Many telemarketing firms are frustrated by the sheer number of hang-ups and failed lead generation calls they get. However, telemarketing is also a valuable part of your marketing and client-building strategy. There are important techniques that your team can use to ensure that more calls convert to clients, and fewer are wasted time. Here are some tips and tricks to improve your telemarketing lead generation strategies.
Establishing a Communication Process
What is the purpose of your call? Is it simply informational? Is it an attempt to nail down a sale right away? It should be to create a process of communication with your sales. Your marketing group has to work as a team with the sales group when the time comes to follow-up and execute generated leads.
This communication process should include regular reports from your client resource management (CRM) system. These reports should form the basis of weekly or monthly dialogue between the two teams to discuss marketing and lead approaches and compare notes.
Track Lead Acceptance
You need to track and understand the leads that are accepted by your sales team. Why are they rejecting some leads? Are they logistical, practical or policy related? The better understanding you have of why leads are accepted or refused, the better you can adapt strategies for solid conversions from lead to sales.
Don’t Dismiss the Cold Call
Recent surveys have indicated that the best marketers use telemarketing services for cold calling. Even though it can result in hang-ups, it can also be an effective technique. Over 50% of decision makers surveyed in a 2007-2008 Business Technology Benchmark Guide indicated that cold calls were an important aspect of their strategy and often ended up in a potential new sales client.
It is important, however, to conduct your campaign properly. Cold calling must begin with a specific, targeted and well-defined list. It should also tailor the message to that specific audience and highlight a specific need, while highlighting the way the company can fulfill that need.
Follow up with Print
Everyone uses email these days. It’s fast, easy and lets you blast a message to a lot of people in one quick step. Using traditional mailing, however, has a unique impact on potential clients.
Print is visceral and people who hold actual brochures, newsletters or follow-up letters in their hands tend to pay attention and remember what they have received. Many emails, on the other hand, are deleted without ever being opened.
Quality over Quantity
Too many telemarketing firms seek to improve leads by making more calls. Unfortunately, more is not always better. If your conversions are low, you are better off building on the quality of your scripts and lists. You can then focus on creating higher quality leads, which will in turn result in increased efficiency and a stronger position from which to build your lead-retention programs and strategies.
Do you have any thoughts about best practices for lead generation? What techniques do you suggest? We would love to hear. Leave us a comment below and let us know.
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