You've probably at some point heard someone say the phrase “Cold Calling is Dead”. As a marketing services agency who specialise in telemarketing, you may expect us to disagree. However, you’re in for a shock… we don’t (well not completely!).
Despite what people say, cold calling a cold database will still generate leads. Though everyone recognises that there are more cost-effective ways to generate leads than just using this method. But this doesn't mean that telemarketing as a marketing tool has lost any of its potency; in fact, it remains one of the most effective tools at all stages of the sales funnel.
This extract from The Definitive Guide to Telemarketing in the Digital Age demonstrates how to use telemarketing at the top, middle and bottom of the funnel.
The Top of the Funnel
Prospects can only research what you do if you have linked their need with your supply through communication. The underlying requirement for awareness provides a major challenge for businesses of all shapes and sizes and that major challenge is Return on Investment. The calculation will look different based on numerous factors such as the seniority of your target decision-makers, their propensity to engage online, as well as their accessibility. Most marketers favour a blended model so as not to miss out on any potentially lucrative part of the market. But, even digital campaigns need a demographic to target. We highly recommend using the telephone for both research and initial prospecting activities at the start of any campaign. With the right caller, you will start to build awareness, as well as filter out those individuals who really aren’t interested.
The Middle of the Funnel
The traditional domain of Telemarketing companies has been lead generation and appointment setting. The importance here is to work with someone you are confident can sound like the voice of the company. They need to understand the vision and purpose of the campaign as well as be able to listen to your prospects. The telephone call could well be the tipping point where a prospect becomes a lead and getting this right requires expertise and experience in equal measure.
The Bottom of the Funnel
Well, much as we would like to close deals for you, in complex B2B sales, it is almost essential that a company representative or subject matter expert is on hand for the next stage of the customer journey.
In some cases, smaller value, commoditised sales can be closed over the telephone although we consider this more Telesales than Telemarketing. Honesty and integrity play a huge role here and the initial campaign briefing is vital. As an example of how to get things wrong, there is not much worse than the introductory line: ”I’m not trying to sell you anything but…!” Determining when to pick up the phone will be driven largely by your customers’ persona and typical buying behaviour. Structured in the right way though, it can differentiate you from the competition by introducing the human touch through an effective multi-channelled strategy.
