Does Outsourcing Your Appointment Setting Campaign Work?

 

 

This is a very good question. In these competitive times, where we need to generate all the sales leads that we can get, the cost of organizing, staffing, and equipping an appointment setting campaign can be prohibitive for small and medium–sized businesses. 

 

That is why a lot of entrepreneurs are attracted by the promise of better marketing through the help of outsourced telemarketing services. While it is true that using such service is outdated, we still cannot take lightly the power of a single phone call. One can never tell whether that next call could actually be a very profitable business deal. 

 

Still, what other reasons do we have to outsource our marketing work?

  

1. Cost
   The most important point in outsourcing. You know that small firms cannot afford the marketing might and budget of bigger firms, so they have to rely on other ways to play on equal footing with them. You know that there is no chance to win against the bigger competition on your own. As long as you choose the right people, outsourcing is worth a try.
   
   
2. Effectiveness
   Here is the deal: you need to reach a lot of business prospects, and you need it in a direct and aggressive manner. What better tool could it be than a simple telephone? A phone call has been proven to be an effective way to generate B2B leads from unexpected prospects.
   
   
3. Reach
   Yes, there are other marketing tools that you can rely on if reach is all we need. But if you add point number two, then you really have very little choices. Besides, the nice thing about outsourced telemarketers is that they might be able to do it better than you.
   
   
4. Skill
   Let us face it, you are a businessperson, not necessarily the marketer. If you have something good to sell, it might be a good idea to let others do the promotions. Sales and marketing require a specific skill-set that you may not have.
   
   
5. Facilities
   The main pain of small firms. They need to do some lead generation tasks, but the equipment and maintenance could be a bit pricey for their limited marketing budget. In that case, would it not be a better idea to just let another firm take over, with their own equipment, and for you to simply wait for them to give you customers? That becomes a very tempting thought.

There are other benefits that you can enjoy when you outsource your work to professional appointment setting agency. If you think that security is an issue, do not worry about it. There are plenty of ways to ensure that your customer data is safe and sound. At least, in outsourcing, you can free up more of your time, effort, and some of your overhead costs, diverting them to another aspect of your business. One that deals with improving whatever product or service that you offer. There is nothing to worry about, really. This is a very good business investment.

Brain Food: A Huge Wave Of Telemarketing Tips From Plants vs Zombies

The eagerly anticipated sequel to the popular Popcap game has just been released, while raves of apparent delight are sweeping through game reviews all over the web. Although Plants vs Zombies 2: It’s About Time is initially exclusive to iOS devices, it will inevitably jump across platforms (Android users, hold your horses) and soon everyone can resurrect (pun not intended) the addiction once more.

In honor of this game-changing amusement, let’s take a look at how Plants vs Zombies can give us pointers on becoming a competent telemarketer:

Know your weapons.  

Each plant was designed to produce a unique way of attacking zombies, and as the game goes further, the number of plants also increases.

It is essential for the homeowner to know the plants’ abilities by heart so he could use them in the right moments. Telemarketers must also have the same self-awareness for them to be able to maximize their strengths and use them to “attack” on their calls.

Formulate a strategy.  

There’s a difference between knowing what your weapons are and how to use them.

Pvz is a strategy game – you will NEVER finish it without a tactic in mind, and even luck won’t be able to help you. In the same manner, you shouldn’t just go and call a prospect without the slightest idea on how telemarketing works. You should at least have sort of a “structure” so that everything falls into logical order.

Maintain your “Zen”.  

When you’re not “in the game”, there’s an opportunity for you to cultivate plants in a Zen Garden so you could use them as resources in the future.

Telemarketers can do this too; they can do research, practice their spiels, or do relaxation techniques so they can be mentally prepared. Or maybe they can maintain a real garden at home.

Always have a backup plan.  

Sometimes, despite of tremendous preparation and brainwork, the wave of zombies just becomes too difficult to stop, and in such cases you may need to rely on your last line of defenses.

Some people even put a backup on their backup, just to be sure. So what would be a telemarketer’s final resistance when a call just seems like it’s going to fail? Composure. Professionalism. Optimism. Courtesy. Resiliency. Just to name a few.

When that big one comes along, give your best shot.

Each person reacts differently upon seeing that gigantic zombie holding an electrical post.

Some get agitated and would throw everything at it, while others remain calm and wait for that right plant to be ready. Much like in telemarketing, where big things only come once in a while, you should be ready to grab an opportunity and not let it slip – or else, say goodbye to your brains.

How Can Appointment Setters Get Past The Do Not Call Registry

Marketing has changed, there is no denying it.

This is a constantly evolving profession, one that compels you to adapt tactics and strategies to reach your audience better. Of course, since marketing, by nature, is rather intrusive in the lives of your business prospects, the methods you employ may not be acceptable to the tastes of your sales leads prospects.

Related: Check Out These Different Lead Generation Methods

One of the strategies that show such repulsion (with varying levels of effectiveness) deals with appointment setting services.

Calling potential customers on the phone may look like an easy task, but with restrictive laws and regulations, like the Do Not Call Registry, this makes it all the more challenging for even the most skilled marketers.

Still, this cannot really be helped.

The very nature of such method of lead generation, where a marketer looks for potential business prospects, establishes a connection with them, nurtures the relationship, and, when the time is right, ask for the business, can be construed as invasion of privacy for some individuals.

And considering that the usual tool used for this is a telephone, you can be sure that a lot of people would be complaining about it. This has been the usual reaction. After all, who wants to answer the phone, only to hear the pleasant voice of someone offering stuff and what-not’s that they may not need. Certainly, this is no rosy situation for appointment setters anywhere.

That is why the Do Not Call Registry is so popular with the private populace.

All they need to do is to sign up, register their names and numbers, and that is all.

When a telemarketing representative calls a registered number, this can be construed as violation of the law. The poor telemarketer will end up facing serious criminal charges as a result. This service is free in most places, so a lot of people take advantage of it. The numbers have reached the hundreds of millions, actually. It can create a lot of problems for marketers who are looking for business prospects. But there is a way around it.

Yes, you can get past the challenge posted by the Do Not Call Registry.

You see, as protective as the Registry can be to private individuals, this same protection does not extend to companies.

Now, this is where the opportunity beckons. I mean, you have to admit that businesses need to actively interact with other businesses. Doing that includes telephone calls back and forth, lunch meetings, business presentations, etc. All these can be done, as long as you contact the person using his business phone number and within office hours. No one will complain about it, really.
 
What other ways can entrepreneurs use to begin interaction or in prospecting of potential B2B leads? This is business, and a public framework as it is. The rules of private citizenry need not apply.

See? It can be that simple. Still, if you feel that calling business prospects on the phone is not your strongest suite, you can also outsource the job to a professional appointment setting agency.

The Five Ways To Fail Your Telemarketing Campaign

We all want to succeed in our businesses, who thinks otherwise, anyway? This is the reason why we invest a lot of time, money, and effort in utilizing various appointment setting strategies or tools in generating B2B leads.

While it is true that we want to find the best means to promote your products or services to the market, we sometimes forget the things that will make all our efforts fail. What these are, and what it can do to your business, should also be part of your concern. If you can just avoid these common, but major, marketing mistakes, then you can do better in your marketing efforts.
  
So, what are these mistakes that can bring you down?

  

1. Being in the dark with your sales leads prospects
   
   This is a common mistake that many marketers make.
   
   It may be possible that you know so much about the products or services, but you know very little of the market that you wish to penetrate. Now that would mean a big problem for your marketing campaign. That is something you want to put some effort in fixing, anyway.
   
   
2. You do not really listen to what your prospects say
   
   This is a glaring, if not common, mistake that many marketers, new or veteran, make.
   
   Sometimes, you are just so focused on trying to sell that you tend to forget the importance that listening to business prospects can do for you. After all, how can you offer the best business solutions if you do not know what your prospects want?
   
   
3. Your customers have customers you do not know about
   
   Your customers may also have customers that you need to be aware of, especially if these are the end users of your own customers.
   
   This is the purpose of probing questions in your lead generation campaigns. Information about your end users is important, since knowing that detail can help you come up with better offers to your business prospects, the ones who will be selling to the end users. Maybe a telemarketing survey can help you identify who these end buyers are.
    
4. The proposition does not have that much a significant value
   
   When you are offering something to sales leads prospects, you need to first ensure that you have something really good to offer.
   
   The reason your prospects are not biting is probably because all you talk about would be the features and other fancy stuff. If you really want to make a statement, then talk to them about the benefits that you can give them.
   
   
5. Talking too much
   
   See here, an effective marketer could say their piece in only twenty-five words, even less.
   
   You have to admit that business owners do not have the time or leisure to listen to your sales talk. If you want to get your message across, then you have to be direct and brief.

Get the picture now? Please try avoid these common appointment setting pitfalls and your marketing campaign would be all right.

Lead Nurturing And Management Is The Key To Successful B2B Lead Generation

Although it may seem that the best way to get good customers is to generate qualified leads, they can be very worthless if there is no proper lead nurturing and management. 

These are the keys to success for lead generation campaigns for companies especially those that are dealing in b2b or business to business transactions. They know that if they are dealing with other companies and they are trying to promote products and/or services to those big-time firms, the changes in the buying preferences according to their buying habits or the present real-time economic situation can change their decision.

Through generating qualified leads, a selling company can learn more about the needs of their potential clients.

But, if there is no nurturing of qualified leads, they might not be aware that the potential customer still has some apprehension in investing to whatever is being offered to them.

Maybe, other needs have cropped up or they thought that what they are about to invest is an overkill on their part. By lead nurturing, they can follow up the prospects through telemarketing services assigning their professional appointment setters not just to arrange face-to-face appointments but also to follow up the needs of their customers in order to be aware of any changes in their decision to buy.

Careful lead nurturing and management take b2b lead generation to a whole new level if they are done through telemarketing. 

However, successful lead generation marketing services should not be limited only to outbound telemarketing.

The internet is one place where everything can be done in a flash in a very easy and most convenient way possible. That’s why, aside from telemarketing, a company trying to make a deal with other companies should also concentrate on other effective marketing methods aside from the usual or traditional ways to promote product awareness like placing ads on TV, radio and newspapers or magazines and even distributing flyers and putting up billboards for the whole world to see.

With online marketing methods such as email marketing, social media marketing and SEO or search engine optimization can help companies learn more about their qualified leads and prevent them from being put aside by their sales agents.

These sales persons will not be very happy to work with these qualified leads if they are not nurtured since they might not have sufficient information about their potential clients.

However, the nurturing of leads and for good lead management should not only be limited to hiring telemarketers or professional appointment setters.

Since the internet is always available anytime, companies that really want to get the most out of their lead generation campaigns should also include other marketing methods that are just as effective as telemarketing alone.

If they are combined with outbound telemarketing, generating qualified marketing leads or sales leads can be easier, more convenient and can help save time, money and effort.  Moreover, lead nurturing can prevent companies losing potential clients even before the first meeting can take place.

Positioning Your Business Effectively In Lead Generation

 

The thing about lead generation and the success of one that you organize rests on your ability to present your business in a favorable light to prospective B2B leads.

This is what you call a business positioning. 

Think of it as that mental picture or message that floats in your head, which describes the essence of your business and why it operates.

Without a good business positioning, your marketing efforts will lack that goal that has made many others successful in their own endeavors. It may look like a very simple matter, but if we are talking about business and how we can improve it, then you really have to position your business well.

The reason why some businesses fail in crafting an effective positioning statement could be blamed on their failure to understand what exactly a positioning statement should be.

Some mistake it as the description of what their products or services can do.Others think that this is the description of what your company is.

In a way, both of these reasons can be right, but there is another reason why this is not true. If you want to capture a market, if you really want to get the attention of your sales leads, then you need to focus on what your potential customers like best.

A lot of marketers think that describing what their business is, or what their products or services can do to customers is the positioning statement.

That is not true.

You cannot call a positioning statement a positioning statement if all you give out are the facts. This is the mistake that a lot of marketers make in their appointment setting campaign. Simply put, a positioning statement or element is that idea or mental space that your brand occupies in the minds of your customers.

Here, you focus on the bond that your prospect has with your business. You need to get in touch with their emotions, their feelings about your business and with them.

Let us take Nike, as an example. You can pretty much figure out what their positioning is based on their tagline. In this case, it is ‘Just Do It’. From the tagline itself, we can infer what their business positioning is: ‘you should not get encumbered by challenges thrown your way and proceed with what you want to do’.

Their positioning statement is summarized in just three words, but its implications to those who hear it is great. It compels their customers to go ahead with their dreams, face the challenges, and go ahead and make the change.You can say that this emotional bond cements the company’s connection with its customer base. This is the reason why Nike has such a strong following.

What about you? What kind of positioning do you have in mind to help your telemarketing team? Remember, you need something that packs an emotional punch in the hearts and minds of your lead generation prospects, as well as basically describe what your business is and what it can do for your customers.

Is Your Website Too Stiff? It May Need A Heart Transplant

As a marketer, you need to know what visitors really think when they land on your company or brand website. More often than not, these people go there looking for something, usually a solution for their problems or something else they haven’t figured out yet.

But one thing is for sure: they’re not always there to get your product or service.

It’s like going into a barber shop. You’re not there to take a look at their scissors or their combs or shampoos.  You’re there because you need a haircut. Or maybe you need to chat with the barber. It’s the emotional need of the customers that must be addressed, and if your site doesn’t manifest emotions, then it needs a working heart.

Be results-based, not features-based

When we arrive at a website, we typically see a list of amazing information about the brand. If you’re on the landing page of, say, a website for a fitness center, you might see something like this:

• Experience our new state-of-the-art treadmills made from Germany, with precision machine rollers and a 7-inch touch-screen interface!
• Work with our professional mentors trained with the most current fitness programs
• Check out our equipment corner and enjoy incredible discounts for members!

While these statements are definitely alluring, they focus more on all the good things about the gym but they do not address the customers’ primary need: to stay fit. The website must display information that encourages them to see the results – things they could benefit from using your product or service.

With the same bullet points, see how they can be rephrased based on results instead of features:

• Make your workout more efficient and fun with our new treadmills sporting precision machine rollers and a 7-inch touch-screen interface!
• Achieve optimum body fitness with the help of our highly-trained and up-to-date mentors!
• Find out how you can bring your workout to your home with our self-help equipment, with great discounts for members!

Now, doesn’t that show more heart?

Use graphics that trigger emotions, not logic

Aside from re-wording some of the words on your site, you can also change the way graphics and other visual aids are presented. Instead of simply relying on charts and infographics, you can also incorporate photos of people actually doing something, like a snapshot of your daily operations, or of people enjoying your product or services.

Doing that makes people think of the very reason they ended up on your website in the first place. Facts and numbers can only do as much as impress them; showing that your company values emotions create longer-lasting impact.

Lead Generation Tips For Those In A Budget

Generating B2B leads is a need, not a want, in the world of business. Common sense will tell you that. I mean, if you want to stay in business, you need to make a profit. In order for you to make a profit, you need to sell a lot. And in order for you to sell a lot, you need a lot of sales leads. For big firms, this is not that much of an issue, since they have the budget and the manpower for it. It is the smaller firms who have this problem, most who are on a shoestring marketing budget. For these firms, attracting a good chunk of the market may seem like a dream.  

But if they follow these simple lead generation tips, they will be able to have a fighting chance:

  

1. Establish partnerships with other firms – let us say that you are a manufacturer of hotdogs. You know another firm that sells hotdog buns. You meet with the other firm and strike a marketing partnership with them for hotdog sandwiches. This will pool your resources and bring both your products out to the market faster.
2. Join activities that gives visibility to your business – ever wondered why Sir Richard Branson is involved in so many stunts and other public events? It is because he wants to increase the visibility for his company, the Virgin Group. You can do that as well, joining public events that lend publicity to your company, as well as introduce ways in which your products can be used by the market.
3. Ask your current users for testimonials – nothing can be more convincing than to hear someone you know recommend you something. If you already have customers already, but you need more, ask them to help you out in promotions. Not only will this lighten up your telemarketing team’s load, it will also lend some credibility for your business inside social circles.
4. Have your employees chip in on the marketing effort – it could be as simple as having them wear a company shirt (which can also double as uniform), to organizing elaborate public activities that creates interest in your company. Besides, if your employees believe that your company is worth it, they will not hesitate to associate themselves with your business.
5. Outsource your marketing process – this is in terms of appointment setting and other activities that require a specific skill-set that you or your employees may not have or too expensive to do in house. Sure, pundits will say that this will be the ruin of your firm, but as long as you work with the right agency, and at a reasonable price, then you have nothing to lose. Indeed, this could be a really smart investment for you to make.

You do not need to spend a lot in order to conduct a successful lead generation campaign. As long as you follow these tips, then you would be in a better position to succeed (at a lower price). You just have to tap into creative and innovative side to pull this off.