willing to lay out clear-cut requirements, then the marketing approach must be ready to meet those requirements. The same goes for their ethical standards (make sure your practices are legitimate and acceptable). An openness to change also extends to marketing given that different forms of marketing are often the result of changes in market behavior.

“Cognitive skills and capabilities include innovative problem solving; the ability to identify opportunities; ”

Seeing as how generating leads is all about indicating opportunities, any additional information from marketing should ultimately serve to assist in identifying problems. This is where it's most critical for sales to lay out specifications while at the same time, marketing strategies should end up delivering leads that meet these specifications. Some sales teams won't demand anything too complicated but others might. In the end, it's all about how one party coordinates with the other.

The new skills described in this article can apply to B2B sales in any industry. Thus, it's not surprising that you can demand complimentary marketing support for it from any type marketer out there. You can have these requirements for online marketers as well as professional telemarketers. A change in sales will always demand complimentary marketing support.

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.

Lead Generation – Is It Worth Outsourcing?

There are many questions (and even controversies) surrounding the topic of outsourcing. Some consider it as a cause of change in both the political and economic environment. Others say it is simply misunderstood and think people are only concerned when scandals are involved (such as what happened with Nike).

Regardless, the concept of outsourcing is simple. It's simply one company entrusting another to execute a certain business process (e.g. accounting, manufacturing, marketing etc).

Now another misconception prominent even among outsourcing supporters is that cost is the primary reason. That's not always the case. Cost can simply play a role in the overall decision. Here are two other common reasons as to why companies outsource that only involve costs indirectly:

• Non-core Functions – Simply put, companies outsource processes that are important but still a little far from the company's main function and field of expertise. A car manufacturer might outsource another company for accounting services because accounting doesn't really have a lot to do with cars. (That doesn't mean they don't need accounting.)
  
  
• Expansions – Many companies today are seeking to expand by placing more focus on their core functions. In relation to the first reason, outsourcing enables them to focus on these functions and thus enable expansion.

Take note that in the reasons cited above, neither of them deny that outsourcing saves them the costs of hiring experts and purchasing technology specific to a certain business process. In turn, what has been saved up can be used to focus on core functions and for expanding the business.

With that said, see if you can determine if it's worth outsourcing the process of generating B2B sales leads.

• Is it a core function? - Generating leads for any B2B product or service doesn't automatically demand for its respective field of expertise. Sure, expertise is necessary in order to demonstrate and assure quality but there are times when such expertise tends to work against your best interests. One might even say that generating leads is its own field! Remember, you may be an expert but your prospects might not. All that knowledge does not automatically translate into knowledge of how a B2B customer thinks. Therefore, it might not really be as close to your core functions as you might think.
  
• Will it make expansion more expensive? - Following up on the previous question, will this distance make it more expensive in-house? Take note that hiring and training the right experts and representatives requires a bit of expertise on your part. And as pointed out, getting qualified leads isn't necessarily within every company's expertise.

To further demonstrate, consider the tools used by lead generators. Some use email marketing to contact your prospects and exchange information. That may require a bit of industry expertise but it takes communication expertise as well. It's the same with older tools like telemarketing. Hiring and training your own agents might make expansion more expensive when compared to just using outsourced telemarketing while you focus on the core of your business.

There's no denying that a bit of industry expertise is necessary but that's why it's always a staple feature in many companies that are in the business of generating B2B leads. Some companies might even be more adept in marketing one form of product and service over another. And while they might not be as knowledgeable as the people in your company, they can be knowledgeable and at the same time, they're more knowledgeable about knowing what your prospects want.

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!

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!