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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.

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.

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?