Just like any other project, a successful telemarketing campaign requires planning. A good place to start in the planning process is to ask yourself 3 essential questions which will help give your telemarketing efforts direction and help shape your telemarketing campaign.
Why are you doing a telemarketing campaign?
The most obvious answer is to generate leads and ultimately to drive new sales. This has to be a key objective for any sales or marketing professional, but there is so much additional value to be gained from telemarketing that frequently goes unnoticed. For example, direct feedback from prospects helps us understand the marketplace at any given time. We can quickly gauge if a product is too late to market, if there is a negative perception of the company or if demand for a particular service is increasing. All this is invaluable information that can drive future company, product and/or marketing strategy.
Similiarly, direct contact with prospects helps brand awareness and helps to educate your target audience. You have a greater level of control over your message and your target markets understanding of that message when you are engaging in a two-way conversation with your potential clients.
What product/service are you focusing on for this campaign?
Can you clearly identify ‘one’ offering or is there an overall company ethos that you want to convey? Can you identify the single message that underpins the entire campaign? Remember that you will have 10 seconds or less to make that first impression so you need a impact phrase or tagline to generate interest.
Once you have decided on the product/service you will focus on, you can begin to put together training material and supporting collateral for the campaign.
Who will you target?
In B2B telemarketing you need to understand your targets in two categories - the company profile and the contact profile. There is an element of science to building a good target list - you need to research industry sectors, geographic location, employee numbers and/or technology usage. Look at your existing customers to help define the ideal company profile and build out your list once you have identified this profile.
Profile your target companies by the following criteria:
- Industry classification
- Business classification
- Geographic location
- Number of employees
- Turnover
- SIC Code
You must also ensure you speak to the correct contact so look at job functions, decision making ability or seniority of the target contact within the organisation. A good telemarketer will also develop connections in a company, getting referrals to other key contacts who might evaluate or make recommendations about your product or service.
Profile your contacts by:
- Job function
- Job title
- Seniority level
- Decision making ability
Checkout our guide on building a telemarketing target list.
Need some help planning your telemarketing campaign?
You can contact us here at Maven TM if you want to discuss your telemarketing plans or even want some advice on how to tackle it yourself. Do please get in touch with any feedback - we will be delighted to hear from you
