Working with Sales to Maximize Your Telemarketing Leads
Posted on May 7, 2009 by Jason St Onge, Senior Account Executive
You are committed to running a successful lead generation program.
You have invested your time and money to select the best partner, develop the best program, and provide the best training. You have gotten buy-in and input from key players across departments. You are preparing to launch the perfect program.
Ultimately, the success of your program is being measured by the number of qualified leads that make it into and through the pipeline.
Despite all your program preparation, there is a crucial variable for every program that dramatically impacts the results…the sales individuals that will be working the leads. As you know, this is a difficult variable to control. Your sales team may have varying levels of experience with lead generation or varying opinions and expectations for the program.
In order to make the most out of your program, you must be sure to thoroughly educate the sales team on the program. You can do this by providing a clear description of the program objectives, call messaging, lead distribution process, etc.
Beyond sharing the program details, listed below are 5 additional tips you should share with the sales team to help them more effectively convert leads into opportunities that will stick to the pipeline:
How quickly should a lead be called on by Sales?
Unless an appointment has been scheduled or the contact provides a specific time/date for a call back, we find that being aggressive with lead follow-up works well for people that show an interest. In fact, the contact is more likely to remember the initial call and your company if they are called in a timely manner.
An approach that is effective for all leads, but particularly for longer-term leads, is an “introduction” call. Many sales professionals we work with will call a contact immediately upon receiving a lead just to introduce themselves to the contact. The goal is to make a personal connection and get into their decision making process as soon as possible. When you contact a lead right away, it’s also important to acknowledge that you know their project is 6-months away, but you thought it would be beneficial to introduce yourself now in case they have any preliminary questions, requirements, etc.
How many times should a lead be attempted by Sales?
In order to generate a qualified contact from a cold list, which is the objective of most lead generation programs, your vendor will likely have to attempt a contact 5 or more times (most likely more). If that is the level of time and effort invested in a cold contact, don’t you think the level of effort invested in a qualified contact should be equal or greater?
What doesn’t work? – Calling them once or twice, leaving a message and expecting a call back.
What works? – Being aggressive. Calling the contact numerous times. Varying the times of the day and days of the week (in case they are out of the office or happen to have meetings when you call). Leaving a message which specifically details when you will be calling them again. Sending them an email to confirm a time.
Be aware that the contact was not actively pursuing your business. The lead is the result of from a cold call. It not unusual for even the most interested and qualified of prospects to miss a scheduled call and become difficult to reach. This does not indicate that the lead is “bad”. It does indicate the contact is very busy and you may not be the top priority right now. Remember, it is you that are pursuing them. You know they are qualified, so be aggressive.
How does Sales reference the vendor?
Think of your vendor as an extension of your sales team. In most cases, your vendor is making the call “from” or “on behalf of” your organization, so reference them us as such. Simply stating that he/she recently spoke to one of your “team members” or “colleagues” from your marketing department is a great way to connect the past conversation with your follow-up call.
How can Sales best use the information contained on the lead?
Leveraging the information from the lead generation call can help you be more prepared and help build credibility. Use the provided call notes and environmental information from the lead report to prepare the appropriate follow up questions for the contact as well as to specifically address their situation. This approach makes the call more productive for you and more relevant for them. It will also help them remember the previous call. Also, pay specific attention to the next steps provided in the call notes, this ensures that you are meeting the contact’s expectations for the call or appointment.
How can Sales help improve the leads?
Your feedback is critical to the success of the program. If you discover a trend as you follow up with the leads (positive or negative), inform the team so the appropriate adjustments can be made. The beauty of telemarketing is that adjustments can be made on the fly (i.e. changes to messaging, the addition of key probing question, etc) to make an immediate impact on lead quality.
In addition to improving quality, closing the loop on the leads provided is also important. Understanding which leads made the pipeline and/or led to closed business as well as which leads did not make pipeline and why, can help to optimize the program.
Keep in mind, most lead generation programs are designed to positively impact pipelines and assist the sales team, which can be extremely difficult without the appropriate support and feedback.
Tagged: lead generation, lead generation sales, sales telemarketing leads, sales tips telemarketing, telemarketing lead development
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Comments
Chris C said:
You guy's pretty much nailed it. I have had this discussion countless times and in the end the question we ask ourselves is "how can we get more control over what happens with a lead once it get's to sales?" I agree with everything you've said in this article. To expand on your point about educating sales I've found that somewhat informal introductions between your lead gen reps and sales reps can go a long way. As you are kicking off the program a great way to make that happen is to set up a short test call to role play the script. This helps ensure that the Sales rep understands how you are positioning next steps for them and helps the lead gen rep understand the sales rep's expectations a little better.
Erin Spinney said:
I agree, this is right on. As a marketing professional, I find that it's critical to ensure that the sales team is aware of any upcoming seminars, events, webinars, etc. When they finally reach the contact for that introductory call, they can establish a relationship and introduce the company with these options at their finger tips.