The obvious benefit of a quality B2B lead generation campaign is filling the sales pipeline with highly qualified leads that have a real chance of leading to a sale.
In addition to qualifying leads and creating business opportunities, there are a number of other benefits that can be gained when the caliber of salespeople making the calls is high and they are able to engage in a meaningful interaction with targeted prospects.
As leaders in the industry, we have always stressed that the success of any B2B cold calling program comes down to the experience of the caller and his or her ability to engage in real conversations with high-level decision-makers.
There are many additional benefits that can be gained when a caller has a two-way conversation that is focused on industry solutions and uncovering business pains.
These high-level interactions with a prospect can provide market validation and insight, an understanding of your competition, and create positive brand awareness of your solution, service, or product.
3 Added Benefits of Quality B2B Lead Generation
1. Market Validation
An experienced caller who is comfortable engaging with key evaluators and C-level executives knows that the job of a successful caller is to ask the right questions, and then give a prospect the time to answer them.
The right questions are often open-ended, offering prospects the chance to begin a discussion rather than simply providing a yes or no response and ending the conversation.
Open-ended questions, such as the ones listed below, encourage a prospect to share valuable insights that can’t necessarily be gained through other types of market research.
- How is the prospect doing things today?
- What solutions do they have in place?
- Are they happy with those solutions?
- What is their time frame to make a change or purchase, and do they have the budget?
When a caller asks questions like these, the replies tell the story of the opportunities in the market and can capture real-time industry information.
The conversation that takes place when the right questions are asked can uncover infinitely valuable insight into where your product, solution, or service stands in the current market.
2. Competitive Landscape
In addition to gaining insights into a prospect’s current market position, there is also an opportunity to learn about your competition.
If a prospect says they currently have a solution in place, a seasoned caller can learn a great deal by asking a few simple questions about it. How did they discover it? How long have they been using it? Does it have the potential to meet their growth expectations?
Listening and recording the answers to these questions can provide a wealth of knowledge about competitors in your own industry.
If the calls are handled professionally and with the aim of learning about the business pains and successes of the prospect, there should be a comprehensive amount of information compiled at the conclusion of a calling campaign.
3. Positive Brand Awareness and Future Opportunities
If your prospects have a good experience with those representing your business, then it will leave them with a positive impression of your business. The reverse is also true. If your callers are inexperienced, that inexperience has the propensity to damage your brand and your reputation.
Even if a prospect is not in a position to buy now, a meaningful conversation with an experienced caller is always valuable. It’s a solid representation of how your company does business, and a prospect may recall the interaction down the line when they are ready to make a change or an upgrade.
Cultivating an open dialogue and transferring the knowledge gained into comprehensive lead sheets is the doorway into validation and insight in any market. The thoroughness and detail with which experienced callers conduct these meaningful conversations enable a company to develop the right strategies, messages, and marketing to excel in their industry.
Invest in Quality Lead Generation
When it comes to quality lead generation, the goal first and foremost is to qualify leads. However, there is a real opportunity for added benefits when the callers have the experience to engage a prospect and learn more about their current situation and future plans.
If your own cold calling and lead generation programs aren’t rendering solid leads and insights into your market and competition, consider the level of your callers.
Experienced business professionals are capable of initiating and guiding conversations that not only produce leads but also valuable information that can shape your future marketing and sales efforts.
John
