Complex B2B sales require effective conversations with key decision makers at the highest levels. However, achieving success through cold calling is not as simple as picking up the phone and reading a script, or hiring an entry-level associate to do so.
B2B cold calling for lead generation requires preparation, experience, and business acumen in order to be successful.
The following blogs offer insight into why B2B cold calling is still an extremely effective sales technique, why it requires a high level of experience and business knowledge, and proven methodologies for achieving success.
Why B2B Content Marketing Still Needs Cold Calling
Content marketing has become a powerful method for driving activity but it cannot stand alone as a marketing method.
A quality calling program ensures that your message gets in front of the key evaluators and decision makers who have expressed some level of interest through your content marketing efforts.
It is the decision makers who know the challenges that their company is facing, the timeline for which they can make a purchase, and the budget that can be spent. A quality phone call is still the best way to make a real connection to begin the sales process.
B2B Lead Generation – Three Reasons to Pick up The Phone
Why does cold calling generate more qualified B2B sales leads? A phone call does what other methods of marketing and sales can’t. It builds trust, it allows the caller to reach the appropriate person, and it will stand out from the crowd.
In a world of AI email blasts, a good phone call from a knowledgeable sales rep intent on uncovering business pains and offering applicable solutions is refreshing.
Why the First Sales Call Should Be Made by An Experienced Rep
Assigning junior-level business development reps to work their way through a call list in order to hand off a smaller, curated group of leads to those with more experience might be tempting, but this model will cost you qualified, actionable sales leads.
No one likes to be on the receiving end of a poor sales call, no matter what the product or solution. A productive first sales call should establish trust and create a meaningful interaction. This is unlikely to happen if the caller has little experience and is unable to engage in more of a “peer-to-peer” interaction with the decision maker.
B2B Sales Calls – Unscripted Does Not Mean Unprepared
It’s important to be able to converse easily and naturally with decision makers and speak knowledgeably about the product or solution you are offering; therefore, there is no place for scripted calls in complex B2B lead generation.
However, this does not mean going into a call unprepared. This blog outlines the elements of a successful cold call, and what a caller can do to prepare in order to create a more meaningful interaction.
I hope you find this information helpful. Please visit our B2B cold calling page for more information about what makes this sales method successful. If you’d like to learn more about our outsourced B2B lead generation programs, please feel free to contact me.
Jim Scaparotti
