Consumers, whether in the B2C world or B2B world, have now become researchers. The advent of digital has given us a tool that we simply can’t get enough of and we frequently use that tool to inform our buying decisions. Before we part with our hard-earned cash as consumers we will use the internet to research what we’re buying, check specifications, read descriptions, read reviews, compare prices and wade through a lot of other info before we decide to unleash the credit card. We’ve become like this because it’s simple to do so and the info is easily accessible so in many respects, the internet has made us more discerning consumers.
In light of this, marketers have had to become savvier in how they engage their audience and in the B2B telemarketing world we have learnt many lessons on how best to do this. Timing is everything when it comes to customer engagement. Diving in with your sales pitch no longer cuts it with an increasingly sophisticated online audience. If you want people to buy your products and services then it pays to take a nurturing approach and slowly but surely engage with the customer.
There are no short cuts
Customer engagement is a slow process and contrary to popular belief, there are no short cuts. How often does anyone pick up the phone to speak to a client for the first time, engage their interest in the space of that one phone call, and then close a sale? You would have to be the luckiest telemarketer on the planet for this to happen and suffice to say, it hardly ever does.
It’s a bit like the car showroom analogy where an over-eager car salesman approaches you and gives you the hard-sell about the features and benefits of their vehicles. Immediately, our defence mechanisms kick-in, we state that ‘we’re only browsing’ and then can’t wait to get out of there. A telemarketing phone call can have a similar effect if it comes out of the blue, catches you unprepared and puts you on the spot.
Marketing Automation
This is why a well-timed engagement with your prospects is so much better than just diving in. Digital has given us the tools to engage with our customers and prospects on a number of platforms using a variety of different media. We can use email, social media, mobile, video, white papers, blogs, SMS text messaging and a whole host of other tools to share information and get our message across. Marketing automation allows you to use these tools so that you can track customer behaviour, monitor how they engage with you, what kind of information they like, and their preferred method of receiving communication. If you can get a handle on this then you can gain a great insight into when, where and how to engage with your target audience.
After all the majority of prospects go with the first company that contacts them and makes the effort to build that relationship. It’s no good providing all this information for free and not following it up when the prospect is ready to buy.
Helping your customers make a buying decision
If we go back to that car showroom analogy for a moment. Rather than the car salesman wading in with the hard-sell, how much better would it be if there was strategically placed information around the car that informed you about prices, purchase options, reviews etc.? By providing the tools for customers to educate themselves about your products and services, you put them in control, make them feel better informed and give them more confidence to ask questions – questions that could ultimately lead to the closing of the sale.
It’s exactly the same scenario in the B2B world. People like to feel more informed before deciding to buy and that’s why a softly softly approach, backed up by supporting marketing materials can get you that all-important foot in the door. This is when the human touch comes in. A well-timed phone call at the moment your customer or prospect is primed and ready to buy is what good telemarketing and marketing automation is all about.
For more information on how GCL Direct can help you nurture your leads click on the link.
