Senior level, high quality, high value telemarketing is a process. The right person is often very difficult to reach; they are either in meetings, guarded by gatekeepers like the crown jewels or you haven’t got the timing quite right. One thing is for sure, you will never be able to make that appointment unless you keep calling. As mentioned in our previous blog ‘Still waiting for that phone call?’, it takes on average 7 touches for a contact to remember who you are, let alone do business with you. It is important that you stay persistent and keep yourselves fresh in the minds of your prospects.
That being said, one of the most common myths of telemarketing is that it consists of nuisance calls which pester people at all times of the day. It is important to strike the balance between being informative and efficient and being a total nuisance.
One way to achieve this is to be careful with who you target in the first place. By correctly profiling your audience, it allows you to understand your audience and ascertain where they are within the buyers’ journey. Prospects who have never heard of your company before, will not want to hear about your offers and discounts; they first need to understand your business and its propositions. Not only will this benefit the recipient, it will also benefit yourselves. Your sales team are very busy and time is precious, they do not want to waste time contacting prospects who either have the wrong profile, wrong demographics or are tyre kickers. By understanding where they are within the buyer journey (if at all) and by eliminating your scattergun approach, you will be able to prioritise the gems and concentrate on winning the right business.
New business development is very much about the process. It’s about gaining momentum, being persistent and following up. If you don’t do that, you will not improve your lead generation success rate and grow your pipeline. Be patient, plan ahead and don’t get disheartened when the gatekeeper says no!
How many times have you heard “Sorry, we have just signed a contract with…..”, often your competitor! If you are having an ongoing conversation/relationship with the prospect, this is less likely to come as a shock and you will be able to intervene and maybe even secure the business.
