The word “telemarketing” has been given a bad rep for long enough, I want to squash the notion that telemarketing agents are sat in rows with headsets on in a call centre undertaking cold calling, intruding at the worst times to try and sell you a product you do not need for.
B2B telemarketing is an effective form of marketing, it can help businesses find new clients, build mutually beneficial relationships with other companies and so much more. This blog is going to explain the many uses of B2B telemarketing and go some way to dispelling the negative feelings the word “telemarketing” can evoke.
What is B2B Telemarketing?
To put it in simple terms, when one business calls another to market or sell a product or service or to establish a relationship they are essentially undertaking B2B telemarketing. By engaging in these activities companies can reach potential customers in an attempt to convey their value, gather data and insight into the market or establish what steps are needed to build on the relationship.
B2B Telemarketing activities can fall into two categories:
- Outbound Telemarketing: A proactive form of telemarketing. Outbound telemarketing requires a company to reach out and initiate contact with its target audience without any previous interactions. Aiming to spread awareness and convince prospects to make a purchase or enter into the sales funnel.
- Inbound Telemarketing: A reactive form of telemarketing. Inbound telemarketing activities are initiated by other companies through interactions such as calls, emails or social media engagement. Inbound telemarketing aims to answer inquiries and provide more information to prospects who are interested in your offering.
How can B2B Telemarketing be used?
The flexibility of B2B telemarketing means that it can be used by companies for a wide number of reasons such as:
- Lead Generation: Agents contact businesses that match your target criteria to find new potential clients.
- Lead Qualification: Reaching out to prospects who have interacted with your business means you can qualify suitable prospects and gauge their level of interest.
- Lead Nurturing: Reaching out to leads can help you understand how to move through the sales funnel and fuel other marketing activities.
- Appointment Setting: Leads that have demonstrated an interest in your offering can be contacted to arrange an appointment with your sales team.
- Surveys: Telemarketing activities can provide valuable insights about your target audience or existing client bases.
- Market Analysis: Launching a new product or expanding into a new market? Telemarketing activities can provide detailed information about the market, what potential customers want and how you can demonstrate your value to them.
- Event Recruitment & Attendance: Give your event the best chance of success! Telemarketing activities can help find suitable prospects to sign up for your event and follow up with those that register to help increase the chances of attendance.
- Updating Databases: Good data is essential to deliver a consistent stream of qualified leads. Undertaking regular telemarketing activities ensures your database is up to date and working for you.
This blog only scratches the surface of what B2B telemarketing can achieve, in our upcoming blogs, we’ll explore how you can get the best out of telemarketing campaigns and delve further into why it’s such a worthwhile activity to undertake in today’s business environment.
Here at Maven TM, B2B telemarketing is at the heart of what we do! We offer a wide range of telemarketing services for B2B companies to help them achieve their goals you can find out more about what we offer on our telemarketing services page.
