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Cost-Effective Ways to Acquire Quality B2B Sales Leads in Australia

Cost-Effective Ways to Acquire Quality B2B Sales Leads in Australia

Generating high quality B2B sales leads is top priority among solutions providers in Australia. From financial services to health care, companies in the Land Down Under are constantly seeking to improve acquisition of high level prospects. They also find a need to do so for less.

At present, leads that express a high likelihood to convert to a sale are in the spotlight of the B2B market because they obviously represent revenue. No other type of lead equates to a profitable opportunity than one that actively engages you within the buying cycle. Hence, every effort has to be exerted towards such leads or else risk financial waste.

But in a study by the B2B Technology Marketing Community, at least 61% of marketers consider the acquisition of quality sales leads as a huge challenge. In Australia, companies face these particular issues:

1. Locating high quality leads;

2. Nurturing them; and

3. Convincing them to set an appointment with an agent.

Efficiency in these areas can be obtained through a combination of wise strategizing, up-to-date lead management infrastructure, and a dedicated team of marketing and sales staff. But in terms of maximizing expenses, these practical options come to mind.

Effective web presence

A majority of B2B companies are doing their best to maintain an effective web presence. This is reflected by a need to stay current as more and more B2B buyers depend on online content for scouting and purchasing solutions. Effective web content in this case is highlighted. Using a diverse mix of blog articles and informative resources, companies can provide highly interested individuals to their sales agents.

Social media penetration

The idea that social media is less effective in B2B than in B2C is a misrepresentation of actual facts. Currently, B2B companies are using social media platforms for a better connection with their audience. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn now have applications that allow these companies to initiate effective advertising campaigns.

Automated marketing software

The B2B industry is saturated by marketing automation software, each with its own set of advantages and features. Whatever your preferences, you are assured of better support for your lead generation and appointment setting and improved revenue.

Outsourcing

While some Australian companies prefer to implement technological upgrades, others opt to employ the services of a lead generation company. In fact, analysts are anticipating a spike in off-shoring this year. For many of these enterprises, business outsourcing is seen as an effective way to cut costs in manpower training and database maintenance.

The Myth about SMM for B2B Lead Generation

The Myth about SMM for B2B Lead Generation

There’s something in social media marketing (SMM) that some B2B marketers do not like. It could be because certain surveys and reports within the industry list SMM as the least effective lead generation channel. Moreover, these same marketers adhere to the idea that decision-makers rely less on social media in prowling for solutions.

However, this is just pure myth. While there are studies that center their argument in the alleged weaknesses of social media, there are also articles and surveys that still regard SMM as an important tool for fostering and maintaining B2B relationships.

Take a 2013 study from Marketing Profs and the Content Marketing Institute indicating that 87% of marketers use social media for content production and distribution. Other than that, marketers use up to six different social media platforms and, compared to previous years, have increased their usage of such platforms.

In addition, content marketers are focusing more on brand awareness. Social platforms are especially suited for this, given that 93% of marketers (based on the same study) apply content-based demand generation strategies.

These numbers debunk those in other studies that maintain a pessimistic view about social media. In your case as a B2B solutions provider, it is high time to ride the numbers and optimize your content marketing online with these basic steps.

Link up with LinkedIn. At least a majority (or 91%) of B2B marketers depend on LinkedIn for their SM activities. Moreover, they find the site the most effective in terms of generating high-quality B2B leads. This is mainly due to its function of fostering professional relationships and allowing businesses to explore better business opportunities via its blogging platforms and advanced search option.

Present yourself via Slideshare. Slide presentations are among the best and widely-used content options, mainly because they are an engaging way to maintain audience retention. Via Slideshare, they are also effective in giving advice and other information to your intended demographic. So, remember to give provide links to your Slideshare account and put up timely presentations that cover most B2B issues.

Start stumbling. StumbleUpon offers numerous possibilities. Most well-known as a social bookmarking and SEO tool, the site can be leveraged for content curation and lead generation. If you want quality traffic towards your site, you may want to start “stumbling” now.

Forget what other marketers say, SMM is still hot as a freshly baked pie. But it is not easy though as you may need the services of a competent B2B marketing firm to handle your SMM metrics and increase your online conversions.

What to Expect when you Outsource your B2B Lead Generation Processes

What to Expect when you Outsource your B2B Lead Generation Processes

Keeping in mind that ROI maximization is an important marketing goal, businesses are opting for better ways to streamline basic B2B processes like lead generation.

There are tons of strategies that offer diverse advantages along the lines of acquiring high profile B2B leads. And it is just a matter of knowing which strategy serves your campaign best. But making a decision in this aspect is complicated if not financially exhausting. You will have to step up your market research initiatives and set up automated marketing systems. Tracking prospects as they progress through your sales pipeline is a staple in efficient lead nurturing; still, you will have to make hefty investments.

But automation isn’t really enough. Often, you would need hands-on expertise to make sure your lead generation efforts are producing your intended goals.

B2B outsourcing, contrary to some, still professes a high level of discipline and professionalism in whatever industry it is employed. Many businesses still regard outsourcing as a cost-efficient way to boost B2B performance. And now that market vibrancy has reached a point of high activity and competitiveness, outsourcing continues to be a viable option to improve one’s standing in the market.

If you haven’t yet made the decision to hand in your lead management and sales processes to another company, consider these following points on what to expect.

Lesser responsibilities.

There is always a constant need of balancing your company’s priorities. With outsourcing, you will be able to operate marketing and administrative tasks without neglecting the quality of one task for the sake of another. Face it. You will need a few extra hands. With a B2B firm doing the complex, time consuming and costly tasks of telemarketing and appointment setting for you, you will be able to focus more on important administrative agenda.

Issues on reliability.

However, not all outsourced processes are done exceptionally. Often, the problem with outsourcing is that you are uncertain with who to trust. With hundreds of B2B firms out there, you are hard-pressed to find one that suits your current needs. The fact is that there is no guarantee that a company can perform as expected, unless you take a risk to hire that company. In this case, it is imperative to do prior research.

Continuity.

Once you partner with a B2B firm, how do we know if core business processes can go uninterrupted? High levels of uncertainty complicate the B2B industry and solutions are needed to keep the operation running smoothly whatever event might transpire. With B2B outsourcing, you will be assured of extra manpower to reinforce your lead management and lead nurturing in the event of sick leaves and vacations among your in-house staff.

These aren’t even half the total issues in B2B outsourcing. In the end, however, what matters most is better performance in your lead management and telemarketing efforts. Hiring a firm that is dedicated to these goals is a sure step towards maintaining a firm foothold in your industry.

Understanding the B2B Buyer - 4 Rationales of a Purchase Decision

Understanding the B2B Buyer: 4 Rationales of a Purchase Decision (Part 2 of 2)

In the previous article, it was discussed that two of the reasons that influence the purchase decision of B2B buyers are 1) to enhance productivity and 2) for business expansion and growth.

The other two reasons deal more with the technical aspects of running a business, but nevertheless just as crucial in a buyer’s tendency to engage with lead generation tactics, whether via phone calls, email or business websites.

To bring in new technology

Businesses always aspire to leverage new technology to be able to outdo competitors. This is particularly true for companies that have no problem investing big amounts on technological advances. Actually, some of them even allot a chunk of their budget for keeping tabs on the newest trends and software in the industry.

That is your target market right there. Buyers like these usually are more receptive towards email-based subscriptions on product updates and even printed brochures. They like watching videos to review products or ask around to verify the quality of recommended services. And most of all, they are most open to conversations whether over the phone or in person. As marketers, make sure you have inside information about how they do their purchasing process and how they would like to receive information.

Need: To Cut Costs

Businesses are always concerned about their bottom lines and are on the prowl for ways to save. Office equipment, software and costs associated with having a physical location add up – quickly. The need to cut costs as a reason for prompting a new purchase received 32% of scores over 8. Perhaps the reason just about third of respondents feel this way is because it isn’t just a lower cost businesses want; they also want more for their money. As B2B Marketing notes, “Less is good. But more for less is better.”

What This Means for Your Business:

Work with buyers to find a price point that meets your needs and theirs. You should also be creating content, such as whitepapers, blog posts and case studies, which showcases how your product or service can reduce costs for businesses. You know your customers and you can likely gage where they are spending money. If your product or service can reduce costs in those areas, include that information in your marketing materials and sales pitches.

Understanding the B2B Buyer 4 Rationales of a Purchase Decision Part

Understanding the B2B Buyer: 4 Rationales of a Purchase Decision (Part 1 of 2)

 

In order to predict a behavior, one must determine the cause. In a business setup, the purchase process of buyers can be traced back to their inherent or emerging needs to maintain their operations. It’s so basic a principle that marketers actually tend to forget to look into.

We can’t blame them. B2B lead generation is an intricate practice, and most of their attention is built around converting prospects into paying customers and nurturing leads down the sales funnel. But for those who can’t seem to put their finger on why they are failing to close a sale, it’s best to be reacquainted with the essential motives why buyers make a purchase decision:

There are four basic reasons, and the first two are as follows:

To perk up production

For a typical business, enhancing productivity is definitely part of the goal. Owners, CEOs and managers are always finding ways to make their operations efficient, and that includes software, general tasks and data reporting. This is common for large businesses that operate mostly on large scale productions or those that handle a big number of human resources. They would usually go for solutions that aim to make everything fast and efficient.

Now when a B2B buyer has that motive in mind, marketers should highlight these desired features on their products. That means putting forward a mantra of efficiency in all lead generation channels such as content marketing, telemarketing or email. This kind of buyer is interested in statistics and real-world evidence that a product can enhance the way they business runs.

For business expansion and growth

When a business decides to expand, it will definitely acquire help in the form of additional tools and outsourced manpower. Although some companies would rather hire a fresh batch of new employees, it would still need to purchase equipment and software for them to use. That also means there will be an influx of customers in the future, which then leads to more purchases.

Again, to position yourself in front of these expansion buyers, you need to offer something that can aid them in the transition period, especially in terms of delivery, packaging and even throw in a discount for bulk purchases. This is usually a big sales opportunity considering the scale of potential purchases. This type of transaction deserves the best nurturing treatment as they could end up regular customers in more years to come.

The other two reasons for B2B buyers’ purchase decisions will be discussed in the next article.

a telemarketer that looks sad

“We’ve outsourced our B2B telemarketing before –umm, it didn’t work”

This is what you’ve told John, a persistent telemarketer on the phone who’s been trying to convince you to hire them, a B2B lead generation company, to perform telemarketing tasks for your business. The problem is just that you don’t have enough faith left in the process because you’ve already been there, and things didn’t go as planned. You just don’t want to do it again and true enough, nobody can hold it against you (sorry, John).

But at least you’ve got to find out exactly what happened back then, right?

You don’t need to consult a detective to pinpoint the flaws in your previous venture with an external company, because there can only be 3 possible culprits:

  1. The outsourced agency
  2. You
  3. Everything in between

That’s all there is. It could be one, two, or all of them, but for sure, the fault will not go beyond those three. You need to do a little introspection, see beyond the failure, and ask, why did it fail?

The outsourced agency

Just because they’re a lead generation company doesn’t mean they are faultless when it comes to producing results. To start with, there could be a lot of loopholes in their system: incompetent agents, lack of support from leaderships, substandard equipment, lousy IT infrastructures, and so on. It is important, should you decide to give another company a chance, to seek for testimonials from businesses that have gotten their services. Investigate on the things regarding their practices that you may not like. Consult one of your own IT people to assess their systems. Make sure they’re in tip-top shape before they do business with you. If in doubt, don’t.

You

What could I possibly have done to ruin my own campaign, you might ask. Well, you may have set unrealistic expectations and goals. Most B2B telemarketing agencies won’t tell you if your targets are unreasonable (of course, they’re trying to show-off a bit, that’s all). Or perhaps, on the other hand, you may have been very vague about what you wanted to achieve. You can’t just give them assignments and leave them hanging in the air, and then pop back when the deadline’s up. For all you know, the company you’ve hired may be the best out there, but you just didn’t use them the logical way.

Everything in between

Blend it all together, and you’ll understand why it all boils down to the relationship between you and the agency. There’s the issue of trust, of transparency, of feedback, of authority, and the list could go on. Just look back during the days when the campaign was still on-going: how often do you check up on them? How are your conversations with the team leader? How did you overcome difficulties along the way? Were there any conflicts? Would you say, with all honesty, that it was a pleasant, productive relationship?

People taking part of business event

Increase Your Sales Leads With Effective Telemarketing Management

If there is anything that you might complain about B2B telemarketing campaigns, it is that the rate of success can be pretty low. But really, that would only happen if you do not manage your team well. You see, this medium of B2B lead generation is a constantly evolving and adapting form of marketing.

Managing this requires leadership and business skills that not many have. It might take some years to master them, but you can learn them. You just need to be willing. And as for those who currently have telemarketing management problems, perhaps the following pointers would be a big help for you:

  1. More sales training – yes, your people may have undergone a lot of product trainings and the like, but it never hurts to have another day of training. A little polishing of skills can go a long way in your marketing efforts.
  2.  Assign more sales people – sales is a science and art, one that requires specific skills that only a few would be able to pull off. You have to make the effort to select people who have a deeper orientation to sales. This is for the good of your marketing campaign today and tomorrow.
  3.  Do your recruitment right – you want to make sure that you have the best people for your B2B lead generation campaign, right? Then make sure that you are sourcing them from a pool of really talented people.
  4.  Be a little more patient – with the way B2B appointment setting processes turn out, patience is a real, albeit rare, virtue. But really, a little patience can mean a lot in keeping control even in the worst situations.
  5.  Experiment with your pilot team – there will be events when you just have to use a new strategy or technique in marketing. In that case, you should work with a small group of marketers who will check its soundness, as well as iron out any wrinkles that might turn up.
  6.  Prepare cross-selling – there will be times (which would be useful for larger firms) when a sales leads prospect requests something beyond the responding marketer’s ability. You should train them on proper transfer processes.
  7.  Use transfer calls better – why let go of a call if you can just transfer it to someone else who has the time to handle it? You see, prospects lose interest in you if the call ends without anything meaningful done. By transferring calls, you also avoid the hassle of callbacks and still keep your connection with the business prospect
  8.  Draw the line firmly between sales and marketing – sometimes, the bickering between these two departments (due to vague job descriptions and work assignments) can be very bad, that your business loses more B2B leads that you generate. By designating which department does this and that, you avoid the trouble between the two.

It is all about proper marketing management. That is the secret to successful telemarketing campaign. This is how your get things done well.

a woman using computer

The Five Sources Of B2B Leads Prospects

When you prospect for new B2B leads, you are looking for new business opportunities. But what should you do if you do not have any idea about who to get in touch with? That would be a problem for your lead generation campaign.

When something like this happens, a lot of marketers always go for the easiest solution: find a provider of appointment setting prospects. Ideally, a business database provider will do the job, but if that is not ready available, then you can tap the following alternatives:

  1. Past customers – these are the people you have served before, have records of them, and may be interested in buying from you again. If they were happy with your service, then good for you. If not, then you have to work extra hard to mollify them.
  2. Referrals – these are potential sales leads that your current customers have a connection with and suggested to do business with you. Or, your current customers suggested these people for your telemarketing team to get in touch with.
  3. Networks – these are prospects that have a direct connection with you, either through industry events, forums, or social media networking. This requires for you to be in regular contact with them, and that you have enough proof that they might be interested in your product or service.
  4. Web visitors – this one is totally online, where interested prospects visit your website and leave their contact info in the appropriate page. You have to make sure that your website is presentable, user-friendly, as well as enticing enough for potential sales leads.
  5. Calling lists – these are lists that you purchase from a reputable agency. Ideally, these will contain the contact information of business executives in the industry you wish to enter.

Try using two or three of these sources to round out your list of potential sales leads. These are very helpful for your marketing efforts.

call center culture

Uses of Outbound Telemarketing For Your Growing Business

Australia has embraced telemarketing as a critical element in their customer service support and other inbound services. Business organizations, there have optimized its use by establishing a help line for emergencies, a channel where clients can put out their issues and concerns, and a medium to strengthen the bonds between the seller and the buyer. Indeed, the use of the telephone is very consequential in maintaining healthy relationships with customers. Its fastest speed, ease of access, national and international coverage makes it the best way to provide solutions to clients’ problems.

But, telemarketing is not confined within the walls of inbound calling. Client support and other inbound activities form only one side of marketing through the phone. The other one is outbound telemarketing. It is a function that is concerned more on bringing new clients to the sales pipeline, making researches about the current market and talking with the decision-makers of other companies. If inbound concentrates in retaining customers through immediate responses to their needs, the epicenter of outbound is with generating new buyers. Increasing the value and quality of the sales pipeline is one of the tasks that can be accomplished through this pursuit.

You can make use of outbound services to propel your business success further. Here are some of the activities you can work on.

• B2C/B2B lead generation. One of the best things to find sales-ready buyers is to obtain their business and consumer contact information. In this task, cold-calling is now considered a veteran, which combines fast speed and accuracy in gaining B2C/B2B sales leads. Although you can power up, online marketing and other avenues, making cold calls has an edge over such tools. What sets phone marketing apart is the chance to talk directly with the decision-makers. A telemarketer can directly engage in a dialogue with them, which makes it possible to determine their interest level. Through this, you can generate only willing buyers and avoid the hassle of chasing poor leads.

• Market surveys. Apart from obtaining new customers, you can use outbound calling to know more about your target market. Another way to attract clients is to give to them what they need and want. By doing a telephone survey, you will unleash their desires. The information you obtain will guide you in recreating products and services according to the preferences of targeted leads. Market research is the key to unlock your customers’ hearts desires.

Database cleaning. If you have your own leads database but have not updated it recently, the phone is the best way to clean it. Verifying data directly from the prospects and clients themselves is something that only telemarketing can accomplish in high speed and precision. You can get rid of old contacts and replace them with the latest information. Besides, you can add new data.

Appointment setting. Business leads are not only things generated. The phone, when done properly, is a channel to get hold of business appointments. In fact, appointment setting is made easier and faster with telemarketing. Just be sure that quality assurance is firs imposed on generated leads in order to avoid wasting time on cold leads.

If you want to ascertain that the future economic benefits expected to gain in telemarketing exceed the costs, put your trust on outsourcing. Credible telemarketing call centres can find business opportunities in behalf of you. After all, contact centres are experts in this field.