The New Techniques to Crush Your B2B Telemarketing Campaign
It is widely heard that qualified appointment setting (by phone) is no longer effective and that other prospecting channels will replace it, etc.
False! Appointment setting is still just as effective. The phone remains the only prospecting channel that delivers your company's message directly into the ears of your prospects.
It allows you to generate a significant number of leads of very high quality.
Moreover, telemarketers talk directly with your prospects, allowing you to analyze the main reasons for refusals on the same day. Unlike other channels such as direct mail or email, which might be discarded, your company will have an invaluable information base for future prospecting campaigns.
However, what is no longer effective is the method used 15 or 20 years ago. Nowadays, there are new techniques for generating qualified appointments.
To generate qualified appointments with high added value, it's crucial to focus on the preparation of the campaign:
A. Master your client's environment:
- The industry sector of your client: Gather information about your client's industry sector. What are the trends in their market? Most of this information is available and free online.
- Their competitive environment: Who are their competitors? What are the strengths and weaknesses of their products? Ask yourself and your client why a prospect would choose our product over the competitors’.
What differentiates our product from the competition?
Its added value for the prospects you will contact (e.g., saving or earning money).
If you are prospecting for a company that develops software, take the time to thoroughly understand its products. Request a trial version and use it.
B. Take a close interest in your prospects
- Segment your targets by industry sector and collect information on the different target industry sectors.
- Identify the different potential contacts and their roles within the target companies (create a list of possible contacts).
These two elements will allow you to develop different pitches based on the industry sector and target contacts. The goal is to personalize your messages.
Try to anticipate objections and prepare clear and concise responses.
C. Write personalized scripts
Scripts should address your interlocutor's problems, not the various specifics of your product. It’s about your interlocutor, not about you or your product...
Don’t be a robot. To develop quick thinking, your telemarketers need to memorize the script and all the objections you’ve listed.
Make sure their voices are not monotonous. The tone should be pleasant. Treat each prospect as if they were the first client of the day.
D. Have a plan
Even if your telemarketers are experienced in setting appointments, have a plan. A general framework for the call should follow these steps:
- Ask the prospect if they are busy or if you are interrupting them before starting the discussion.
- Ask questions about their business and the challenges they are facing.
- Address objections and show them that you have the solution.
- Briefly and concisely explain the strengths of your product.
- If the prospect is interested, move them to action and schedule a follow-up date.
- If the prospect is not interested, understand that you cannot force them to change their mind. Thank them and move on to the next call.
If the prospect asks you to send them information: In most cases, it’s a polite way of saying they are not interested.
You should never just agree and send them a generic email that they won’t read or will delete as soon as they receive it.
If they request additional information at the end of your conversation, ask for their email address and pose a few simple questions, explaining that their answers will help you provide them with useful information.
Write him a personalized email based on the information he provided. In the email, ask if he would like to know more about our solution and let him know he can email you to schedule a phone appointment.
E. Have realistic goals
Before starting prospecting, be aware that prospects do not know you. They do not know who you are.
Instead of setting a goal to sell 10 products in one day, aim to get agreement from a hundred prospects to send them more information about your product and to schedule a follow-up call or an in-person meeting to move to the next step.
Qualified appointment setting is the best lever for sales. Follow these tips, and you’ll have the best B2B telemarketing team.
This method takes some time to implement, but once refined, you’ll see surprising results.
If you want more information about telemarketing, feel free to contact us..