Why Profiling Your Prospects via Telemarketing Makes Sense
July 23, 2009 by Ashley Rist
Seventy percent (70%) of completed interviews from telemarketing result in a “no opportunity” status. These are prospects that are qualified to buy, but they do not have a defined need, budget and/or focus to evaluate your solutions. Some people believe that once you place a prospect into this category, you should politely exit the call and quickly move onto the next name on the list. However, this tactic can be wasteful. Taking the time to ask additional profiling questions can be immensely valuable to your marketing strategy.
Continuing conversations with these individuals can yield information that might be helpful down the road. Obtaining information in the following categories will inevitably prove to be indispensable:
- Current systems installed: Having this kind of data on record not only permits market analysis, but might also prove useful in the development of future campaigns. For instance, if we find that a competitive platform is quite common in a particular industry, the execution of an industry specific competitive attack campaign would likely be worthwhile. If we exit the call without obtaining this kind of information, we lose out on an opportunity to detect trends in the marketplace. An understanding of what is happening in our target audiences allows for the development of campaigns that will increase market share in what might be unexplored territory.
- Anticipated growth or changes within their infrastructure: Asking questions around what might be happening in the future is vital. Often, prospects are thinking only of the here and now. Asking about what is expected to transpire within their organization over the coming year might sway them to consider that things might not be as “taken care of” as they seem to be currently. There are two possible benefits from getting your contact to consider the future: 1) a lead might result during the current conversation as they come to the realization that they might actually have a need for your solution, or 2) we might find that while this prospect does not currently represent a “sales ready” opportunity, a follow up call in the future may result conversion to a lead. Keeping a record of this second outcome will prevent opportunities from falling through the cracks.
- Current Challenges: Just because a prospect might not be in the market for a purchase at this time doesn’t mean that everything in their world is functioning perfectly. Asking a couple of questions designed to uncover issues they might be experiencing is not a futile exercise, as it allows you to gain insight into their struggles; insight that can be capitalized on in the future. As new solutions emerge in response to challenges commonly experienced in the market, so does new information and collateral. Keeping a record of your prospects challenges permits you to engage them with relevant material as it becomes available. Keeping in contact with them and, more importantly, remembering their struggles, will inevitably win their trust so that when they are in a position to buy, they opt to go with the person who had their needs in mind.