A website development company contacted It’s Your Call to make follow up phone calls to a list of prospects who had received a postcard describing the company’s services. Realizing they had to distinguish themselves from other website developers, the company created a marketing campaign that integrated hardcopy and electronic marketing to their prospects.
The developers looked at their customer list and were able to glean the demographics for the best prospects. They then purchased a list and mailed postcards. But they determined that an initial face to face appointment was an unrealistic result from a postcard mailing.
They decided to hire an outside company, to make follow up calls and further qualify the prospects. This company, It’s Your Call, crafted a script so callers could have a conversation with prospects, and presented a plan of actions to take after the prospect was qualified:
• Schedule a phone appointment for those with an immediate need
• Send an email briefly describing the website company, with links to referral sites, to those thinking there might be a need 6 months out
• Send an email to those who had some interest but no time lines
• Capture contact information about each prospect, and place it in a Customer Relation Management database
An initial pilot program with It’s Your Call achieved an 8% positive response rate uncovering 39 new prospects. Within weeks following the completion of the telemarketing campaign, two sales were obtained. The website developer secured another sale after two months, and has an additional four “hot” leads that are being nurtured through the sales process.
Website Developer Utilizes Telemarketing and Achieves Immediate Sales!
May 9th, 2012
How to Work a Room and Make Lasting Connections
April 19th, 2012Why is Networking Important?
In any business, no matter what the profession is, social skills and networking are necessary to move forward. One way to network is to attend social events, because they bring together like-minded individuals, whether it is a church event, a charity event, or a professional association event.
What Can Someone Who Isn’t a Natural Networker Do To Make the Most Out of Attending an Event?
Be prepared and determine the networking goal beforehand, such as who do you want to meet. This maximizes the time spent at the event to get the most out of it.
Before attending the event, obtain the guest list if possible. This can be accomplished by asking the event coordinator if the guest list is available.
If You Want to Meet A Specific Person, What is the Best Way to Do That?
The key is to be as casual as possible. People do not like to be targeted. It is perfectly appropriate to introduce yourself to someone you don’t know, but an even better way is to connect through an introduction if possible.
If you see that someone you know is speaking with a person you want to meet, wait until the conversation breaks and then say hello. The person you know will likely introduce you to the person you want to know, and then you have an endorsed introduction.
It is a networker’s job to introduce and connect others, and networkers should look to connect others with similar interests. The introducer benefits, as they become an integral part of the relationships they connect.
What Should You Say and Do When Meeting Someone for the First Time?
Have a brief elevator speech ready about who you are. You should also ask open-ended questions that will not produce a yes or no answer. For example, “how did you learn about this event?”
Be a good listener. There’s something to the saying “he who speaks last loses.” Not only is it impolite to interrupt others, but active listening facilitates follow-up questions and creates better dialogue. More effective conversation can happen by repeating back something a person says in the form of another question.
What is the Best Way to End a Conversation?
It is important to know how to enter and exit a conversation. You don’t want to be stuck in a corner or be monopolized. If you need to move on, you can say something like “excuse me a moment, I see someone that I need to speak to.”
Networking is all about relationship building, and today’s social media options make it easy to avoid getting out there and interacting with others in face-to-face situations. Attending events and “working a room” provide important opportunities for personal interaction. Events are a place to see and be seen, and the more you go to them, the better you will get at “working the room.”
Other Tips
Have an ingoing and an outgoing pocket for business cards. This makes the business card exchange process fluent, but be careful not to put someone else’s card in the outgoing pocket.
Name badges are very important. They should be worn in a prominent place for others to see, such as the upper right lapel of a jacket and should not be placed low such as on a belt. Proper name badge placement helps others get through awkward situations, as it allows them to quickly see your name, especially if they have met you before and don’t recall your name. Name badges also help others to find you.
Events are not places to do business, but it is perfectly appropriate to make arrangements for future conversation.
If you want to meet the guest speaker, approach them before the event. Most guest speakers are approached by the crowd after they speak, and then you will be competing for their time.
http://www.boston.com/business/blogs/global-business-hub/2012/04/how_to_work_a_r.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed4_HP
Qualifying an Inbound Lead Generation Campaign
March 26th, 2012
Utilizing social media to enhance your internet marketing campaigns is a great way to generate interest. It is said that a general pay-per-click campaign will result in a 3% conversion rate. And a more focused campaign, that includes a landing page geared towards the visitor, will actually increase the conversion rate to about 16 – 20%. These are great numbers – or are they?
Conversion in most business to business scenarios is not the same as a sale. So the people who have converted still have to be qualified and nurtured. From the blog posting, ‘Sales Numbers,’ 60% of all sales occur after the fourth call, which means that these conversions still have to be processed through the sales funnel.
We worked with a SaaS company to help with that process. With our support the 20% conversion rate is narrowed down to 10%, but those folks are now qualified. We make the calls and ask four prioritized questions. When we have determined the next step in the sales process we either turn the leads over to the sales people, or keep the converts with us and continue to nurture.
So when we do hand off the leads to the sales folks at this social networking company, they get qualified leads as opposed to suspects ‘that came in through the website,’ and are now willing to focus on closing them and making the sales!
Cat Puke Leads to Large Gross Sales!
March 6th, 2012
I received a call from a large manufacturer, in central MA, asking if I would submit a proposal for telemarketing services. They were interested in doing a pilot program to see if it would be worth their while to start an in-house program. I explained to the product manager that we were a small company and if they wanted a kajlllion leads that she should probably go to another company. She explained that the company liked working with entrepreneurs and that I should go ahead and submit a proposal.
After submitting the proposal I did my due diligence of calling to follow up. Over the course of 2 months I left many voicemail messages that resulted in no return calls.
In April, I received a call from the product manager. She told me that my proposal was in the top 4 and she would like to see my facilities. Again, I told her that we were small and that actually we were a virtual call center. If she needed an actual facility to perform her campaign than she should look somewhere else however if she wanted to sit in my living room and have coffee and meet that would be fine. She said that would be fine so we set up a time to meet on a Wednesday at 11:00.
That day came and I was all prepared! I dropped my 2 year old off at day care by 8:30, stopped by Dunkin Donuts and picked up coffee and donuts. Came home and made calls until 10:15. I started to clean the house and was able to clean the kitchen and bathroom when there was a knock at the door — the time was 10:30! Being 6 months pregnant at the time I was dressed in my husbands, sweat pants and a baggy old t-shirt. There were still toys all over the floor and I hadn’t had the chance to run the vacuum cleaner. I answered the door and there stood a Natalie Wood look a like.
“It’s 10:30,” I said.
“I’m early,” said Natalie.
“Well you’ll have to realize that I know how to dress professionally and my house has seen better days,” I explained.
We went into the dining room and Natalie pulled out a four-page questionnaire. I couldn’t tell how I was doing, as the answers to the questions were all ambiguous, what would constitute a hot lead? When would you decide to turn over a hot lead?
Natalie started the third page of questions when my cat came yowling in. Now this is the cat that never shows up when there is company. Natalie started to reach down to pet the kitty and I could see her visibly recoil. The cat was covered with mud and grass and just gross! She started to say something about the cute kitty when all of a sudden the cat started throwing up!
At this point I started to laugh and said this mess I would have to clean up. Natalie put away the questionnaire, we talked a little more about everything else but telemarketing and then she left. I never even asked when she would be making a decision.
A few weeks later I decided that I would follow up despite the events that occurred. Typically, I left a voice mail message however within the hour Natalie returned my call.
“Ceri, I highly recommended you to our VP of marketing he is going to make a presentation to the owner and we will be incorporating your services into our budget!”
I got over my shock and thanked her and then she added, “ Oh, by the way I didn’t tell the VP anything about the cat puke!”
“Actually, Natalie,” I said, “I use that cat throw up technique on all my sales meetings!”
A few months later we performed the pilot program for the company and it was reported back to me later that there were $74,000 in forecasted sales as a direct result from our calls!
Avoiding the Worthless “Just Checking In” Follow-Up Call
February 15th, 2012
Would you agree that it is not easy to actually get a decision maker on the phone?
Of course, it’s tougher than ever. There are all kinds of “studies” that say it takes five, eight, 11, 23 or more attempts to actually speak with a decision maker.
OK, pick a number… whatever one you choose, that’s time you invested to finally get a person on the phone talking to you.
So here’s my question:
Why would you want to get off of it quickly?
Crazy right?
But it happens all of the time. Particularly with new sales reps who are prospecting. Often they are so surprised they got someone on the phone, they are not prepared to take it further.
Once they finally get a decision maker, they begin the call, then move into something like, “Well, I’d like to schedule a time with you to do a web demo.”
Or, “I’d like to email you some material and then call you back.”
Here’s my philosophy: If the music is still playing, stay on the dance floor. Take the call as far as you possibly can. Don’t be the one to end the call. If what you have to say and ask is of interest and value, they will stay on the phone with you. After all, they answered the call, didn’t they?
The Weak Follow-Up Call
In addition to now proactively stretching out your sales cycles, needlessly, wasting your time with some people who will never buy from you, not taking the first call further sets up a weak follow up call.
Many reps send out literature, white papers, web links, samples etc. after a brief prospecting telephone call, and start out the follow-up call with the “postal inspector” opening:
“Hi, I was checking to make sure you received the information I sent.”
Then they follow with the equally ineffective,
“Uh, do you have any questions?”
After hearing “No, no questions,” they end with,
“Well, keep us in mind if you ever need anything.”
The listener, trying to sound as sincere as he can while lying (or laughing) responds,
“Oh, OK, I will.”
So, because the initial call was ineffective and was prematurely stopped, the follow-up is not much warmer than the first call, and, the use of go-nowhere, rejection-inducing approaches and questions on the follow-up. Here are ways to correct both of these problems.
Again, go further on the first call. Granted, unless you are selling something simple and your sales process is transactional, you indeed probably do have a multiple call process.
With that said, be sure it’s even worth it for you to enter them into your funnel and agree to call back. You should have some variation of these criterion as part of your follow-up litmus test.
- the prospect will do something between the initial call and the scheduled follow-up that would make this call worthwhile, such as check your prices vs. what they pay, or use the sample you send, or,
-a future event will take place that would make the follow-up more appropriate, such as a new budget year beginning, adding more personnel, etc.
Next, the opening of the call needs to bring them into a conversation that readdresses the hot points fueling their interest last call, and also serves to move the process closer to the ultimate action you’re seeking (the sale or appointment)
Here’s a simple format for the opening.
1. Identification. The easy part. Name and company will do: “Hi Pat, this is Jan Stevens with Hi Tech Services.”
2. Bridge. You need to bring them back to where they were emotionally when you ended the previous call. Remind them of their interest. “…I’m calling to pick up where we left off last week, where we went through the savings you’d show with the internal management of your . . .”
3. The Agenda for This Call. This part needs to be proactive:
“I’d like to go through the material I sent you to point out the specific cost-cutting features that apply specifically . . .”
Other proactive words and phrases include, “discuss,” “analyze,” “cover,” “review,” and “walk through.”
Also include some value-added reason for this call. This way, if their interest has waned since the last contact, and/or they didn’t follow through with what they said they’d do (which happens quite often) you still have a basis for continuing this contact.
For example,
“And I also did some research and came up with a few other examples of something you showed interest in the last time we spoke: how other engineering firms have used this process.”
To summarize, take advantage of the opportunity when you do get a decision maker on the phone. Move the process as far as you can, have a good reason for following up, and you will turn prospects into customers more quickly, and not waste time with those who will never buy from you.
https://bbp.infusionsoft.com/app/hostedEmail/25485386/31cd1d4536f636bf
Where’s the Love?
February 8th, 2012
Do you get intimidated by picking up the phone and calling a new business prospect who doesn’t know you and is not expecting to hear from you? In the Boston area, which is the home of my business, we are not known for striking up casual conversation with complete strangers. Whether you are in Boston or anywhere else on the planet, it is simply not a natural exercise. There are plenty of legitimate reasons why picking up the phone feels uncomfortable. But none of these reasons is an excuse for someone who aspires to be successful in business to avoid business to business telemarketing.
Why is Business to Business Telemarketing so important? The fact remains that telemarketing is a necessary and highly effective tactic in the vital campaign to build a successful new business pipeline and grow your company. Although telemarketing is a significant component in generating business to business leads, it is often given the lowest priority.
Today’s easy access to e-mail doesn’t help matters, either. Too often an e-mail is substituted for the more personal and useful interaction that occurs when individuals actually use their voices to speak to one another. Telemarketing is the first step toward winning new business. It’s the process by which you identify strong prospects and generate worthwhile leads. Trust that the actual you, not the virtual you, is the best way to begin these business to business relationships.
Still not convinced? Check out our new ebook, Cold Calling for the Clueless before you pick up the phone to build your pipeline.
Lead-Generation-and-Nurture Strategy
January 30th, 2012
People and process, not just technology, are the key ingredients to an effective Sales 2.0 lead-generation-and-nurture strategy.
If you are considering implementing marketing automation to support a Sales 2.0 lead-generation program, or if you are trying to leverage the investment you’ve already made, here are five key steps to organizing your people and processes to leverage the benefits of your technology:
1) Realign sales and marketing resources. From a marketing standpoint, new skills must be acquired, such as content creation; video production; landing page and microsite creation; and program management. Many traditional ways of selling, such as direct mail and cold calling, need to be dialed down or even eliminated.
Customers are educating themselves via the Web; so, by the time your sales rep actually speaks with them, they believe they understand the products you and your competition are selling. They are looking for a sales pro who can add value or solve their business problem rather than someone who simply communicates product features.
Many companies now hire fewer sales reps but many more senior, consultative sales professionals. This ensures putting your best foot forward once the “live” sales cycle begins.
2) Commit to content creation. Specific, relevant, highly targeted content is the most trusted form of advertising. Marketers often describe a Sales 2.0 engine as a content hog, one that demands involvement by a company’s top subject experts in creating and fulfilling meaningful editorial calendars on an ongoing basis. Most companies underestimate the commitment that takes; and, as a result, their “monthly” campaigns may be sent out only a few times a year, dampening the impact of marketing automation.
3) Boldly differentiate your offering. When asked about their key differentiators, most companies sound almost identical to their competitors. You must boldly—and specifically—point out the reasons your company is the winner, and support those claims with interesting, relevant stories and case studies.
Slice your database thinly, and speak specifically to the different buying personas in your target market. They each have different pain points and reasons for buying from you, so make sure to address them specifically. Since a prospect’s first impression comes from a digital connection rather than a warm handshake, your company’s digital sales call may determine whether you make it to the buyer’s short list of vendors.
4) Integrate your sales team. Since the vast majority of sales cold calls go to voicemail and are never returned, sales needs marketing like never before. A prospect’s digital behavior can now be easily captured by marketing automation software, and leads can be accurately scored for fit and interest. Sales teams must enthusiastically leverage this information and follow up in a manner that advances the conversation begun by the digital marketing programs.
They cannot wait for a prospect to fill out a “contact me” form. The fish do not simply jump into the boat. A lead-nurturing staff may be needed to maintain engagement with prospects who are not immediate buyers. Companies that neglect these medium-to-longer-term prospects will lose sales.
5) Commit to list-building. The prospect list is a living (or dying) thing that erodes daily unless actively maintained. Contact database aggregation, scrubbing and maintenance must be a daily priority. Be sure to specifically articulate your ideal prospect profile and build a strong list of targets. Then slice it thinly, according to buying personas and vertical markets, so that you can deliver a specific message to targeted buyers that hits them squarely between the eyes.
Marketing automation is a modern miracle that has completely upended the way marketing and sales conduct business. It is the new normal now, and a mandate for remaining competitive. Those who approach it realistically and execute it relentlessly will be prepared to compete in this new environment.
by Paul Rafferty Ceo, Sales Engine International
http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110523/LEADGEN/305239988/1375/lead_generation_guide
January 23rd, 2012
I Quit My Job- It’s Your Call
by Lady T
Filed under Blog Talk Radio, entrepreneur mom, Inspiration, quit your job
1 Comment
Today I interview Ceri Ruenheck who quit her job 17 years ago and started It’s Your Call. She provides business-to-business telemarketing services to small businesses. Basically she is the cold-calling expert that helps you can convert leads into sales!
In this interview she talks about the challenges that she went through in building her business, from blowing through her savings to needing to get a PT job even after having success in her business for years.
But you have to hear it for yourself to receive the inspiration to quit YOUR job and start your business.
Click the link to listen ==>http://www.blogtalkradio.com/imtheboss/2012/01/18/i-quit-my-job-its-your-call <==
January 6th, 2012
“It’s not just about initial sales, it’s filling the pipeline with prospects who are moved through the steps.
People look at the initial return on 1000 leads – and they should be looking at the over all return on those 1000 leads, sales, addon sales, lifetime value too.”
Kerri Salls
Breakthrough Enterprise LLC