Tweet

Lead generation 2.0: Technology-led telemarketing

Guest post by: Beth Walthew

Article Overview: There’s no denying that telemarketing needs to adapt to what the digital world brings. However, if you can adapt, the digital age will simply enhance telemarketing and lead generation. www.prospectresearch.co.uk

Lead generation 2.0: Technology-led telemarketing

Marketing is changing very rapidly. Mediums used to communicate marketing messages are becoming predominantly digital. 40% of UK b2b marketing budgets are now spent on digital marketing* and in the US, online advertising spend has doubled in the last five years**. The last 18 months, Prospect Research has seen big changes in terms of how we are approach telemarketing for clients and ourselves. However, the one thing that hasn't changed and I don't envisage changing no matter how much we tweet, blog and email is the fact that we need to talk to people; people with attitudes, opinions, priorities and personalities that can only be uncovered in conversation.

There's no denying that telemarketing needs to adapt to what the digital world brings. However, if you can adapt, the digital age will simply enhance telemarketing and lead generation.

There is a spectrum of business leads, from the hottest enquiries you receive to totally cold prospects. Leads from the entire spectrum can feed into your telemarketing pipeline.

The most exciting thing about digital marketing is that it gives you a new middle ground of warm leads. These warm leads come from being able to identify prospects that have shown through their online behaviour evidence they may have an interest in your services. This allows you to target more effectively and in turn be more efficient with your budgets.

Below are some ideas about how digital marketing methods can enhance your lead generation.

1. Tracking visitors to your website

Software is available to give you the ability to identify the companies that have visited your website, as well as showing how long their visit was and what they were interested in. To use this effectively, you need to establish rules to help you identify who the genuine prospects are, as you will find competitors, suppliers, clients and unsuitable prospects that will need filtering out.

The filtered leads can feed into your business development team's call list, allowing them to tailor their sales message to reflect the web content the visitor was most interested in.

The software also allows you to track the source of the website visitors which can give you data to feed into your web strategy.

2. White papers

Offering downloads of topical white papers, industry information and newsletters on your website shows expertise in your field. You can also build a pot of prospects by recording the people who download it, and making follow-up calls to gauge their interest in your product/service.

3. Business news feeds

Some of our clients subscribe to news feeds that give details about forthcoming projects. This includes public tenders, building projects, new retail stores, office moves and lease expiry dates.

Telemarketing can be used to qualify details about contracts, the correct contacts to engage with, and how to get on preferred supplier lists.

Over last few years, this information has become more accurate and accessible. However, again, you need to put rules in place to identify the best opportunities to pursue.

4. E-marketing

Email software can track people who have read your marketing emails and also who have clicked through to your website. This can indicate a level of interest although we have found on campaigns the most relevant leads come from people who have opened an email five or more times or have clicked through to your website.

5. LinkedIn

Anyone who has used LinkedIn for direct lead generation is probably still nursing a slapped wrist as this is generally seen as going against accepted etiquette. LinkedIn is primarily used for brand awareness, making contacts, nurturing relationships with contacts that you refer work and showing expertise.

However, it can still be used as a tool for telemarketing. It is great for obtaining decision maker names as these are increasingly publicised on the web. It is also good for profiling prospects as it allows you to see what they are saying about themselves.

If you spot sales opportunities, consider using methods outside of LinkedIn to contacts the prospects.

Conclusions

• Companies need to adapt their telemarketing approach to sit alongside digital marketing.

• There is a need for create effective rules and boundaries to use to identify the best prospects.

• There is an impact on the calibre of telemarketers you employ as you need people who can adapt their approach as digital marketing throws out a wide variety of prospects.

• The digital age has enhanced telemarketing's filtering techniques.

• Long gone are untargeted phone calls with a generic marketing message.

• The two way conversation that telemarketing gives you with your prospects also allows you feedback their opinions into your overall marketing strategy.

To find out more about our work, visit Prospect Research online.

Related Articles
  Marketing and Advertising Making Use of B2B: Getting the Winning Attitude
  Telemarketing Solutions of a call center
  Producing MLM Leads: Call a Buddy!
  Businesses for Generating Sales Leads
  Warming Up Cold Calls
  Consultative Selling Won't Fill Your Pipeline
  Lead Generation & Marketing Automation How-To Guide
  Thirteen Proven Lead Generation Tools For Service Businesses From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  Sales Training Courses that Bring Lead Generations to Life
  Why you will never see an ad for Find New Customers
  Has cold-calling ever worked for you?
  The Advantages of Lead Generation for your Business
  Effective Lead Generation Tactics From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  Demand Generation Training | $99 via email
  Thing to know more about the telemarketing call center
  The Lead Generation Assessment
  Top 3 Network Marketing Lead Generation Methods When Marketing On A Budget! ~GUARANTEED SUCCESS
  Telemarketing Services in Indian BPO firms
  Trust and the Big Lie of Lead Generation
  Lead Generating

Article Tags: direct marketing, lead generation sales digital marketing, Prospect Research, telemarketing



Related Forum Posts
Re: Kevin's Case Study #6 - Marketing an information resource? - Hey Sebastian, Congrats are starting to think beyond whats currently being done. My question is why do you want to get away from lead generation if that is where you make your money. What if you just because THE SOURCE for lead generation and high value content/information? Then you'd get more business because franchisors would HAVE to be listed with you.... J
We are more richer today than the generations before us - We are more blessed today than the generation before us. We are richer today than the generation before us. We have chances of making more money today than the generation before us. Few yeas ago the Internet started and more millionaires had been made on the net than the years before. In the days of old you need capital or connection to be rich, nowadays a kid with an idea and few dollars can be a billionaire within a few years. If in doubt ask Mark the creator of Facebook, he started Facebook with just $200. Alex Tew started with nothing. David Yang and Filo the Yahoo guys started with nothing. They are also billionaire today. Bill Gate said the next generations of millionaires are going to be made on the Internet. Google had made thousands of people millionaires just for advertising on it. Clickbank had paid affiliates more than a billion dollars. Yours truly had made thousands of dollars on the internet. I am looking for the time I will make my first million dollars on the net. And don’t think it is going to be long. I will keep you posted. Are we not blessed in this generation?
Re: Kevin's Case Study #6 - Marketing an information resource? - [quote="Evan":3ndb7usp]Hi Sebastien, I'm wondering about two things: 1) What is your current revenue model? 2) Why would franchise owners choose to sign up with you over the lead generation companies? Is there some kind of quality control certification that you could award them to say that they are a World Franchising certified franchise? I'm not clear on what benefits a company seeking to franchise would really get from your site beyond the lead generation component.[/quote:3ndb7usp] Hello Evan, 1. We currently make money from what you may call lead generation. Franchisors pay us a fee to be on our websites and in our top seller franchise guides. We also generate money from other avenue; mostly by selling hard-to-get information about franchising (UFOCs, etc...) 2. That's exactly what I'm trying to answer.... I want to get away from the lead generation perception. I want to be seen as a good information resource, which we are. I have started to take the association angle and I am now looking to provide great benefits to our Members (used to be called clients). I think I'm on the right way. I made a lot of progress the last couple days.
Re: My Favorite Book For Entrepreneurs In 2010 - Lead The Field. By Earl Nightingale. I have read the book more than 7 times, since I bought it in 2008
Business Card = Money $Machine$! - Chris, I'm not sure the line of business you are in but something to consider. I got this idea from Dan Kennedy's Gold Inner Circle Newsletter. He stated in addition to just stating what you have to offer you also need to position your business cards to get people to actually contact your place of business so that you can capture their details and keep in contact with them. By keeping in contact you build trust and credibility and usually after 7-8 contacts they can potentially become a paying customer. How do you do that? Dan suggests offering intriguing, valuable information that helps a customer save money, relief from a particular stress or fear etc. but it has to be free so that they are encouraged to make contact with you. This works for B2B and B2C. B2B have been providing numerous whitepapers for a while now addressing different ways they have helped other companies with similar problems and end with how their product/service helped remedy the situation. Has anyone toyed with including "An Irresistible Offer" on their Business Cards? e.g. Free one hour consultation on your website to identify ways to increase your Lead generation by 40%"


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Making the Most of Your Trade Show Experience

Make Small Commitments. Get Big Changes.

Soda Vending Machine = Energy Hog

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.