We’ve pulled together 4 lessons to help you think differently about your marketing strategy, ultimately resulting in more sales and long-lasting relationships with your ideal customer.
Your phone is your biggest tool as a B2B sales professional. But most people don’t use it correctly.
Because they: – start with a stiff intro – don’t highlight pain points – try to sell the product
Instead of: – getting right into why they should listen to you – framing the “pitch” around painfully accurate pain points – selling a longer call or demo
Interested in learning how to book meetings with cold calls? Watch the video or continue reading for our Founder & CEO, Owen Richards’, top tips for filling your calendar.*
questions with “no” answers, this adds negativity into the call
“how are you” → doesn’t add value for you or the prospect.
generic language (ex. industry leader) → instead say “We help {{industryType}} solve {{specific problems}}.
undervalued time asks → don’t only ask for 15-30 seconds, instead ask if they can help you out (example below).
assumptive asks → don’t ask to setup a meeting right away, ask to start a conversation.
don’t use a high pitched voice or have fake high energy, just be yourself
Add:
a permission to go into questions (ex: But I don’t know enough about your situation to even know if this will make sense for you. Would it be okay if I ask you a few questions…”
questions that are easy to ask before getting into the harder ones
“what’s in it for me” straight in the start
a natural call ask “what i’d recommend is to set up a call to help you…”
specifics about who you’re talking to “ex: I speak to a lot of CTOs that…”
a bit of cheekiness that makes you human “ex: Is this the worst time ever?”
How to prepare for a successful call
Practice how things sound before making calls so you can be confident when people pick up
Find a time to make your calls that fits when you have high energy + when your prospects will be available
How to find leads:
data suppliers
tools like Sales Nav
industry specific data bases
How to research for cold calls:
use the research you’ve already done based on your email + LinkedIn outreach
google the company while you’re calling them up
use relevancy (ex: find the main pain points for a specific group of people like CTOs of manufacturing companies) → use job descriptions for this
Tips to help you meet your goals
The best SDRs Owen has worked with spend about half the day on the phone. Owen’s goal is to get 1-2 good conversations per hour.
How to bring your lead’s guard down:
be extremely honest
making the conversation permission based
add your personality, be human
If you get a gatekeeper saying someone isn’t in the office any more, ask for the cell phone number.
Add a cold call in at the beginning and at end of the sequence
→ Can be after a LinkedIn step and first email to give initial context
Examples for each section of the call
Opener to ask for their time
→“Look I know you weren’t expecting my call, can you help me out for a moment?”
→ “I’ll be honest with you, this is a sales call. But I’m hoping to have a few moments to tell you why I chose to call you today”
Pitch that answers “what’s in it for me”
→ “We work with (target audience here) to help them achieve (target audience’s goals)
→ “We work with (target audience here) who are typically battling with challenges such as (target audience’s challenges)
When saying who you work with, the more specific the better. If you can bucket calls based on specific roles this is the best, ex. Heads of People for SMBs, CTOs for manufacturing companies, Heads of Sales in bootstrapped startups, etc.)
When mentioning goals and challenges, use jobs ads to find what people in this specific role need to handle. These tasks are their main challenges.
Transition to discovery questions
→ “Now, I don’t know enough about your situation to know if something like this would make sense for you, so would it be okay if I asked you a couple of quick questions?”
Close (book the meeting)
→ “{{Name}}, I genuinely think we can help you with [some of the learnings you have from their answers]. I’m going to suggest we book a time to go into more detail on this.
Can I suggest we book 30 minutes for next Wednesday or Thursday? Are mornings or afternoons usually better for you?”
Wrap-up (summary + next steps)
→ “Right, that’s great {{Name}}. So just to summarize, we’re going to speak again next Friday, November 25th at 2pm and together we’ll go over some ways to help you {{solve problem}}. Myself and (Senior Name) will be in the conversation from our side. Is there anyone else you’d like me to invite from yours?”
No problem. So I’ll send you a confirmation email and calendar invite now. Is there anything else you need from me between now and then? That’s great. Then I’ll say thank you for your time and look forward to our conversation next Friday.”
How to handle objections – diffuse, statement, question
→ “That’s absolutely fine, no problem at all. Most of the people I speak to tell me the same thing, I hear it almost every day. {{firstName}} tell me out of interest, (discovery question)”
When someone says “Can you just send me an email?” you have two choices:
accept they aren’t interested and move on
call them out on the BS and go back into the conversation
→ example from Blissful prospecting: “firstName, can I ask you an awkward question? I’ve done a lot of these cold calls and generally when someone says this it’s really just their way of telling me they aren’t interested in my lame cold call. Am I completely off base with that?”
Owen’s cold call script
“Hi {{FirstName}} it’s Owen calling from Air Marketing, you and I haven’t spoken before but I’m just hoping you can help me out for a moment.
We help ambitious SaaS companies who’s SDRs are struggling to build enough pipeline and hit target. (depending on the current problems your leads are facing)
Obviously I don’t know enough about your situation to know if this would be a fit for you, do you mind if I ask you a couple questions?
Looking for more more content to increase meetings booked rate?
There are so many powerful arguments for outsourcing lead generation. It gives you back time and frees you up to concentrate on more strategic projects while safe in the knowledge that you can rely on a consistent and quality supply of leads. What’s not to like?
So when is outsourcing not the right decision?
The value of your product
It comes down to the value of your product. A good barometer is if your sales value is below the £5,000 mark (one off sale or annualised if you’re selling a monthly subscription model) then outsourced lead generation might not deliver the results you’re looking for. A good lead generation company is able to guide you on this and let you know the potential return on investment (ROI) they can deliver for your project.
Be realistic
Lead generation can deliver incredible results but it’s important to have realistic expectations at the outset. It’s not a magic bullet that can expertly cut through your sales cycle; the expertise is derived from the skill of the agent’s approach and their commitment to achieving results for your business. If it were easy, you’d simply expand your team and see immediate results.
It takes time
Lead generation campaigns need time to gain momentum, taking up to 6 months to prove their ROI. In the same way you wouldn’t expect a new employee to deliver sales on day one or even month 1, you cannot expect to see immediate results from a very limited trial or a very short campaign. It simply won’t be a meaningful reflection of what could be achieved with the proper time and investment in the project.
The foundations for partnership
Lead generation companies worth their salt will want to build a partnership and collaborate closely with you so they can learn how your business operates. Nobody knows your business and products better than you, so communicating your advice and experience is vital to success. Remember, they are experts in their field but they’re not experts in your business processes, so they will need time and support to get things right for you. This requires access, regular meetings and a level of involvement with your in-house team. Things don’t always go to plan, it’s important to be able to have an honest and open conversation with your supplier. Work with them to find solutions and spend some time listening to their agents making calls. If a supplier isn’t prepared to let you listen to calls, or see how they train their agents, take them off your list at the supplier selection stage. The relationship works both ways and they need to be transparent about their processes to ensure your partnership thrives.
You have a different sales model
All businesses have quirks that are unique to them. If most of your sales come from referrals and you’ve experienced organic growth as a result, then it’s important to understand that leads generated from cold calls will have a much lower conversion rate, typically between 5% and 30% (dependent on product, price and relevance to the customer).
Know your numbers so you can set expectations
It is important to start outsourced lead generation programme with a clear understanding of what to expect.
Check out our video where Owen Richards, MD of Air Marketing and Richard Forrest, MD of Forrest Marketing Group in Australia, dive deeper into the topic discussing the impact of pricing models and perceptions of supplier collaboration on the success of lead generation initiatives.
At Air, we work with clients to create a tailored, blend of services that will deliver the best conversion rates in their desired market. If you’d like to hear more about how we can help your business grow or show you how we’ve helped businesses from all sectors achieve success, get in touch today or call us on 0345 241 3038. Hear more from our existing customers here.
When it comes to training, I have often found that the main objection I’m met with is cost and the potential loss of investment – “what happens if we train our staff and they leave?” My response… what happens if we don’t and they stay?”
Yes, training can be expensive and in businesses, people come and go. However, if the training is right, the relevant benefits far outweigh the cost. Training is vital in the workplace as it aids both personal and company growth. Training also makes employees feel valued and invested in, resulting in a happy environment and increased productivity.
Training can benefit company growth in numerous ways:
Best practice: Training expands the knowledge base of all employees within a company. By sharing best practice within the company, all employees understanding of procedures and processes and how to deliver a high standard of quality, can then be replicated daily and maintained throughout the entire team.
Consistency: Best practice goes hand-in-hand with consistency. With constant and relevant training from day one, all employees should receive a solid foundation of knowledge, which can then be built upon. With this foundation, all employees will possess the tools and knowledge to carry out and deliver work of the same outstanding standard and quality.
Motivation: It is important to keep employees motivated as it has a direct effect on productivity. An increase in motivation will directly increase the productivity of employees and their overall performance as well as that of a team. In turn, this will generate more return on investment (ROI) for the client and the company, representing the importance of investing time and resources into training.
Employee satisfaction: Morale is high when productivity and performance throughout the company are strong. This coupled with personal achievements brings employee satisfaction, whereby employees are happy and feel valued, in turn they perform well. It’s a full circle that all stems from and starts with training.
Weak areas: Identifying and addressing weaknesses in a company presents the opportunity to carry out refresher training or upskill sessions to educate and share knowledge. This ensures that everyone is comfortable in what is required from them and the level of performance is once again maintained.
Collaboration: We all know that ‘two heads are better than one’. It makes sense then to share knowledge and experience, both within specific teams as well as between them. Coming together to help one another, as well as bringing different perspectives and opinions can sometimes be beneficial for everyone involved and helps to present various aspects of the company in various ways. This can be a training lead collaboration, whereby everyone can learn and benefit while also feeling like they have a voice.
Reduced employee turnover: When employees receive the relevant and correct amount of training, they should feel more comfortable and confident in the workplace being able to carry out all aspects of their role with ease. Thus, reducing anxiety, unhappiness and a desire to leave the company.
Training doesn’t always need to be delivered in-house. At times it is necessary to seek out external guidance and assistance. External training really helps with:
Access to expertise: When specific training is required, it is always best to go directly to the source and get the experts in, as they will know all the relevant information and the current tips and techniques being utilised and will be able to share best practice.
Fresh look: External trainers may be able to provide valuable insight into inefficiencies within the company and help us to see opportunities for improvement that we could implement smoothly and efficiently. By bringing in an outside view, they can suggest changes that we may have otherwise not been aware of or thought of.
Stretching our comfort zone: External trainers who are new to the business get employees stepping outside of their comfort zones immediately, as someone new is around.
When our comfort zones are stretched, we find it fosters creativity making us more flexible and adaptable to unexpected change. It also motivates us and increases our overall productivity and performance.
So, if you’re considering implementing a training programme for your team, give it a go, you’ll only know once you try – ‘the proof is in the pudding’ so to speak.
Opinion Piece by Nicolette Karides, Learning and Development Coordinator at Air Marketing.
We know there’s nothing better than building a healthy sales pipeline, and one of the most effective methods of doing that is by making calls and starting conversations with your key target market.
Implementing a successful telemarketing campaign is a process that many businesses struggle to achieve. A telemarketing campaign can often be seen as complex, time-consuming, or outdated. To eliminate this misconception, Air ensures all clients follow a campaign process which will lead your business through an achievable, step by step process, designed to deliver rewarding results for your business. Take a look at our Air process here
‘Know your customer’has become quite a cliché in marketing. There has never been a business that didn’t start out fulfilling unmet needs for a very specific group of people.
We suspect you probably know your customer fairly well, but let’s turn this question on its head and instead ask:
How well do you know your prospects?
Air Marketing Group know that a lack of qualified prospects moving through your sales process today, can mean trouble for your business tomorrow. We understand that a strong sales pipeline is critical to attain revenue goals 6 – 12 months from now.
So what steps should you take to build and sustain a healthy sales pipeline?
Start with enough leads
Sales is a numbers game and to develop a strong sales pipeline you must accumulate enough leads to drive through your marketing and sales engine. If you have a good understanding of the pipeline process you’ll know only a proportion of your targeted leads will become qualified, and a fraction will convert and be ready to buy at any given time.
Qualify every lead
Generating a list of qualifying questions to ask every interested lead will allow you to determine if there’s a real business opportunity or not.
Ask: Has your prospect got a realistic need you can fill?
What are their major challenges in this area?
Have they tried to solve these issues? If so, how?
How soon do they want to find a solution?
Ask: Is the prospect an appropriate lead for the value and price point of your offering?
What solutions would they consider?
What is the budget to address this solution?
Be careful of time wasters. If it appears there’s little budget for your solution, put this lead into your low-quality category and concentrate on higher priority prospects.
Use lead quality for targeted marketing
It’s important to use resulting lead quality data to develop more tailored campaigns. At Air Marketing all our campaigns use bespoke lead generation strategies and are tailored to meet individual business requirements. This strategy allows us to provide clients with quality sales leads that meet specified criteria.
Nurture qualified prospects
Not every qualified prospect will be ready to buy today. Once qualified leads have been identified you can leverage the use of content based email marketing, and follow up calls, to continue to nurture leads and identify interested prospects.
Create a next step for every interested lead.Base this on need, interest and timing:
Schedule a demo or follow up call to share additional insights.
Send a follow up email that needs a response within a requested time.
Send an industry-related article every month to stay in touch and keep educating them.
Remaining in front of interested, qualified prospects will mean you are at the front of their mind to assist when the time of their need arises.
CRM systems
A customer relationship management system (CRM) will improve your sales efficiencies, and allow you to track and report on sales opportunities, leads and prospects.
Remember a healthy sales pipeline will have the following attributes:
Many opportunities at every stage of the funnel.
New opportunities coming into the top of the funnel regularly.
New sales being converted at the bottom of the sales funnel regularly .
Here at Air Marketing Group, we pride ourselves on our ability to get under the skin of your business, speaking with your prospects and where possible and relevant warm the lead into a position where they can be converted into an opportunity. In addition to this, we provide a transparent reporting service, and the delivery of each call recording to ensure our clients that any leads we’ve secured will convert.
If knowing your prospect is still an area you would like help with get in touch today to find out how we can help on 03452413038 or get in touch.
We are often contacted by companies who reach out to us because they have (rightly) heard that direct telemarketing delivers very tangible ROI or they see us advertising that our average client receives £18 for every £1 invested.
But often telemarketing is viewed in isolation, companies engage with the pilot campaign to test the water and see how it delivers without taking into account the opportunity that lies in the bigger picture.
We know that telemarketing is an extremely effective channel for many companies, but we also know that combining telemarketing activity with other forms of marketing or looking at the campaign as a longer-term investment such as a 6 month or year long tactic to support other business objectives, can deliver even better results.
The set up of a telemarketing campaign can bring up a lot of questions such as:
Have you researched your product/service? Do you know how well it will be received by the market? Do you know your competitors? Will it deliver what we say it will?
How are we supporting this telemarketing campaign? Do we have a branded email that can be sent afterwards? Do you have a website that echoes the message we are giving? Have you created anything such as a brochure or flyers we can share with prospects?
Have you considered your own sales pitch? Is your sales pitch and our telemarketing pitch aligned? Are we both on brand? Will your sales pitch see conversions?
Is your data right for use? Do you need to purchase new data? What else can that data be used for?
As a Business Development Partner, it is not our ethos to deliver merely a ‘project’ within constraints that are agreed. Instead, we want to help you look at the bigger picture, understand what the strategy for your telemarketing or marketing in general is, consider all the angles that could be taken to best engage with your target market and really help you generate the right leads for your business.
The visibility and involvement that is available when working with Air, allows you to ensure that telemarketing is firmly set in the bigger picture. Feedback on data allows you to update your CRM systems and instigate actions if needed. Being able to come in and train the team allows you to shape what the tone of voice for your business, the sales techniques and known objections. And being able to monitor calls in live time means you are always on top of what is happening, planning for appointments, understanding objections and client feedback etc.
So, if you’re looking for a partner to work alongside you, guide you and deliver for you, speak to the team here at Air for more information on how we can help improve your business development. Call us on 0345 241 3038 or email us at contact@air-marketing.co.uk.
We live in a world where data is everywhere, it’s more widely available than it ever used to be, and we use it more than we’ve ever done before!
As telemarketer’s, data is invaluable to us. The simple truth is that we are only as effective as the data that we use. It is our job to understand who we are calling and to establish a need, all culminating together to create a lead or opportunity for our client. With the correct and clean data, we are able to do this in an efficient manner, understanding the target market, key message and target for our clients.
But, with bad data we struggle from the outset. Using out of date, irrelevant, or confusing data causes delays to our calling, meaning we call less relevant data and have less worthwhile conversations resulting in a worse return on investment for our clients.
Data changes quickly, especially if you are working with large quantities:
Staff change roles or leave companies
Companies change locations or details
Businesses close
Company mergers happen
And this can all change the data that you hold about that company.
Telemarketing is still proven to be an extremely effective method of business development when used correctly. Here at Air, we focus on the ROI that you receive when working with us, our average return is £18 for every £1 our clients invest. But to work as effectively as possible we rely heavily on working with the right data. For this reason, we have always partnered with high quality compliant data providers who we can rely on to deliver what we require to meet our clients needs.
With GDPR changes on their way in, data has never been so under the spot light. With this in mind, we’ve created our GDPR Readiness Statement, using plain English to explain how we have got ourselves ready, to give you confidence in our operation and to provide guidance for yours.
If you’re considering starting a telemarketing campaign, get in touch for a chat to find out how we can help you with your business development and data needs.
Asking open questions develops a conversation with a prospect but when asking questions it is important to ensure they are natural and you dig deep on certain points raised to make the most of the conversation to move into the close. Take a look at our latest video to find out more on this tip:
When executed correctly, B2B telemarketing can be one of the most effective methods of speaking with your target audience and building your pipeline. As with all business development techniques it is vital to do the right research upfront and put a clear strategy into place before commencing. Telemarketing is also well suited to working alongside the other business development activity that you already have running such as email marketing, direct mail or social media marketing.
We’ve refined our telemarketing strategy over the years but have seen plenty of mistakes in that time also. Here are the 5 mistakes to avoid when conducting your telemarketing campaigns:
Inadequate preparation
You may think that telemarketing is all about being on the phone, making as many calls as possible and crossing your fingers a little. This simply isn’t the right approach to take.
Taking the time to prepare before a call, thoroughly understanding your company, the USP’s of the product/service you are selling, and the decision maker you want to talk to. This preparation may seem like its wasting your time or putting you behind – but this will make your call much more professional and efficient.
Having no freedom from the script
Nobody wants to be in a role where they are just reading from a script like a robot – and no prospect wants to have a conversation with someone who is defined by a script and lacking personality.
A script helps you cover some key aspects, but diallers should have the freedom to move the conversation wherever it requires. Not only will this give more enjoyment to the team making the calls, but it will also allow a much better personalised, intelligent and consultative conversation with the prospect.
Boring them with talk!
We’ve all had these sales calls – where instead of listening to what the caller is saying we are counting how long they’ve been talking without taking a breath, just wondering if they might pass out from exhaustion!
What does this achieve? Absolutely nothing. You cannot sell to someone if you haven’t identified their needs and whether your product/service may satisfy those needs. And how are you going to find out these needs? By asking questions and allowing the prospect to steer the conversation.
Unable to handle objections
Not every prospect is going to need your product/service or want to buy from you. So, when objections to your sales pitch do arise you need to be prepared for them.
This is all about training, ensuring you understand what objections you may receive and how you can best overcome this. The biggest mistakes to avoid are mumbling, changing the subject or continuing your sales piece talking over them.
Failure to close
You have called that prospect for a reason – you want to arrange a telephone appointment, a meeting or a sign up. So as the call is going well, you need to be able to recognise when to ask for the sale and close the deal.
Training and experience will teach you when to close this sale. But failure to identify this means a missed opportunity and time wasted on both sides.
If you’re looking for telemarketing guidance or sales training, Air can help you with this. We often run sales training workshops not only for our internal staff but also for clients and local business owners. Get in touch to find out more.
