Tips You Need To Know To Increase Lead Generation Results

You will hear me say this a lot.  In today's times, you need to create multiple streams of income.  By that I mean you need to focus on several areas of lead generation that markets your product or service.  Inbound marketing is where you should be but outbound marketing isn't dead.  The game has changed and so must your approach to lead generation.  

Gone are the days of lead generation where you put an ad in the yellow pages and having the phone ring when someone is in need.  I'm not saying to stop that advertising, You need to track it to see how many calls you get for the money you spend.  It's all about ROI.  Reality is that when somebody is looking for the product/service you offer, they are going to get on the internet and do their research.  It is estimated that approximately 90% of people looking for a specific product or service research it online.  I know when I want to look for anything electronic I get online and read reviews.  It's become a social world and consumers, even B2B consumers,   realize they need to do their homework.

It's no different in the B2B world.  Over the years I've had clients that wanted me to do it their way.  They wanted me to pick up the phone, call businesses that may need their product/service and give a short pitch.  Guess what.  That doesn't work anymore.  Businesses that are looking for your product/service hate the calls and most of the time you are transferred to voice mail.  In the event you do get someone on the phone and you start to pitch them on how good you are and and what you do, you just sounded like the other calls they get.  Nothing new.  Same-o Same-o. 

In order to get your business to the next level you have to think like the prospect.  People want to know what you can do for them.  I've put together a few tips that will increase results you get from your lead generation efforts.  In upcoming posts I'll reveal more of those tips.  I'll be covering how to use the phone to create a list for an email campaign.  

ENGAGE THE PROSPECT:  

Firstly, yes, I still use the phone as one stream of lead generation.  I think it's a tool to be used to gather information.  So my cold call telemarketing campaigns have actually turned into "information gathering campaigns."  The prospect does not care who you are, how long you've been in business, how many clients you have in the area or how many awards you've won.  They want to know what problem you can solve and how much more money you can bring in.  

Your telephone approach has to be different.  Their time is valuable.  It's best when you call not to make it a sales call.  Do you actually think that a qualified prospect is going to buy something over the phone on your first call?  Think again.  Try this approach.  When you call you can say something like:  "Hi Wendy(the person who answered the phone),  I was wondering if you could help me.  I'm trying to find out who is responsible for xxxxxxxxx.  I would like to send them some information on how to xxxxxxxxxx(pain point).  Is it possible to send them an email?"   It's been my experience using this approach that it's accepted in today's marketplace.  That's how they prefer to get information on who you are and what you are all about.  Get a good email together with a catchy subject line so they will open that email.  Getting that email address is like gold in lead generation.  They've just agreed to allow you to send them information.  Put them in your email campaign.  

CALL TO ACTION:

In the body of your email have the prospect make a decision by providing links that will explain what problem areas you solve for them.  You could actually give them a choice.  One choice being a link that leads to a short 1 to 1 1/2 minute video explaining the pain points you take away.  The trend says people understand more through visual content.  The other choice could be to a link that just explains the hot pain points you take away.  Now you are providing a way to engage them in today's lead generation methodology.  Tracking what path they take will give you data as to which works best.  Once you know which one works best you just need to tweak your message to get more appointments/sales.

You can also give them something nobody else does.  If you can't do what you say you can maybe give them a $100 gift card.  If it's local business give them a gift card for a dinner for two.  The approach is different and it works.

This is one stream of income that Modernized Marketing Methods uses and gets good results.  Surprisingly, people are open to giving you email addresses.  It's up to you to institute a campaign that turns the prospect into a client when they are ready to buy.

Is B2B Telemarketing For Lead Generation Dead?

After being around for 25+ years and seeing how lead generation has changed I started to think why I've been so successful at B2B telemarketing.

Back in the day, when the internet was in it’s 14.4 dial up modem days, it was always about delivering information electronically to a large audience quickly and effectively.  Today with high speed internet, directories, Search engines, Social Networking, Forums, Email and any other form of electronic engagement,  the target audience is smarter and is always on the go.  You better be ready to deliver your info and present it like you were there in front of the person.  Yep it’s dramatically changed since back in the day.

I've always been a very good speaker, presenter and am lucky enough to have a very technical background.  When I put the two together, and want to deliver the message to a large audience, I think interactive emails and webinars.  Deliver a good presentation, cut your deal and move on.  In today’s search for a good deal from a trusted supplier, people jump on the internet for information and to do their research.  If you reach out to people via phone you have to stand out from the pack from the very beginning or it’s hang up city.  This is how you fix that problem.

Instead of calling up and saying things like “Hi, my name is Jim from xyz company.  We are the leaders in getting you on the first page of Google” try a different approach.  Use the phone to gather data to input into your electronic messaging highway that travels at the speed of light.  If you change your telephone strategy in the B2B marketplace and use that approach, you have just taken the sales barrier down.  If you have what the customer needs and they are ready to buy your product or service, whether now or in the future, you are building your pipeline.  So no telemarketing isn't dead.  If your a legit customer oriented business that uses the phone to gather information it works like a charm.  You even get by the gatekeeper.  Because more than likely it was easy to get the persons email address.  Hell, that’s how people interact today.  It’s right in front of you.  If done right, between email campaign and telephone campaign, it can be a very profitable stream of income.

No telemarketing isn't dead.  The approach has changed.  If you want to get your message across, you have to come across like you have something that’s important but you need to ask some questions first to even see if they qualify..Yes qualify.  Everyone is interested in qualifying for something if they can make money from it.  Asking questions shows concern.  You’re taking control and solving a problem right?   “Hi Mr. Smith, I know you are busy so I’ll be brief, my company can increase your business for less money then running a full page newspaper ad.  I’d like to send you some information that I know you’ll be interested in.  If you give me your email address I can send you the info and follow up to explain in more detail how we can increase your ROI within a period of 3 months.  That’s unheard of but we do it.”  That’s a powerful intro and you haven’t even told him what the hell you do.  If he’s any kind of open minded business man he’ll start asking a few questions like “What company are you with?” that would be sweet.  Then you’d reply ” Oh I apologize Mr. Smith, my name is Jim and I’m with Xyz company.  What’s your email address I really don’t want to take up too much of your time.”  It works they like to feel like King Tut trust me.   If it doesn’t work keep moving on, or if the person just wnts to give you an email address, which 90% of them will, then you can start delivering a powerful message to set up a phone call or presentation.

Yes marketing in this day and age has changed.  Word spreads quickly if done right.  If it’s good enough the message goes viral and your in the money big time.  Is B2B telemarketing or cold calling dead?  No….the name has changed to “Information gatherer".

In future posts I’ll  be discussing how to merge all streams of income into one big money making machine and automate most of it in the process.

Thanks for stopping by.

B2B lead generation Strategies

Lead Generation Strategy

Lead generation strategy is among the hot topics in today’s economic times.  A lead generation company, or for that matter a company doing it in house,  that just sits back and does telemarketing or direct mail is in for a setback.

Normally a company will retain a lead generation company to start filling their sales pipeline.  Years back telemarketing was the way to go.  It had a pretty decent ROI IF you found a company that produced good results and could handle their own on the phone.  Even telemarketing has changed dramatically.

Why?  Because the way people research and purchase products or services has changed.  Buyers are smarter.  The boom in internet advertising started a few years back and has never stumbled.  Companies that hire telemarketing firms aren’t getting the ROI they have in the past.  Today you have to reach out and engage the prospect in one of a multitude of channels.  Social networking and lead generation is still in it’s infancy.  Twitter, Facebook and the bunch have started really crunching data and making it very worth while to advertise target markets.  All the lead generation company has to due is harness that power.

I’m not saying telemarketing alone doesn't work.  Today it’s much better reaching out with an email campaign, video campaign or getting some keywords that are inexpensive on Facebook.  Google, Yahoo and Bing are still in the picture but when you are trying to fill your sales pipeline you need as many leads as you can get.  That means a strategy has to be put in place to reach out in the now, ever changing digital market place and generate some cash flow.

The lead generation companies that can automate their lead generation processes into today’s social environment will have a leg up on the competition.  You just can’t make B2B cold calls and expect to survive the long haul.

Modernized Marketing Methods has 20+ years experience in generating leads for the B2B market place.  Since the introduction of the IBM PC into the market place they have provided businesses with warm/hot leads that fill their pipeline.

Upcoming posts will be about the marketing industry now and in the future.  We'll bring you tips and techniques to make your company stand apart from the competition.

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