Callbox Blog

Lead Generation Inspiration – Alan Arkin From Argo

Watching Argo is a very amazing experience. It has action, suspense, and adventure at the side. But what struck me the most was one of its actors, Alan Arkin. The reason here was his performance, one that garnered him the Best Supporting Actor nomination. And it was more than four decades after his last nomination for the same role. What does it say to you? What does it mean in terms of lead generation? Understanding this can help us be better in our B2B leads campaign, or perhaps renew ties with our past sales leads. How can we apply his sudden entry into this prestigious award, after so many years out of the limelight.

The lesson we can learn here deals with relevance. It took Alan Arkin decades to get another Oscar nomination. But it is worth the wait, since he does deserve it. His performance made him relevant again in the awards circles. This is something we can learn for our business as well. No matter how long the last successful appointment setting campaign was, as long as we prepare ourselves, look at the trends, study the tastes of our market, craft the right sales pitch, as well as prepare the necessary tools needed for our business, like telemarketing, then we can be noticed by our business prospects. That is the secret to a successful marketing campaign.

It is possible. Time is not really a big hindrance. What we need to do is simply to stay relevant. That will ensure the success of our lead generation efforts.

Fix Your B2B Leads Sales Pitch Like Dinner

Generating sales leads through the phone can be a real challenge, one that always pushes the limits of telemarketing services. That means a need for a better sales pitch. Now, before you start saying that sales pitches are no longer part of modern marketing and networking campaigns, you need to remember that this is the one part of the process where you introduce your business to sales leads prospects. Failure to properly execute your pitch will cause you to lose prospects, as well as fail to attract those at the periphery of your market. Now, to ensure proper delivery, you need to proceed with these steps, akin to a dinner:

1. The aperitif – at this point, the appointment setting prospect has absolutely no idea about your business. Do not bombard them with details yet. Rather, use this time to tell them what you do, like ‘we make the future safer’, ‘the answer to the world’s problems’, and the like.
2. The appetizer – after hearing your initial description, your lead generation prospects would most certainly be curious at what you exactly do.  This is the right opportunity for you to dive into the details of your business, telling them what you exactly do and the number of clients and customers that you have helped.
3. The main course – this is the part where your selling skills will be needed, since you will be convincing your prospects that your business will work for them as well.

If you have properly introduced your business in the first two steps, then you will not have any lead generation problems when doing the last stage. The dessert would be the B2B leads you generate successfully.

The Danger Of Big Data In Lead Generation

John Hagerty, founder of advertising giant BBH, is not a man who minces his words. And he surely riled up a lot of people last March when he expressed his disdain for big data in marketing. He explained, “It’s because I’ve spent my life dealing with people who’ve got all the data in the world and yet they can’t invent anything.” This is something that should be heeded by those involved in b2b lead generation. While they may claim that big data, precision marketing, and targeted audiences can bring in the much-desired sales leads, actual experience shows just how messed up the results can be.

It seems like big data is no use at all.

The poster child for this would be Facebook, the juggernaut of big data marketing. No matter how much data they used to precisely target their audience, Facebook ads are really performing badly. Come to think of it, how many mainstream companies have advertised in this social media site and earned big-time sales or B2B leads? Not that many. One might as well go back to telemarketing, since it seems to get much better results.

Problem here is pretty much the use of big data. In the marketing world’s attempt to be more measurable, more precise, more numbers-based, and more elaborate, in their appointment setting efforts, they lose the most basic element in getting their message across the audience – the human factor.

Ignoring the power of genuine human connection and concentrating more on numbers is the one most damaging effect to your lead generation efforts.

The Seven Deadly Sins Of Lead Generation

Starting your own business can be the most exciting chapter of your life. Finally, you can be your own boss, managing people under you, and exploring lead generation possibilities that can help improve your bottom line. It all seems rosy, right? But once you put things into practice, well, you might discover some things that can give you problems. Make a mistake, and all your efforts can unravel. That can affect your ability to generate sales leads. So what kind of errors can you commit in your B2B leads efforts? For easy reference, we could classify them according to the seven cardinal sins, since these can reflect the kind of negative actions you might make:

1. Greed – maximizing profits is good, but too much of a good thing is bad. Never take on business leads that may give you profits now, but can prove to be a headache to your business later on. Greed compels marketers to chase short-term rewards, without regards to what the future has in store.
2. Gluttony – trying to collect all the sales leads that you want may result to a glut in your pipeline, slowing performance down, as well as failing to deliver promised services to your clients. Remember, there is a limit to how many accounts you can handle. Too many, and you will not be able to serve all.
3. Lust – being the business owner presents a lot of temptations, like buying a few luxuries here and there. While rewarding yourself is fine, spending on extras can reduce the available funds that might be needed for your appointment setting campaign. This is very risky for business.
4. Sloth – just because you are the business owner does not mean you can just sit back and relax. Truth to be told, this position is exactly where the most work is required. Besides, you have to take the lead for your employees to follow, right? You have to push yourself, even if it means joining your telemarketing team so as to reach your quota.
5. Pride – ego is not that bad, especially if you want to create a strong image for your business. But if you let all go out of hand, you will fail to see the truth. Sometimes, you just have to swallow the bitter pill and admit that maybe, your current business set-up is not the best.
6. Wrath – showing passion for your business is great, but it must not devolve into an emotional train wreck. People who get carried away by their passion tend to think irrationally, often going into destructive actions that, ultimately, destroy their business.
7. Envy – comparing your business to others can be useful in setting benchmarks to reach, but if it begins to get into your nerves, then you are probably doing it the wrong way. People who let envy get the better of them often use their time and resources to sabotage their competition, neglecting their own potentials to grow and prosper.

So, which of these lead generation sins are you guilty of?

What To Do When Starting Lead Generation

In terms of successful marketing campaigns, it is very important that you know where to start. Like everything you do in life, you need to have a concrete plan in place. Otherwise, you will be lost along the way. It is the same thing when you are conducting lead generation campaigns. There will be more challenges that you have to face, perhaps more than you can imagine. But, if you really are determined enough, you might just be able to pull it off and successfully generate the B2B leads that your business will need. To do that, you just have to remember these simple pointers:

First, you must be able to form the right team in business. From the way your management is composed, down to the telemarketing team that will be responsible in generating sales leads, you need to know just who to rely on.

Second, you need to know exactly the kind of market you wish to penetrate. It would be a lost effort if you keep selling your products or services to a market sector that has no need for any of them. This calls for some efficient research to be done, like market surveys.

Lastly, you should try leaving your comfort zones. Only by taking a risk will you be able to get an edge over your competition. The unknown can be dangerous, but by being creative and innovative, you will be able to prevail.

That is the basics when starting a successful lead generation campaign.

Lead Generation Tips From Neil Gaiman

What do American author Neil Gaiman and lead generation have in common? It has to do with the secrets to successfully generating B2B leads. Yes, finding, nurturing, and converting sales leads can be really hard to do. But, if you have a good foundation for your business, then you will be able to succeed. This is something that Neil Gaiman said in his speech. According to him, to be excellent in business, there are three things you need to posses:

1. Be efficient – deliver your products or service on time. Be sure that you do what you promise during your appointment setting campaign, and that you do not let your customers down.
2. Be effective – it is not enough that you deliver on time. You should also be able to deliver excellently. A lot of dissatisfaction stems from poor quality or delivery that brings down customer satisfaction.
3. Be congenial – when you are a pleasure to work with, your clients and customers would be more receptive in working with you. This is an added investment that can support your business long-term.

Gaiman also mentioned that being able to fulfill at least two of the three conditions will help you along your work. But if you really want to be the best in your business, if you want your telemarketing team to be more effective, then all three conditions will have to be met. But it is not that hard to do, right? These are just the basics for a successful and profitable lead generation campaign.

Keeping Sales Leads Through Stellar Customer Experience

Generating qualified sales leads is hard work – there is no doubt about it. So it is only natural that you would want to find ways to keep the ones you have. And how will you do that? It all lies with your customer service. Yes, a successful lead generation campaign also depends on the quality of customer service you have provided to your current and past clients. If you want to get your B2B leads back, or find new ones through referrals, then you need to take a good look at the way you treat your customers and clients.

1. Being user-friendly – be it on the web or at your company’s doorsteps, how do you present your business to your clients? Is it easy enough for them to access, or do they have to navigate too much all the way to their intended page?
2. Accessibility and approachability – what kind of ambiance or image do you project to your customers? Is this what you want them to see? Do your employees treat your customers exactly as you envision it to be?
3. Presentation – in all customer and client interactions, how do you and your telemarketing team talk? How do you dress up or present yourselves? Are you approachable, informative, or professional? What kind of personal image are you trying to create?
4. Following-up – once your appointment setting team has found prospects, are you following up on them, or just sitting back and wait for them to call? A little aggressive marketing can do mean a great deal.

Providing an excellent customer service is crucial in keeping sales leads that you worked so hard to gain.

Thinking Strategically In Lead Generation

Handling a small scale business can be a challenge for entrepreneurs like you. It will not be surprising if you juggle between manager, accountant, promoter, travel agent, and auditor all at the same time. It does make you wonder if you still need to add strategist for lead generation. But that is the one thing you should never do without. Companies that lack a strategic approach in management weaken their ability to generate B2B leads. This, in turn, makes it harder for them to find additional sales leads that could keep their business afloat. So, how does one think strategically?

1. Do not assume that the current thinking is correct – there is such a thing as market evolution. Yes, your appointment setting process may work, but it may not be effective today. You might have to reexamine your current strategy.
2. Be ready to explore – even if you reach a dead end, you must be ready to explore all avenues in business. If it means adopting a different communication medium (like telemarketing) or tap a different market, you should do so.
3. Have a little confidence – strategic thinking requires that you look into the unknown. You will not reach anything if your insecurity prevents you from taking the first step.
4. You are always faced with choices – you always have to make a choice in actions. Strategic thinking is never a straight path. You have to constantly make the right decisions.

All these play a key role in strategic planning for your lead generation campaign.

Why Sales Leads Prospects Doubt You

It can be pretty hard to do business, especially with business prospects that doubt your offer. But all that is just a normal day in the office. The way you deal with them is what makes all the difference. To be successful in generating sales leads out of these types of prospects, you need to understand why they doubt you in the first place. Only then will you be able to come up with a winning lead generation strategy. To start with, B2B leads prospects do not trust you because:

1. You begin with a lie – a successful business relationship is anchored on trust. How will you be able to maintain that if you started the whole process with a lie? Sure, this might help you get more business leads in your appointment setting campaign, but it will not help you at all in the long run. In fact, it will lose you more leads.
2. Your claims are unbelievable – with so many companies claiming that they are the best, or the cheapest, in the market, it is only natural that business prospects would be tired of hearing the same song over and over again. If you really want to get their attention, show hard facts. Even if your outlandish claims are true, no one will believe you until you show proof.
3. Your opinions outweigh your facts – when all your prospects here are your own praises for your products, they would naturally be suspicious. To make it easier for them to believe your claims, make it a point to use testimonials from your clients, especially the big ones. Also, substantiate your claims by giving facts.
4. You focused too much on closing – yes, you need to get that deal, but if your focus is just that, without regard to what your prospects need, then you achieve nothing at all.

Correct these bad habits and your sales lead generation campaign will be more credible.

How To Secure Your Sales Leads In Cyberspace

It can be a real pain to be a victim of cyberspace hacking, but it is a reality you need to face in today’s modern business environment. All those years of hard work in lead generation, all those gigabytes of customer and market data, and the lists of sales leads you have collected, all these can disappear at just a click of a mouse button, and you cannot do anything at all once that happens. That is why you need to prevent hacking in the first place. You need to improve your security. Only then can you fairly say that you have taken steps to deal to protect your B2B leads.

1. Load on tech – as a business owner, you need to invest in the right equipment. You need to have the latest technology, like firewalls and antivirus, installed on your computer and communication equipment (like the phone lines used by your telemarketing teams). This makes securing them easier.
2. Lock everything down – clear cache, create passwords, use secure back up, etc. are just some of the things you need to observe in order to secure your systems. In case an actual hacking takes place, the damage can be put on the minimum.
3. Spread the word – not everyone gets the same information as you do. If, say, your appointment setting representative is using VoIP to make calls, recommend them a powerful antivirus or firewall to prevent illegal access to their VoIP account.

There are other things that you need to do to protect your lead generation campaign, but these three will top that list. Follow them well.