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Tag: Business Development

Outsourced vendor VS. outsourced partner

Posted on by Doug Roots

Outsourcing has become commonplace in businesses. If you do not have the capacity or resource in-house, then you are likely to look outside of your business for a solution. Whether that is to help you with your finances, your recruitment, you may need consultancy to help change management or operational changes or you’re looking to grow and need help with business development – which is where we help!

The term outsourcing is often used for any external business that you choose to engage with. But there is a very big difference between an outsourced vendor and an outsourced partner.

An outsourced vendor provides a service for an agreed fee. For that fee it is agreed what will be delivered and the vendor will ensure that it is delivered within the agreed timescale, to the agreed spec, for the agreed price. Whereas on the other hand, an outsourced partner will provide a service for an agreed fee, but this will go beyond simple briefing, fulfilment and delivery.

An outsourced partner works with you and has an interest in the company as a whole. A partner is interested in your business goals, objectives, the reasons behind why you are outsourcing and what can really be done to help you fulfil your requirements. You may approach a partner with a requirement and an idea of ‘how you feel it should be fulfilled’. However, a partner is likely to be the expert in what is required (hence why you are approaching them) and by partnering with them they will share their expertise and intelligence to guide your thinking. The right partner will not be motivated by the money they can make from your partnership, instead they will be focused on what they can do to help you grow your business as one team together.

It is very easy to work with an outsourced vendor on a one-off project to fulfil a requirement. However, a partnership is likely to be much more long term. Business culture, values and outlook become more important when establishing a long-term partnership. Working as one team with a like-minded partner will make the whole experience smoother and much more effective.

So, when you are next considering outsourcing a project or business requirement, stop and think. Are you looking for an outsourced partner to deliver more? Sourcing this partner could potentially make a far more positive impact to your business that you may expect.

Opinion piece by Shaun Weston, Account Director, Air Marketing Group. 

Sales and Business Tips – How to Present What You Do

Posted on by Doug Roots

Once you’ve worked hard to get in front of a decision maker, the next stage of introducing yourself and presenting what you do is really important. Don’t just talk about what ‘we’ do, how ‘we’ help, instead flip your language to talk about how we can help ‘you’, what we can do for ‘you’. Find out more tips for how to present what you do from our MD, Owen Richards.

Where does telemarketing fit into the sales cycle?

Posted on by Doug Roots

So, you’ve started considering telemarketing? Or maybe you haven’t yet started to consider it but, you have heard competitors within your market are doing telemarketing and a couple of your business contacts have talked about it too. Perhaps you recognise that there may be some value in looking into this avenue as part of your sales and marketing activity but you’re wondering where it fits in your sales cycle and how you can justify it?

Naturally, when sales and marketing activity is executed together as an integrated process you are likely to see an increase in leads, especially the highly relevant leads which are easier to convert. There are now opportunities to integrate telemarketing within the whole sales funnel; starting from the awareness stage, right through to the evaluation stage.

But where does it fit?

The awareness stage

At the very start of a sales cycle we need to scope out the market, starting with data and market research so you and your target market can become aware of each other. Telemarketing can play an important role in data cleansing; checking your data lists are accurate, up to date and receptive to your offering. This process is extremely helpful in helping you shape your offering, your marketing campaigns and your approach to these leads. Without getting this process right, your lead generation can be far more time consuming and far less successful.

Adding value stage

During the sales cycle telemarketing compliments the nurturing marketing activity as a very effective touch point. It can be argued that telemarketing is one of the fastest lead generation tactics to identify and close leads. Having that human conversation to understand where someone is in the buying cycle, how you can help them and being able to easily answer their questions is something that will set you apart. As all these conversations are likely to be recorded (we record all of our calls), this is all extra data that can be documented to profile your customers, helping both your marketing and sales teams.

Follow-up stage

Follow up calls are a final important aspect of your sales cycle, that for many businesses are not conducted because they are delighted to have won the business and they are now running off to chase the next win. But if we truly complete the cycle, our new customer is perfectly placed to give us feedback on the process they have just experienced. This helps us not only shape this experience for future customers, but it also adds further value to your customers experience as they have a platform to discuss any concerns, or issues they may have.

So, if you’re considering if telemarketing could help your sales cycle in some way, the likely answer is yes. It can help in so many different aspects of the sales cycle, we’d be surprised if it didn’t compliment your current sales or marketing activity.

Sales and Business Tips – Script Writing For Sales Calls

Posted on by Doug Roots

Should you use a script when making sales calls? Our guidance is both yes and no – we create what we call a ‘call guide’. Find out the tips for writing this from our MD, Owen Richards.

Reaching customers is easy – but delivering the right message is getting harder

Posted on by Doug Roots

The digital space is full of noise – tv adverts, Google adverts, social media adverts, emails all trying to target you using the cookies collected from your online browsing. Many of these online efforts with general messages end up as nothing more than an annoyance to consumers because it’s almost impossible for them to address specific issues or problems facing a customer.

For years, we have been bombarded with generic sales messages and brand information which has accumulated to make noise. The digital space now offers more affordable marketing than the traditional tv, radio and magazine advertising – so more companies jump on the bandwagon and before we know it, we are drowning in noise with no clear message.

We have more tools than ever at our disposal to create specific targeted messages but for some, marketing still seems to be a bit of a hit and miss affair. The saying “If you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it will stick” rings true here.

Buyers can now find all the information they need online, so the methods that sales people use for presenting their value proposition must change.

This is easier said than done, and the inability to communicate value messages is one of the biggest inhibitors to attracting new customers and achieving sales success.

Modern day buyers are only interested in how a product can benefit them.

The features of a product might be interesting, but if it’s not going to provide a direct benefit and help them achieve their desired outcomes, then they’re simply not interested. In a world where consumers have all the information they need at their fingertips, selling has become harder than ever.

Value messaging needs to change to keep up with this evolution of the buyer. Selling a product is no longer about the product. It’s all about the buyer.

Making a purchase is now a journey that involves emotions, feelings, goals and solutions. And a salesperson can only facilitate this journey if they know their customer well. They need to have conversations and truly get to the heart of their problems.

Sales message dynamics

Value messages need to follow a process that changes and meanders with the customer’s buying journey. There is a definite beginning, middle and end in the sales process, and salespeople need to help customers understand their own challenges (because often they don’t) and provide a solution that will achieve a desired result. A proper conversation with a customer opens the lines of communication and can address a problem the customer wasn’t even aware they had.

Creating new business

The inability to communicate value messages effectively not only inhibits sales success, but also impedes the ability to attract new leads and clients and expand existing ones into more valuable clients. This makes sales messaging even more important when it comes to successful business.

Customer-centric messaging

It’s imperative that sales people know how to plan, construct and present their messages effectively. We need to focus more on the customers’ pain points and explain the value they will get from the product. This is where personalised, one-on-one sales techniques make a difference.

What’s the best way to begin the process of communicating value messages that will ensure that the right people sit up and listen? Attract, train and retain exceptional salespeople.

Great salespeople engage prospects and build trust. While many lead generation methods and sales processes involve online communication methods, salespeople provide what digital marketing can’t – a human connection and an ongoing relationship.

Are you looking to reap the benefits that outsourced business development assistance can provide? Outsourcing your telemarketing to Air allows boosted revenue through successful campaigns, with our average return being £18 for every £1 our clients invest. To find out more about how we could help you open the conversation with your customers and deliver the right message get in touch on 0345 241 3038.

Is there still a place for telemarketing within your digital focused marketing mix?

Posted on by Doug Roots

For those sales and marketing teams who have focused their effort and budget solely on digital channels, it may seem like telemarketing is an old forgotten art no longer needed. But this isn’t the case. Telemarketing proves to be a very effective tool when used as part of your integrated marketing mix – assisting you to close more B2B sales than you might think.

Assisting not replacing marketing activity

Integrating marketing activity is where you will see results. In the past, telemarketing was used to speak to as many prospects as possible, generating as many leads as possible, in many cases no matter the quality. Today this simply doesn’t work.

Combining marketing activity across different user touchpoints has proved to be more effective in converting leads and closing deals compared to using just a single channel. With the increasing use of email campaigns, junk mail is common – how can you guarantee your email will be read or even opened. If your email is read, can you be sure if the user understood it, found it relevant or even slightly considered your product/service – can you guarantee that they would get in touch with you to talk more?

This is where telemarketing can have an impact. Following up on emails, nurturing a customer through the journey provides a very real touchpoint with your customer. Understanding their views on the product/service, apprehensions, questions, or reasons why it wouldn’t be suitable. This very personal interaction opens up the conversation, provides you insight into your market and nurtures relationships which may not convert immediately but will build the pipeline for the future.

Where to start?

Data and your message is going to be the most important place to start. Refined data gets you to the right person quicker, saving time and, therefore, money which will see you make more of your investment. Once you reach that person its all about the message. But making sure that the message is joined up across your marketing mix is vital. Your email campaign should have the same message as you are intending to discuss on the call with them, this repetition of a core message will resonate with prospects giving more brand clarity.

Feel like you need some help? Air Marketing Group is an outsourced B2B telemarketing agency providing a full range of lead generation, appointment setting, telemarketing, call centre and customer service solutions to companies around the UK. Outsourcing your telemarketing to Air allows boosted revenue through successful campaigns. Effective B2B telemarketing is all about ROI: Our average return is £18 for every £1 our clients invest.

Our clients have benefited from our experience and the Air process, take a look at some of our case studies here to see for yourself.

To find out more about how we can help with your business development process, contact us on 0345 241 3038.

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