There are more ways to communicate with people than ever before.
Email, social media, and live chat are now commonly used by marketing and sales teams to communicate with audiences.
In short, we are seeing a universal shift toward digital marketing that shows no signs of slowing.
But….
Telemarketing still works
The latest data suggests cold calling still has some unique advantages.
According to RAIN Group, 82% of buyers accept meetings when salespeople contact them.
More than half of buyers accepted a cold call in the last year, according to the same study.
Source: AI Bees
Despite some opinions that telemarketing is an outdated marketing technique, it continues to be successful in 2022.
As much as the world has moved in the digital direction, there are still advantages to communicating using established traditional methods.
The human connection
Many professionals still prefer the simplicity and customer experience of a phone call over an email.
Conversations with real people are often more helpful than talking to a chatbot – that does not understand nuance, and cannot deal with complex questions.
With telesales, you can relate to customers and build rapport directly.
Companies can maintain it throughout the sales funnel – helping the customer feel more confident.
The following tactics will help you keep your telemarketing strategy fresh in 2022.
Know your target audience
Knowing and understanding what’s happening in the marketplace is important.
Do your buyers have any worries?
Where do suppliers consistently fall short?
Are there any new developments in industries that are generating buzz?
Having this knowledge will enable you to narrow down targets on a prospect database and demonstrate your understanding of the market audience well.
In addition, if you can engage with a prospect easily and build rapport then you will stand out from other cold callers.
Planning is key to success
Telemarketing cannot be rushed.
Significant preparation is required – so get ready before you get on the phone.
Prior to calling a prospect, it’s important to do some research on them.
Working with a data provider can help you pull a specific group of target prospects based on the most important criteria to the product/service you’re selling.
Make telemarketing and social selling work together
An integrated marketing strategy often has a significant impact on whether a business is able to reach its target audience successfully.
A combination of telemarketing, email marketing, and social media is a great approach.
Email addresses and social media platforms are effective ways to reach a large number of prospects.
As part of your digital marketing strategy, they offer a friendly, non-intrusive way to familiarise them with the name of your company.
Customers who know your business are always happier to speak to you.
Additionally, having the right pitch on email and social media makes closing easier over the phone.
Warm up the cold call
Using the above point, a cold call can be converted into a warm one. Whenever you have a conversation with your customer, it won’t feel unexpected.
There is a feeling of connection, making the conversation informal and relaxed.
Also, when calling prospects, be confident, don’t rush, and listen to reassure them you are credible.
Concentrate on what is immediately useful
To keep your prospect on the line, show them that you are calling for them, not for yourself.
It is your responsibility to create value in every conversation with any contact. People who don’t see value from a conversation will lose interest and hang up.
As an example, you might say, “We recently helped [competitor name] achieve [result] and think we can work well together to accomplish the same for your company.”
Or
“I am connecting with you as a sales coach who helps sales teams improve their outreach skills – if this is a good time, may I ask you a few questions to determine whether I can be of assistance?”
Anything that keeps them competitive in their sector is of interest to decision-makers. Everybody wants to know what they don’t know.
Get help
More Than Words Marketing provides telemarketing services for those that work with businesses, schools, and the public sector.
Your business is represented on the phone by our experienced telesales staff, who set appointments, generate leads, and provide market research and data cleansing.
With our outsourced B2B telemarketing service, we connect you with the decision makers you want to reach, creating a human connection between you and the customers you want to reach.
