New business leads

10 Key B2B Business Development Questions to Ask Yourself for 2012

2012-01-10T12:08:00.000Z

Getting your planning in gear is key to kicking off your 2012 business development and lead generation activity.

We have put together 10 key questions to help you prepare and understand the direction you want to take for the new business year.

Have I got a clear plan for how to generate new business?
Have I clearly defined my target audience? That includes location, decision maker role, size of company etc.
Do I understand what they will buy from me? Be clear on what services you are offering to whom.
Do I understand why they might buy from me? What makes my business different and special?
Have I clearly articulated my proposition? This is different to a list of your products or services. It’s more about USP’s or differentiation points. What is your Trojan Horse / Call to Action to make them want to engage with you?
Where do my customers go for information and communication on and offline? Be there and be a provider of news, information and communication. Be an expert!
What are the most effective marketing channels? Do your research. Test if necessary. Ask your customers! 2012 is more than ever about bang for buck.
What’s my social media strategy for LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook. You can’t ignore them. They aren’t going away! Get involved but don’t go scattergun. Identify the best channels for your audience.
What’s my mobile strategy? The growth in consumption via mobile is colossal. It’s not if but when you will get on board. 2012 is the time to do it.
Who is going to implement the strategy and how?

Find out how GSA Business Development can help Generate Growth for your Business, by contacting us now on 0845 658 8192 or send us an email.

New Year’s resolutions for business development

2012-01-09T16:19:00.001Z

A New Year dawns and our minds turn to how we’re going to drive lead generation for 2012. How are we going to generate new business? Where are our sales leads going to come from? What’s the new business development strategy?

It is in everyone’s interest to focus on new business development in 2012. The economy doesn’t look like it is going to improve anytime soon. So it’s about focus and focusing on what you’re good at. But also about providing services that customers value and that they will want to purchase.

Here are my tips for things to consider in 2012. They are far from exhaustive and not necessarily all relevant to your business. But perhaps give them some thought and see what works for you.

Business Development Strategy
Do you have a plan? Who are your likely main customers? Where do they go for information on and offline? What marketing methods or channels are likely to work best for you? Where do you put your hard earned dollars or pounds?

If you haven’t got a strategy, then maybe take advantage of some government funding available in the UK until end Feb for one of our business development strategy workshops.

However, you play it, you need a plan. As they say, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

Business development tools
So what things would I recommend that you at least consider? Remember, these are far from your only options

Have a referral strategy
Have a strategy for asking for referrals. If you do good work, clients may well refer you anyhow. But if they don’t, ask ‘do you know anyone else that might benefit from what we’ve done for you?’ Remember, it’s probably going to be your highest conversion rate and the lowest cost of acquisition!

Get testimonials
Don’t be shy. Ask for them if you feel you’ve done a good job. Add them to proposals, your website, directory sites and anywhere else that is relevant. It also serves as useful content to refresh your site. Testimonials can be either written or video ones.

Develop partnership marketing
I once went to a presentation where the speaker asked the audience ‘who gets to your customers before you do? If you know who they are, make friends with them’

Think about it. Solicitors, estate agents, plumbers, electricians and builders have lots of alliance opportunities as part of a sale of a house. Who are your potential partners and alliances? We did a successful campaign for a firm of IFA’s targeting accountants. Who can provide you work and vice versa? Partnership and affiliate marketing could prove worthwhile in your area of business.

Networking
You need to be out there. In it to win it as they say. But choose wisely as networking can seriously suck your time. Once again. Work out the strategy and focus on areas likely to be most productive. And don’t forget that it isn’t only formal groups like BNI, BRX or 4N. There are industry forums, events and so on that may well provide ample opportunity. And don’t forget the online world such as LinkedIn that is growing in importance. If you’d like to talk about how best to utilise online networking, contact us here.

Get Social
Social media is here to stay. The numbers are staggering. Once again, beware time drains. SME’s and even large corporates cannot spend every minute tweeting and posting. Focus is again the word of the day. Understand where your customers go and be there to meet them. Whether that’s a Facebook page running special events, competitions and so on or Twitter to reach key audiences. Or LinkedIn to engage with a b2b audience. Do some research on your customers and on what’s going on currently in the social media world. Then decide on what you want to achieve and either get started yourself or get someone to help you. If you’d like to talk to us about social media strategy or a campaign, contact us here. Follow us!

Get Mobile
The last quarter saw over 70% of all mobiles shipped into the UK being a Smartphone. Usage is growing at an incredible rate. SME’s as well as large companies cannot afford to wait for one simple reason. It is a customer led revolution. Customers are browsing your site on their mobile. They are looking locally for your type of business. That’s a FACT. Tons of research tells us that if they can’t browse your site properly on mobile, they will click away, buy from a competitor and not come back. Apps are everywhere. Mobile websites are crucial too. Text marketing is on the rise. Mobile and social go hand in hand as over 70% of Facebook updates and 50% of tweets are via mobile. So, having a strategy for mobile is absolutely essential. If you want to talk about how mobile can work for you, contact us here.

Content is king
2012 is the year of content. If you can’t provide regular new content, there are lots of providers that can deliver content for companies wishing to upweight their websites, blogs or tweets with useful content. Your credibility is enhanced with your customers and prospects if they find useful content on your site and not just about your services alone. Search engines love fresh quality content. Distributing that content online to targeted publications and domains that can drive more visitors to you is also crucial. Shallow sales oriented websites aren’t the answer in 2012. So what’s your content strategy in your area of expertise? You can definitely support your social media strategy by delivering excellent content to your chosen market. If you’d like to talk to us about how you can increase your content, contact us here.

Telemarketing
OK. Telemarketing is a core part of what we offer very successfully for clients. So I’d be insane not to plug it. However, its demise has been exaggerated and it is alive and well. Yes it is hard to break through. But we have made meetings in 2011 with the Prime Ministers Press Office, Hiscox plc, Interflora, Jaguar Cars Ltd, John Lewis Partnership, RBS, Saracens Ltd, Sony Europe Ltd, The Body Shop, Toyota GB Plc, Glaxo Smithkline and many more. So telemarketing is still a viable way to generate new business. So, pick up the phone. If you can’t do that yourself and would like to talk to us about our telemarketing workshops, telemarketing training or telemarketing appointment setting, contact us here.

Email
If you want a relatively low cost and high volume approach, email is your baby. There is always the risk of spam and junk mail and the resultant impact on your brand if you get it wrong. But, I believe you need to consider email marketing if you want a volume approach and need to reach a large number of potential customers for relatively low value of sale. It is a numbers game. But, especially if you’re in the b2c world, make sure you are compliant based on a valid opt-in and ensure you have a strong call to action. And don’t forget that email can be used for tightly tailored emails to researched b2b decision makers too. It just takes more time and research. There are lots of providers of email marketing out there so find a good one and see whether it can work for you.

Direct Mail
Outdated? Maybe. But standing out from the crowd has never been more important. I’m not talking about bulk / junk mail here. In b2b world, I’m talking about targeted messages to defined decision-makers with a call to action and a mailer or device to create impact. If your value of sale warrants investment in a direct marketing piece that can stimulate a call, then maybe this year is the time to work hard to define your audience and provide them something that genuinely makes them feel you’ve taken the time and effort to think about them. If you’d like to discuss this more, contact us here.

The rest
As I mentioned at the outset, the above is not intended to provide direction for your particular business or suggest these are all that’s on offer. I haven’t talked about PR, Advertising, events, exhibitions, posters, flyers and much more. The key is that you have a business development strategy. If you’d like to discuss how to plan yours, give us a call and you can possibly take advantage of government funding before end Feb 2012.

Visit our articles page and blog for hot tips and our business development white papers or ask us about our telemarketing mentor programme.

Find out how GSA Business Development can help Generate Growth for your Business, by contacting us now on 0845 658 8192 or by sending us an email.

Telemarketing is still alive and kicking!

2011-12-20T11:46:00.002Z

The demise of telemarketing has been trumpeted by many a supposed informed observer. Email marketing is the thing. Or it’s social media. Mobile marketing is coming. SEO delivers first page on Google. And of course foster relationships on LinkedIn to generate leads.

Of course there is no right or wrong. And a combination of the above and other marketing is key. There are many other channels and routes to market that are relevant for whatever your business offers and your clients buy.

I took a look today at the appointments we have made for our clients this year and it struck me that the best proof of the proverbial pudding is in the eating so to speak.

So, who have we made appointments with this year? The list below is far from exhaustive but it gives a flavour of what’s possible with high quality telemarketing.

Prime Ministers Press Office
Hiscox plc
GlaxoSmithKline
Interflora
Jaguar Cars Ltd
John Lewis Partnership
LEGO Company Ltd
Lendlease
Makro Self Service Wholesalers Ltd
NM Rothschild & Sons Ltd
Norbert-dentressangle
Park Resorts
RBS
Saracens Ltd
Skanska UK
Sony Europe Ltd
Tetra Pak Ltd
The Body Shop International plc
Toyota GB Plc
Unipart Group Ltd.
uSwitch.com
VisitBritain
Which? Ltd

Our testimonials speak volumes for the fact that telemarketing services are still important and going strong. But, is it possible to get through to the big companies? Aren’t they guarded by gatekeepers and the opt-out register? Of course they are. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t reach buyers and do appointment setting with key decision makers. If your business has a potentially good average value of sale, telemarketing is a good option for you.

So, pick up the phone and make that call. If you don’t, you could be missing out of a lot of valuable business. But don’t forget the other channels too as they have a place based on your target audience and what you offer. Telemarketing is alive and well and should be a part of your marketing mix if the value of sale allows a positive ROI.

GSA Business Development offer high quality B2B Telemarketing services. If you would like more information or to find out how telemarketing could help your business, please call 0845 658 8192.

Where are telemarketing callers going wrong?

2011-12-14T16:02:00.000Z

I received yet another desperately poor telemarketing call the other day.

‘Hello Mr Jonathan. How are you today?’

Now I accept that Delhi call centres may not be adept at knowing a first name from a surname. However, UK callers do know the difference. They also know that I know that that they aren’t genuinely interested in my welfare. Maybe next time, when asked ‘how are you today’ I will actually tell them and explain all of my ailments and the doctors’ visits over the past 5 years. Just like filling in a form for life insurance. That’ll stop em!

Why is it that so few callers are genuinely good on the phone?

Why do they insist on saying my name, asking me how I am and then launching straight into the classic ‘The reason for my call Mr Silverman is to introduce our products / services to you’. Do they not understand that I have neither the time nor inclination to listen to them warble on about their commoditised services for which I either have no need or already have a provider?

I run a lot of telemarketing training courses and it never ceases to amaze me the poor quality when it comes to the input for outbound calls. Now, I’m not saying it’s easy. Senior decision-makers are heavily guarded by sentries otherwise known as gatekeepers or PA’s. Yet, there seems to be a disconnect between what people respond to themselves and how they communicate when they are making a call.

So, how is it done? Well, there isn’t enough time before you get bored of my blog to include everything but here are a few quick tips for you to ponder and to help you and your team if you are making outbound calls. This is especially valid for b2b and to senior level decision makers.

If you’d like to know more, check out our knowledge bank and our training courses on telemarketing skills:

Define your objectives and make them realistic (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Based) for each campaign
Don’t procrastinate - Take action. Make a commitment to making the calls
Define your market carefully- What location, who is the decision-maker, what industries, are they buying, what size of company etc.
Gather or buy a good list – Make sure it is checked for opt outs and that the contact data is as fresh as possible
Define a good clear proposition – Why will the buyer buy from you? Why should they see you? What is your lever to get their interest?
Invest in your callers – If you’re not making the calls, do you give your callers the mushroom treatment? Do you leave them in the dark and feed them lots of cr*p? Make sure the calls are engaged and motivated.
Brief your callers well - Nothing beats a motivated and well briefed caller
Build rapport – Ask good questions. Listen. Use good language and tone.
Record & measure performance – Build good KPI’s and use a good system to record good notes and schedule follow ups. Monitor performance often.
Be patient – If the goal is to reach the MD of Tesco or the Finance Director of BT results won’t come immediately. Give the campaign time to work assuming that you have done the other factors above correctly.
Follow-Up – And keep doing so. Don’t stalk but make sure follow up emails, letters, literature and calls are made in a timely fashion.
Accept rejection - I love the quote below. There are lots of people that it has been attributed to. That doesn’t matter but the point is clear. Get used to rejection. The more you No’s you get on the phone, the closer you are to success.

"I was practicing in a bunker down in Texas and this good old boy with a big hat stopped to watch. The first shot he saw me hit went in the hole. He said, “You got 50 bucks if you knock the next one in.” I holed the next one. Then he says, “You got $100 if you hole the next one.” In it went for three in a row. As he peeled off the bills he said, “Boy, I’ve never seen anyone so lucky in my life.” And I shot back, “Well, the harder I practice, the luckier I get.”

If you’d like more information on tips and tricks for telemarketing success, please visit our knowledge bank and our training courses.

Telemarketing - Does Following Up Let You Down?

2011-07-21T09:56:00.000+01:00

From a telemarketing perspective I think it is fair to say that relatively few sales or appointments are made during our first contact with the decision maker.

More often than not they will want to look at some information about whatever it is you are promoting, either by post or in most cases by email and consider things, before committing. That’s great! No-one wants to travel a hundred miles to a meeting that has been forced as opposed to well qualified to discover it’s really just a cup of tea and biscuit type meeting with no chance of business.

The crucial element of this first call is agreeing a convenient time to call back and continue the conversation i.e. the FOLLOW UP.

Why so crucial??

Well, let’s imagine that you have made a great call, built rapport, presented your proposition well and the decision maker says ‘I’m really interested in this! Send me over those figures to have a look at and give me a call back on Thursday morning to look at getting a date in the diary to meet up’.

Fantastic job! Well done! You diarise the call for Thursday morning BUT, Thursday arrived and you get a little bit side tracked with other things so you push the call into Friday…………….and the PA tells you that her boss, your decision maker, is not in the office now until next Tuesday.

It may seem minor. Ok, so I missed a call but no worries I will catch up with him on Tuesday. However, what message does this convey to your prospect? You didn’t call when you promised. You let him down. He’s now wondering if this is a clue to how you do business in general and starts to think about tracking down one of your competitors about this great product!

Follow up is crucial!

If you agree a time / date to call back then put it in your diary and treat it as an essential meeting by phone that MUST take place. After all, you wouldn’t not bother to turn up to a face to face meeting or a scheduled call with your most lucrative customer would you? Well, the call you miss may well have turned out to be your new best customer!

So here are our top tips for follow up:

Make sure you keep good notes of the conversation so you can refer to it in the next call. This is especially true for any actions.
Make sure you have undertaken any actions from your first call promptly e.g. sent info, sent a follow-up meeting reminder in Outlook, checked their website or store. If you don’t you will be ill-prepared and could be caught out.
Call when you say you will. If they’re not there, leave a message on time. Then follow up again.

Telemarketing techniques - Tone, Pace and language...

2011-07-19T11:09:00.002+01:00

I have been running a lot of telemarketing training recently for a number of clients. It is always interesting to understand how companies approach cold calling. It’s fair to say that the following is still very much common:

How are you today? – A sure fire signal that you’re a telemarketer
I’m calling to introduce my company and our products to you – Oh no you’re not! I’m not interested in that. I’m busy!
I’m calling from XYZ company and we do this and this and this and this and this and this and ….. – Guaranteed to bore the pants off the recipient or get them to put the phone down.

Have you by any chance heard a prospect say the following to you recently? ‘You’re the 4th person this week to call me about that!’

Why is that?

Well, simply it’s because you’re saying the same things as everyone else and you’re as dull as everyone else. A telemarketing call and caller need to be:

Enthused, motivated and motivating for the recipient
Interesting
Quick to the point
Engaging
Confident and authoritative
Relevant
Compelling
Focused on the customer’s needs not your company’s products

This is a big subject and too big for this one blog. Hence, I wanted to focus briefly on three areas i.e. Tone, pace and good language.

Tone
Research shows that human communication is 55% visual, 38% tone and only 7% words. In other words, it aint what you say, it’s the way that you say it. Given that we lose the visual aspects on the phone, your tone now accounts for 84% of your impact. Are you dull and monosyllabic or engaging and passionate?

Pace

It is said that the average speaking voice is 140 words per minute in the West Country or on the South Coast that may drop to 80 and in Liverpool it could rise to 180. How do you think the prospect feels if they speak carefully and slowly yet you talk as if you’re spraying them with a fire hydrant? Pace is important to help you build rapport so listen carefully and try to match pace.

Language

Do you use strong words that convey conviction or wishy washy words that take the prospect nowhere? Use energising powerful words like huge, massive, significant, dramatic, ground-breaking to emphasise your credentials. That’s assuming you can justify it of course! So, you can say

We do a huge amount of work with…
We’ve done ground-breaking work with
We get a massive number of enquiries about…
Our clients tell us that our service is genuinely unique

You have very little time and the bulk of what you say is lost. Make your words count.

Language mirroring also supports rapport building. Don’t overdo it or they will think you are nuts or a stalker or both. But good use helps you develop that relationship. For example, some time ago, a prospect of mine said he couldn’t speak and asked me to give him a ‘tinkle’ the following Tuesday. When I called back I said ‘Hi John, it’s Jonathan from GSA. You asked me to give you a tinkle today.’

It sounds better to your prospects and makes them feel more comfortable as they will relate to you better and we all know that people still buy people.

So, make sure you are motivated. Ensure you convey authority and confidence. Use powerful evocative words. Match tone but make it ‘sound’ compelling. And watch your pace. If you couple this with good questions and active listening, you will achieve much more from your outbound calls.

Top 10 Tips on purchasing a good B2B marketing list.

2010-11-18T09:47:00.002Z

A lot of clients come to us and ask us how best to look for a good quality list for their outbound marketing activity. Below are some tips to help you consider what list might work for you and how you can go about it. A clean, well targeted and relevant list is a key asset to your business and feeds your new business activity. A good list is worth its weight in gold. Be very clear about who you want to contact to ensure you have the best targeted list you can get. Be prepared to refine your criteria along the way.

1. Who do you actually want to speak to?
• Sector – is your product or service sector specific or relevant to all business types?
•Company location – how far do you want to travel for a meeting?
• Employee size – do you want to target one man bands or global corporations?
• Turnover – are they likely to have the budget for your product or service? Does their turnover have an impact on purchase of your services?
• Which decision maker contact would be the best for you? Might your service be relevant for more than one decision maker role within each company?

2. Select a quality list provider or owner. Choose on reputation and relevance. If your target market is specialised you may want to consider contacting a relevant industry publication or association.

3. How clean is the data? Ask questions about how often the data is updated or cleaned. Ideally this should be not less frequently than 6 months. Most brokers won’t achieve this though, so do clarify. Don’t be surprised once you have the data that you find out that some of the information contained in it is out of date. Data decays at an alarming rate. What is up to date today will be out of date tomorrow. Continuous data cleansing is key to keeping your database up to date once you have it.

4. Don’t buy more than you need. Consider how many calls (or mailings) you will be reasonably able to make each day. Don’t buy hundreds or thousands of records then keep the data unused as it will be decaying every day. Some brokers allow you to purchase a segment of a list then come back and buy the rest at a later date.

5. Try before you buy. Ask for a sample of data before you buy to make sure your selections are right for you. Check the data for accuracy or make some calls to the sample data.

6. Know how you can use the data. Have you purchased the data ‘outright’ or under a licensing agreement?
• Single use records are cheaper to buy, but you can only make contact with them once.
• Multiple use records are slightly more expensive however allow you to call the contact as many times as you like up to the expiry date of your agreement which us usually 12 months.

It is worth remember that brokers will include ‘seed’ data that will alert them if you are breaching the terms of the licence.

7. Ask about a guarantee. Check if you can get a refund on gone-aways or really out of date records to protect you from poorly qualified lists that may have not been updated as regularly as you were expecting.

8. How much will it cost? Dependent on the complexity of the list, the licensing terms and data you want, you should expect to pay from 20p to 45p a record upwards. The basic cost of a record may not include the data you really want e.g. the phone number or email address. So ensure you get a full breakdown of costs before you buy.

9. Watch out for hidden costs. Watch out for minimum order charges, output or delivery charges or additional information about the company you don’t really need.

10. Keep it legal. Ensure you are fully aware of your legal obligations if you are embarking on telemarketing campaign. Businesses can ‘opt-out’ of receiving unsolicited sales calls using the CTPS (Corporate Telephone Preference Service). You don’t want to run into problems with data protection, so ask the list provider if they screen their list and only buy ‘good to call records. If they don’t screen themselves, you’ll need to screen the list yourself. There are several easy and free online tools to do this. Either way, legally you need to screen for opt-outs every 28 days to comply with legislation or risk a hefty fine.

Already have a list or database but concerned about its validity or cleanliness? Ask us about our data services which include List Validation, Data cleansing, Opt-out screening and List compilation / profiling.

Find out how GSA Business Development can help Generate Growth for your Business, by contacting us now on 0845 658 8192 or by sending us an email.

Telemarketing technique - prospects asking for more information

2010-08-20T16:58:00.007+01:00

A typical request when doing telemarketing is ‘can you send me more information by email / post?’ But what’s the response to this request? To send or not to send? To challenge them or not? There is a fine line to be drawn between:

1. Sending information when people ask for it at the drop of a hat
2. Being overly precious and pushing a prospect hard before agreeing to send it.

I believe that there isn’t a simple answer despite the fact that some sales techniques will very much push you to taking a stance based on number 2 above.

There is certainly a strong case to be made for valuing your business, time and materials. That suggests that you shouldn’t simply send info out when requested.

That thought process is valid not least when often (a) you can’t get hold of the person when you call back as promised (b) when you do reach them they say they haven’t read it and give you the run around every time you call and (c) they say they didn’t receive it and can you send it again??

So is there a middle ground? We believe there is. Some aspects are about using appropriate techniques and others relate to recognising that people are busy and you may want your company information in front of prospects when it is appropriate and timely for them.

Our view is that mostly it is about rapport. It is equally about ensuring that the seller’s reputation is enhanced rather than damaged. It is definitely about engagement and building rapport before adopting Option 2 above if this is what’s required.

It is also absolutely about making sure in advance that the company and individual you are talking to are appropriate target prospects for your business.

There is of course the inherent danger with sending information that once you give prospects the information, and you follow up with a call you will be told, "We looked at the information, and we aren't interested." You therefore risk providing them with the info that you wanted to discuss with them face to face and them making a summary decision without all of the facts to hand.

Our view is that we shouldn’t judge the request on its own without considering other factors.

In the first instance the purpose of the call should be clear and the proposition compelling. There should ideally be a strong call to action. Arguably, the reason why a prospect feels compelled to ask for more info is because the proposition isn’t interesting enough to warrant a face to face meeting. However, let’s say that they are simply rushed and under pressure but will have some time at another time to review something they receive in the post or by email. I accept that this isn’t always likely.

One option is to say that, rather than send info that isn’t tailored to their needs (assuming that’s possible) you will call back at a more convenient time. That seems to make sense. However, given the difficulty of reaching decision-makers in the first place, it may be better to strike while the iron is hot by sending something for that follow-up call.

Another approach is to be much more forceful. For example you might say "I'm sorry john. We have a policy about not sending out literature. I only see people in person."

The theory is that if they don't respect the way you do business, then so be it. At least you haven't wasted your time and energy on someone who was never going to turn into a client

I’m not sure I agree with this one for three main reasons.

It is an aggressive approach (albeit it can be softened by tone and style). Cold prospects are unlikely to respond to such an assertive stance
Most businesses are commoditised nowadays and there is less and less differentiation. So why should they see you and absorb their precious time rather than assess what you have first?
If you have correctly defined your target market, and they already have a supplier of your services and they are not due for change, it will be important to engage with them in advance of the need or next change of supplier. Your collateral (including a link to your website) should be therefore compelling enough to encourage them to retain it for the future and it should be a memory jog for the ‘agreed’ follow-up call.

Now I’m not saying again that you definitely must send information. There is a danger that this removes the need to meet. I’m just saying that you need to assess the situation in terms of:

What you’re selling (e.g. is it complex or simple, differentiated or unique etc)
The rapport you’ve generated on the phone before the request
Their perceived level of interest and enthusiasm when the prospect asks for the information
Whether the request is a condition for a meeting

So, this is where the skill of the telemarketer comes in. When someone asks for more information, does it sound like "I'm genuinely interested by what you’ve told me so far, please tell me more" or more of a "yeah, by all means send me some info but I probably won’t get to it because I have other priorities"?

In an ideal world, any info you send out needs to be tailored. To tailor it, you need to ask questions which again in an ideal world could be asked at a meeting. So once again, a meeting is preferable.

However, if that isn’t possible, ask questions about how the information will be used and why it is desired and also when they will review it and importantly on that basis when you can call back to discuss it. Don’t be afraid to say something like ‘that’s fine John, happy to send some info over. Can I ask, what in particular would you like more information on?’

It’s important to engage. So you might use something like "I'd love to send you some information John, but we have all kinds of stuff, can you tell me a bit more specifically what you would like to know?’

And also ‘that’s great. I’ll send it over. Oh and I hope you don’t mind me asking John but some people I talk to are uncomfortable about telling me that they’re not really interested so they tend to ask for information. That’s not happening here is it?’

If they say it isn’t the case, then you are on more secure ground to say ‘great, so if I call you back on Tuesday, you will have had the chance to review it and we can talk about getting together’

Whatever you do, don’t submerge your prospective client with information. The more you send the less the need to meet. So take great care to put together something that whets their appetite and ideally provokes them to call back for a meeting.

Visit our website for the Top 10 Tips to deal with requests for further information. Or for more hints, tips and help with telemarketing, please visit our Knowledge Bank.

12 cold calling mistakes and how to avoid them

2010-08-04T15:59:00.006+01:00

1. Target anyone

“We can work with anyone” is a bad approach to any new business strategy. Define your audience. Which sectors or industries? Identify the decision-maker. Who purchases your products or services? Who signs the cheque? Who could be a champion in the organisation to promote you to those people? Get these things right and you are on the right road.

2. Portfolio selling

It is difficult to sell anything to anyone. If you’re an accountant, most prospects know you do management accounts, VAT, Tax, Payroll, Audit and so on. But what is the purpose for the call today? They don’t want to listen to the same old tosh about all the services you offer. They want to hear something of interest. So consider the sector and their primary needs and what headline service(s) you want to promote to that sector.

3. Bland proposition
Everyone has competition. So differentiating your business isn’t easy. The fact that you’re a great PR agency that gets great coverage, has great relations with journalists and you’re great to deal with is well er great. But, in bigger organisations, it’s likely that your prospect already has an agency that ticks the same boxes and they are contracted. So, think about it from their point of view. Why should they see you? Why should they see you now? What issues do they have that you can resolve. Do you have specialist knowledge that they need? Give them a compelling reason to see you.

4. Poor briefing
If someone else is making the calls, don’t give them the mushroom treatment by keeping them in the dark and feeding them sh*t. Work with them. Brief them thoroughly and regularly and make them part of your team. Give them snippets, case studies, reference points, changes in regulations, client testimonials and so on that support their calls. Also, don’t ask them to do 100 other things and still make calls. Focus them on the calls and you will see the results.

5. Make too few calls
Whatever your business, in lead generation momentum is a fundamental success factor. You need to make enough calls and have enough ‘No’s’ to get your ‘Yeses’. So, pick up the phone and commit to making some calls. Set aside quiet time and make sure you do this consistently.

6. Scripted calls
A lot of argument rages about scripted calls. Every call needs some degree of consistency. It’s important that the intro is consistent so the telemarketer gets into a rhythm. Also, so that the message is consistent. But how many calls have you received with ‘How are you Today?’ followed by a totally scripted approach. If the value of sale and caller skill is low then maybe that works but in high value sales you need to engage with your decision-makers. So build a call structure. Compile some key open questions to get the dialogue flowing. And make sure the caller is confident and knows their stuff so they can properly engage with the people they are talking to.

7. Failure to track and measure
Whether you use Outlook, Excel, a diary, a Blackberry or a shiny CRM system, you need to be able to track and measure. Systems support cold calling success as they enable you to record information and set reminders as well as to track key performance indicators. How many calls per hour? How many sales per day? How many call-backs scheduled for next week? How many calls needed per sale? And so on. Without a method for recording information, you can’t manage and measure and improve. So think about how you track and measure the success of your calls.

8. No notes
How will you remember a conversation that you had with a prospect 6 months ago. It’s unlikely you will keep a note pad that long and be able to find the relevant notes. Notes help you build rapport. They help you to use the language the prospect uses next time you speak to them. It triggers positive feelings and points of reference especially if the last time you spoke to the person they were going on holiday or just got married or had just implemented a new system. Avoid taking notes at your peril. It is a fundamental part of good technique. But don’t type while listening! They can hear you.

9. Uninterested caller
There isn’t much more irritating than speaking to someone whether face to face or on the phone and you can hear that their heart isn’t in it. Passion is crucial and it’s more important in many ways than the proposition and the words you say. If the caller is enthusiastic, engaging and has conviction, the chances of achieving a result are magnified.

10. Lack of follow up
Nothing hurts new business lead generation more than lack of momentum and follow-up. You need to make enough calls to speak to enough people to get enough No’s to achieve your success. However, many prospects genuinely aren’t in the market now. They may ask for more info (accepting that this is often a way of getting you off the phone) or a call back next week, month, year. Too many sales people fail to send info out when requested and, more importantly, fail to call back when they say. Lead generation is a process and you need to call back when requested especially if you have developed rapport. Voicemail, gatekeepers, poor data, holidays, meetings and so on all stand in your way. So the only way to achieve success in calling is to keep calling at the time you say you will. And send information out. A contact told me recently that they had a prospect call him following a mailer he sent in 2006 that she had kept on file!

11. Expect the earth without foundation
If you’re not where you want to be in terms of new business, there is probably a reason for that. So set your expectations accordingly. That doesn’t mean settling for mediocrity or poor performance. However, think about the factors above and what success should look like. If you already have blue-chip clients and a unique service that saves tons of money for clients you are likely to get more opportunities than a start-up with no credentials in a crowded market. So utilize the factors above to turn things in your favour but set realistic expectations and be patient.

12. Giving up too soon
You have to measure the success of all of your marketing activities. If you are doing outbound calling and you can see that a pipeline is building with warm contacts that have expressed an interest, don’t stop. That doesn’t mean continue ad infinitum but, based on evidence (see points 7 and 8 above) to support continuation, make sure you work through the cycle. If it isn’t working, by all means make some changes. However, it may be that budgets are planned in September so a call in April may be too soon. On the other hand, a call in April may sow the seeds and enable the calls in September to be targeted and more productive. So, make sure you use the tools at your disposal, measure and track success and don’t give up too soon.

For more hints, tips and ideas please visit our website or contact us to discuss your lead generation activity.

Commission Based Remuneration

2010-06-04T17:39:00.005+01:00

The topic of commission-based remuneration has recently increasingly raised its head (see my previous blog on this subject). The argument is that sales people ought to be confident in themselves and thus should be prepared to share in the risk.

This is interesting. The issue of risk sharing is often, in my experience, misinterpreted as the sales or marketing company should take all of the risk. So what should the basis be for a reward based incentive for new business development?

I feel that first we should consider traditional marketing strategy. What are the key questions a sales person and their client / company need to consider before deciding whether an entirely commission based basis is workable?

How well do you know your market?

Is the market growing or contracting?
Are customers buying?
Are there many competitor players?
What do they offer?
What are the issues / challenges that potential clients need to resolve?
What are your primary segments?
What is the location (international, nationwide, local)?
Who are the budget holders and decision-makers?
Do you have a qualified list of names decision-makers that the sales person can use?
Are you targeting lapsed customers? Is it as a result of gathering leads from an exhibition etc?
How large is the pool to fish in? Are there a lot of targets to aim at or is this a niche?

Does your product / service have a competitive advantage?

How does your product or service measure up? Is it innovative or commoditised and me too? Have you established what solutions it provides that clients need?

What is the value of sale?

What likely value of sale is likely to result from a sales visit or call?
Does the value of sale lend itself to a sales call or visit or is this better done via online channels, email marketing or direct mail?

What is the likely reward to the sales person or outsourced agency?

What percentage are you prepared to give away based on the value of sale?
Is it a one-off payment or does it continue as long as they're a client?

How accessible is the market?

Are you targeting new markets within which you have experience?
Is the product an innovation?
Is the market ready for your service or product?
Do you have a track record?

What support are you giving the sales effort?

What sales tools are at their disposal to open doors?
Are you well known in the market or a relative newcomer or minnow?
Are you undertaking parallel marketing activity such as advertising, PR or exhibitions?

What is the likely gestation period between contact and sale?

Typically what length is the sales cycle?

Do you have something to say?

Does the sales force have ammunition in terms of proposition that they can use to engage potential buyers or is it a numbers game?

How prepared are you?

How many of the factors above are in place?
Has the sales team been properly briefed on all of the key points and selling benefits?
Do you know likely objections and have you defined objection breakers and arguments to counteract this? Have you provided your sales team with these?

How realistic and flexible are you?

If the above points aren't aligned, how flexible are you in terms of perhaps considering another route such as a hybrid remuneration basis or a trial period on a fee basis? Once you've established likely trends, reception, timings and so on, you can then review the status and move to a more commission-based incentive.

You can see that there are lots of factors to consider before assessing whether a commisison-only solution might work. Sadly, there are many companies that only want this option and many sales people that perhaps don't value highly enough what they do. It is about win-win. The company wants performance and the sales resource wants support and commitment. If a sales team (in-house or outsource) finds that the points above don't work then it is likely that any commission-based relationship won't work or won't work for long. There's also the issue of reputational damage to the company, service or product if the sales person becomes more desperate to seal the deal.

So consider the above factors and make the process work for you.

Top 10 Tips for a successful research survey

2010-06-03T16:40:00.004+01:00

Taking on a research project or survey to your client, customer or membership base may seem a little daunting. Understanding customers’ needs drives satisfaction, customer retention and stimulates new business opportunities.
Our Top 10 Tips will help you avoid some of the most common pitfalls when conducting such a project.

1. Only measure stuff you can use

What are you going to do with the information you gather? It may be tempting to ask all sorts of questions, but don’t bore the respondent by asking stuff that would just be nice to know, when you can’t really use the information to good effect.

2. Use the appropriate methodology

Don’t use focus groups to measure awareness when the same money would get you a statistically valid sample, e.g. through online or phone interviews. Focus groups are very fashionable, but online surveys (properly conducted) can be used very effectively for branding research, pricing, pack designs – they can be set up and complete quickly and are very cost-effective.

3. Avoid self-selecting samples

A face to face survey in the High Street may be good if you want to gather the views of shoppers – but are you missing all those people who prefer to shop online?

4. Mind your language!

Make sure people understand the questions you’re asking. Often surveys, even from large companies who really ought to know better, include questions that are completely incomprehensible. Don’t use jargon or buzz words unnecessarily.

5. Give people the option

Too often, surveys are put together asking people to choose from a range of options – if the appropriate options are not there, or you don’t give an “other” option – you’ll get wrong information. This is especially important if you insist on people answering a question before moving on (as in many badly designed online surveys). Effectively you’re making the respondent lie in order to complete the survey. Which is not terribly helpful.

6. Don’t think you need a sample of thousands

Many clients ask for a sample of 1,000 or more. This is rarely necessary unless you need very comprehensive segmentation and makes your survey potentially expensive. With a representative sample of around 400 you can be 95% confident that your answers are accurate to within 5%. With a sample of 200 you’ll still be accurate to within less than 7%.

7. Focus frenzy

Lots of clients think a focus group is the answer. Often it is, but focus groups are useful for generating ideas and allowing discussions. Don’t use a focus group to get views which can be gathered elsewhere or where the answers are relatively simple. You may be distorting the results by asking your respondents to spend too much time considering something which they would not ordinarily spend much time thinking about.

8. Don’t lead the witness

Be careful how you word your questions – Don’t ask “Will you tell your friends how fabulous this is?” when actually the question should be “Would you be likely to recommend this to your friends?”

9. Lies, damned lies and statistics

It’s easy to be misled by the numbers. Correlation calculations will often show a relationship between two sets of data – but this does not necessarily mean one is caused by the other. They may both be caused by another factor entirely.

10. Mind your manners

Offer an incentive for taking part wherever it’s appropriate to do so. Apart from boosting your response rate, it’s just rude not to when you’re asking people to give up their time to help you. Make sure your incentive is not likely to skew your sample – for example, if you offer one of your products free, you may find you only get responses from people who like your product. All those who don’t like it and would have given useful insight won’t be interested and won’t give you the feedback you really need.

For more tips, visit our knowledge bank at http://www.getsoundadvice.com/

Contact us on: 0845 658 8192 or email newbusiness@getsoundadvice.co.uk

www.twitter.com/gsabizdev

The 3 most important tools in telemarketing

2010-05-25T18:06:00.007+01:00

I am often asked what makes a good telemarketing campaign and what the results should be. The reality is that the results vary dependent upon your business. They also vary based on the type of campaign e.g. it's much easier to gauge likely results if the calls are part of a 'call centre' type campaign where there is often a high volume of scripted calls to sell a simple solution to a fixed audience. But what if the calls are to senior level decision-makers in big companies? What makes the difference and how can we enhance success?

Here are my 3 principles for successful telemarketing. I call them the 3 'R's. They are the key tools you need to develop when making calls to pitch high quality services. These key elements are:

Relevance
Rapport
Reward

Relevance
By relevance, I mean that you should really think about who is your target audience. Who is the decision-maker? Who buys your kind of services? What do they respond to? What have you got in your armoury that they might need or want? How can you position what you're saying to stimulate interest? What's your 'elevator pitch?'

There is nothing more powerful than something that's relevant and succinct. And don't forget that this goes for the gatekeeper too. He or she must also be seduced by what you have to offer. The more relevant it is for their business, company or role the better the likely result.

And don't forget to select an audience and list that is relevant or you risk shooting at the wrong target!

Rapport
Relevance supports rapport in that you're talking about something of interest to the decision-maker. In addition to this, it's also about how you say what you say and also what you say. Body language is the most potent communication method but you lose this on the phone. So you're left with tone and words. Be passionate and engaging about what you say. Use pace and tone to emphasise what you are saying but don't forget to listen to what your prospect says. Repeat back their language. Use evocative and engaging ways to describe your service and what you've done for other companies in their industry. Smile while you're on the phone. If you're flat, they won't engage. So use your mouth and your ears and build rapport using a well honed proposition relevant for them.

Reward
What's in it for me is a common term used for the sales process. It is true. The person on the other end of the phone is under pressure. They are being pressurised by their boss, shareholders, stakeholders, customers, difficult employees, the bank manager, their kids and their spouse. Your call is an interruption. So why should they bother? Find the 'what's in it for me?' and 'why should I see you / buy from you NOW?' and you will be more successful on the phone. Is it pain or gain? Do you take something away from them that is bugging them (e.g. cost) or enhance something (e.g. productivity)? Pain is more potent but whatever it is, you need to find a reward for them that makes them want to engage. Does what you offer make them look good in front of their boss or help them do their job better / faster etc? Whatever it is, the quicker you tap into this the more likely the success.

For more tips, visit our knowledge bank at www.getsoundadvice.com
Contact us on: 0845 658 8192 or email newbusiness@getsoundadvice.co.uk
www.twitter.com/gsabizdev

Is Email marketing dead?

2010-05-20T14:47:00.002+01:00

I responded to a post on a forum today that suggested email marketing is old hat and possibly dead.

Let me start by saying that I am neither an advocate nor someone that feels it is a negative means of marketing.

I accept that it is primarily a volume exercise and you need to test what works in terms of creative execution and have a strong call to action. I also accept that the quality of the list is paramout. The more personalised the email addresses and the communication the better. And measurement is crucial.

However, there's no right or wrong here. Email isn't dead or old hat in the same way as direct mail isn't dead. It is a case of considering the audience and what that audience responds to. Conventional marketing / advertising wisdom suggests that two things come into play when targeting i.e. coverage and frequency. Simply put, how many of your targets see your communication how many times. The more of both the better. Therefore, if you can get a bona fide email list with consent (preferably one you've built from web or other sign ups) there is no reason why you shouldn't use it to supplement other forms of marketing communication. Remember relevance. If the email doesn't hit the spot, people will unsubscribe and you could damage your image.
Also, don't forget personalised emails after a meeting or ad hoc. I just sent one of my clients an email with a link that I gleaned via twitter. The link relates 100% to what they offer and is pertinent to a current campaign. No-one could argue that my email is unwelcome, not timely and not relevant.

So, like all other marketing methods, think about your audience carefully and what works best for them..

Jonathan Silverman
http://www.getsoundadvice.com/
0845 658 8192
Follow me on Twitter

Marketing planning for small businesses

2010-05-16T12:28:00.007+01:00

I often meet small businesses that are busy doing the day job and that are struggling to focus on what will bring them new business. Business experts often say 'fail to plan and you're planning to fail'. But what to do? We all need a plan but we don't necessarily need to over-complicate. So, here are our top 7 tips for simple new business development planning for small businesses:

Understand your market - What is happening in your marketplace? Are there any issues or changes upon which you can concentrate? Is the market growing and do customers have the money and appetite to invest?

Understand your competitors - What are they offering? How do they position what they offer? What are their fees and fee structure? Do they offer any guarantees? How are they different to you?

What works in your market? - What activity have you done to generate business that has worked in the past? What are others doing?

Who is the target? - What sector(s)? Who is the decision-maker for what you sell? What size of company? Where are they located? Is the market you're going for viable e.g. do you have the requisite experience and credentials?

What marketing options do you have? - There are many options but what works best and what suits your budget? What low cost methods can you employ e.g. networking, events, blogs, word of mouth, Linkedin? Where do your targets go for information that you can provide?

What are you offering? You may have a range of services. Which services suits which customer groups? Do you sell everything to everyone or need to focus certain things on certain customer types?

What is your proposition? - What differentiates you? Why should potential new customers engage with you or buy from you? What's in it for them?

For more information on tips and tools for small business visit our knowledge bank or call us on 0845 658 8192 or email newbusiness@getsoundadvice.co.uk. http://www.getsoundadvice.com/

Top 10 Mistakes That KILL New Business Presentations

2010-05-10T18:22:00.002+01:00

This is an interesting article on the issues that work against you when making new business presentations. We work hard with our clients on new business strategy and to generate new business appoointments for them. We are ecstatic when they win new business. There's no doubt that attention to these elements of the new business pitch would support more new business wins.

Top 10 Mistakes That KILL New Business Presentations

Posted using ShareThis

Planning for Business Networking Success

2010-05-07T08:19:00.000+01:00

Why Do It?

Face to face networking is one of the cheapest and most effective forms of promotion for your business. We are all networkers since it is about relationships and, thankfully, people still buy people. Clients recommend you if you’ve done a good job. Rarely do they do so if they don’t like you as well as value your service and what you’ve delivered. Hence, it is about relationships.

Large businesses as well as small ones should consider networking as a fundamental part of the promotion of their business. Back-scratching has been going on forever and it is still valid today. But don’t forget, networking is two-way and is based on relationships.

Wikipedia describes business networking as:

“A marketing method by which business opportunities are created through networks of like-minded business people. There are several prominent business networking organizations that create models of networking activity that, when followed, allow the business person to build new business relationship and generate business opportunities at the same time”.

Hence, it’s about building rapport and trust before you get business. Hunters sometimes roam networking events touting their wares. We’ve all met them and few people respond to them. Therefore, ask yourself the question. Are you currently a hunter or a gatherer in a networking context? Be prepared to give first in order to receive. That possibly even includes sharing some of your skills and secrets with others. Make others want to come to you for advice and support, Make yourself an introducer and facilitator. Help those you meet to get what they want and they will want to reciprocate.

4Networking is a networking organisation that suggests four stages i.e. Meet, Like, Know and Trust.

Business Networking International, the largest in the world, talks about givers gain. Thus, consider these principles when you consider your networking strategy.

So, where should you go networking?

Often, in large organisations, most networking tends to be at industry events. It’s a chance to meet peers and contacts (often with a view to career enhancement!). But, this can also lead to excellent opportunities to unearth new suppliers and customers.

With SME’s, networking is often done through organisations like those mentioned above and it’s where smaller local businesses gather. However, that is not always the case and Chamber of Commerce, IOD and other regional events often have larger organisations and regional branches in attendance.

Don’t forget the opportunity to network at exhibitions, industry conferences, workshops, seminars, external training courses and awards ceremonies. These are all potential avenues. Even formal meetings with suppliers, agencies and institutions can be opportunities to develop relationships. If most of your business comes from the retail sector, find out what events and opportunities exist in that area.

Also, don’t totally dismiss things like school, church, social and sports clubs and other more social gatherings. I had an opportunity to quote recently on a marketing project for a large healthcare company based on chatting with a squash opponent. Please don’t consider these as sales opportunities in an aggressive manner though. Remember what they are. However, I have certainly gained opportunities by chatting with people in a more relaxed environment by asking questions about them.

So, don’t just focus on the formalised networking activities. Every outing is a potential to network so be ready in terms of cards and anything else you might need. Dependent on the type of activity, I may have my cards (which detail what services we offer on the back!) or a presenter detailing our services and approach in case I get into a more detailed discussion.

A word if you work in larger organisations. Remember other departments have people with whom you can network. They have contacts that could potentially be valuable so don’t forget to get to know colleagues outside of your area.

Don’t just think about sales

Networking isn’t just about getting new business. It could also help you amongst other things to:

Reduce your costs through new suppliers
Provide better service for a client by recommending others
Gain bigger clients through working in collaboration with networking contacts
Generating additional income if appropriate by taking a margin on other’s services
Improve your knowledge on a subject through new ideas or formal events
Find resellers for your service
Find new employees.
Get feedback on your services and reputation.
Learn about the competition.
Understand your marketplace better.
Test new ideas on others.

But it is a new business route

Ultimately, most people network because it brings opportunities for new business. Small businesses especially rely on networking due to the inability to afford large marketing budgets. Therefore, like other channels, you need a strategy. Remember that networking is to some extent:

A numbers game where you meet people and filter those that you want to meet again and do business with.
A way to build a pipeline of both prospects and useful contacts.
A means of creating warmer leads than other marketing channels as you can use your personality.
Gives you an opportunity to up-weight your profile amongst your peers and gives them someone to view as an expert

What’s the best strategy to employ?

First, consider your circumstances. How much time can you afford? Where are you located? When would you like to network? Morning, afternoon or evening? What style of networking suits you? Do you want a broad networking group or industry specific? All have merits and disadvantages.

Do your research. Consider where the best groups might be for you and visit them. You can normally visit 2 or 3 times at the formal networking groups before having to join. Choose wisely since it can become expensive and not feasible to attend every single group.

Really concentrate when you meet people. How often have you met someone and forgotten their name almost immediately. Take their business card. Look at it and try to use their name early so it embeds e.g. ‘that’s interesting Mary. I had a similar situation…’

Set yourself goals, such as making three good network contacts at an event. If it’s a formal networking event, listen carefully to people’s presentations and then decide who you want to chat with. After the formal bit, go and talk to them.

Importantly, you must remember that it is not just about increasing your own network. You can become a link to introduce other people if you know them and also take details for your clients or suppliers. That way you are being a gatherer and people will think highly of you for thinking of them. It may not have any immediate benefit for you, but they say what goes around comes around and they will feel more positively inclined to look out for leads for you if they feel you are supporting them. The more you become a resource, the more people will come to you.

Ask open-ended questions (e.g. how do you do that? Why is that the case? What does that mean for you?) that require more than a simple yes or no for an answer. Remember to listen to the answers! Use your two ears rather than one mouth. People love to talk about themselves so listen to them. Don’t let them monopolise you but avoid the temptation to butt in or only talk about yourself. If it is getting boring, politely move on. I find that a simple sentence such as ‘John, it has been really interesting talking to you, I guess we need to do some more networking’ generally doesn’t attract any disapproval and allows you to move on. If you genuinely plan to meet up again, don’t forget to say ‘let’s chat next week and get together for a coffee’ before you leave.

Prepare

Do your research about the event and the people you’ll be meeting. What kind of an event is it? Remember that you are there to network so go with an objective in mind. If the guest list is available, take a look and decide who you want to network with. Find them or ask others if they can point them out.

If you are uncomfortable networking, the more you prepare the better. Consider what makes your business different and what makes it better than others. Find a good opening line and practice. Sadly, few people really listen and you have limited time to make an impact. So, not only research attendees and seek them out, also, think about what you want to say to them. For example:

Your opening line could reference recent work that you suspect that they may be interested in
You could reference a competitor or some industry issue e.g. new regulations
Ask them a pertinent question

The main thing is to find an immediate frame of reference. I like to ask them to kick off. A simple ‘nice to meet you, what do you do?’ normally suffices for me. I then like to consider very quickly what my frame of reference might be based on their answer. But do remember, this isn’t meant to be some Machiavellian ploy or plot. It is intended to allow them and you to find common ground and enjoy the chat to unearth potential opportunities at a later stage in a future conversation.

If you have difficulty in situation such as these, consider getting some coaching. Even if you are a coach, that doesn’t necessarily mean you area good networker! So watch and listen to others and how they do it.

Follow-up

The method of follow-up is changing. Always follow up on business cards you’ve collected as well as referrals and suggestions. Not every one will pan out, but the people who network best are the ones who follow up. Collecting business cards isn’t even half the job!

I find that the phone is by far the most important tool for follow-up and for new business generally. Calling good contacts after the event and meeting for coffee is crucial. It shows you were genuinely interested. Make sure you then utilise tools such as Linkedin to maintain contact. Be careful not to simply add people to your mailing list or newsletter if you haven’t asked them or genuinely developed a relationship. But do make sure you don’t simply hoard cards. I send Linkedin invitations immediately after the event.

The final element to consider is social networking. The purpose of this document isn’t to promote social networking per se. However, it would be foolish to ignore this. Linkedin has a huge number of groups and forums as do networking organisations such as 4Networking. Don’t forget to use these and to contribute to discussions and forums. Engage with people especially those you meet offline. Use online networking to enhance your personal network and find opportunities to meet at events in order to embed the relationships. Use online as a means to embed and enhance the relationship and vice versa.

If you follow these tips, then networking will be more enjoyable and more profitable!

Networking checklist

1. Recognise that networking is marketing for your business.

It is important to consider networking as a channel or route to market for your business. Don’t think of it as something separate to work or somewhere from where you have to rush away to ‘get back to work’. People buy people. They do business with, and refer business to, those people they like and trust.

Business Networking is therefore about finding other business people where there is common ground and with whom you can build relationships. Do not expect immediate payback. Networking takes time and effort. Consider how much time you can devote and focus that time. Be realistic. Don’t expect to turn up at an event or stick your profile on a social networking site and come away with business. Networking has ‘work’ at its heart and you need to consider it as work.

2. Plan your approach

It is often said that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. This is also true for networking.

Consider what you want from networking. Are you looking for suppliers as well as customers? How much time do you want to devote to networking? How much business would warrant your attendance every week or month? What would represent success?

Who do you want to network with? What kind of businesses would be most likely to pass referrals or business to you? Consider where these people might go to network and go to visit these types of groups, events and activities.

Don’t forget that it isn’t just formal groups. You have lots of options not least including:

The IOD
Chamber of Commerce
BNI, 4Networking
Other local groups
Events, exhibitions, conferences and the like
Industry forums and conferences
Social and sports clubs and home activities
Online forums like eCademy and Linkedin that have spin-off groups

Consider what your target market is. What are the problems you solve for them? What’s new in your sector? How can you be a provider of information and knowledge for contacts?

At each event, have a look at the attendee list, if available, and plan who you’d like to speak to. If you don’t know them, ask the organisers on the day or other people you know who might know them.

It goes without saying that you should bring with you sufficient cards to cater for the type of event. Some ask you to pass your cards around the attendees. Some do speed networking sessions. Others are more reserved and you won’t need so many.

Bring a small notebook if you want to jot down important things or if your memory isn’t as good as it was. Use the back of people’s cards if you want to note specific points relating to them.

3. Who do you know already in your sphere of influence?

Ask their advice. Where do they go? Who do they know? Network with them on and offline. Provide useful information for them. This could be colleagues, friends, customers and suppliers. Invest time to foster these relationships. Meet them and identify what you can do to help them. Ask them who they can introduce you to.

4. Participate

If you are serious about networking, elevate your profile by participating. Become involved in the network. Take a role on a committee to increase your visibility. Give talks or presentations on a subject you feel comfortable with. Volunteer for things. The chances are that the more visible and supportive you are, the more your peers will come to you and find ways to support and refer you to others. Be a giver not a taker.

5. Talk less and listen more – Don’t judge

Use your ears more than your mouth. By all means give input and advice and impart knowledge. But know when to do so. Listen to others and they will trust you and refer you more.

Whilst there must be a limit, people love talking about themselves so try to listen to them. That way you can find out their needs. If you’re stuck with a bore that doesn’t ask you any questions, consider a time limit and then nicely say that you both need to do some more networking and it would be unfair to hog each other’s time.

I was recently given some good advice by a friend. I asked him what his best tip for networking was. He said “Don't judge a book by its cover - you never know who he or she might be or what influence they might have"

He went on to explain that recently he had the ‘misfortune’ to be standing next to a scruffy unpleasant guy who he didn’t particularly like the look of. Apparently, no-one else wanted to engage with him as they all left him quite quickly and my friend found himself alone with this chap. He told me that he stayed quiet and listened. After quite some time with the person talking about himself, my friend asked him what he did for a living. He was Head of Purchasing for a very large household name international food company.

6. Avoid the temptation to over-sell

Related to the point above but this is where you become the bore. We’ve all been to events where we’re stuck with someone who talks about ‘me me me’ and doesn’t ask any questions. Don’t become that person. Develop a healthy interest in others. Ask good open questions. When asked about your business, by all means answer but make it interesting for the other person. And don’t drone on and on. Practice what you want to say to describe your business and make it so that they want to hear more.

Personally, I don’t give my card out to everyone I meet. I like to give it some value. So I will wait until the conversation has developed and I can ideally identify someone or something of use for the other person. Once I’m able to do this I will ask for their card. I will only offer mine if they ask for mine. This makes sure that most cards I get are valid and that I don’t spray my cards about for them to end up in the bin.

7. Follow up

This is often the most overlooked factor in networking. How often have you looked in a drawer to find a mound of cards from past networking events? It is to some extent a numbers game and not all contacts will become lifeline friends or associates. However, networking is similar to sales in that you need to build your network and it is about numbers to a point.

So, take the cards and details of those you really enjoyed meeting. Jot down on the card the date and location where you met them. Make contact by phone or email within a few days and set up a time for coffee or another chat to solidify what you discussed at the event. Invite them on Linkedin, Facebook or eCademy.

Don’t let the work you put in at the event go to waste especially with those you found interesting.

8. Communicate with your network

This is often forgotten. Follow-up should be ongoing. Once again, you can’t do this for everyone. However, online channels now allow you to communicate more regularly with people you’ve met. Nothing substitutes for face to face or a call. However, that isn’t always practical. Therefore, use online networking tools to keep in touch. Groups such as 4N have online forums. If you’ve written something ‘genuinely’ useful and interesting, send people a note via an online group or direct by email. Point people at your blog. It is important to keep on the radar of your contacts without swamping spamming or stalking them. Networking is also a filtering process by which you develop strong relationships with some and periodic relationships with others. These are enhanced each time you meet again.

Use online networking tools to build your network and to maintain contact.

9. Work for your network

The philosophy of BNI is ‘givers gain’. You might change this to what goes around comes around. Ultimately, you want to be the person that people come to for advice and contacts. Therefore, consider who you can recommend. Who can you connect others to? Strong networkers are generally those that give a lot. They then receive in return. Re-tweet their tweets. Forward a link to their blogs. Make a recommendation / testimonial of their work. Refer them to people looking for their services. Call your personal contacts and suggest they meet your best networking contacts.

You don’t have to become a networking junkie or zealot to make networking work for you. But you do have to remember to be a gatherer not a hunter.

10. Go back for more

As I mentioned at the outset, networking is work. It isn’t a one hit thing. Find the networking opportunities that work best for you and fit your style. If you’re too tired in the morning, go to an evening event. If you’re tired after a long day, try a lunch. Consider location too. If you’re outside London and the event is in London, decide whether you can afford the time. However, set your goals and decide and commit to whatever you do. Networking is a discipline and something you have to continue with. Make it part of your sales and marketing strategy and it will work for you.

Senior-level telemarketing success factors

2010-03-31T15:40:00.006+01:00

We are often asked what the most important things are when clients want to undertake a telemarketing campaign.

We have therefore detailed below some high-level thoughts and top planning tips for you to consider when planning a new business campaign by phone.

We find that there is often a lot of focus given to the skills of the telemarketer and often hear about various techniques bandied about and that it is down to having a good telemarketer who loves to talk, to get on the phone and to close sales.

It is a 'given' that you need a quality well trained unscripted person on the telephone especially when making calls at senior decision-maker level. However, whilst the quality of the person making the calls is paramount, we feel that often too much is made of this as the primary success factor and not enough importance is given to other elements of the new business process.

We live in a commoditised world where there is little true differentiation. Most propositions are relatively well trodden paths. At GSA, we spend most of our time with our clients on two areas

(1) Audience and target decision maker definition and (2) Proposition differentiation.

The challenge is in many ways for the client to find something that stands out. This is tough and not always possible. But it's about finding a reason for prospective purchasers to see them that won't disappoint when the client comes face to face with the prospect. Then it's about encapsulating that proposition and marrying it up with the prospect's issues (or pain) or opportunities and what they have the appetite and budget to purchase.

There isn't generally a silver bullet. We do feel that the value of sale to deliver ROI is crucial. Senior level telemarketing is often not a quick fix but can be extremely lucrative. For one of our clients, we generated over £20m worth of sales and clients can more regularly pick up £100k plus contracts.

Success usually has a number of factors attached:

1. A clearly defined and segmented audience
Nothing slows telemarketing down, increases costs and lowers ROI like a poorly defined market. Using relevant credentials to build rapport and emphasise your strengths enhances the likelihood of potential buyers engaging with you. We often say that if you specialise in Food and Drink but want to target pharmaceuticals you’d better brush up on your compliance knowledge or find someone that knows their stuff. In the main, people still buy people and rapport is often built through using common frames of reference. In a short time on the phone, you don’t want to create hurdles to overcome before you’ve started.

2. Identifiable decision-maker roles
Who in the company hierarchy would buy your services? Big companies have multiple layers and gatekeepers. It already takes time to reach a decision-maker. So try to make sure it’s the right one. Is it the MD, FD, line manager, HR person or some other role that makes the decision? Getting bounced around the company from branch to head office and one manager to another drains time and reduces effectiveness. So try to identify who in what sector in the size of company you’re targeting would make the decisions. That way you can cut time and wastage and reduce costs and of course speed up success

3. A strong differentiated and relevant proposition (with pertinent credentials for the audience) and a good reason to meet
Have you got something that prospects need? Do they already have a supplier? Are they contracted for the next 12 months or more? We often find that most clients run headlong into these barriers that they can’t overcome because they have ill-defined the reason why a prospect might want to see and engage with them. Since people still buy people (see above) and most sales cycles have long gestation periods (from idea to research to pitch to decision) it often pays to build rapport early in the cycle. That may mean speculative meetings with receptive decision-makers (assuming that you’ve defined them correctly as above). They probably won’t want to see you simply for you to present your credentials. Therefore, think about why they should see you and also why they should see you now as opposed to in the future.

4. A sector that is sizeable enough and active in terms of purchasing
This may be stating the obvious but if you limit your target market and the market is suffering, you may find yourself in a cul de sac that leads nowhere. What sectors lend themselves naturally to what you offer? Who has challenges that you can solve? Who has money and is spending?

5. A value of sale that is in many thousands not hundreds
Senior-level telemarketing isn’t a cheap option. It can generate significant rewards. However, the ROI must work for rather than against. Whilst conventional marketing will tell you that you need to look at lifetime value of a customer to measure true ROI, most clients look at initial sales and possibly on a 12 month basis. Thus, what is the value of sale? If it is low, you may be better using an online new business approach. If it is higher, the time and cost of telemarketing would be a great option.

6. Momentum in terms of regular and sustained calling (but not over-calling or stalking) and follow-up / call-backs
Momentum is key. We find that most success comes from call-backs especially at review time. So, record when the next review period is for suppliers and call back at that time. Make enough calls to stack the odds in your favour. If perhaps 10-25% of calls reach a decision-maker and only a percentage of those will see you now and then another 20% will buy, how many calls do you need to deliver the sales you need?

Make sure the list is big enough so you don’t overcall and risk stalking and damaging your image with prospective customers in your chosen sector. There may be no way back if you do that.

7. A confident unscripted well trained telemarketer
A well-briefed and trained caller is an asset. Confidence should be both with the proposition and with calling as a discipline. The caller doesn’t necessarily need deep expertise but they do need to understand why clients would need and buy what you’re offering and how good you are at what you do. Passion, confidence and knowledge are excellent ingredients for success.

8. A supportive client that has reasonable expectations and that understands the process and that provides back up to the calls
Senior level telemarketing is unlikely to produce floods of appointments unless a lot of hours are allocated to calling. Most of our clients want a select number of quality appointments each month. That might mean 2, 4, 6 or 10 per month. Given that each prospect could generate significant revenue, trusting in the process is key. Allowing it to build momentum is crucial as is supporting the caller to tweak and refine where necessary. If the approach isn’t working, change it. Recognise that it takes time to reach decision-makers. If your caller achieves 2 quality appointments per month and it takes 24 appointments to achieve one sale, that may not sound good. However, if that sale comes in December for £1m that is a great ROI. So, understand what it takes to convert a sale. Understand how long it takes. Read call notes. Engage with your callers. Listen to calls, provide support in other ways. PR, advertising, direct mail and so on all raise awareness and support calls. Don’t necessarily expect immediate success. Support your caller and don’t ignore them.

9. Follow-up promptly in terms of info (email, post etc)
Whilst many prospect requests for more information are fob offs, some aren’t and the stuff you send also has to do its job to support sales. If it is timely and relevant and targeted, it can generate response especially after a call.

Send out information quickly and make sure any emails or direct mail letters sell the benefits of seeing you as well as your offering.

10. Integration with other activities e.g. events, exhibitions, workshops, webinars and seminars etc
Don’t forget that you may have opportunities to undertake telemarketing that are perhaps less ‘cold’ than to a cold list. If you are providing useful information for prospective clients they may want to engage with you by visiting you at an exhibition, seminar or attending a breakfast with an industry speaker. All of these are potential levers and provide a time-sensitive reason to meet that your telemarketer can use to their advantage to make appointments.

This is naturally only a snapshot of what is required to make a campaign work.

For more information about how you can grow your business or to discuss telemarkting, please do get in touch.

Listening tips from GSA Business Development Ltd

2010-02-24T16:43:00.004Z

It is often said that telemarketers and sales people have the ‘gift of the gab’. I imagine if I were to ask you what the primary attributes of a sales person would be that you would say the ability to talk and the ability to communicate and get on well with others to build rapport. You would also hopefully say that they can close business too!

But it’s interesting that talking and communicating and grouped in this way. And listening is regularly not mentioned in the same breath.

Listening makes people with whom we interact feel valued, appreciated, interesting, respected cared for, special and even loved. It makes them think more favourably of us and more likely to buy our services. If you want to get more from people, spend more time listening than speaking. You’ve no doubt heard the expression ‘’2 ears one mouth’’ and that we should use them in proportion.

That’s the same on the telephone as face to face. And a skilled telemarketer knows when to listen and when to talk, what questions to ask and when to shut up. Whilst you don’t have many of the factors on the phone to influence the conversation that you would when face to face, you still have an opportunity to use listening to its fullest benefit.

So, in no particular order have a read of the following and see how you can put these into practice to influence your business and personal relationships face to face and on the telephone.

Seek first to understand and then to be understood - Before you give your views make sure you totally understand and acknowledge the other person.
Stop talking when the other person starts – It’s obvious but it’s so easy to talk over people. If they start, use this as your cue to stop. Do it as practice even sometimes if they talk over you. Hopefully, they will get the message too!
Don’t be distracted – Turn the computer, mobile, TV and other distractions off. Make sure that your colleagues know you’re in an important meeting and you shouldn’t be disturbed
Concentrate on what is being said – Don’t look around and take in the sights! Focus on them and stay present. Maintain eye contact (but don’t stare without blinking with a wierd smile on your face!). Don’t let your mind wander. Often people are busy formulating a response in their head or disagreeing mentally before the speaker is completely finished. Resist the temptation and wait!
Allow adequate time for a discussion – This ensures that you aren’t fretting and tempted to think about the next meeting or where you need to be. The speaker will sense that they are less important and this will be enhanced when you apologise for rushing them but you have to leave. It would be even worse if you’ve done all the talking before them!
Listen with your whole body – Active listening is key. Face the speaker. Nod, smile frown, shrug your shoulders, raise your eyebrows or whatever is relevant to what is being said. Don’t do it like a robot but show that you are actively listening. Make appropriate eye contact and sit up straight or lean forward slightly without invading their personal space. Let the speaker see your interest. This is giving nonverbal feedback and is important to show your attentiveness through body language.
Show you understand – Use things like “uh-huh” and “hmm” and words such as “Really,” “Interesting,” as well as prompts such as “What did you do then?” and “What did they say?
Take notes – If you can, take notes so you can check understanding and use for later conversations. Note their actual language (the choice of words they use) as this helps to build rapport when you use them in this or subsequent conversations. It demonstrates you were listening. So if they say, we’re finding it difficult to convert new business, you might qualify later with “What is it about converting new business that you find difficult?”
Do NOT interrupt – It is the height of rudeness and shows that you want to talk not listen. Stop your natural inclination to jump in and immediately answer questions or give your opinion too soon.
Ask open questions that allows the other person to talk - e.g. who, what, where, how, why etc. Ask questions for clarification. This is not your time to respond. Get really clear about what is being said. If you don’t understand, ask good questions. See above ref use of their language.
Summarise – Make sure you are getting the information the speaker is presenting by periodically repeating what you hear in different words e.g. “So if I understand you correctly…. Or… So what you’re saying is……?”
Don’t be scared of silence – This is often a tough one for sales people and for those with outgoing personalities. But don’t be afraid of this. Periods of silence will allow both parties to think about what was said. When you are certain the speaker has really finished speaking on the subject it will be time for you to comment.
Keep an open mind. - Wait until the speaker is finished before deciding that you disagree. Try not to make assumptions about what the speaker is thinking. Unless you’re in a sales situation where it calls for this, avoid letting the person speaking know how you handled a similar situation. Unless they specifically ask for advice, assume they just need to talk it out.

Contact Jonathan Silverman now on 0845 658 8192 to find out how you can generate more business.
Visit us for more tips on growing your business, closing sales and helpful techniques.

Top 10 Tips to Close More Business

2010-01-29T11:16:00.002Z

10 tips to close more business

Important: The tips below are only high level guidance. One size most definitely doesn’t fit all. So consider your own situation and the type of businesses you sell to. It is intended as a pointer and won’t change the world. For more information on our telemarketing and sales training courses, please click here.

1. Prepare – Don’t just collect flat information before a sales meeting. What can you find out about the company culture and values and the style and needs of the person you’re meeting? People still buy from people they like and with whom they can build rapport. They don’t care about you or your products but how what you’re offering fits with their needs and perspective, resolves their issues and enhances their position. Check out their website thoroughly. Visit their store. Call some of their customers if possible. Call in advance if you feel you haven’t got enough information other than company standard info. Speak to someone even if it isn’t the person you’re meeting. Learn more about them e.g. find out if you can if the person is a detail or high level person.

2. Perceive – Take in every available cue from your environment. How does the company describe itself on its website? Where is the company located? What is the building like? How is the receptionist? How long do you have to wait? Is it comfortable? What kind of room do you meet in? How does the prospect greet you? What does he / she say? There are many verbal and non verbal clues to help you in your meeting and of course beforehand. Get a sense of how they like to be communicated to. How are they dressed? Observe body language and listen carefully to what they say.

3. Personal impact - Research shows that only 7% of our meaning is conveyed through the words we use. 93% of communication is non-verbal through body language and tone of voice. A high percentage of sales are still based upon liking the sales person. People like people who they perceive to be like them. Establishing rapport with your customer is a basic building block to creating a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship. Are you are minimising the differences and emphasising the similarities between you. This will help to establish a perceived likeness and the customer will feel more at ease. Try to match up as far as possible. Check in advance if possible what the dress code is. Consider how your customer varies the tone of their voice and their key words and phrases. How are they sitting? Can you match their posture? Observe early on what is going on around you during the meeting. Listen carefully to words used and use them too. Don’t jump into a business conversation too soon. Find some common ground (the weather, holiday…). Establish rapport but make it real not contrived. Think about how you introduce yourself, your business and your services. Practise and be positive. And remember, it's not what you say, but HOW you say it.

4. Questioning – Ask your customers what they want. Find out what is really important to them. It is more difficult for someone to disagree with you if you can demonstrate that you have their interests in mind. Identifying what their problems and opportunities are and what they want to see from you is crucial. Don’t assume you know. Don’t trot out your stock credentials presentation that will bore them with death by PowerPoint. Ask what it is they’d like from you (and listen to how they say it as well as what they say) and how long they’d like the meeting to take. Ask relevant questions about why they are considering using your services. What issues do they have? What would they most like to solve or develop? If there was one thing they could change about the current situation / supplier, what would it be? What is it that they’re looking to buy? How does the process work currently? What do we have to do for you to purchase? Use good questions: Specifics: Where – Location, Which – Choice, When – Time, Who – Person. Probing and shaping: How – Method / process / structure, What – Outcome / specific data, Why – Emotion / excuses / reasons / justification

5. Listening – There are so many opportunities to listen to what the answers are. Make notes if necessary. Check understanding and reframe their answers if necessary to ensure you and they fully understand. Probe for more information if you perceive any gaps but don’t outstay your welcome with so many questions that they learn absolutely nothing about the reason you came to see them. Be genuinely interested in understanding your customers and their needs as opposed to trying to make them understand the value of your product or services. Listen actively and don’t spend time trying to frame your next question while they’re talking.

6. Influential language – Use positive and assertive language. Confirm what you will do for them. Use language that supports the sales process. Encourage them to consider how it would be when their sales have increased or their productivity is enhances.

7. Flexible approach – Until you get there, you don’t know what is going to happen. Things that could throw you off course could be the room, the prospect’s mood, time available, technology set-up, the style of person they are and what they respond to. So don’t be rigid. Be flexible. Consider having a short PowerPoint presentation (not my favourite) but also think about alternative options if this isn’t relevant. Test your pitch. Avoiding one size fits all. Check with your prospect what it is they want to see and how long they’d like it to last. And stick to it unless they tell you otherwise.

8. Outcome led conclusions (next steps) – What is your and their expectation at the end of the meeting? Will the sale be concluded in one meeting? What supplementary info do they need? And in what format (full proposal, tender, pitch, bullet point, email)? Agree next steps and secure a follow-up meeting if necessary. Qualify the prospect out if you don’t want to do business with them or if it feels to you that they are not interested. Challenge them and ask them clearly if what you’re offering is relevant and appropriate. Fix next steps

9. Follow-up – Make sure you do what you promised at the time you promised. You are guaranteed to fail if you don’t deliver what you said. Keep following up by phone if necessary at the agreed time (assuming a sales conclusion isn’t immediately forthcoming). Continue to build rapport and gather info during each subsequent conversation. Record your notes for use in the next call or meeting. Give them the opportunity to tell you they don’t want any further contact. Ask them when is a good time to follow up and make sure you do. Ask for the business! There are so many theories and techniques on specific closing that it isn’t necessary to cover them here. It is far too big a subject. Do what works for you, practise and change if the ratios aren’t working for you.

10. Contact strategy - There’s no need to flog a dead horse but most sales come as the result of several sales calls and over a reasonable period of time. Pipeline is crucial as you become too desperate if you are waiting on a few sales to come in. Most sales people give up far too soon. Ensure you have a robust enough pipeline to mean that you are not reliant on one prospect crawling over the finish line. It takes the pressure off. Keep communicating with them (newsletters periodic emails, calls, invitations to events etc). Devise a contact strategy for prospects and lapsed customers that keeps the door open and makes it more likely that one or more of your prospects will convert to sales on a regular basis.

Contact Viv Cree or Jonathan Silverman now on 0845 658 8192 to find out how you can generate more business.

Business Development is about consistency and momentum

2010-01-08T12:22:00.002Z

I have had numerous conversations over the years with clients, prospective clients and networking contacts about new business development success factors. When we undertake telemarketing or business development strategy work for our clients, we always stress the need for a multi-channel approach (i.e. do a number of complementary things towards biz dev) and the need for momentum.

New business development is very much a process. Think about it. What types of business development activity might there be?

1. Advertising (perhaps in trade press or otherwise)
2. Telemarketing - to a targeted vertical sector
3. Online marketing - utilising blogs, twitter, Linkedin and Facebook etc
4. Networking - Visiting formal or informal meetings on a regular basis
5. Email marketing
6. Newsletters

The above list is only a small number of the things that you can do. Not all will work for your business. You also have to ensure you monitor progress and the ROI. However, if you follow the discipline of establishing what you are offering for which audience and you understand how best to reach them, the rest is about evaluating best approach and ensuring momentum.

With the telemarketing we do for clients, it's fair to say that despite the fact that we work only at senior level, it is still a numbers game. We target senior decision makers in big companies for our clients. However, despite the fact that we definitely don't adopt a call centre approach, it is still fair to say that voicemail, wrong numbers, gatekeepers, time pressures and even snow, sickness and holidays slow us down. Hence, momentum, consistency and process are crucial. Making sure you keep calling and keep following up is as much a part of new business success as the other factors.

So whatever you do, make sure you keep it consistent and, if it works, don't stop.

Jonathan Silverman
GSA Business Development Ltd
0845 658 8192
Follow me on Twitter
www.getsoundadvice.com

New business development for 2010

2009-12-18T10:28:00.001Z

It seems to me that there is something in the air. It isn't seasonal snow. It is a wave of optimism. Given that business development is what we do for a business, it isn't unsurprising that we have occasion to speak to clients and prospective clients on a regular basis. Add to that a degree of networking and online social media use and it's fair to say that we have a reasonable view of what's going on.

We've seen a significant upward trend in a number of indicators since around September. These are:

1. The level of new enquiries
2. The number of new clients
3. The number of past clients coming back to us
4. The level of interest shown when we make telemarketing calls for clients
5. The number of clients suggesting that they are optimistic for 2010 and are also seeing more opportunities
6. Our clients that are seeing a loosening of purse strings from their clients

This isn't to say that good times are here. However, it hints at optimism and that mentally companies have readjusted and maybe they are finding new ways to differentiate themselves in a leaner meaner way.

So what are our top tips for 2010.

1. Be optimistic and look forward
2. Work hard, plan and focus your offering
3. Understand what your competitors offer and try to differentiate
4. Research your market and ask customers what they want and what they value
5. Develop a clear plan for business development and build momentum and consistency into your plan.
6. Use all of the tools at your disposal - The phone, networking, SEO, Social media marketing and so on and keep doing what works best.

Have a great year!
Jonathan
GSA Business Development Ltd
www.getsoundadvice.com
Tel. 0845 658 8192
Follow us on Twitter

Mobile marketing comes of age?

2009-10-21T14:37:00.001+01:00

I just read an interesting article about mobile marketing.

It made me think that we haven't even touched the surface of what's possible and available to marketers in terms of mobile as a route to market.

I responded to the article saying that I think that mobile marketing is still in its infancy. The mobile is already there in terms of being the most intimate and pervasive of communication devices. With advances in technology, browsing speed and handsets coupled with the adoption by a broader age demographic, I feel that we have not yet even touched the surface of what is coming. Marketers need to understand the value and power of communication using this medium / channel and not just for text messaging and short codes. They also need to assess how customers and prospective customers need to be engaged in a communication that is in their interest first. Real pull not push. Marketers need to wake up and take note.

Would love to hear comments especially in terms of innovative use of marketing to mobiles.

Jonathan Silverman
www.getsoundadvice.com 0845 658 8192

A lesson from Masterchef in delivering customer service

2009-10-20T17:47:00.002+01:00

Our family love Masterchef on BBC2. If you haven't seen it, try to tune in or have a look online. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t1k5/episodes/2009

What strikes me is the absolute search for perfection and the total passion for what they are doing. Trainee chefs give everything and by the end we're all exhausted with them having followed their stressful endeavours to deliver the most beautiful food.

Last night, the finalists cooked for three of the world's finest pastry masterchefs. In every episode, it stuns me to see the attention to detail and quality of food and service in Michelin Star establishments. Yes it is for the rich and famous in the main. However, the pride and passion shine through.

On a much more basic level, I received an email from the WOW awards today with a lovely story of customer service that goes beyond the norm. There are many such everyday stories. Once again I wondered what prompts people to go to extraordinary lengths to serve. Have a look at some of the nice uplifting stories from the WOW award nomintations. Perhaps ask yourself, what have I done inside and outside my business recently that could justify a nomination for me or my business.

I was privileged to be one of the judges on the awards this year and the awards ceremony is on Nov 4 in London.

Take a look at their website and maybe it will inspire you to think how you can deliver great service.

See our other related blog

Jonathan Silverman
www.getsoundadvice.com0845 658 8192

Research survey gives great results

2009-10-09T18:13:00.002+01:00

We recently received feedback on a major research survey we completed for BNI (Business Network International) UK, part of the world's largest networking organisation. The feedback was excellent and we're delighted that BNI has again chosen us to run their 2010 survey. And we have some great ideas to help them use the research for positive promotion, PR and Business Development.

It shows the value of research and is worth a read if you feel networking is important to you as a small business.

Jonathan Silverman
GSA Business Development Ltd
0845 658 0845
www.getsoundadvice.com
Follow me on twitter

What percentage of your time do you spend on new business activities?

2009-09-28T13:40:00.000+01:00

Take our poll and let us know how much time you spend on new business activities. Need help with your current activity? Visit us

Top Tips to grow your business

2009-09-08T11:48:00.011+01:00

New business development is a process. It must be continuous. It must be part of every day activity. It has to be genuinely owned by everyone. Below are the first 25 positive ideas to help you grow your business. We will publish more over the next few weeks.
Contact us GSA Business Development if you’d like to discuss how you can grow your business.

Below is only a snapshot. It is not intended to be exhaustive or the only things you can do. It is intended to stimulate ideas and action. Use them as discussion in your business. Select them and prioritise and allocate action. Above all else, take action!

1. Call two lapsed clients to see how things are going. Meet them for coffee.
2. Make 5 prospect calls
3. Identify a list to target a new sector for your business.
4. Meet your best client and ask how you could help them further.
5. Tweet something interesting to people who could buy your services or recommend you.
6. Write a blog and use social networking to notify people.
7. Meet your whole team and ask them to identify three things that they can directly do this week or month to contribute towards the sales effort. They don’t have to be salespeople to contribute to or support the sales activity!
8. Comment on a blog or online article in your area of expertise.
9. Update one page of your website.
10. Write a press release and email it to a magazine in your industry
11. Write a 'thought paper' and email it to clients and prospects
12. Email your database with something of interest to them.
13. Go on some sales or other relevant training.
14. Attend a webinar.
15. Contact good clients and ask for a testimonial and / or a referral
16. Go to a networking event
17. Add your twitter, blog, website, social media profile to your email signature.
18. Connect two of your business contacts in the hope that they can work together to create more business.
19. Make at the very least 3 phone calls per day. One should be to someone positive in your network. That conversation will inspire and motivate you. One to a prospective client or past client with whom you wish to do business. The third call to someone you think needs *your* help.
20. Start each day with a clearly defined objective so that at the end of the day your performance can be measured.
21. Smile when you answer the phone. It changes your tone to a more positive and welcoming one and makes people want to engage with you.
22. At the end of each working day clear your desk and make a list of the things you want to do tomorrow, you will feel better for this and less worried about all the things that have to be done.
23. Do a customer survey – There is evidence that customers are more loyal if you ask them how they feel about your service.
24. Use positive body language, positive words and positive tone when on the phone or face to face. Make your personal presentation work its magic for you.
25. Read and comment on one interesting blog in your area of expertise per day. You and your business will grow as a consequence

Ideas have been contributed by our GSA network. Contribute to the list with your ideas.
Email us

View our other articles

GSA Business Development Ltd Tel. 0845 658 8192
Kings House Business Centre, Home Park Estate, Station Road, Kings Langley, Herts WD4 8DH

Interesting article on getting through gatekeepers

2009-09-03T08:57:00.005+01:00

Wow. This article provoked some mixed views to say the least. I am reprinting my comment below and I would recommend a read of the article:

I am an 8-year BNI member in the UK and I do not feel the techniques suggested in this article are anti-networking. Networking is one route to market. It is not the only one. Companies wishing to grow need to use a range of strategies and to integrate them where possible.

No-one doubts that referrals are the best form of intro and business. However, there are other forms and lead generation via telephone is one of these and a very successful one.

I am not talking about spoofing (claiming something that is a lie) or double-glazing or so on. I am talking about b2b calling into senior decision-makers. These guys are elusive and, if you cannot get an intro, and they remain a target audience for your product or service then I see no reason why a call is inappropriate.

Now let's move on to the key point. Getting through. Let's also assume that you have something of value for the CEO/MD. Let's assume either that they don't purchase this currently or that they do already have a current provider. Either way, competition is a reality and healthy. Companies change suppliers all the time. If the senior decision-makers is indeed the CEO (to be honest I'm talking about any decision-maker here), then the objective is to get through.

Sounding authoritative is imperative. Having some terminology that makes you sound important and knowledgeable is also key. But ultimately, you need to get through. This is not a scam. If you have something of worth that you truly believe in and that you feel is valuable, your goal is to get through. Don' lie but recognise the gatekeeper is there to block you. It is sadly a game.

Hence, use valid and genuine tips and techniques to help you.

By all means rely on networking and other methods but don't forget that the telephone is the most proactive and immediate sales and marketing method at your disposal.

See our other blogs on getting passed gatekeepers and the value in telemarketing

Take our brief customer service poll

2009-08-25T08:10:00.000+01:00

With reducing headcount and more challenging client expectations, it is getting tougher for businesses to deliver against expectations.

Take our poll and contribute to the results. http://polls.linkedin.com/p/53737/emioh

Jonathan Silverman
GSA Business Development Ltd
www.getsoundadvice.com
0845 658 8192

CRM and Customer Research

2009-08-21T14:04:00.001+01:00

I just read an interesting article suggesting that even small companies need to use 'CRM' (Customer Relationship Management) to profile, understand and market to their customers. Having spent many years in big companies trying to do this, I question whether this is the new world or the old one.

A few considerations:

I spent 4 years at Porsche Cars GB as Head of Marketing. We wanted to get closer to our customers and tried various initiatives. Ultimately, what most enthusiasts wanted was to drive the cars in a safe environment on a track. Others didn't want any regular contact other than new car info.

Every company wants to 'profile' its customers. However, you and I do not want to be profiled. It is nowadays about engaging with customers. It is about relevance, timeliness and about doing it on their terms. It's about finding where they go on and offline and entering into dialogue.

This starts from understanding what customers want. That doesn't mean asking your account managers or sales staff. In many cases that doesn't even mean asking customer service teams. It means asking customers. And doing it openly, independently and acting on feedback. That's what customers want most. They don't want gimmicks or offers that mean they have to spend more. They want you to market to them in a manner that is convenient and relevant to them.

So, even the smallest customer survey or mini focus group is better than nothing. Ask them what you're doing that is good and where you could improve. Ask them if they would recommend you.

Customer service and CRM is first and foremost about listening and acting. Listening is becoming easier, if a little time consuming. There are innumerable blogs, forums and dialogues going on over the web. Find out where they are and engage! Use the information to learn. And above all else, adapt and be flexible to customer needs. That's what CRM is really about. Remember, customers that experience a problem and complain will be more loyal if you resolve their complaint well than before the problem occured.

So think less about profiling and more about listening and learning.

We have conducted many successful surveys that help our customers understand their business and customers better.

For more information on customer research, contact us at GSA Business Development on http://www.getsoundadvice.com/ or call us on 0845 658 8192. You can also email us

Building a Sales Pipeline

2009-08-17T15:04:00.001+01:00

Your next client – time for tea?

I was asked the other day what my best telemarketing tip was and as boring as this may sound, my answer was “ensure you have a qualified sales pipeline”. But can it really be that simple? In my humble opinion, it’s only as complicated as we allow it to be.

It’s not going to shock you to hear that your sales numbers are at risk if your pipeline is not steady and strong enough to help you achieve your sales targets. If we are not generating enough qualified leads and qualifying prospects in AND out, how will we generate sales? And what would we do without that lovely little word otherwise known as ‘momentum’…well we could start slinging mud at the walls and hoping it sticks!

Or we could embrace the reality that successful business development requires effort and consistency. So, if you think your next big client is going to slink over tomorrow morning for tea and biscuits and sign up with you without any effort on your side, then it’s time to quit your dolly daydreaming! (And if your next big thing does come knocking tomorrow, I take mine with milk, no sugar and with a dash of embarrassment!)

Every business has a defined gestation period before sales leads and profit begins to flow.

So how many hot/warm leads do you have in your pipeline at the moment?
And how many calls, conversations with a Gatekeeper / Decision Maker and encountering Voicemail etc does it take you to generate a sale or appointment?
Are you truly aware of the above? As a true sales person we just have to know what activity we need to put in in order to achieve our targets. Once we’re aware, we’re in control. And when we’re in control and aware of our stats it’s very natural to consistently deliver results because we know what we need to do to fill any gaps.

With the possibility (and no need to mention probability) of rejection the only way you can achieve your sales quota is to generate the maximum number of leads and qualify the maximum number of prospects out of them and thereby increase the chances of selling. It’s time consuming but certainly worthwhile working on each lead and prospect diligently so that not a single one is wasted. After all, intelligent business development is not just about qualifying prospects in, but also about qualifying them out.

If you’re looking for the practical tools and solutions required to make your new business development campaign a success, call us on 0845 658 8192 or visit our website

Positive steps to build sales

2009-08-14T17:30:00.001+01:00

I often come across small businesses who are unable to grow their businesses. It's not that they don't want to but they get embroiled in 'the day job'. We've all had times when we're busy being busy. But are we busy being productive?

A wise man once wrote 'do at least one thing each day to grow your business'. I don't recall where I got that from but it's true in part. Actually, today you need to do a whole host of things. For example, like it or not, believe it or not, when was your last Tweet or blog? I am not here to persuade you to use social media but using these methods in conjunction with traditional methods can't do much harm can they? And they can propel your forward. So, let's start a list of positive things to do. How about these for starters? They aren't meant to be all at once. Rome wasn't built in a day but small steps will get you there.

Call two lapsed clients to see how things are going.
Make 5 prospect calls
Identify a list to target a new area of business.
Tweet something interesting
Write a blog
Comment on a blog or online article in your area of expertise.
Update one bit of your website.
Write a press release and email it to a magazine in your industry
Write a 'thought paper' and email it to clients and prospects
Email your database
Go on some training.
Contact clients and ask for a referral
Go to a networking event
Add your twitter, blog, website, social media profile to your email signature.

There are loads more. The key is to build momentum in your business. Don't worry if the actions don't come off immediately. I believe that doing something positive will create an environment where positive things come to you.
It would be great to build a list of 100 positive things to do to build business. Please contribute and I will publish the ideas.

Have we seen the death of customer service due to the recession?

2009-07-29T14:05:00.001+01:00

I had a very interesting conversation earlier today with Derek Williams, creator of The Wow Awards (http://www.thewowawards.co.uk/ ). We chatted about a subject I have always been passionate about namely customer service and satisfaction.

When I was a kid, I had two weekend jobs. Firstly in a shoe shop and secondly in a bakery. One of my former colleagues at Dunhill used to call people 'the great unwashed' and in some ways she was right. People and customers come in all shapes, sizes and types. There are some we will respond favourably to and some we won't. When I was doing my weekend jobs, I used to love to serve even those smelly feet! I saw it as a challenge and the different personality types were often part of the fun.

What the conversation with Derek made me think though was that the recession can present major dangers to true customer satisfaction. The business climate also prompts a number of questions about customer service. The key to future growth may well lay with those companies that can answer the questions. So what are they?

How do we handle increased requirements and demands on customer service when lower sales, margins and profits force companies to make cuts that include people?
Are customer oriented people born that way or can I 'train' my people to become truly customer oriented or do we recruit new ones with that mentality?

Do your people serve? What levels of service are the norm and what is going the extra mile?

What do my customers want in terms of service? Have I asked them?

The big question for me is how to ensure excellent customer service at the same time as managing the day job with less support and less people.

Below are some facts about customer satisfaction that are pretty scary. Ask yourself how you stack up.

Fact: It is well established and documented that it is more profitable to retain current clients than to generate new ones. The cost of acquisition is zero! What are you doing in this respect?
Fact: The most profitable and valid method to generate new business is through word of mouth referrals and customer recommendation. Do you have a mechanism in place for this?
Fact: Customers are looking for value in the present climate and are more likely to look elsewhere if you don’t meet their needs. Do you know what their issues are?
Fact: There is less and less true differentiation which means it’s ever easier for clients to switch suppliers. Have you identified both what makes you different and whether this is what customers want?
Fact: Excellent service is a true differentiator. Do you go the extra mile? What is the extra mile?
Fact: Few companies demonstrate they really care about their clients by formally checking on the key factors influencing satisfaction. A Harvard survey found that clients felt that 80% of companies felt they were doing a good job. Unfortunately only 8% of their customers agreed!
Only 1 in 24 customers will actively tell you they’re not happy. The rest will just go elsewhere Since few customers tell the truth when sales or account management people ask them how things are going what are you doing to find out?
Fact: Research shows that 50% of customers will have a greater appreciation of you simply if you formally ask them what you could do better. When was the last time you conducted independent research?
Ultimately, the level of customer service demands which are growing despite the recession, is something that is going to vex all companies. Larger companies often have a high degree of automation that supports the 'management' of customer service. However, how often have you wanted to kill an IVR router that keeps telling you to dial 4 for the most relevant department and that your custom is important only to find out when you do get through that you were meant to speak to the branch in Amersham not in Wrexham and could you please redial.

Ultimately, great service means more satisfaction, lower churn, higher margins, retention and profit. It also means more referrals and recommendations and great PR in terms of word of mouth.

I would argue that the most important thing you could do in this climate is to focus on great customer service.

I'd be interested to gather thoughts on how companies are approaching some of the issues. I will gladly post another blog with input.

For more info on GSA services or to chat about the above, drop me an email on jonathans@getsoundadvice.co.uk or take a look at our website

How to handle 'no budget' telesales objections

2009-06-11T17:26:00.005+01:00

What is the most common objection that callers face when making cold calls? Particularly in this recessionary climate, it has to be ‘we have no budget’.

It may well be true that they have no budget but let’s analyse this a little.
Using the ‘no budget’ line is an easy and quick brush off for cold callers. It is likely to get rid of most inexperienced callers. However, it also actually isn’t often the whole truth or the full picture.
Think about it. If you have a choice in your daily life you make the choice that suits you best with the budget you have. Imagine you have a budget for shopping in the supermarket. Most weeks, you probably buy the same things but generally most people change a few items that they buy. Some of these are impulse purchases. Some are changes of brand and some may be new items that you’ve never tried before. What happens if someone offers you a better option or a promotion? Or a cheaper alternative? Or a better one at a lower price?
We all make choices and that’s also true when it comes to corporate budgets. Managers that hold the purse strings are tasked with delivering results. Whilst some budgets are genuinely set in stone, there is normally some flexibility and managers have discretion to change course and reallocate budget to new things if they are relevant, timely and demonstrate benefit.
So, with that in mind, don’t let ‘no budget’ objections distract you from your objective.

An objection can be an indicator of many things – a pre-purchase qualification question, a concern or fear, someone just telling it like it is, or a prospect afraid to say they're just not interested. But how well do you understand what your prospect is really telling you?

Firstly, there’s no need to fear this objection. Embrace it. It is a good opportunity to engage into conversation with a prospect. And you won’t get the same response from every prospective client if you ask a few qualification questions in response to ‘we have no budget’. Empathise with the state of the economy or the industry they're operating in and build rapport! Rapport is crucial to telemarketing success.

Secondly, don’t take things at face value. So they’ve said they have no budget. Have they completely cut all budget or budget in certain areas? Could they re-allocate if you were to show them something that would improve results, reduce costs, improve productivity etc?

The reality is that senior decision-makers have to review budgets constantly. They will also always allocate money to things that are important. They will move budget around if the offer is compelling enough and take it from elsewhere if it benefits them. So, is it really a budget issue or have you not been sufficiently convincing in helping them decide that what you've got is for them?

The key is to be brave. Don't let the ‘no budget’ response stop you and make sure you don’t fall at the first hurdle. You won’t win every time but you will succeed if you persevere and remember to ask good questions.

Visit our Knowledge Bank for more Telemarketing Tips, Hints and Articles

The importance of having a good call to action in marketing

2009-04-23T23:25:00.002+01:00

We do a lot of new business development and telemarketing work with companies in the b2b sector. Most have excellent credentials and work for household name brands. That tells you something about their calibre and ability to deliver. Yet despite this, many still find it difficult to define what makes them different and why a prospective client should meet with them.

It has long been accepted that we have to define a good USP or point of differentiation. However, the reality is that we live in a commoditised world where little is truly new. Therefore, isn't it essential that companies 'engage' with prospective clients rather than trotting out the same old information and credentials that other similar suppliers offer. Ultimately, it is hard for a prospective client to differentiate your service from another based solely on information in a brochure, a telephone call, website or directory listing. It may seem that you talk the talk (in your communications) but do you walk the walk?

Clearly, customer referrals are the most potent form of business lead generation and the best advertisement for your business. Hence, working on this area is crucial. Likewise, finding partners, champions and introducers that can refer you is essential. However, I'm not going to cover this here. I wanted to talk about the really key questions and the philosophy behind powerful lead generation. In other posts I have discussed proposition. However, here I'd like to dwell a while on what is going on in your prospects' minds at the point of contact with your organisation where this contact is unsolicited.

I'm really talking about outbound marketing. The sad truth, especially in this tough climate, is that hardworking business people are under pressure and working harder than ever. Hence, at point of contact it is likely that they are stressed and under the cosh from:

Their boss - to meet deadlines, cut costs, reduce headcount, meet targets.
Their parent company - to report on market activity, deliver budget plans
Stakeholders - to respond to unwanted media attention or risks to company business
Shareholders - to deliver a positive ROI
Staff - to offer more support, give more money or coach or train
Family - for issues totally unrelated to work

This list isn't exhaustive but it is illustrative of what might be on a prospective client's desk or mind at the point that you contact them.
Therefore, isn't it wise to think beyond your product or service and think more about them? At point of contact, they aren't thinking about you or your business. They may however, have issues in the business that need resolving. They may need a personal boost. That's why they are probably thinking:

What's in this for me
Why should I see you?
Why should I see you now as opposed to some undefined time way off into the distant future?

In fact, they you'd be lucky if they gave you time to even consider these things. That's assuming your communication reaches them in the 1st place.
So what do we do? Well, our view is simple. It is about:

Creating a reason to talk (now)
Developing an opportunity for genuine dialogue (not a sales pitch)
Finding common ground to start a conversation (two-way not one way)
Thinking beyond your product or service and thinking more about their problems and opportunities.
Getting in tune with their emotional, psychological and business needs

What do I mean by my last statement. Do I have to become a psycho-analyst? No. But you do need to recognise that within seconds of your contact, the prospect has probably already almost subconsciously and intuitively asked him/herself:

Is this interesting?
Do I like this person?
Is it likely to help me do my job better?
Will it be better than what I've already got?
Is it going to improve our business?
Do I have an issue or painful problem that this will resolve?
Will it make me look good if I take this to my boss/the board etc?

If we think more about this side of the equation, we're more likely to:

Do an event (breakfast/lunch/intimate dinner) with expert speakers
Conduct some research to share with prospective clients
Make a call to ask opinion prior to feeding back research in the form of a white paper
Start or engage in a social networking group in a specific interest area
Engage with partners or influencers that serve the market you are targeting with a view to building value
Forward a piece of interesting industry news to a prospect with a handwritten note
Produce relevant communication that offers more than simply the services, features and benefits you have

I'm not saying the above are solutions or that they are foolproof. They are not. I'm not saying they will always work. They won't. I'm not saying that these are the best solutions. Nothing beats client recommendations. What I am saying though is that we have to stop thinking from the start point of what we want to sell and start seeing it genuinely from the customers' point of view. Start seeing new business as a long game not a short game. Start considering dialogue and rapport (the old way of working) and not pitching and presenting credentials.

Really, think about why people buy your services and find reasons to engage.
If you'd like to know more, or would like to attend a GSA new business workshop, please contact us on 0845 658 8192 / email newbusiness@getsoundadvice.co.uk. Please also visit our website for more information on lead generation.
Jonathan Silverman
GSA Business Development Ltd

Lead generation through webinars

2009-04-02T23:15:00.000+01:00

Using Webinars as a lead generation tool

We've recently seen a surge in interest in using webinars as a source of lead generation so I thought I would jot a few lines down about how best to use them as a potential for lead generation. This isn't mean to be exhaustive but a pointer to how it might work for you. Just give us a call if you'd like to know more.

What's a Webinar?
Webinars are a relatively new phenomenon in terms of lead generation. It’s short for Web Based Seminar. In these times where cost is an issue, running webinars instead of seminars or other face to face events seems like a sensible thing to do. Because Webinars occur over the Internet, attendees don't have to travel in order to participate in one. You can take part in a Webinar from your desk.

But it isn’t just a cost-saving measure. Webinars potentially have huge benefits in terms of integrated marketing and lead-generation.

Attending a webinar is like attending any seminar except that instead of meeting in a meeting room attendees meet in a virtual conference room on the web. Once they have logged in attendees can sit back and listen to a presentation on the phone or through the speakers on their PC while watching it on their screen. In many webinars, they can ask a question through a ‘live agent’ which is basically a type of instant messenger. Once the webinar is over, they can generally access information through an email from the host where they send you a link to slides and audio.

What are the advantages of running a Webinar?

From a marketing standpoint what are the advantages? Briefly the advantages and opportunities can be summarized as follows. You can:

Promote webinars on your website to drive traffic
Integrate webinars into any email or mailshot marketing campaigns
Promote and create links to other marketing activities white papers and other webinars
Create dialogue with prospects (and current or lapsed customers)
Deliver relevant and topical communication
Engage and build rapport with attendees
Create opportunities for refining sales messages
Generate opportunities for PR
Build a prospect email database
Generate hot and warm leads
Put your company on the map for the attendees who may not have heard of you.
Position your company as relevant and current.
Position you as a source of information.
Drive traffic to your website through links on other sites.
Communicate with multiple prospects at one time.
Generate snapshot research that can prove valuable.
Enable a cost-effective way to offer training.
Include hyperlinks to real-world examples, which are far more effective than static screen shots displayed as part of live PowerPoint presentations.
Add value for customers (e.g. through running training events or topical presentations) that create opportunities for upsell and cross sell.
Provide information after the webinars for people to come back to. If it isn’t too large (audio files can be hefty) you can put the info on your website or hosted elsewhere for people to access and / or download.

There are many more uses but the above gives a flavour of the many advantages

How long should a Webinar last?
Webinars generally last for 45-60 minutes. Clearly, the more relevant and interesting the longer they can last and the more engaging they become.

Who should run a Webinar?
Any organization or individual can run one. Traditionally, webinars were used as training events. Nowadays, they have become a fully-fledged marketing tool that integrates into other activities and provides lots of benefits.

How should we promote our Webinar?
The place to start, as with any marketing, is to define the audience.

Current clients
Lapsed clients
Prospects

Then identify how you’re going to invite them. A few options are shown below:

Email marketing - Do I have a list of emails or do I need to purchase a list?
Build a list via a link to the webinar registration on a website home page through links on other sites
Promote in literature, newsletters or white papers you send out online or by post
Telemarketing
Place a banner on a site that targets my audience (e.g. a trade association or other company that serves the same prospect audience).
Search engine optimization or pay per click.
Add the information to any blogs or social network sites

There are lots of ways to promote webinars. It’s important to think about all of the ways to make people aware of the date and time and where they go to gain information for their business.

And make sure your call to action is compelling. There is a world of difference between the following titles for a webinar. I know which one I’d attend.

Learn about the benefits of webinars for your business
The future of lead generation – How to build relationships with prospects through webinars.

Registration information
Registration should be quick. It should take the registrant no more than 60 seconds to register. You don’t want to make the registration process onerous; yet you also want to learn more about the attendee. Using three to five relevant questions strikes this balance.

Attendance
It’s difficult to estimate attendance levels. It very much depends on the content and relevance to the target market. So if I offered a webinar on the top 10 ways for small businesses to survive the credit crunch, I’m likely to gain more attendees than one which promotes itself as finance for small businesses.

Timing
You should aim to begin promoting the webinar 3-6 weeks before the live event, with ongoing communications to registrants once they have signed up to remind them and keep them engaged. You don’t want to start earlier than that because the message will get stale. You don’t want to start much later, because you want to give yourself adequate time to react and make changes mid-campaign.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are best. People may be busy on Mondays and leaving early on Friday. A 2pm start is good. For an hour long webinar, content should be no longer than 30–45 minutes, depending on the number of speakers. Q&A should be another 10–15 minutes. The general rule of thumb is simply to keep it succinct and compelling.

Who should present?
A short presentation by the host, an industry speaker and / or a panel discussion is generally the most relevant.

This options depend on the subject matter, but more credible content is likely to create better results. Whether it’s a CEO of a FTSE 100 company giving the presentation, a respected industry analyst or the leading editor or expert in your field the credibility of the content of the Webinar is key to its success. Hence, think about who could add most value.

Ending the session and what’s next?
Managing the output is crucial. Build up to a strong conclusion. Ask for feedback (you can do this in a pop up) but also use the opportunity to ask if they’d like a demo or a meeting or a quotation. Take them off somewhere by offering them a link to something of interest or an offer.

Timing is everything. Communicate with people soon after the event by acknowledging their attendance or their inability to attend. To those who attend, send an e-mail to thank them for attending and to promote any additional events, give them more information and invite them to download the presentation or view an archive of the event.

For those who did not attend, send a different e-mail telling them you are sorry they couldn’t attend and encourage them to view the archive of the event. These immediate follow-ups can also be used to fulfill special offers or other promotions. Your sales team should follow up one-on-one with your hottest leads 24–48 hours after the event. Rank your leads and communicate with them via phone or e-mail.

For more information on how to run a webinar, contact us on 0845 658 8192 or

newbusiness@getsoundadvice.co.uk or visit http://www.getsoundadvice.com/ for more information on lead generation.

Jonathan Silverman
GSA Business Development Ltd

What's hot in lead generation?

2009-03-30T23:37:00.002+01:00

Recently, I've seen a lot of worried people. Sales are down. Margins are tight. Campaigns are shorter. Buyers are cautious. It's tough out there. So what does a self-respecting business development person do? The pressure from inside organisations is high. Everyone wants their bit of the business to be the focus for Biz Dev.

We are all under increasing time pressures. We have tons of priorities and little time to achieve everything. Yet despite this, so few people I meet give serious consideration to the psychology of the people and companies they are targeting.

Everyone needs new business. Well maybe apart from funeral directors, insolvency practitioners, debt collectors and tax officials.

Coupled with the fact that everyone is clamouring for new business, there is sadly little real differentiation nowadays. There are literally thousands of every type of business and in this climate buyers are spoilt for choice. And most of them are trying the same tired old approaches to new business development.

We've recently been doing new business strategy work with companies. I have been surprised at how limited their thinking is in terms of how they approach new business. Offer clients what you offered them in the past. Develop the odd special offer or reduce price a bit. Hit them with some marketing and hope for the best.

Consumers no longer put up with shallow or straight line marketing. Granted, buyers don't want a relationship with every company and brand. Yet most companies need to create a relationship with people in some way in order to stand out. In b2b it is often said that you need to build knowledge, like and trust to succeed. I would add that your communications need to add:

Relevance - what's in it for me? Why should I give you my money and/or time?
Value - If you want their trust before they buy your product or service, you have to earn it

Of course, these aren't the only things we want. However, it struck me recently that we often forget we are consumers and we engage with companies when it suits us not when it suits them. That's why companies that have personality and that provide genuine interest for customers will win out in the end.
I recently attended a webinar for online lead generation. The title hooked me. The providers of the webinar were Marketing Week magazine and Citrix. So they got my attention and credibility. At the end, I went away and researched some more. I then did purchase webinar software. The reason was simple. It was relevant to my business. It adds value to our lead generation offering. It was at the right time and the credit crunch meant that the price was better than perhaps in the past. Equally, the service providers were consistent and persistent in their sales approach. However, I drove the purchase once I had understood the relevance and value.
Yes, I was clearly well targeted and that's important. However, I see so many companies still hell bent on push marketing. The time is now right to consider the following:

How can you add value and relevance to my potential customers in advance of the sale?
How can you enter into a genuine dialogue with prospects that isn't simply 'straight line' marketing?
How do you differentiate your business when there are so many me-too providers?
Who can you partner with that also serves your customers?
Who already has a relationship with your customers?
Do you genuinely know what your potential customers want in terms of a relationship or dialogue with your kind of product or service?

There are many more questions to ask. When doing new business, really think about whether the straight line approach will work. Don't just send a mailshot or make a standard and undifferentiated cold call. Don't just make a call to say 'we're great, we do great work, we are great to deal with, we get great results, we have great clients and credentials'. Mostly, clients don't want to know or care. Their incumbent probably satisfies the same criteria. So think about how to engage in advance of the time that a potential customer is ready to buy. There are lots of options:

Webinars or events that provide something of genuine interest
Research that allows the recipient of the information to really learn something that helps him/her do their job better.
Information that is fresh and provides a new perspective on what they do
An added value offer that compliments something they are already doing.

To discuss your approach to business development by all means give us a call or visit our website. You can find our details there. If you'd also like to take advantage of government funding to help you define and refine your new biz strategy, just give us a call and we shall explain all!
Jonathan Silverman

The basics of getting ready to make cold calls

2009-03-23T18:58:00.003Z

As I sat with my friend discussing how the term “credit crunch” had become as common as coffee in the morning, we began to discuss work.You see my friend manages a team of senior recruitment consultants and is feeling the pressure at the moment to generate more revenue. Her team is good, but right now, she needed them to be better. She felt as if they didn’t make enough calls, get on enough PSL’s (preferred supplier lists) or meet enough prospective clients. Right now, they needed more activity to deliver more revenue. Something I believe we can all relate to with our sales teams. So, they know their target audience (they dip in and out of trade papers all the time, oh and there’s always yell.com as a back up!) they all roughly know what the proposition is and how to sell it over the phone so now what? Surely she would just get her team to make calls, surely there’s nothing more to it than that? If only she knew…

When planning prospect calls, there are many things to consider. Even if your call is as plain and simple as any call could get, it still needs planning and preparation. A conversation falling flat on its face is something even our team of articulate and confident telemarketers would really like to avoid at all costs. Of course, who wants to be perceived as the pesky telemarketer approaching their decision maker for a meeting/sale that he/she never asked for in the first place?
No matter how much publicity a company/service/product gets, the publicity is not a guarantee it will be a success. Many telemarketers have lost their spirit and glamour all because planning and preparation were not enough. Calls should be planned early on. There is nothing wrong with having too many objection techniques on your hands. In fact, it is certainly better than having to make things up on the spot that may not sound as succinct and compelling as you need it to all because you find it difficult to articulate your response off the cuff.
So, first things first, here are the most important things to remember to prep before your call session:

1. Acquire a good list
Identify the companies that are going to be most receptive to your product/service.
When you purchase a list from a list broker/owner, remember, no list is pristine. The data is only as accurate as the date the contact was gathered. This may mean you will have an element of data cleansing/acquisition within your calls.
Oh yes, if you’re going to gather names from directory enquiries, don’t expect the quality to be great. If you are targeting senior decision makers, try cleaning the list first to acquire names. There’s nothing worse than trying to hold a peer to peer conversation with someone when you are calling them Mr/Miss because you don’t know their first name!
Factor data cleansing into your prep time, there’s nothing worse than saying you’re going to spend twenty hours purely prospecting to generate interest in your next product launch/seminar when in actual fact you need to spend fifteen hours cleansing names.

2. Sound compelling
Having something to help you focus on the message you are going to deliver to prospects is critical to the success of your telemarketing call. Even if you have to script your opening statements this will help you ensure you don’t beat around the bush and that you have something succinct and sexy to say. If you don’t have something to say that covers the “what’s in it for me” concern then save your breath and don’t say it.

3. Find yourself a desk where you can gain focus.
It's often difficult to find a quiet and undisturbed environment to make calls, particularly if you work in a buzzy open plan office. So, if you happen to be sitting across from other people, use this to your advantage. Listen to the language they use and the responses they get, learning from others can help toward your self development. Remember to turn your mobile off or on silent.
Let others know when you plan to make calls and when you would prefer not to be interrupted (except for urgent calls from clients etc).

4. Pen and Paper
When you make calls remember to listen out for buzz words that your prospect uses. Write them down and use them!
Having a pen and a pad handy is far better than making calls and logging notes during your call on the PC. There’s nothing worse than a prospect hearing that familiar “tap tap tap” sound from a keyboard.

5. Have a Goal for each call you make
Decide what you are going to ask/say before making each call.
What would you like to see as a result of the call you are about to make? Knowing your goal before you make the call will help you prepare the questions you ask to help lead your prospect toward your ideal outcome.
List all of the typical objections you are likely to come across and how you will handle these.

So, with the above in mind, telemarketing as you can see is a simple business, albeit there are a lot of elements involved to ensure calls are as successful as they can possibly be. Thankfully, my friend is ensuring her team focus and master the art of planning and preparation before moving on. After all, her money is either going on poor call sessions that are ill timed, poorly prepared and result in nothing because her team haven’t mastered the basics yet. Are you going to throw your money at something to see if there’s a chance it could work? Or are you going to plan your campaign for success?

If you would like more information on how to prepare your telemarketing campaigns give us a call on 0845 658 8192 or send us an email to newbusiness@getsoundadvice.co.uk or feel free to visit our website

Essentials of running a Telemarketing Campaign

2009-03-20T17:34:00.001Z

So you’ve made the decision to run a telemarketing campaign but now you have to plan it. Where do you start? Well there are a number of things that you need to think about before you should start a campaign.

First of all, if you don’t already have a list of names then you need to decide who you’re going to call. It may sound obvious, but not everyone intuitively knows who their ideal target audience is. There will usually only be a limited amount of data to work with so you need to think carefully about, for example, how many employees should the companies you’re targeting have or what should their turnover be? Also, what areas geographically are you willing to travel to? If you don’t fancy travelling up and down the ‘north-south divide’ then you’ll need to make sure you only focus on companies in your local area. These are just a few considerations but there are many other examples of what you’ll need to think about before you buy a list to work from.

Secondly you need to decide on what your proposition is going to be. Of course you know what it is you do for a living, but a prospect conversation should always be focused on how you can help them to solve a problem that they genuinely have. Otherwise you’ll just be one of the many cold calls they receive every day that has no actual relevance to them. For example, are there any new rules and regulations that have come out that are relevant to your prospects which you may have specialist knowledge of? Have you done any research or work in a particular area that has given you an insight into a subject that your potential clients may find interesting? Is there something that you can offer right at this very moment which will make your prospects sit up and take notice when they hear about it for the first time? If you can find a good reason for the busy person that you’re targeting to see you right at this very moment, it will really accelerate the success of your campaign.

Now that you’ve decided what you’re going to talk about, you need to decide exactly how to say it. Someone who works from a script often sounds wooden if the content is poorly delivered. It’s important though to have a clear structure of what you’re going to say in order to make the most of the short time you’re allotted when you finally get through to a decision maker. The important initial considerations for a call structure are:
How are you going to get past any potential gatekeepers?
What are you going to say to the decision makers when they lend you their ear?
It’s vital that what you say gets the message across quickly and in a manner that keeps the other person engaged, without them feeling that they’re been pressurised or bombarded with questions.

The fourth consideration, now that you’ve decided what to say, is who is going to say it? Whether you’re going to make the calls yourself or you’re going to pay someone else to make them for you, the delivery has to be professional and enthusiastic. It’s important that cold caller sounds important enough both to be put through by a gatekeeper and also to be taken seriously by the decision maker. A telemarketer should always sound confident but respectful and they should always ask for the appointment!
The next thing that needs to be decided is how you are going to deal with people who ask for information to be sent out to them. Very often, many people ask for information to be sent to them purely as a polite way of getting a cold caller off the line. Therefore you’ll need to qualify if that’s the case or if they’re really interested and just want to see something in writing to help them make a decision. If it’s the latter and you’re happy to send something out, you’ll need to think about format and content of what you intend to send. In truth, it’s usually the former

Although all of the above can take time to put into place, it’s vital that momentum is built and maintained in the run up to starting a campaign. For example, data goes out of date very quickly so it’s important that once the decision is made to go ahead, a deadline should be set to start making calls and everything should then be focused on this point of time.

Finally, whether you’re managing someone else making the calls or if you’re going to be brave and get on the phone yourself, you’ll need to know how to measure the results of the campaign. Appointments are often the primary goal. However, in some cases it’s about an immediate sale, attendance at an event or a quotation.

Whatever the goal is, knowing if and when to make changes if things don’t start happening as quickly as you’d like can only be by monitoring Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). Simple KPI’s, such as how many calls per hour are being made and the percentage of decision maker conversations, compared to calls made are invaluable ratios to understand. These, along with many others, help to build an overall picture of what’s happening during the campaign and will point you to where changes may need to be made as it rolls on.

So in summary, the essential questions that need to be answered in order to plan a telemarketing campaign are:

Who are you targeting?
What’s your proposition?
How are you going to describe it?
Who’s going to say it?
What information will you send out?
When do you intend to start?
Which metrics will be useful to you?

Remember, a well planned and thought out campaign will be a successful one.

Telemarketing tip for gatekeepers

2009-03-10T09:54:00.003Z

We all possess our own unique recipe that contributes toward the success of the outbound calling campaigns we work on. But do we really consider what key things we (or others) do/say that could generate a consistent level of new business leads month in month out? Try step one of GSA’s secret appointment recipe!

It’s sometimes surprising that top telemarketers often can't tell you what it is that they do that delivers top performance. They can struggle to pinpoint exactly what it is that generated THAT quality appointment or that string of appointments not so long ago. Is it modesty or that they genuinely don’t know? Is it that there’s so much to take in on a call that they naturally forget EXACTLY what it is that they said to nail the appointment? Or was it pot luck? I think not...

I would like to share a couple of gems shown to me recently when I had the opportunity to sit with one of GSA's most consistent performers . If you’re wondering how consistent, try 9 appointments in 25hrs for a PR client targeting Directors for the likes of Filofax, Bahlsen and seven others….

Secret Ingredient Number 1: Qualify the prospect with the Gatekeeper
This is word for word example of what our telemarketer used when calling a contact she had on the system:

Gatekeeper: Good morning ABC, Karen speaking
Telemarketer: Karen (use the name!) hi. I wonder if you could possibly help me (paused for a second). Is (name of prospect) still responsible for your PR?
Gatekeeper: Yes
Telemarketer: Does she get involved with looking at and selecting PR agencies?
Gatekeeper: Yes that’s right
Telemarketer: Thanks, would you put me through to her please.

The above qualifying rule sounds blindingly obvious. However, it was used in every single call this telemarketer made if she didn’t know the answer already as to who her Decision-Maker is. A rule that works well by stripping out unnecessary calls (and time) and hanging on for someone who perhaps has no decision making authority.

Secret Ingredient Number 2: Build the Relationship
You may not always make an appointment right there and right then, but you need warm leads to visit later in the week, month or year. Every campaign needs a pipeline and the trick is to have a good mix of short and long term leads. A mix or hot and warm as well as fresh stuff.

Again, the conversation below is what our telemarketer used when in actual conversation with a decision maker:

DM: Ursula speaking
Telemarketer: Ursula hi, my name’s (telemarketer’s full name) calling from (company name). We’re a PR agency and have done a huge amount of work for (name dropped 2 companies) and what we’d really like to do is come along and have an informal chat about your PR needs and how we can help you.
DM: Actually Laura we’ve decided to take PR in house
Telemarketer: I understand. Whate made you do that and what part of your activity are you bringing in house?
DM: DM then moves on to explain they have a Preferred Supplier List (PSL).
Telemarketer: And how do we go about getting on that list?
(DM: DM finds this a cheeky question)
Telemarketer: Laughs… Ursula, we'd really love the opportunity to be on your PSL. We’d love to see if there’s anything else we could bring to the party…
DM: Send me some information
Telemarketer: OK. We can send through again*. Can I have your email address please?
DM: Gives email address
Telemarketer: Great, let me send something through to you again and then call you on (date agreed with DM) OK? Great, take care Ursula and thank you, bye.

*Something to note: Not once have we emailed the above prospect. The telemarketer implied we’d already sent something through and so gave the impression she would go out of her way to send it through again. Nice touch and she now has a warmer lead to work with later this month…

No technique works 100% of the time and there are changes of style that are required for different telemarketers, sectors and decision-makers. There are also many other techniques. However, successful telemarketing is built on small building blocks. Try these techniques and see how you get on.

View our other post on Telemarketing Tips

For more information on telemarketing or our other services, please visit our website, call us on 0845 658 8192 or send us an email.

Telemarketing Tips presentation to the IOD in Hatfield

2009-02-27T13:19:00.003Z

Today I presented to the local IOD networking event in Hatfield on the subject of telemarketing and my brief 11 tips for success. It's interesting that about half the room had tried using the phone themselves to try to generate new business. However, there was quite some concern over stalking. Many had been on the receiving end of bad experiences. One comments was 'I always know when it's a cold caller when the person at the other end of the line starts with Hi Michael, How are you?'

That struck me as interesting. We've all had that experience. It also demonstrates the speed with which recipients of calls make judgments and the importance of getting the message right. It also strongly suggests that pitch and tone are vital at the start of every call as it sets the pattern for the dialogue.

It's really vital to plan calls. Why should the gatekeeper put you through? What will you say to influence that? Why should the recipient take your call? When he/she does take it, why should they give you more than 10-20 seconds? Too often callers use contrived scripts and think that will suffice. It won't. Decision-makers are time poor, stretched and stressed and they have other things on their mind and people on their back. That could be their boss, shareholders, parent company, employees, husband or wife, kids or very important clients. They have 101 things to worry about. So your call is an interruption. Make the precious time count. So what can you do? Here are just a few things to consider.

Plan plan plan - Why should they see you? Why should they see you now rather than at some time way off into the future? Make sure you have a good reason that is if possible different from what they've heard before. Maybe you have an event, a white paper or some research to discuss with them. Maybe you have a new cost-saving methodology that is specific to their sector that is new. Make sure it is compelling.
Sound compelling - People buy people. It's still true today. Make sure you sound chirpy, positive, confident, authoritative and sound like them! If you go in with a subservient approach they are likely to treat you that way.
Respect their time - Make sure you check that they have time to listen. Are they off to a meeting or under pressure? You can often hear from their voice and tone when they answer. Listen for cues.
Listen - Make your point, ask a good relevant question then listen to the answer. Don't jump in. Show you heard and absorbed. Repeat the point back if relevant.
Ask good questions - Sometimes closed questions with a yes/no answer are good as they move you closer to your goal. Are you the best person to speak to regarding PR decisions? This at least makes sure you don't waste time pitching to the cleaner! Use good open questions to gain information (also from the gatekeeper). How do you normally do XYZ? How are you find that employees are reacting to the media talking about redundancies? Make sure you know what problems you can solve and ask questions around this. But remember that you have to build rapport first.
Mirror tone, pace and language - Using their words is like music to their ears. Don't tap at the keyboard while you're listening. Write it down then play it back. If they say, give me a buzz in 2 weeks, say that's great John, I'll give you a buzz then.
Call back when you said you would - So much business is lost by lack of follow-up. But it's also lost through poor follow up calls. Plan your next call. What else can you learn from them? What else can you let them know? What did you discuss last time. Remind them of that and use their language!
Keep following up - Even if it's not now, this doesn't mean not ever. Make sure you work your database on a consistent basis and keep calling those contacts where you know there is an opportunity. Just because L'Oreal aren't interested today, they may well be interested in 6, 9 or 12 months. It would be a shame if a competitor called and you didn't.

For more info, give us a call on 0845 658 8192, send us an email to www.newbusiness@getsoundadvice.co.uk or visit our new website on http://www.getsoundadvice.co.uk/

The Value in Telemarketing

2009-01-27T22:37:00.001Z

I have met a number of people recently who have asked us to work on a commission only basis. Some clients have asked for a remuneration solely based on their conversion to actual business. This whole approach concerns me.

Let's look at the realities of b2b marketing and especially in the world we live in today.
Service marketing isn't getting any easier. Commoditisation is the norm and differentiation is difficult to prove. Companies' marketing communication talks the talk but do they walk the walk? Hence, buyers find it difficult to decipher truth from fiction. Buyers are also increasingly time poor and pressured. They have pressure from their shareholders, their parent company, their boss, clients, staff and so on. So, at point of impact, marketing has a tough job to do. Couple this with the fact that b2b data is well-known to be far short of 100% in terms of accuracy and you have a recipe for disaster if decisions on audience and message definition aren't well planned.

So what's my point? It is hard to 'guarantee' success in any arena. This is especially so when talking about services that are undifferentiated. It's harder still in competitive markets and more so in the credit crunch. So why is it that companies will still either 'happily' or 'resignedly' pay for advertisements that are reactive (i.e. you have to wait for response), for direct mail (much of which ends up in the bin), for websites (that often don't drive traffic) and PR (that doesn't either reach the target audience or doesn't drive response)? Yet when it comes to a proactive route to market where a qualified telemarketer actually picks up the phone to a defined prospect and has a conversation, suddenly clients want to only pay by results. Why is that the case?

The reality of telemarketing is that the cost is in the time taken to reach a decision-maker. That's also where the skill resides especially where a client doesn't know which market to aim at and hasn't got a USP. Picture this. It can be the case that only 15% of all calls actually reach your decision-maker. That's not least because data is inaccurate to start with. Once you do get through, the people you want to talk to are then usually shielded by gatekeeper PA's, voicemail and so on. Therefore, once you reach them, you'd better have something compelling to say. But the reality is sadly different. Most b2b propositions aren't defined or compelling. It isn't enough to be great at what you do or to have fantastic clients or credentials. That's not least because your prospect probably already has an incumbent supplier that does exactly what you do. So you really need to give prospects a reason to believe you, to see you and to engage with you.

So what's my point? Well first, in order to be effective telemarketing needs to have a clear message or as we prefer to call it 'a Trojan Horse' i.e. something that gets under the radar of your prospects. Something compelling. A robust call to action. Not a me too.

Second. Consider why they should see you and why they should see you now as opposed to some undefined time in the future (which means never!).

Third. Get the list right and make sure it's accurate.

And finally, payment by results for telemarketing is a valid request and is definitely the way forward. However, to make it work, it has to be a two-way process. As mentioned above, it must rely on an accurate data which in most cases means an exercise to clean the data before commencement to identify the exact decision-maker required.

It must respect and reflect the fact that most services aren't differentiated and therefore do not entice the prospective client. It must recognise that it takes time to get past voicemail and rottweiler PA's who shield decision-makers from undifferentiated commoditised propositions.

It must also recognise the fact that decision-makers are time poor and fatigued by marketing overload from every conceivable channel. It must consider the time investment by the telemarketer who deserves support, input, encouragement and payment for what is after all a thankless task. In many cases, 90% of people will say no once you do pin them down. It takes persistence and skill to convince the person on the other end of the phone to take some positive action as a result of the call. And it has to recognise that, for a whole host of reasons, you may not be able to convert a new business appointment to business quickly or even at all.

Telemarketing is a very direct, effective and possibly the most proactive method of lead generation and marketing in the b2b sector. I'm not saying it is the only method. Indeed it is crucial that it's part of an integrated strategy and that you consider multiple routes to market. However, if done professionally it can position your brand favourably and generate immediate leads that often do not result in a pitch situation with multiple suppliers. The reason for this is that a call can often unearth a need. If you can prove that you can do the job, you can often get in before your competition.

So when you consider how you are going to fund your next telemarketing campaign, please consider all of the factors that lead to successful outbound calling and don't simply view it as the telemarketer's job to prove that they're good by working on a 'payment by results' basis. After all, when was the last time you were paid like that for your services?

See also blog on Commission-based remuneration

If you'd like to discuss the strategy for your next outbound telemarketing campaign or any other marketing challenge, please contact us on 0845 658 8192 or email us at newbusiness@getsoundadvice.co.uk. You can also visit our website on http://www.getsoundadvice.com/

Lead generation online

2009-01-21T04:56:00.001Z

Whilst I run a b2b telemarketing operation (thankfully a successful one that is still winning new business and retaining current business despite the 'credit crunch'), I am becoming increasingly intrigued by online lead generation. There are lots of false promises and 'pile it high sell it cheap' offers for leads that puport to be quality. However, what interests me more is how service businesses can engage dialogue online to generate quality leads. I'd be interested to hear from those with a view on how companies can secure quality work via the web. Of course I understand SEO and PPC and PPA and every other acronym. However, I also believe that with increasing commoditisation, differentiation becomes more difficult. Hence, engaging content and a reason to believe for prospective clients must lead online lead generation.

My interest really lies in content and providing good quality information in terms of white papers either on sites that are relevant to your audience that draw clients back to your website, through interesting links and of course on the website itself. Follow this up with a webinar and engage the attendee. Follow that up with a call and the recipe is ready to cook.

Anyone that has successfully navigated the process from engaging content to an interesting download to a webinar through to business generation, I'd love to hear from you.

If you'd like to look at our website, please go to http://www.getsoundadvice.com/

Jonathan