Telephone prospecting

Teleprospecting or telemarketing is an indispensable and omnipresent prospecting channel in the activity of BtoB companies. It is one of the oldest ways to contact prospects. Even if it is sometimes considered as obsolete, it is nevertheless a simple and efficient way to generate contacts and commercial appointments when it is mastered. Indeed, 92% of commercial exchanges between companies are still done by telephone.

BtoB teleprospecting has above all the advantage of being easy to access and makes it possible to obtain qualitative contacts. The lack of effectiveness of telemarketing observed by some companies is mainly due to a lack of mastery of the discipline: lack of time, lack of tools, lack of desire sometimes. There are many reasons for the poor performance of a telemarketing campaign.

Admittedly, it is a difficult and time-consuming activity(on average 6 to 12 calls are needed to validate the commercial contact), but terribly effective when well prepared and properly executed.

Good preparation is essential

1. The file used in a teleprospecting action is the raw material: its quality will directly depend on the results. Its importance is paramount and the time invested in building upa quality file will always pay off.

Targeting must be as precise as possible in order to have little waste (off-target prospects): geographical criteria, criteria of sectors of activity, size criteria (number of employees and turnover) and function of the people targeted are essential.

More precise criteria (semantics, sub-categories, personal info, etc.) can be added. The file must be nominative: having the information of the name of the targeted person multiplies by three the number of contacts argued in relation to the search for "the person in charge of...".

Beyond the quality of the prospecting file, its permanent maintenance is an important issue sincea file naturally deteriorates by 15 to 20% per year under the sole effect of changes in contact details, names, addresses, etc. of prospects.

2. Next, you need to design a "call scenario", an argument that will structure the telephone conversation you are going to have with your prospect.
This structure forms the skeleton of the conversation, making it relevant and effective, without removing the naturalness. The call "script" should include:
▸ a catchphrase: a polite and friendly introduction
▸ a presentation of the objective of the call
▸ a brief presentation of the arguments you wish to present
▸ answers to objections
▸ a conclusion to the interview by validating the next step

This document helps to structure the discourse in order to be always effective and must set a framework while maintaining a certain naturalness and flexibility.

To build this framework, it is necessary to be precise about the target, clear about its differentiating arguments, pursue only one objective (exchange of information, appointment scheduling, validation of a stage in the sales cycle, etc.) and present only one product/service corresponding to a defined need.

A rigorous and efficient process

A teleprospecting action must be conducted methodically and rigorously.

A sales representative must be dedicated to the teleprospecting campaign in order not to lose information and to progress continuously.

A CRM (or a more specific telemarketing tool) must be used to avoid losing any information, to gain relevance with each telephone contact, and to allow an automated reminder of tasks and reminders to increase the number of successful contacts.

Time slots must be exclusively dedicated to teleprospecting, which is not conducive to multi-activity, otherwise we run out of breath immediately.

The call script must constantly be improved and readjusted according to the objections heard, the results obtained according to the targets, etc.

Beyond the material organization, the attitude of the salesman in the context of his teleprospecting action is of paramount importance.

He must present himself clearly and immediately announce the purpose of his appeal. A "peer-to-peer" exchange relationship is the best entry point, frank and direct.

Active listening then makes it possible to gather vital information about the prospect while at the same time creating a climate ofexchange and trust that will enable the arguments you wish to put across.

The questioning phase must be very respectful and should be more like an exchange of information than a questionnaire.
Any element that can be used to personalize the exchange must be integrated to show the prospect's interest.

Throughout the exchange, the salesperson's confidence in the benefit of the product or service he or she is offering is also an essential element for the quality of the conversation and its outcome. The voice must be engaging and not disturbing. Do not hesitate to train and record yourself to improve the positioning of the voice.
Finally, politeness and a smile (even on the phone) are essential and a guarantee of success.

At the end of a teleprospecting campaign, we must be able to produce a qualitative and quantitative report presenting metrics and KPIs (number of calls per contact argued per target, number of contacts argued per hour, number of appointments obtained per day, etc.) as well as areas for improvement that can be actuated on several levers: improved targeting, evolution of the argument, etc.

When to choose telephone prospecting as a channel to acquire leads?

While teleprospecting is effective and brings results, it is not the easiest action to succeed. It is therefore necessary to ask beforehand whether its commercial positioning lends itself to this discipline.
3 criteria are important to choose teleprospecting as a customer acquisition channel:

10 tips to follow for successful telephone prospecting

To carry out an effective BtoB telemarketing campaign, here are the points to remember:

1. To have an offer corresponding to a precise need with a defined type of prospect. Teleprospecting does not tolerate vague approaches and does not allow the prospect to be discovered sufficiently during the telephone exchange to provide an answer after the fact.

2. To have a targeted, qualitative, nominative file. Keep this file up to date so that its quality does not regularly decline.

3. Use a specific tool for monitoring the telemarketing action, at least a CRM, possibly a specialized telemarketing tool.

4. Adopt the right attitude when dealing with prospects: active listening, patience, curiosity, and resistance to failure.

5. 5. Be polite and smile in all circumstances.

6. Dedicate time slots exclusively to teleprospecting.

7. Work on your voice - practising correct voice posture by recording yourself if necessary in order to be pleasant to the other person.

8. 8. Have a comfortable working position: seat, screens, computer equipment, helmet, etc.

9. Constantly develop your arguments according to various criteria: failures and successes encountered, different targets, times of day, etc.

10. Establish statistics regularly and cultivate the culture of numbers.