Lead quality in telemarketing
Everyone talks about wanting better leads but very few people stop to define what “better” actually means. Most of the time when businesses say lead quality, what they really mean is: “Send me people who are already ready to buy right now so I don’t need to do any selling.”
That isn’t lead quality. Telemarketing isn’t a vending machine you don’t put in numbers and get out fully qualified purchase orders.
What is a quality lead:
Real telemarketing in complex B2B buying (and most B2B is complex) is about making first contact, becoming known, and creating curiosity so the prospect starts opening the door to you. Specifically, the telemarketing piece has 4 roles:
- Opening conversations with the right people and nudging those people to start to recognise who you are.
- Uncovering fit as the prospect shares some of their situation or challenges.
- Building recognition and trust as we get clear signals of interest and relevance.
- Establishing when the next buying window is (if it isn’t now) as we ascertain a missed, current or possible opportunity.
If those four pieces of knowledge are in place, that’s quality. They are not ready to sign tomorrow; that’s deal closing and sales, not telemarketing. Telemarketing is the front end work of the sales system that goes out in the cold to build a pipeline that then matures, converts, and feeds sales for months and years.
Where lead progression falls down
To get a quality lead there has already been a great deal of research interaction and conversation which is information you don’t find out from secondary research. We are passing on warmed up and ready to be guided and engaged prospects. The last thing you should be doing is reverting to cold outreach tactics.
Instead what you need in place is a sales progression process. This is where many businesses fall down, they blame telemarketing for “weak leads” when they have not set themselves up to progress the prospect’s interest and curiosity confidently and competently.
Your sales progression system comprises:
- Lead Owner: one named person who is responsible for progression, this is not a shared inbox gig; make someone accountable to progress this lead to an outcome. The next logical step with a curious lead is an expert-to-expert conversation (see our article on this https://yourleadgeneration.co.uk/2024/11/05/discovery-calls-with-outbound-generated-leads/)
- Relevance and proof. When the prospects go and look you up (your website and socials) will they recognise themselves as belonging to your world is the connection obvious? Do you understand them? Does the proof you share align with their reality. Can they see that you have helped other companies like them.
- Guidance advice and a next step that makes sense. Don’t wait for them to decide what to do. Show them the next logical step and guide them to it.
- A follow up plan so they can’t be missed or forgotten. Work to buying windows not chance. The plan can include calls, videos, LinkedIn messages, and updates emails etc a good mix of plenty ofstrategic value and a small bit of personality you are trying to get into their brain as an expert you really don’t need to air your personal life and your sandwich lunch.
- CRM Discipline. Log renewal dates, contract terms, projects, forward file dates update stakeholder details.
Have fun bring the energy and appetite to sales so you build the confidence you need to convert and grow – if you want some help just get in touch.
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