B2B Teleservices Do’s and Don’ts

The growing demand in telemarketing services for lead qualification has many companies recognizing its potential to achieve results. When used properly, it is a powerful tool for increasing sales. However, when incorrect tactics are used, it can lead to annoyed customers and missed sales opportunities. Whether your company chooses to outsource or do its own B2B teleservices, it helps to be aware of common mistakes and best practices. Check out our list of telemarketing services do’s and don’ts to make sure your company is set up for success!

Do: Prepare
Prior to your call, you should have extensive knowledge of your prospective customer, the problem they’re looking to solve and possible objections. This will help you figure out how to best position your product or service as well as prepare to overcome any opposition.

Don’t make the mistake of calling a previous customer…and not ‘know’ that they were a previous customer in your database. It will be a short phone call! Know your prospect’s role in the company and how they’ve interacted with you or your company (if at all) in the past. If you are utilizing marketing automation technology, it should be integrated into your CRM platform to help streamline this process. Want to take it one step further? Best practice is to ensure your data is clean and accurate so you are set up to have a successful conversation. There are plenty of information sources out there with the advent of big data, so no excuses! Get a partner like Televerde to help or dedicate the time needed to get prepared.

Don’t: Pitch products you don’t understand
No matter how much training you’ve received, if you don’t understand the product inside and out, it will be difficult to succeed. While you may be able to fool a prospective customer in the early stages, the lack of knowledge will become more transparent as you progress through the sales cycle. Avoid this by investing the time necessary in training to fully learn about your product or service and effective conversation strategies. Go deep! This way you will feel confident and prepared to answer any questions that may come up throughout the process.

Do: Pick the right time to call
Telemarketers used to try to call prospects during lunchtime, early morning or late afternoon in order to avoid any gatekeepers. While calling outside of peak business hours may increase the chance of your call being answered, it is not the only strategy you should consider.

A study from Dr. James Oldroyd showed that the average lead response time of B2B companies was 42 hours. While this doesn’t seem like a long time, it doesn’t take long for a lead to become cold. Respond to a lead as soon as possible with your telemarketing services so you catch them while they are actively researching their future purchase. Reaching a contact when a need is relevant and fresh drives up your contact rates. The internet has changed consumer expectations and customers expect more, and fast, which makes it crucial for telemarketers to pay close attention to when leads come in and to schedule calls accordingly.

Don’t: Get distracted
During calls with prospective customers, it is important to keep your focus. You will be getting information about what they need, who to contact next, and how to contact them. While it is easy to multitask in this day and age, being distracted during this stage can result in receiving inaccurate information, which could prevent you from making a sale later on.

Do: Listen and ask questions
Now that you know all about what you’re selling and who you’re selling it to, you might be tempted to immediately offer a detailed description of your product or service and its benefits. Instead, you need to get the customer to tell you what his or her wants and needs are, and then explain how you can help.

They should feel like you are fulfilling their need, not making a sales pitch. Moreover, leave room for pauses and allow them to gather their thoughts and speak. If you monopolize the phone call and don’t give them a chance to talk, it will be impossible to know what they’re looking for.

Don’t: Be overly pushy
While enthusiasm is necessary in telemarketing services for lead generation, customers should never feel pressured into making a decision. B2B products and services are often complex, leading to longer decision cycles and pushback along the way. When put in these situations, telemarketers must find the right balance between being too pushy and being persistent. It can be tempting to try to get prospects to commit to as much as possible, but in the long run this will lead to lack of trust, bad relationships and fewer sales.

What does your company do to increase telemarketing lead generation? Let us know by tweeting @televerde or commenting on our LinkedIn page. For more information on B2B teleservices and how our agents can help you, contact us today.

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