Teleprospecting, as a Term, is on the Rise
Here at JMS Elite, we’ve have been using the term “teleprospecting” for quite a while in the B2B sales world, mostly in order to distinguish our services from the more widely-known “telemarketing” sales techniques.
In the past year, though, I’ve been noticing a rise in the popularity and use in wider circles of the term teleprospecting, and I think that is a benefit to businesses that are searching for complex B2B sales and lead generation services. So recently, when receiving inquiries, I’m pleased to find I’m hearing the term teleprospecting.
More and more people are using the word. More of our prospects understand the word. It has quickly reached some level of understanding with marketing executives, and it’s on their radar now.
For those who aren’t already sure what teleprospecting is, and how is it different from the more popular term, telemarketing, an in-depth comparison can be found on my earlier blog, Telemarketing vs. Teleprospecting. It’s a quick read that will bring you up to date on the differences and outcomes of these two very different approaches to telesales.
In short, teleprospecting is what is needed, and has proven successful, for the complex, high ticket B2B sale. Any company selling a complex solution, service, or product requires experienced professional phone representatives having meaningful interactions with executives within their targeted prospect accounts.
Teleprospecting is a long-term approach that incorporates an understanding of the customer need that the solution, service, or product addresses, and an understanding of the inherent value being provided by that solution.
Who is looking for, and can benefit from, Teleprospecting?
When determining if teleprospecting is the right choice for your business, it helps to answer these questions:
- Is your solution, product, or service complex, and/or high ticket?
- Do you have a defined market?
- Do you need professional representation on the phone to convey your value proposition, or because you offer a commodity, will novice telemarketers serve you well enough?
When we get calls from prospects looking for teleprospecting, we are seeing that they know the difference between lower-level telemarketing, and high-level teleprospecting goals and responsibilities. They understand what it takes to generate qualified, actionable sales lead opportunities.
Companies that are in search of a qualified teleprospecting firm have complex solutions or services, and understand that they can’t have inexperienced, low-level callers representing them to their sophisticated, senior-level audience.
A company that offers complex products, services, or solutions is firmly in the camp of the higher-end, and will benefit from experienced senior-level executives on the phone.
Typically if a company has tried firms in the past that don’t have senior-level callers capable of meaningful interactions with an executive audience, then they are most often dissatisfied. They will say, “We’ve tried this, and it doesn’t work.”
There is definitely a place for people who have tried telemarketing and have been disappointed to look at firms like ours, which have a different model.
What does the rising popularity of the term teleprospecting mean for the Complex B2B Sales industry?
How can this term affect your business, if you are looking for highly qualified sales leads?
In the past, when telemarketing was the only term in use, the industry was trying to take the commodity of telemarketing, and squeeze it into complex products, services, and solutions – and it didn’t work. Lower-level telemarketing wasn’t working for companies that needed senior level sales people.
Now, it is possible to Google “teleprospecting” and narrow down the search. By using the new, correct term, it’s possible to find quality firms like ours; ones that can be distinguished from telemarketing firms, because we are calling for more complex products, levels, and solutions, and we’re engaging in more senior-level discussions.
By searching for a teleprospecting firm, you are more likely to find 5 firms that may match your needs, rather than results in the hundreds that you have to sift through. Your search then becomes more efficient and, ultimately, more successful.
Once you’ve found a teleprospecting firm that seems like a good fit, it is still important to make sure they can meet your needs. Interview them to find out if they have senior-level people with years of outbound B2B calling experience. Check the background of the firm; have they worked with other companies in your space that offer complex solutions, products, and services? Do they retain their clients or make a living doing one-off projects?
Make sure the firm has solid answers to these questions and can back them with suitable references.
Finding the Right Firm for Complex B2B Sales and Lead Generation Services
If you are looking for successful lead generation for complex B2B sales, consider using teleprospecting in your Google search. The term should help you refine your results, and find a more successful solution, more readily.
Thanks for visiting our blog,
Jim
