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Sales Lead Generation Ideas

Some thoughts and observations on all things business development related. Read on to learn about how to generate new sales leads and create sustainable lead generation activity...

Tag Archives: sales leads

BANT over BANTer why these four letters are key in your Telemarketing Strategy…

March 21, 2011 – 3:57 pm

It has been a few weeks since my last post and I have decided to blog about Qualifa’s current core business Telemarketing (also multilingual telemarketing). It is what we do best and what businesses are looking for in today’s tough market. As any sales director/manager will tell you finding hot sales leads isn’t easy and many times in my blog I have written about how companies need to be more flexible and open to future sales as finding leads with the right amount of budget, the exact need for their product, and the desire to spend their money now ( always highly unlikely) AND the fact that we have to converse with key decision makers, all makes it rather difficult.

However I’m going to look at a different angle to view sales lead generation. Not just through emailing and cold calling but through targeted calls with a sharp and smart pitch that gets straight to the crux of companies sales problems. With our long list of telemarketing services for example event attendees, profiling, market research and BANT research there is an area of telemarketing that would benefit any company. I mentioned BANT just then and this is an anagram for…

B = Budget A = Authority N = Need T = Timescale

For many of our contracts we use BANT to make sure that all of our clients requirements for a particular lead is fulfilled. Im going to expand them a bit further and explain why they are key considerations when conducting and managing sales lead generation telemarketing campaigns.

 

Budget

Does the company your calling have a budget for what your asking? Would they be able to justify the amount of budget that you are looking for in a lead? Many people would be extremely reluctant to give information on budget to someone ...read more

By Becky | Posted in Appointment Setting, Lead Generation, Multilingual telemarketing, sales leads | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Multilingual Telemarketing

December 2, 2010 – 4:45 pm

Communication is arguably something that we take for granted nowadays, we can make telephone calls from the palm of our hand, instant message people whilst on-the-go and call friends and family on the other side of the world without it costing a penny. Yet with all of these communication capabilities language barriers still exist. In English schools the popularity of studying languages is decreasing rapidly, so where does this leave British companies who need multi-lingual capabilities within their firms? The answer is undoubtedly the native multilingual speakers of Europe and beyond.

Multilingual telemarketing is therefore essential in providing a link between you and markets you may have thought you could not access. Each telemarketer we employ can contact key decision makers within foreign companies and discuss your service or product in an informative and eloquent way, so that your company can be represented impeccably to prospective clients in Europe and around the world. It is also important to recognise the different business cultures that exist not just in Europe but globally, our telemarketers are speaking their native language and so have the experience of working and living in these countries and know the most professional way to address prospects. We offer not only professionalism but an opportunity to expand your business in a way you may have thought impossible, and access markets that may prove to have a great need for you product or service.

Qualifa is however at its heart a lead generation company and we are proud to announce the launch of our multilingual telemarketing capabilities. This means that we can offer our skills in lead generation to companies who are again looking to expand abroad and access perhaps previously unattainable markets.

Multilingual telemarketing is therefore not just about speaking a different language or learning how to say ‘one coffee with ...read more

By Becky | Posted in Appointment Setting, Lead Generation, Multilingual telemarketing, Pay On Results, sales leads, Telemarketing, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Qualified Sales Leads, What are they?

November 12, 2010 – 9:54 am

A sales lead, is the identity of a human or entity potentially interested in purchasing a product or service, and represents the first stage of a sales process.

Well that’s the easiest part of this blog post done.

The hard part is trying to unpick the word ‘lead’ and establish what one is. After having been working at Qualifa, the smart sales lead generation company, full time for just over 2 months, I can safely say that between different people the definition of ‘Lead’ differs greatly. What some people see as a speculative opportunity, others see as a waste of time. So how can you make sure you don’t waste your time going to bad leads? Answer? Qualify Qualify QUALIFY! I have learnt this a couple of times now and it is hard when you are excited for a client as you believe you have got them a meeting with a top branded UK Company, only to find out that the service or product that your client provides is not quite what they want.  As much as you want a lead to be 100% perfect with the right budget, right size and right ‘name’ at the right time, all this is 100% unrealistic. If you want to utilise the services of Qualifa, a lead generation and telemarketing company, you have to be prepared to go to meetings with prospective clients who you know may not be looking right at this point for your product or service but realise that this is invaluable contact building and relationship building with key members of a company, an opportunity you are unlikely to get otherwise. If you go into that meeting knowing everything there is to know about your company and how your product or service could benefit the prospective client, then there is no reason ...read more

By Becky | Posted in Appointment Setting, Lead Generation, Pay On Results, sales leads, Telemarketing, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

New business prospecting, what I’ve learnt about sales lead generation in 3 months…

November 5, 2010 – 7:39 am

Hi, my name is Phoebe and I am currently working as an intern here at Qualifa – a telemarketing company for the Internet era! I started in September and already have learnt so much, not just about Sales Lead Generation, but also social media, SEO, PPC, digital marketing, football – the list goes on!

As an intern I had never worked in a professional business environment before and it was quite a nerve-racking prospect. But with the help and amazing support of the team I started to secure meetings for our clients with major high-street brands and grew to love the sales buzz. There is nothing quite like it and I also adore the friendly competition that exists within the office not to mention our weekly table tennis tournaments, it’s a great place to work and us ‘Qualifites’ are a lean mean sales lead generation team.

Before starting my intern-ship I had never really considered a career in sales, I had not done any business units in Sales throughout my academic life and I am greatly disappointed that more people do not get the opportunities that I have so far experienced in my role here. As Qualifa’s Managing Director James Burton says, “Sales is the engine room of a company”and ultimately Qualifa are helping businesses keep their ‘engine’ running by generating qualified new business sales leads. Sales is generally seen as an extroverts career with the stereotypical sales person knocking at your door trying to sell you cheese graters or something. But I can assure you at Qualifa it is nothing like that and I have learnt so much about the methodology behind sales lead generation. Simplicity is key and I have realised that if you have a good product or service and know a lot about it, then ...read more

By Becky | Posted in Appointment Setting, Lead Generation, Pay On Results, sales leads, Telemarketing, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Keeping it short and sweet

October 5, 2010 – 2:57 pm

You want more sales leads? You want more potential clients in your sales pipeline? No access to a telemarketing company or lead generation agency?

Here’s a simply DIY prospecting guide to sending targeted letters via email…

When writing introduction emails to potential new clients, think about how much time the recipient has to read what you are sending. Has a Marketing Director got time to scroll through a page of text? Has an IT Manager got the spare 30 minutes to read that 10 page pdf? No – and you knew that already.

So, make what you draft succinct, punchy and scan readable.

If the decision maker can take a quick squizz at it in 10 seconds, they’ll make a swift judgement on whether they are interested or whether to pass it along to some one who will be. If they have to read too much information they will most likely file it away for another day (so never read it) or worse still delete it.

Follow this format:

State who you are

State what you do/who you work with

State what it is you’d like to talk to them about and why

Provide a ‘call to action’ to close a telephone call or meeting

It really should only be a maximum of three short sentences. Any longer and they can no longer scan it – so cut it down as far as you can.

Some other must do’s are:

Make it personalised

Make it relevant and researched

Don’t cut and paste ‘blurb’ (it stands out a mile when you do)

Don’t attach large files that won’t get opened and might even mean the email gets blocked.

This isn’t email marketing, its electronic personal letter writing and less is most definitely ...read more

By James | Posted in Appointment Setting, Lead Generation, Pay On Results, sales leads, Telemarketing | Also tagged , , , | Comments (1)

Managing the minutiae

September 22, 2010 – 8:21 am

I thought it time to write something about more than just finding good sales leads. After all, its what happens after the initial meeting or presentation that really makes the difference to the success of a company.

With growing technology and digital media businesses (and some larger companies) there is often a recurring issue post initial client meeting. First meeting done, follow up email or proposal sent – sit back and wait for the order…. Sound familiar? Well perhaps that’s an exaggeration but its certainly the case that companies are not doing all that they can and should to move the sales cycle along and progress their opportunities.

But what can you do if you’ve seen the decision maker, submitted a proposal and been told to ‘wait to hear back’? Lots actually.

Consider that selling is not a linear process. In fact, picture each opportunity as a sort of Venn diagram attached to multiple satellite nodes – that would be a more accurate representation of how a sales actually looks when you consider the perspective of all those involved. Put your main contact in the middle of the diagram and start to consider who the other major players are in the decision making process:

  • CEO/MD
  • CFO of Financial Director/Manager
  • Operations Director/Manager
  • Technical Director/Manager
  • Creative Director/Manager
  • Procurement

Etc etc.

The next task is to map out each of these contacts and with the help of your prime contact establish who has a say in the decision (relating to your sale) and what influence they have. Once done its time to think about how you will start to build a relationship with these people to begin the process of educating them about your offering and how it will impact them personally/their department.

Of course, invariably you’ll require the permission of your prime contact to start selling to other people, however even if they say ...read more

By James | Posted in Lead Generation, sales leads | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

Reasons to Speculate on Prospect Meetings

September 7, 2010 – 5:11 am

‘We only want super qualified hot sales leads’ – is what we hear on a daily basis here at our lead generation company. AKA – get us meetings with people who have a need for our product or service and who are ready to buy NOW!

Frankly, that’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Imagine how hard it’s going to be to find a company that not only needs what you are selling, but who is sat there waving the cheque book waiting for the phone to ring. Hard work, trust us. Fact is, if you are lucky enough to find any of the above they’ll most likely by already talking to suppliers, if not in an advanced state of negotiation on the deal – meaning you’ll be on catch up mode from the start.

So what’s the answer? ‘Speculate to accumulate boy!’ (as my Granddad used to say).

By speculation here we mean that companies looking to build their sales pipeline should research and target their ideal customers and start to network with them and book introductory meetings. There may not always be immediate requirements, but you’ll start the process of being in their thoughts as and when they do have a requirement.

More importantly – GO AND SEE THEM, don‘t just make a phone call. Things happen when you meet with people face to face. Such as:

  • Oh, you provide that service do you? I didn’t realise, we’re interested in a quote for that…
  • You should speak to XYZ company – they need one of those next month…
  • Try speaking to Peter in Marketing, he’s the man with the budget

    More than this, you leave with a new business ‘connection’ that, if used to your advantage should serve you well in the future.

    Make sure you:

  • Get referrals into other people with that company
  • Get ...read more
    • By James | Posted in Appointment Setting, Lead Generation, Pay On Results, sales leads, Telemarketing | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

    Understanding The Fundamentals Of Selling

    August 6, 2010 – 7:35 am

    Generating leads is a vital part of the sales process. To help you get a better understanding of how to generate profitable sales leads, here are a few words to help you get a better understanding of the fundamental elements of selling.

    Prospecting

    Prospecting is essentially planning and researching. There are plenty of tried and tested clichés batted around warning you about the perils of not planning. “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail” is my favourite. But however worn out that saying is, it offers concrete advice.

    The first stage in the selling process is research. Or prospecting.

    This pre-sales research can be done from your desktop. It involves gathering as much information about your prospective client as possible. You can use search engines, news stories and social media to gather insight and background information on a prospect.

    When prospecting, pay particular attention to how your product or service can provide a benefit to your potential customer.

    Does it help them streamline a complicated process, saving them money?

    Does it help them gain market share by doing something their competition doesn’t?

    Once you’ve established how you can specifically help your prospect, the next part of the research stage is discovering who the key decision makers are. Make sure you aim for c-level and directors. It is far easier to be referred downwards than upwards.

    Here’s an acronym to help with your prospecting:

    MANACT

    M – Money. Does a budget for exist? Can you create a business case for one?

    A – Authority. Who is the key decision maker? Who will sign off on your proposal?

    N – Need. What specific business need are you helping to fix?

    A – Action. As the sales person, what future actions can you prepare for now?

    C – Is the deal competitive?

    T – Create a series of time bound events, leading to the sale being closed.

    Presentation

    Now you’re fully ...read more

    By Fiona | Posted in sales leads | Comments (0)

    6 Reasons Why Outsourced ‘Pay On Results’ Lead Generation Is Easier Than Having An Internal Sales Team.

    June 15, 2010 – 7:37 am

    Some companies we speak to, and in fact nearly all as they mature, will turn to in-house telemarketing and sales lead generation functions.

    Why?

    It’s probably a control thing.

    Most organisations want to shape their own sales destiny, and not leave it in the hands of a third part supplier.

    Natural evolution is another reason. As companies evolve, their professional sales departments need to evolve and grow with them. You need a good ‘internal sales‘ learning ground to breed the next generation of field sales people.

    Past a certain point in their persuasion we can’t stop companies brining telemarketing ‘in-house’. But we can still present the reasons why we think it might not be the best idea.

    Before we can help you understand why outsourced lead generation works, you need to appreciate just how difficult establishing an in-house sales team can be.

    Here’s our thoughts on some of the challenges faced by companies looking to develop internal sales lead generation functions. You’ll see the process poses difficulties and problems right from the beginning.

    1. Recruiting The Right Internal Sales Person

    Okay picture the scene, you decide the way to grow your business is by hiring an internal sales person. There’s just a few hurdles to get over: You’ve got no sales people. You’re not a sales person and you’re not really sure what they should be like.

    Sounds impossible from the start, yes?

    Well it’s the situation most growing technology and digital media businesses find themselves in when they move from relying on word of mouth and referrals to grow onto creating sales with outbound sales and promotion.

    Unless you’ve worked in sales-driven organisations, amongst true sales people, it will be very hard to know what to look for.

    In most situations we have seen, the recruitment process fails to deliver the right amount of quality short listed candidates, normally ...read more

    By James | Posted in Lead Generation, Pay On Results | Also tagged | Comments (0)

    Do You Feel Like Finding More Sales Leads Is Like Looking For A Needle In A Haystack?

    May 19, 2010 – 7:39 am

    “Find me some red hot sales leads!” is something we hear a lot. If we had a pound every time a client said they were struggling to find hot sales leads, we’d be rich.

    Recalibrating What You Expect From A Lead Generation Agency

    As a lead generation agency, we speak to a lot of people, like you, who need to put more leads in their sales pipeline. But you might be surprised to know, the first thing we need to do it recalibrate expectations about what to expect from a professional lead generation agency.

    The reason we have so many of these conversations is that most telemarketing companies promise so much but deliver very little. When speaking to other telemarketing companies, you’ll be promised heaps of ‘hot sales leads’ but in reality, you find out the number of leads promised will be a lot less than you might think. Here’s why…

    How To Start Looking For That Elusive Sales Lead

    First up, finding a customer who is ready to buy your product or service within a short time frame is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Trust me, the only way to even get close to success would be a harsh numbers game of a hundred cold calls a day, five days a week – and even then our experience shows the return might be less than three opportunities.

    Imagine, spending your whole week on the phone and uncovering only three sales opportunities; The work itself is tough and offers little reward to the person wading through the database.

    There’s a second problem too. By definition, if you’ve found someone ready to buy it follows that they are some (if not all) way down the line in their purchasing/evaluation process -so it’s likely that you’ll be entering the game at half-time ...read more

    By Fiona | Posted in Lead Generation | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

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