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Is it good telemarketing technique

by mielshall
12 replies
Hello Guys,

I am working as a sales manager here in Egypt in the ERP business. I had been asked by my top management to develop a telemarketing/telesales methodology to generate more qualified leads.

I developed a two step telemarketing methodology and I could use your help in improving it.

First, I will ask our telesales team to call business owners trying to ask them to answer a marketing survey. Questions would be as follows

Are you using any software in managing any of your various business activities?

If yes:

How long have you been using this software?
Can I know the name of the software you are using right now?
Can you tell me at least one advantage and/or disadvantage of your current software?
Can you tell me at least one driving motive that will make you change the currently used software?

If no:

Why you did not consider using one?
So, what will be the main driving motive that will make you buy one?
How much you willing to pay to such solution?
Is there any one else into your organization would be involved in buying such solution?

Second, I will have our direct sales team to contact the already prospected leads using the information provided into the above mentioned survey trying to sell them our solutions.
#good #technique #telemarketing
  • Profile picture of the author daniyal100
    All depends on your tonality and they way the call starts and going.. its possible you ask this question to 100 guys and only 2 willing to share it with you..
    And another guy do it the same way and more then half of the people would love to share it with him no matter if you using the same script or different.
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    • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
      Originally Posted by daniyal100 View Post

      All depends on your tonality and they way the call starts and going.. its possible you ask this question to 100 guys and only 2 willing to share it with you..
      And another guy do it the same way and more then half of the people would love to share it with him no matter if you using the same script or different.
      Can you please expand on this idea of tonality? Are you trying to say that a telemarketer who sounds cheerful and enthusiastic will outsell the telemarketer who sounds bland or have I missed the point you were trying to make?
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      • Profile picture of the author daniyal100
        Originally Posted by dreamer123 View Post

        Can you please expand on this idea of tonality? Are you trying to say that a telemarketer who sounds cheerful and enthusiastic will outsell the telemarketer who sounds bland or have I missed the point you were trying to make?
        Watch the telemarketing scenes from the movie " The wolf of wall street". That would be the best possible demonstration for this.

        It must be on youtube i guess
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    ERP is a pretty complex niche.

    The market research is not a bad idea, but it is going to be difficult to get these conversations with high level decision makers.

    ERP requires an organization of a certain size. It also requires the organization to be quite disciplined, because everyone must follow the blizzard of work orders and not feel they are smarter than the program.

    What you're looking for are leaders of medium-sized companies who are looking to tie together their accounting, inventory, customer relationship, supply chain and other management functions into one central software.

    If their accounting and inventory software are separate, they may have ongoing errors like "What was shipped wasn't what was billed". These are symptoms you can look for that indicate an opportunity for improvement fixed by your solution.

    Many manufacturers are not aware of the advancements in supply chain management and the Just In Time inventory management now available through ERP. This creates an opportunity when you educate them about what is possible. "Yeah, we always have to wait two weeks for the parts to come in...but we just have to live with that, don't we" is the sound of a business owner's life that's ripe for change.

    I would concentrate on finding the slice of companies of this certain size, and then sorting through them to find out which have frustrations, delays and other headaches that you can fix. Then talk to those willing to have a conversation.

    Changing a management software is a huge decision because it's such a big commitment. Leaders are therefore very cautious about making this kind of change. Expect a long sales cycle and a lot of nurturing. You have to hit them when they're ready, not when you're ready.
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    • Profile picture of the author mielshall
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      ERP is a pretty complex niche.

      The market research is not a bad idea, but it is going to be difficult to get these conversations with high level decision makers.

      ERP requires an organization of a certain size. It also requires the organization to be quite disciplined, because everyone must follow the blizzard of work orders and not feel they are smarter than the program.

      What you're looking for are leaders of medium-sized companies who are looking to tie together their accounting, inventory, customer relationship, supply chain and other management functions into one central software.

      If their accounting and inventory software are separate, they may have ongoing errors like "What was shipped wasn't what was billed". These are symptoms you can look for that indicate an opportunity for improvement fixed by your solution.

      Many manufacturers are not aware of the advancements in supply chain management and the Just In Time inventory management now available through ERP. This creates an opportunity when you educate them about what is possible. "Yeah, we always have to wait two weeks for the parts to come in...but we just have to live with that, don't we" is the sound of a business owner's life that's ripe for change.

      I would concentrate on finding the slice of companies of this certain size, and then sorting through them to find out which have frustrations, delays and other headaches that you can fix. Then talk to those willing to have a conversation.

      Changing a management software is a huge decision because it's such a big commitment. Leaders are therefore very cautious about making this kind of change. Expect a long sales cycle and a lot of nurturing. You have to hit them when they're ready, not when you're ready.
      I really appreciate your deep contribution hear. Actually, here in the 3rd world finding such companies is not an easy task since most of firms still work using Excel files for their accounting or warehousing management.

      However, we still can offer them a simple accounting system and grow up sizing our offering based on their own business needs.

      But the question here. Is it a good tactic to approach them as a marketing survey company then use this information finding their buying motives of such product then reach them out with one of our direct sales team trying to sell them our software using survey information?

      And yes lead nurturing is our best option on the online world but can you elaborate more how to use nurturing on the offline world?
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      • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
        Originally Posted by mielshall View Post

        I really appreciate your deep contribution hear. Actually, here in the 3rd world finding such companies is not an easy task since most of firms still work using Excel files for their accounting or warehousing management.

        However, we still can offer them a simple accounting system and grow up sizing our offering based on their own business needs.

        But the question here. Is it a good tactic to approach them as a marketing survey company then use this information finding their buying motives of such product then reach them out with on of our direct sells team trying to sell them our software using survey information?

        And yes lead nurturing is our best option on the online world but can you elaborate more how to use nurturing on the offline world?
        In theory your idea is good, but as I said above I don't think you will get many conversations.

        People do not simply "open up" and share what is truly going on in their business to someone they just met. How many companies do you know that advertise their greatest weakness on their website, for example?

        So you risk not only a time-consuming effort to get the survey calls done, but also in collecting misleading data.



        (...because I can...)

        It is a good point you raise about businesses using Excel for inventory management and accounting. Could you call and ask instead, "Are you finding limitations in Excel that are causing you frustrations when you manage your inventory or accounting?"

        "Are there reports, data comparisons, or other information you wish you could pull out of Excel, but just haven't found a way to do so?"

        "If Excel wasn't the only software available, and you had an alternative that was ready to go and easy to learn, would you immediately chuck Excel out the window?"

        (that last one is a bit funny, but you have a good prospect on your hands in the Need category of qualification if they say "Yes".)

        Nurturing is a process of reminding you exist, that there is a way out of their situation, and that they should speak to you before anyone else about their problem when they're ready.
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        • Profile picture of the author DABK
          If you called me out of the blue and asked me anything about my business, I'd be suspicious and not answer.

          If, on the other hand, the reason you asked was not that you're a marketing company collecting information but some reason that would benefit me, I might open up, depending on your reason.

          If you were to say, We're conducting a survey for a book / report we're writing and asking you and all businesses like you in your city a bunch of questions that will make up the book and we'll send you a copy of the book /report.

          Assuming you present it in such a way that I will think I'll understand more about my competition.

          To answer your question, I think it's a good idea. But, as Jason pointed out, the devil's in the details of the execution.

          I also think your questions are too pointed...

          I've seen surveys like that that asked pointed questions, but I had already purchased something from them.

          People I did not buy from who sent me softened versions of the questions got, at times, my answers.

          Softened versions were:

          Rate these:
          software 1
          software 2
          software 3

          What's the main reason behind your choice for #1?
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          • Profile picture of the author mielshall
            Hello DABK,

            Thank you very much for your contribution.

            Originally Posted by DABK View Post

            If you called me out of the blue and asked me anything about my business, I'd be suspicious and not answer.

            If, on the other hand, the reason you asked was not that you're a marketing company collecting information but some reason that would benefit me, I might open up, depending on your reason.
            What do you think will be a good incentive to make them answer our survey?

            Originally Posted by DABK View Post

            I also think your questions are too pointed...

            I've seen surveys like that that asked pointed questions, but I had already purchased something from them.

            People I did not buy from who sent me softened versions of the questions got, at times, my answers.

            Softened versions were:

            Rate these:
            software 1
            software 2
            software 3

            What's the main reason behind your choice for #1?
            Actually, the main reason of this survey is to put our hands on what was their buying motives behind buying their currently used software and if they are not using one right now what will be their main reason buying one.

            So I really appreciate it if you can point me to some ,not too pointed questions, that will make us explore their buying motives.
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            • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
              Now we are heading in the right direction
              when you say explore the buying motive.

              There are 2.

              A problem they have and don't want

              An outcome they want but don't have

              So let's enter a conversation a key person could be having.

              "There's so much work sifting through Excel sheets
              to drag out the cashflow to see how much short
              term finance we need for our next batch of supplies"

              That could be from the cost controller.

              Come up with your own conversations around a problem they don't want and
              an outcome they don't have.

              Then when you feed back that conversation in their language,
              they feel understood like nobody else, therefore you get
              heard and your solution then becomes a custom fit.

              Best,
              Doctor E. Vile
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        • Profile picture of the author mielshall
          Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

          In theory your idea is good, but as I said above I don't think you will get many conversations.

          People do not simply "open up" and share what is truly going on in their business to someone they just met. How many companies do you know that advertise their greatest weakness on their website, for example?

          So you risk not only a time-consuming effort to get the survey calls done, but also in collecting misleading data.
          Well, I am convinced now that wasting time collecting miss leading information will be a huge disadvantage for this marketing survey technique.

          However, from what I had been thought in college surveys is considered the most powerful market research methodologies. Do you think if we can tweak these questions or may be offer a good incentive the outcomes will be different?

          BTW Can you help us doing this if I bought your recently launched WSO? I will buy it anyways

          Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

          It is a good point you raise about businesses using Excel for inventory management and accounting. Could you call and ask instead, "Are you finding limitations in Excel that are causing you frustrations when you manage your inventory or accounting?"

          "Are there reports, data comparisons, or other information you wish you could pull out of Excel, but just haven't found a way to do so?"

          "If Excel wasn't the only software available, and you had an alternative that was ready to go and easy to learn, would you immediately chuck Excel out the window?"

          (that last one is a bit funny, but you have a good prospect on your hands in the Need category of qualification if they say "Yes".)
          Sure I can ask such questions. But what if they are still doing their book keeping manually?

          Thank you again for the lead nurturing advice. And yes we currently doing this.
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  • Profile picture of the author mielshall
    @ewenmack

    This is will be really great way to face this type of situations and I am already preparing "Why you should not use Excel, Access, or manual book keeping?" so I will make my sales team very well prepared facing such situations.

    However, what do you think would be the best method that will make those leads talk at the first place?

    Regards
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    @mieshall,

    You have gotten some expert advice here at zero cost.

    Take it and run with it. You have the direction to move in.

    Why don't you have some conversations with prospects along the lines of what we've laid out, and then come back in a week with some results to discuss further?
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