Anouk van Deurse
As a specialist in the field of qualitative B2B lead generation it is the story of our life. A prospect will ask you, before they want to consider scheduling an appointment, to send them some information by email so they can take a moment to look into the pro position on their own time. This is fine in itself, of course, but in our experience, telephone acquisition is often more likely to result in an appointment than mail acquisition. After all, the request to send more information is also regularly used to rebuff telephone acquisitions. How will you ensure that the appointment is eventually scheduled?
Bounce-off method or genuine interest?
First, you're going to analyze at what point in your conversation your prospect asks for additional information. Is it at the very beginning, just after you've introduced yourself? Then chances are you've been brushed off. You can ask about which specific functionalities additional information is desired, so you can check whether there is genuine interest. Is there no or unclear answer? Then you can still send the information, but follow up is less urgent. It is best to leave this for a month, and then try again to get in touch with the content (perhaps with another person within the organization).
TIP: Is the telephone operator(s) the one asking you to send more info? This doesn't make much sense. Rather, call back at a later time and try the decision making unit getting on the phone.
Will there be no discussion until later in the conversation, after your elevator pitch and some substantive spar about the proposition asked for more info? If so, chances are considerable that they are really asking for additional information out of interest. In that case, it is really important to follow up the contact quickly. This last group of prospects is going to base their decision to want to schedule an appointment or not on the information you send them. Therefore, it is crucial to include the right information in the email. What information should the email include (and not include)?
Content of mail
The mail you are going to send should contain clear and concrete information. A combination of information through plain text and information through attachments (leaflets, flyers, white papers, e-papers, etc.) is also a good consideration. Don't forget to include a link to your website and your contact information in the email. Make sure your own sales pitch is also clear from the information you send.
In general, it's better to save information about pricing models/rates to discuss when you get the prospect back on the phone. Still, it's helpful if you get the reaction to your rates right away and can answer any questions about them.
End your email by asking if the recipient sees time in the near future to discuss the information with you by phone.
Follow up contact via email
Don't get a response to your email? Make sure you call back at least two weeks later to discuss the subject in more detail. It is then wise not to mention that you are calling back because you haven't had an answer to your mail, then chances are you will be brushed off with ‘I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but if interested I'll contact you myself’. Instead, you can indicate that you are returning to previous contact about X and Y, and that you are curious to see how Z is now regulated within the organization.
TIP: Make sure all mail contact, both incoming and outgoing, is neatly tracked in a CRM system.