Anouk van Deurse
‘Telephone acquisition? No, our market does not lend itself to it!’. A statement we hear regularly, but not always with good reason. We often hear that an IT solution or service would be too complex for telephone acquisition. That cold acquisition would not be effective or appropriate because of a lengthy sales process. Our answer: telephone lead generation is always appropriate for organizations with a complex IT solution and/or a lengthy sales process.
This succeeds when there is a well-thought-out sales plan associated with it. A qualitative prospect list, a concrete and callable ‘hook’ and a healthy dose of dedication are also important. Still doubting whether telephone acquisition is right for your business? Below we give three reasons why, as a B2B company, you should definitely want to use telephone lead generation!
1. Increase network
As a B2B organization with a complex solution, you probably already have an idea of what your ideal customer looks like. From that, a prospect list can then emerge. You will already have lines of communication with some of the organizations on your prospect list. You may have met them once at a seminar, had contact with them at a previous employer or have been in a quotation process in the past. But there will probably also be many organizations that you have yet to no concrete lines of communication with. How are you going to get these organizations into your network? How are you going to ensure that they not only learn about your company and proposition, but are actively challenged to consider your proposition? Right, cold acquisition!
Next, you can find out all kinds of interesting information from this initial contact: are they already working with a competitor? What is the company size? How many people do they work with in a certain department? Very important information that you then of course need to centralize well somewhere, for example in a CRM system.
2. Direct contact
You gave a prospect your business card at a seminar a long time ago. Or you see that three interesting prospects have liked your new blog on Linkedin. Does this mean they are potentially interested in your solution? Of course, there is one way to quickly find out: make a call right away! Of course with a clear story and a concrete question: ‘shall we have a (digital) cup of coffee sometime?’. This does require preparation and dedication. After all, not all prospects pick up the phone at your first attempt. Make sure that you set aside time on a weekly basis (and preferably several times a week) to approach these contacts.
This form of warmer telephone acquisition is often overlooked. “They will naturally knock on our door” we often hear from our own prospects. But how often does that really happen? Because you are actively calling these companies, you are in direct contact with them.
3. Concrete sales opportunities
Can you be guaranteed to have multiple signed orders within three months by phone acquisition? No, it's not possible. But gauging within which organizations the subject is on the agenda (or when it will be on the agenda) is something that telephone can also be used for. It allows you to briefly get to know the prospect beforehand. Who is the right person to talk about this subject? Is it interesting to talk further, perhaps at their office or in an online meeting? And so you have a concrete appointment with the right person. Is the subject not on the agenda for some reason? Then it is important to get back in touch after some time. In this case also make sure that you reserve a fixed number of hours per week for making and following up telephone contacts. Is that not possible for whatever reason (lack of time or just not in the mood)? Then read on...
Tip: outsource telephone acquisition
Telephone acquisition is easier said than done, and often falls by the wayside. “I'll do it myself in between,” we often hear. But be honest: how often do you really? Our highly trained commercial professionals with experience in the IT industry will be happy to work with you to identify your target markets and approach them through telephone acquisition. This way we can plan qualitative B2B leads with your prospects.