Some people think that calling potential customers to promote a business is not a good idea, mostly because they may have had bad experiences in the past. However, there are many success stories where unplanned calls to prospects have led to closing huge deals. So, is cold calling services still an effective way to connect with prospects, or is it no longer professional?
The difference between a “cold call” and an unplanned “business call” is significant. A cold call is when someone makes an uninformed call to a company with no preparation, which can be frustrating for the person receiving the call. On the other hand, an unplanned business call is when someone reaches out to the right company, in the right market, and connects with the right stakeholder(s). They have done research and understand the issues the prospect is potentially dealing with, which leads to a peer-level discussion that is a good use of the prospect’s time.
The key to making these calls effective is having the right telemarketing strategy in place. This includes having the right person making the calls, gathering the right information, and having the best workflow in place to execute the next steps. However, this can be a challenge, and many inexperienced people are put on the front lines to make these calls. This is often because the act of calling is not appreciated, so little value is put on it. As a result, resources are hired that are not peers and are not able to have a complex discussion that is rich with detail. These inexperienced callers often get shut down just after saying a few words, which can be frustrating for the person receiving the call.
In summary, calling potential customers can still be an effective way to connect with prospects, but it requires the right strategy and the right people making the calls. If done correctly, unplanned business calls can lead to positive engagement and build strong relationships with prospects.
Determining Suitability of Cold Calling for Outbound Sales and Its Potential Benefits.
Outbound telemarketing services may not be suitable for everyone, and it depends on your target market and objectives for making outbound calls to determine if it is a good fit.
If your goals are to identify potential customers, understand where deals are developing, identify stakeholders, gain valuable information that puts your sales representatives in the right place at the right time, build your sales pipeline, get backdoor intel that accelerates revenue, or gain insight on the sales landscape in an account, then outbound calling can be an effective tool for you.
Through outbound calling, you can establish valuable relationships with potential customers that can have a long-lasting impact on your bottom line. By connecting with potential customers in this way, you can gather important information and insights that can help you achieve your sales objectives and grow your business.
The Importance of Defining “Sales Call” in B2B Enterprise Sales
The term “sales call” can leave a negative impression on potential buyers because of previous unpleasant experiences. However, making phone calls to people you don’t know is a normal part of developing business opportunities or communicating with peers. This is especially true in B2B enterprise sales, where the sales process involves multiple stakeholders and many steps. Describing it as just a “sales call” is inaccurate.
The bad experiences people often associate with sales calls typically come from outbound calls made by low-level telemarketing teams. These types of calls can be a turn-off to customers. However, direct communication with potential customers is still an essential part of the sales process.
Unfortunately, bad telemarketing calls happen frequently, and they contribute to the negative perception of telemarketing agencies. These bad calls are the reason why the words “B2B Telemarketing” are often associated with people calling to find “decision makers” or pitching products and services that are not relevant to the recipient.
Managing the Sales Process and Workflow for Effective Outbound Marketing
Outbound marketing is a way to reach out to potential customers and introduce new products. It’s effective for identifying new business opportunities, sales leads, and decision makers. Outbound sales involves managing the sales process and ensuring that the sales funnel is well-managed to deliver quality leads to sales reps. This is important because potential clients may be lost if the lead generation campaigns don’t have the workflow designed to engage them.
Managing results involves processes such as delivering information to sales reps, managing information using a customer relationship management (CRM) system, and hand-off processes to ensure a smooth transition between stages of the sales funnel. It’s also important to have an understanding of the necessary actions to take and ensure that the workflow is well-managed so that leads don’t fall through the cracks.
If the workflow falls apart, programs may appear to perform poorly, so it’s important to have a support system in place to ensure success. At our company, we focus on having a well-designed workflow and a strong support system to ensure that our outbound marketing efforts are successful.
How Many Calls Should You Make to Reach Your Prospects?
To successfully engage with potential customers, it usually takes between 8-15 attempts to reach them. However, that’s just the initial step in the process. You still need to make follow-up calls, have open discussions to qualify leads, and have your in-house sales team take the baton and continue the sales process. Continuity and transparency are key elements to ensure a successful process.
Before starting, it’s important to have the right expectations. You should consider your current brand awareness and whether your prospects know your company and the solutions you provide. Engaging prospects who already know your brand is generally easier than trying to connect with those who don’t know who you are or what you offer. To maximize your reach, you should consider having a plan for digital channels and create a landing page that you can share on social media platforms. This will help you gain a more significant imprint than just making telemarketing calls.
The most critical information you can gain comes from having peer-level discussions with open-ended questions and capturing the information in real-time. This is what leads to revenue. The number of calls you make will depend on the availability of your prospects. For example, a CIO at an F500 company will likely be less available than someone in a different role.
Therefore, it’s important to know your main goals and what you hope to achieve. While some people may only want to set appointments, this approach may cause you to miss out on other important opportunities, such as developing deals, gaining insights, and gaining access to stakeholders in accounts.
To achieve success in B2B telemarketing, telesales, or sales development programs, it is crucial to have widespread support and agreement from all parties involved. The process should be carefully structured to facilitate the workflow effectively.
This is not a matter of sales outsourcing versus insourcing, but rather a consideration that applies to both approaches. By examining the journey that a potential customer takes through the sales funnel, it is possible to identify and address any areas where the process may break down or become inefficient. This step is essential to achieving success in all aspects of the program.
