-> Tip #5. Follow-up tactics and the big picture
A telemarketing mistake Rizzo often sees is teams that are too focused on an immediate goal and not on the long-term marketing potential of a telephone conversation. “There is so much time and attention spent on locating the ‘hot’ lead or appointment among your prospects, that it’s easy to bypass having quality conversations with qualified prospects who are not ready to buy.”
Indeed, when MarketingSherpa recently asked technology decision makers about their key concerns with telemarketing calls, the second-most important factor (after respecting the prospect’s time) was that callers listen to what they say and follow up with relevant information.
To encourage teams to stay focused on opportunities that deliver relevant follow-up information to prospects who aren’t sales-ready, Rizzo recommends developing a prospect profile. The prospect profile is developed by telesales reps asking key questions and should be broken down by two types of information.
Details that you need to know to determine qualification:
o Is the person a decision maker
o In the right industry
o From the right size organization
o In the market for a new product or service
o Ready to buy, with a timeline and budget in place
Details that are nice to know:
o What vendor/solution are they currently using
o What business factors would make them seek a new vendor
o What are the most important industry challenges they face
o What kind of information is most useful to them when making a buying decision
You don’t have to capture all this data on the first call. If a prospect isn’t a hot lead, a good conversation that delivers some of the need to know/nice to know information will create openings for additional contacts or nurturing over time.
If you know what business factors or industry issues are most influential to a prospect’s buying decision, you can offer to send additional white papers or invite them to a webinar on relevant topics. If you know what vendor a prospect is currently using, you can target the person with a competitive marketing campaign that offers case studies or product information that outlines the advantages of your company.
“The data captured in the profile will prepare you to deploy nurturing strategies and can provide key market intelligence to aid your next marketing campaign,” Rizzo says.
Leave a Reply