Callbox Singapore Blog

Engaging B2B Leads – Lady Gaga Style

 
Love her or hate her, Lady Gaga is still a force to be reckoned with. And the way she has captured the minds and hearts of people around the world is incredible. How she did that is a real achievement, the type that many marketing and lead generation companies to learn a lesson from. Really, what is the secret to this success? How can that translate to more sales leads for your business? In Lady Gaga’s case, she did that by appealing to one customer trait: identity.

To get inside the hearts and minds of your audience, you need to create a personal identity that they themselves will embrace. Lady Gaga does that by calling her fans her ‘little monsters’. Her message here is that, no matter what your flaws are, she will accept them all. That is the reason a lot of people flock to her. In your case, if you can create an effective identity, your appointment setting or telemarketing efforts will be much easier.

Receptive B2B leads will flock to your banner – as long as you hoist the right one.

To do that, you need to carefully examine what your business is. Maybe take a look back into the reason you came into business in the first place. Look at your strengths, the type of people you work with, as well as the people who buy your products or services.

Once you have considered all these, it will be easy for you to come up with a winning business identity. Just like Lady Gaga.

To Get Sales Leads, Think Like Sales Leads

 
It can be difficult to generate sales leads, especially if you have no idea what really is running inside the minds of your target prospects. This can be a problem in your lead generation campaign. You might end up wasting all your time and effort, so you should be more aware of what you should be doing. Anyway, the key point you need to remember would be how to engage and research on your market better. And there are at least three ways to go around that. These are:

1. Knowing your target persona – this is basically the ideal customer. To identify who your prospects are, it pays to conduct a comprehensive market research survey. It could be done in many forms, like social media or telemarketing. It will only depend on what exactly you need.
2. Knowing what your prospect will want – this is basically what Steve Jobs did when he introduced the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and the like. These items were not yet in the consciousness of his customers, but because he positioned himself before the need became clear, Apple got a sales advantage.
3. Knowing the biggest players– sure, you should extend your net wide, but you must know where the biggest fishes are. You cannot just spend time, money, and effort to get everyone. Know who are the biggest buyers, and you will get it right.

Keep these tips in mind, and your appointment setting efforts will be more successful in generating B2B leads. It is that simple.

What The Multiply Saga Teach Us About Lead Generation

 
Times sure change quickly. In the past, Multiply.com is one of the biggest social media and e-commerce websites in the world. Now, it just announced that it is shutting down. So, what happened? How did such a promising online business end up closing down? After a series of tweaks and changes in its logo, platform, and promotions, where did the lead generation efforts go wrong? As a company concerned about reaching sales leads quotas, what can you learn about this?

First of all, we should look into Multiply’s change of platform. Before, it focused on social networking and trade. Now, Multiply wanted to recoup operational losses by focusing on e-commerce. But here is the thing: in their bid to improve their operations, they ended up messing with the merchant’s records, payments, and products, leaving no one happy about it.

Also, the initial promotion of no transaction fees (offered way back in 2011) did not sit well with their investors. Considering the amount of money they burned, not to mention the fact that competing websites with minimal start-up cost are gaining popularity, only added to their woes.

Lastly, there is the lack of a clear execution. It seems that the current CEO had problems on packaging and presenting Multiply, making it difficult to market to potential B2B leads who could have been additional investors. It was a shame, since a properly organized appointment setting campaign could have helped.

Business players come and go. No matter what marketing medium is used, be it online sales, telemarketing, email marketing, or social media, properly adapting to change is necessary. This is for the good of your own business.

Creativity Vs. Big Data – Which Brings In More Sales Leads?

 
It seems that, these days, lead generation specialists are divided between two aspects of marketing: big data and creativity. And while you might say that this is a moot point, you did not hear advertising veteran John Hagerty, founder of Bartle, Bogle, and Hegarty; argue with Bob Greenberg, founder and CEO of R/VGA during a recent “Wired Global Conversation” panel discussion. Both sides have valid points, but it seems like a divide is being made, which spells bad for sales leads generation.

To talk about creativity, we should refer to the likes of Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, and probably Zig Ziglar. These people have this innate, or intuitive talent in getting the attention of people, and cashing in on the attention bestowed upon them. And they do that in the most beautiful and presentable manner, something that borders on genius. But they seem to be lacking, no?

When we talk about big data, hands down it is Mark Zuckerberg. This man used the sheer volume of data they collected in their websites, convert that into buying patterns, and provide these patterns to companies who wish to get a sizable market share or substantial B2B leads. The results are, well, still in need of refining. Facebook’s targeted marketing efforts seem to be a bit disappointing for its users.

Personally, both are needed to function. You need someone creative to handle appointment setting efforts, since it needs to attract the attention of prospects. You also need to use big data, in order to identify the right business prospects, and craft the right marketing message to them – plain and simple.

Why Does Social Media Suck In Lead Generation?

 
Tragedies are terrible things. Hurricane Sandy, Boston Marathon Bombing, Sandy Hook Massacre, are horrific events. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites are abuzz with these discussions. While the topics covered are mostly related to the event, there are a few (shall we say ‘idiotic’?) marketers who used the tragedy for their lead generation campaign. Just like what American ApparelEntenmanns’s, and probably KitchenAid, learned the hard way, social media can be a very bad place to generate sales leads.

To start with, why do companies (and their marketers) spend so much time and money on social media marketing? The most obvious answer would be the huge size of the audience. Just imagine the millions of people who could see a single tweet, post, or comment on these social pages, and any marketing guru would be salivating. But, as Bob Hoffman said in his blog, social media rarely brings home the bacon. To be exact, it causes sales to plummet. So, why the disconnect?

Here is the secret: social media was never meant to be a selling platform.

It was only supposed to engage people in a discussion. Sure, companies can use social media to tap into their customer base, communicate with them, learn what the latest trends are, as well as glean information that can help in planning. But for active conversion of B2B leads into business deals, other marketing tools are necessary, like telemarketing. Using social media as the main appointment setting tool is only an invitation for disaster.

You might as well invest on better lead generation tools.

How To React In Social Media (Without Jeopardizing Lead Generation)

How does a company react on an external crisis through social media? That is a question that leaves a lot to be desired. Remember the Twitter fiasco during Hurricane Sandy? How about the Epicurious Twitter gaffe after the Boston Marathon Bombing? Knowing where to tread the thin line can be a challenge in lead generation. Tragedies may be huge topics for discussions, but to anchor your promotions on that can be a serious false step in generating sales leads. So, where should you place yourself then?

To put it simply, you need to be human again. As what Scott Goodson, founder of Strawberry Frog, said, “Ten years ago, brands just sold stuff… Now they’re like your friend.” No matter what marketing medium you use, be it social media, email, print advertising, and even telemarketing, going down to the personal level, appealing to the human side of things, connects you stronger with your market.

So when a tragedy or a disaster strikes, you should also react in the same way a simple human being does: empathize. Share the pain. Not like you have to go to the extent of a social media black-out, but sharing an understanding message will do the job. To start with, social media is all about the conversation, not the appointment setting. You do not generate a lot B2B leads from this medium, anyway.

That is pretty much it – putting the human touch back to social media again. Anything that smells of blatant selling will only kick your business back to the lead generation drawing board.

Lessons from The Godfather: Outbound Telemarketing and Lead Generation

It revived Marlon Brando’s career, and it launched Al Pacino into stardom. The Godfather has been on top of many lists of greatest films of all time since its release during the early 70’s, and on countless occasions it has been quoted, parodied, and referenced to, cementing its impact on pop culture as a true classic, an almost “perfect” film.

It teaches many valuable lessons in business, family, and life in general, and yes, even in ways unimaginable, it also reflects insights on Outbound Telemarketing and Lead Generation, both essential aspects of survival in the ferocious world of commerce and the growing industrial revolution.

So what does Don Vito and the rest of the Corleone family teach us about Outbound Telemarketing and Lead Generation?

Lesson #1: It’s nothing personal – it’s strictly business.

In the Mafia world, all efforts, even acts of violence and murder, are justified by one’s desire to protect a business or livelihood, and they are not considered personal attacks but merely a business initiative.Similarly, professional telemarketers should also learn to draw the line between his or her duty and whatever personal biases he or she may have as an individual. When conducting Business-to-Business(B2B) Lead Generation and Appointment Setting, the telemarketer simply represents a certain company, and must not go beyond the business’s established values and goals just for personal gain or prejudice.

Lesson #2: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

As the Don or the head of a prolific Italian-American family in New York, tough competition is to be expected, not only in business but also in power and influence. That is why Don Vito Corleone spends a great deal of money and effort to make sure he knows the whole lot about anyone or anything that can affect his empire. He has a dedicated group of people whose sole task is to keep him informed on what’s going on out there – who’s in charge, what they want, what they do, and how they do it. On a smaller but comparable scale, a good Lead Generation services provider should also have qualified people,tools and resources to keep the pipeline data sufficient and updated. Likewise, they must also be kept posted on what other providers use as methods to gather relevant information about the target market.

Lesson #3: Make them an offer they cannot refuse.

When making business deals, Don Vito sees to it that both sides have something to gain. He offers financial support, protection and security to a businessman in exchange for sheer friendship and loyalty- things he values the most. Every day, professional telemarketers also talk to CEO’s and Managers proposing potential business partnerships. Using their skill, knowledge and charisma, they must nurture the relationship with trust to establish a strong business “friendship”. They must also be flexible to the needs of the prospect in order to work out a deal where both sides can profit and everybody is happy. The point is to make them an offer they cannot refuse – without resorting to Mafia-like crime and violence, of course.

The Five Types Of Complainers You Meet In Lead Generation

As part of your telecommunication firm’s business operations, dealing with complaints is pretty much a normal day in the office. It is how you handle complainers and their issues that make all the difference. This is also a skill necessary for your lead generation campaign. After all, it is normal to go after old sales leads or clients for your current campaign. But if these prospects were unsatisfied with the previous service, expect to hear an earful from them. Still, if you can identify the different types of complainers, it will be easy to deal with them. And there are five types to remember:

1. The meek ones – these are business prospects that rarely make a complaint. Still, that does not mean that you can ignore them either. If really pushed to the edge, these prospects can evolve into other types of complainers, and you do not want that to happen. Actually, these people are very easy to please: sincerely apologize to them and they will be fine. They just wanted to be heard.

2. The aggressive ones – these are the kind of prospects who complain loudly and at length, plus are intolerant over excuses. They can be a handful for your appointment setting team if they let things go out of control. The best way to deal with such prospects is to go directly to the root of the problem, explain to them what steps have and will be taken to solve it, as well as the time that it will be solved. If done right, these prospects can be one of your best B2B leads to be obtained.

3. The high-rollers – now, these are the customers you should take care well. They want only the best that you can offer, and are willing to pay the price just to get it. These are the types of prospects that are more interested in results, often ignoring the initial stages just to get the desired results. Your goal here is to make these complainers happy and satisfied with your offers.

4. The opportunistic ones – this type of complainers are really hard to please. Well, they actually just want to get more from you than what they actually deserve. The best defense against these complainers is to use quantified data to back up your claims. Also, it helps if you direct the solution back at them like “what can I do to make it better?” after their first “not good enough”.

5. The chronic ones – these are the toughest challenge for your telemarketing team. They complain all the time, through almost all channels, and they give you the biggest headaches. The problem here is that you cannot get rid of them quickly. All you can do is to have a lot of patience with them. Listen intently and always keep your cool. Usually, chronic complainers are good customers, especially if you deliver what you promise.

Complaint handling skills can be really handy for your telecommunication firm’s lead generation campaign. Knowing how to deal with these different complainers, as well as their variations, can be a real asset to your business.

What are the Benefits of Telemarketing?

It has been established that telemarketing is one of the most effective tools in marketing. Telemarketing is the process of advertising and selling a product or a service over the telephone. What makes it mainly effective is that the sales person can communicate directly to the targeted customers and consumers hence creating a solid foundation for an effective relationship with customers and consumers.

So what are the amazing benefits of telemarketing?

Instant Sales
The chief and important reason why telemarketing is effective because it yields immediate results. The sales person can create a sale during a call.  This is because the representative has the enough time to concisely explain the details of the product and services and other offers that could make the sale easier.  If customers have inquiries about the services and the products the representative can also immediately answer them thereby building trust that oftentimes lead to sales.

Builds a Strong Customer Relationship
Telemarketing is done through direct communication, between two participants. Customers often want to have the response to their questions answered directly and in a manner that they can understand. When the sales person talks to the customer, they get to have a peak at their personality giving them an understanding on how to approach the question of the customer. Sometimes although he customers ask the same questions, the answers should be right-sized to the customer. In telemarketing the relationship between a business organization and its customers becomes interactive thus promoting the customers loyalty to the business organization.

Immediate Interest
Everyone is a customer and based on observation, sales calls are rarely ignored.  A sales person has the power to grab a customer’s attention at the instance of the call, because a sales call is directed towards the individual customer unlike in mediums such as radio promotion and TV advertisement that goes broadly towards a general audience.

Round the Clock Support
Customers absolutely love a service that is available 24/7.  Some customers have inquiries popping out of their minds in wee hours or during weekends, and telemarketing call centers mostly operate every day of the week. This also gives the customers the liberty to call whenever they want. Being there when your customers need you adds to the factors that attract their loyalty.

If you evaluate telemarketing in details, there are so many benefits to it as long as its best practices are properly executed by the sales person or by the people handling the calls. In telemarketing, whoever represents your business, organization or your company, they must have the perfect knowledge to answer wide ranging questions of the customers.  They must also represent the company well and accurately. For all the good results to be reaped, you must sow the techniques properly.

Surviving A Competitive Lead Generation Campaign in Singapore

Singapore, the fast-paced nation known for incredible growth and industry, is always a favorite of many investors. Now, for an entrepreneur like you, that can be a challenge in itself, since the competition would be intense. Generating viable B2B leads is very important, if you want to get more customers coming to your firm. How you handle your lead generation campaign will depend on your capacity to lead your company, as well as inspire your people, to explore possibilities and potential sales leads. To be successful, there are at least three things that you must observe:

One, you must be aware of yourself. If you fear change, if you become confrontational during work, ask yourself what is wrong. Is it in the telemarketing team you organized? Is it your loss of confidence over an issue? Are you afraid to make the decision? These are just samples of questions you can ask yourself about.

Second, believe that you can learn. Challenges you face in the appointment setting game varies all the time. You need to be ready to adapt in order to stay ahead of the competition. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can do it.

Lastly, be ready to reinvent. Is your company image no longer in sync with the current times? Are your products and services still relevant in the market? What do you need to change? When will you make the change? Knowing these answers will help you in meeting the challenges ahead.

These are just some of the things that you need to know for a successful lead generation campaign in Singapore.