How to Get in Touch with More Decision Makers

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“I’m sorry, he’s out to lunch right now. Can I take a message?”

“Can you call back later?”

“He’s not in right now. Would you like his voicemail?”

“Sure, one second,” and then you sit on hold for more than 5 minutes…

How many times have those, and other, excuses come up?

You work so hard to find the contact information. Or maybe you even get the prospect to contact you. But the end result is the same almost 99% of the time: no communication and no business for you!

How do you increase the number of decision makers you get to talk to?

Here are some methods to do just that:

1. Be Calm, Confident, and Sincere

Don’t try to work your way around all the gatekeepers using manipulation or deception. There is actually a story of a salesman who got angry with the secretary because she “forgot” to let him through to the CEO for their “meeting.”

He did get through her after throwing a fit, and the CEO had no clue who the salesman was because it was all a rouse.

Do you think he made the sale?

Instead, just be honest. Use some genuine flattery (that gets you far), but don’t push it too much.

2. Have an Awesome Value Proposition to Discuss

What’s the whole reason anyone buys from you? You have the best solution to their problem.

Instead of just leaving a plain old voicemail with your name and contact information, say something like this:

“Hi John. The reason I’m calling is I’ve done some in-depth research on your company and believe we could save you 15% on your operating expenses in the next year. Call (phone number) and ask for ‘Rick’ to discuss.”

You show several things with that kind of approach:

1. You care enough about  your prospect to do research and fill a need

2. You have more concern with filling your prospect’s needs than making a profit

3. You can generate specific results for your prospect

4. You get straight to the point and don’t mince words

Those are all things business owners and decision makers like. Make sure you actually do have a good solution, though. Otherwise, decision makers eventually find out when you really don’t.

 3. Treat the Executive Assistant Like a Decision Maker

Remember, they make the decision whether you get to pass through their gate or not. It sounds unbelievable, but many salesman don’t even treat them like they’re human beings.

Increase your odds of getting through by using a little old fashioned courtesy.

Do Those Things & Track Your Results

Making it through to more decision makers isn’t that hard – if you follow those tips. It’s not about how many calls you make.

If you keep doing the same thing, you get the same results.

Try something different, and your business take off!

How has mail, delivering messages, and email transformed?

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Remember the good ol’ days when carrier pigeons, pneumatic tubes, dogsleds, mules, horses, and telegraphs were “hot new ways” to deliver a message? Ok fine, how about remember the good ol’ days when your Grandpa would make jokes about these kinds of methods?

Imagine waiting for a carrier pigeon or dogsled to deliver an imperative, time-sensitive message to a client or potential lead. Not too long ago, these were viable options for transporting messages and trusted forms of deliverability. Now fast forward to today. Imagine using systems in today’s high-speed business market that are essentially the equivalent to sending Marco, your new pigeon, on a journey to deliver your company’s message and sensitive information. Many business professionals continue to live and die by the pigeon. What if there was a better way?

Email Marketing has evolved over the years. Over 144 BILLION emails are sent per day. Email is certainly a viable option for marketing, as every dollar spent on email marketing in 2011 produced a 40$ return (Direct Marketing Association and Smart Data Collective). However, not all email marketing systems and practices are created equal. Prospectr Marketing understands that deliverability, personalized lead nurturing and follow-up activities are all vital to increasing ROI. Segmenting specific prospect behaviors can increase open rates by more than 50% and increase conversion rates by more than 350% (Jupiter Research).

Instead of using the Pigeon with the best sense of direction, we leverage technology from the world leaders in email deliverability to ensure every message reaches the recipient’s inbox. And, because deliverability parameters are constantly changing, we employ many proactive measures to ensure the highest possible levels of deliverability and positive reputation for all of our customers, including 24×7 monitoring of your email servers and IP addresses. Our trusted, individualized, and engaging strategies transform the Pigeon into a F-22 Raptor, the most outstanding aircraft in the U.S. Air Force.

Prospectr Can:

  • Increase lead conversion: Convert more prospects into sales ready leads
  • Boost response rates: Raise open and click rates by segmenting lists and sending customer messages specific to their profile, interest and action
  • Be more creative and strategic: Automate repetitive manual execution and analytics so you can focus on creativity and strategy

4 Secrets to Overcoming Common B2B Sales Objections

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So now you’ve done all this hard work. You reached out to a bunch of customers (or had someone do that for you), and all kinds of leads are pouring in.

You talk to a bunch of them at length, but you’ve had no luck converting them into paying customers.

You’ve gotten them right up to the point where it’s time to make a decision, and then the heartbreaking objection comes out: “We’re not ready to move on this right now.”

What happened?

Did you just spend all that time and money…for nothing?

It’s not time to worry yet.

No. Instead, you need to start handling these sales objections.

Common Sales Objections and What to Do about Them

So here’s some of the routine ones you run across, and actions you can take to overcome them:

Sales Objection #1: “We don’t have the budget for that.”

In this case,  your customer doesn’t see the value in your product or service. So, you’ll have to ask questions to understand what they really need out of it.

If nothing else, show how you save them money, time, or aggravation. Then you can talk about price.

Sales Objection #2: “We don’t need that.”

You can go a couple different routes with this one. Make sure you get plenty of information from the customer so you know their true needs.

If it turns out your product or service truly isn’t necessary, don’t push it on them. You’ll end up with angry customers who feel like you took their money.

If you want to go another direction, ask them why they think they don’t need your product or service. Once you clearly understand their needs and sincerely believe you can meet them, then discuss the benefits you have to offer.

Sale made!

Sales Objection #3: “I haven’t heard of you before.”

If you approach another company for business, you’re definitely at a disadvantage. This objection has a higher chance of coming up.

If you’re unable to meet anyone from their company in person, you better have an awesome digital presence. Make sure you:

  • Have a totally filled out LinkedIn profile
  • Ideally have 200+ connections
  • Have an active Twitter profile with at least a few hundred followers
  • Use a clean, modern, and beautiful website design (maybe list some client names on your website if possible)
  • Keep your blog active

All of these details add up to provide a professional, credible presentation of your company to clients.

Sales Objection #4: “Call me next quarter.”

You might get any of a number of other similar objections. For whatever reason, the timing right now just doesn’t work, they claim.

It’s hard to overcome this one because they’re convinced you’re not a priority.

Have some customer testimonials ready. Show your prospect how much more money they could be making in 3 months. If you can’t do it in 3 months, show them your typical timeline.

And learn what’s going on from their end. Who’s involved in the decision-making process? How long does it take?

Follow those techniques and you’re guaranteed to skip right by these objections and win more business!

5 Awesome Ways to Supercharge Email Lead Conversions

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So you’ve got a nice flow of leads coming in…

But what do you do to convert as many of them as possible?

Do this – and your sales will take off:

1. Follow Up with Lightning Speed

Leads 360 did an analysis of more than 25 million email lead data points. They found the following data when converting leads to customers:

  1. Call within a minute of inquiry, and your leads convert at a 391% higher rate
  2. In 2 minutes, conversion rates fall to 120%
  3. Within 3 minutes, that number goes to 98%
  4. Your conversion rate is 62% higher if you contact leads within 30 minutes of their inquiry
  5. You still get a 36% higher conversion rate if you contact those leads within an hour

2. How You Follow Up Makes a Huge Difference

For B2B sales, e-mail followup works, but not nearly as well as the phone. In fact, MarketingProfs says it only works about half as well as a phone call.

What if you follow up an email with a phone call? That gets even fewer responses.

If you’re B2C, research shows you can use either the phone or email with equal effectiveness.

3. Persistence Wins Business

MVF Global did some research on follow-up phone calls made by sales teams they worked with. They found this approach works best for getting in touch with leads:

  1. Make 6 phone calls
  2. Make your first phone call within a minute of being contacted
  3. Call #2 should happen at about the 30-minute mark
  4. Call #3 should happen between 1-2 hours
  5. 3 follow-up calls should be made at your convenience

4. Develop & Test a Script

You don’t want to sound like a robot when making follow-up phone calls. But you do want to be prepared. Develop a script for overcoming client objections.

Prospects are going to make objections like:

  • Why do you cost more?
  • I have to speak with (decision maker’s name and position) before moving forward.
  • You know, we really don’t need your service.
  • Call us back in a month when our important project finishes.

5. Empower Your Buyer – Don’t Sell to Them

In sales, you used to pressure and constantly try to influence your prospect’s decisions. That used to work decades ago because there were far fewer choices.

Now, your leads have an almost infinite number of options. So they’re more sophisticated and have more power to tell you “no” because they know they can always get a good deal somewhere.

Rather than selling, ask as many questions as possible to get an understanding of your lead’s problem. Educate and arm them with the information they need to make a good decision for their business.

This tip sounds obvious – but you’d be surprised how many companies try to sell the old way.

Watch the Sales Flow In…

Follow these research-backed tips with precision, and you’re sure to see your sales skyrocket. Go ahead and try them – you’ll be glad you did.

Top 4 Devastating Lead Nurturing Mistakes Your SMB Makes

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Do you hear that squeaking sound in the background? That’s what happens to your business when you don’t take care of your leads like you should!

Now every business goes through up and down cycles. But if you nurture  your leads along your marketing funnel, you’ll have a lot less of those quiet times.

Rather than letting these mistakes hurt your business, nip ’em in the bud and keep your business healthy.

Check out some of the top lead nurturing mistakes you might be making  yourself:

1. Using Too Much “Argot”

“Argot” is a rarely-used synonym for “jargon.” Do you see how confusing it was when I used that term instead of a simple one everyone knows, like “jargon?”

But doesn’t it make you sound intelligent? Well, sort of. You do sound smart.  But then your leads get turned off because they can’t understand or relate to what you’re saying.

No matter who you’re talking to – the secretary, CMO, or CEO – keep jargon to a minimum. People in general are too busy to go back and attempt to understand what you were saying.

2. Purchasing an Astonishing Number of Marketing Tools

It’s so easy to fall into this trap. There’s a tool for everything. And then there’s 3-5 worthy competitors for each type of tool. It takes at least a few months to get familiar with any tool before it starts returning real business value.

Choose your tools wisely. And just like you do with other parts of your business – keep it simple.

If you don’t, you confuse yourself and leads leak through the cracks.

3. Act Like a Person, Not a Robot

Do you practically recite your sales pitch? Are you too overbearing when talking with leads? If you resemble Bill Lumbergh from Office Space, you turn leads off.

You can be (tastefully) humorous, but you don’t have to. Just make sure you have a unique style all your own. Be conversational and relatable.

If people describe your personality as “businesslike,” you’re a little too stiff and formal. It takes practice, but you’ll eventually become more personable – and your leads will reward you with more business.

4. Your E-mail Communication Sounds Automated

Do you send the same responses that just about every other person or company sends? It’s boring, and it makes it seem as though a computer generated the response.

Just like you try to be relatable and interesting as a person, do the same in your e-mail. It does take practice, though.

Start by using the person’s name 1-2 times in each e-mail. Mention one thing that you remember about your conversation with them.

Ask for feedback from coworkers. Read your e-mails out loud. If they sound awkward, make some revisions.

Do This and Watch Your Conversion Rates Soar!

Seriously, doing this in today’s marketplace is what your leads want to experience. Implement these tips. Just try it.

Check your results – you’ll do better.

Thanks for stopping by and reading! See you next time…

What are Retargeting and Marketing Automation?

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In the marketing, and especially the digital marketing industry, so much jargon floats around. And there’s so many techniques to use out there – more than your company has time to test!

Plus, these tools and technologies all change so fast…

So if you’ve heard about “retargeting” and “marketing automation,” how do these marketing techniques work, and what value do they really offer?

Let’s check ’em both out:

Retargeting

Have you ever seen those ads that seem to “follow” you around the web? You go to several different websites, and they’re completely unrelated in terms of topic, but yet you see the exact same ad.

That’s retargeting in action!

You place a small piece of code on your website that your visitors don’t even notice. They download a cookie. That cookie tells the retargeting ad provider to serve your ad over and over again.

Companies use retargeting because it:

  • Gets a higher ROI – You have more control over who sees your ads. You can set your ad to only show to people who visited a certain page on your website.
  • Lowers online advertising costs – The cost-per-click for retargeting is lower than other types of digital advertising (like traditional PPC) because it allows for such precise targeting.
  • Enhances your branding – Even if they don’t want to purchase now, your audience sees your company name many more times, making them more likely to remember you and buy from you in the future.
  • Rapidly optimizes your campaign results – Retargeting lets you get in front of many more people, and quickly. You get so much more data to make decisions from.
  • Can customize messaging by market segment – Consumers respond to what’s relevant, and retargeting lets you customize your ads for specific behaviors visitors take on your site.

Marketing Automation

Okay, so that’s retargeting. Now turn your attention to marketing automation.

In a nutshell, marketing automation means using tools to automate repetitive marketing tasks.

However, the term gets thrown around a lot in the marketing industry. Some mistakenly believe marketing automation tools have all the digital marketing tools you need in one place.

And of course, it would only make sense that they basically automate the whole digital marketing process for you, minimizing the work you put in.

That’s a logical conclusion, isn’t it?

However, many of them operate at the middle of the marketing funnel, after you’ve initially built some relationships. So some companies purchase these awesome new marketing automation tools, try to get more new leads, and then watch their investments fail.

They do improve your digital marketing results, but they aren’t completely automated like their name implies.

Before you start an automated marketing campaign, check out these pros and cons:

Pros 

  • Efficiency – It’s the obvious one. Marketing automation takes care of many of those repetitive, gruntwork tasks.
  • Builds relationships – Got leads that aren’t ready to buy? Marketing automation works great for staying in touch.
  • Easy to test out marketing messages – Many of these tools have testing functionality built in. You can rapidly learn what works and what doesn’t.
  • You get a lot of data – That’ll help improve your marketing results over the long run.
  • Can encourage sales and marketing to work together – On their own, sales and marketing often don’t work together. However, if they share a common platform, both departments can build relationships with one another, enhancing your bottom line.

Cons

  • Implementation takes time and money – It can take up to 2-3 months to set these tools up before they’re ready to use.
  • Expensive –  If you get a good ROI from yours, that’s no problem. But it can be a big risk for a smaller company.
  • They want a lot of content – You must have a ton of it in place, or the resources to do it. If you don’t, your results will suffer.
  • They still need management – Marketing automation isn’t “set it and forget it.” You still have to manage these tools to get the best ROI.

Is marketing automation worth a look? Yes, but you have to  be willing to invest a fairly significant amount of time and money to make it work.

Hope That Clears Things Up!

It’s always good to know the realities of anything before diving in. Do you think marketing automation or retargeting are right for your business?

In a webinar coming soon we will explain how to connect Retargeting and Marketing Automation together to drive more return from your digital campaign.

[Infographic] Perceptions of Real-Time Marketing, And Actionable Insights on How This Trend is Evolving

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Our pals, @Evergage, recently went to tremendous effort to generate this graphic snapshot of the Real-Time Marketing Landscape in 2014 with very interesting results for any savvy marketer looking to ramp up their RTM efforts.

Key Real-Time Marketing Takeaways:

  • 24% of marketers surveyed are seeing a 50% ROI or higher on their real-time marketing efforts, 20% are seeing a 75% or higher ROI, via @Evergage  
  • On average, marketers are using real-time marketing (RTM) across 2 of 8 channels, via @Evergage [Tweet This!]
  • Key benefits of Real-Time Marketing: Increase Customer Engagement, Increase Conversion Rates, Improve Customer Experience, via @Evergage [Tweet This!]

B2B Marketing is still about real relationships, here’s why

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For businesses that sell products, goods, and deliver services to B2B customers, having an effective sales lead generation strategy is essential for surviving – and thriving – in the corporate world. To gain a competitive advantage, you will need to have a toolbox filled with high-impact, low-budget sales and marketing tactics.

Polls have consistently shown that most companies, regardless of size and budget, face the same universal challenges in B2B marketing. Many corporations identified weaknesses in the areas of generating leads, improving quality of leads, and increasing awareness of their products and services. One of the main problems, however, is that all companies are unique, and what works for one organization might not be the best for the next. To reach the top of your field –and stay there – you will need to develop customized, targeted, and focused marketing strategies.

In today’s technology-centric world, successfully attracting and retaining clients requires that businesses know how to use sales and lead generation techniques, multimedia, social media, and web-based marketing – the end game being to help bolster sales. Within these categories, marketing experts and B2B sales professionals have identified outbound marketing (including telemarketing and virtual/ electronic sales); event marketing (such as tradeshows, seminars, and webinars); and web-based marketing, (which includes email newsletters, landing pages, search marketing, and content marketing); all considered to be the most effective techniques.

All of these are great components to a marketing campaign – but these are lead generation techniques, not closing techniques. You can have the most robust social media strategy and presence in your vertical, and that helps nurture prospects along, and keep you top-of-mind, but when it comes to selling to a B2B audience, you’re going to need to go the distance. Eventually you’re going to need to suck it up and make the call, or bring the lead in to your sales rep’s who can close the loop and bring the relationship offline and into a real-world scenario.

A B2B selling proposition is vastly different than a B2C offering. You need to establish trust, prove value, and work (often) hand-in-hand with your prospect to sell your offering. Social is a great place to foster relationships and even source new ones, and content is wonderful for warming up your prospect, but at the end of the day, if you’re selling anything that has a market value of over a few hundred dollars, you’re going to need to win your savvy business prospects heart. The best way to do that is still person-to-person; over a call or in person – either way, get out there and start putting names to faces.

How do you close-the-loop with your prospects and bring them offline? Let us know in the comments what you think the most effective relationship-building techniques are, and how you’re closing sales in 2014.

—Sam

4 Things to Ask When Hiring a Lead Generation Company

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What are you really getting when you hire a lead generation company?

Finding the right lead generation company to maximize your business’s outreach, ability to attract and retain clients, and boost your company’s bottom line is similar to shopping for a car. You’ll need to consider your company’s needs, goals, and preferences in order to find a perfect match. Here’s a few strategies to consider that will help you select a lead generation company that is cost-effective, and can help you achieve a successful outcome that will bring in results.

1. Will they tailor the campaign to your needs?
A good lead generating company will have the collateral flexibility and creativity to make that happen. Look for a firm that can tailor a customized marketing campaign, while keeping you involved in the process. To help your company stay within budget, the developer should also offer flexible invoicing and payment plans.

2. Will they source the best leads and help you sort them?
While it might be appealing to hear a representative say that he or she can reach a large volume of potential clients, it could also leave you with the daunting and time-consuming task of sorting through those leads to pick out potential matches. Ideally, your selected partner will be able to source, sort, and deliver hyper-targeted leads.

3. What are they actually selling you?
As with any major purchase, you will want your lead generation company to offer a specific value proposition. At a minimum, a qualified lead generation company will offer a contract defining a timeframe in which it will generate a specific number of leads.

4. Will they get to know you and your target market?
Knowing your target audience and being able to create content that is targeted to them, is critical for your prospecting initiatives. You should ask your potential lead generation firm what kind of research and development they perform before launching their campaigns. If they don’t have a process in place to get to know you, your product and value proposition, and the target market their reaching out to, it’s a safe bet your results will suffer.

As you probably know, effective communication, and sound working relationships are critical to saving time and succeeding in today’s fast-paced corporate world.  A good lead generation company will offer great customer service and an excellent support system. Remember that the team should help minimize legwork on your end.

Finally, you will want to select a lead generation company that has the skills and knowledge to adapt to the ever-changing marketplace. To retain customers, your company must offer new and innovative products, and broadcast its services using various channels. Ideally, your lead developer will have the innovative strategies and foresight needed to drive continual lead flows, and generate sales revenue.

Join the discussion in the comments below, and tell us what you think some ideal qualities are for a lead generation company.

—Sam Rexford, Digital Strategist

Drive Leads With these Three Simple Content Marketing Tips

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Focused, high-quality content marketing strategies can significantly boost your company’s bottom line. Successful content marketing tactics involve building brand authority, trust, and interest in your brand through compelling, original content. By establishing your business as an industry leader in a specific area, you will dramatically increase the chances of clients and customers turning to you when they need those services.

Learning how to most effectively position your products or services can help make your business go from surviving to thriving, virtually overnight. Prospectr Marketing is a performance based marketing company that can help you do just that.

Here are a few helpful tips to take your content marketing strategies to the next level:

Create Addiction

A great content marketing company will suggest that you develop an intriguing angle that will make clients want – or better yet NEED – to return to your site again and again for a daily fix. One of the most effective tools for this strategy is to become the go-to voice in your industry. Thought leadership is a long-tail strategy that takes time to develop and requires a passionate understanding of your industry. Creating consistent, compelling content  that can’t be found anywhere else online will position you as a thought leader in your field, drive subscribers to your blog (or other preferred content medium), and keep your readers coming back for more.

Engage the Community

By nature humans are social creatures. We like to voice our opinions, and like to know that what we say is important. Give your clients a chance to be heard by opening your electronic forums to the public floor. Break down the corporate barriers between you and them, and create a leveled playing field where dialogue flows freely. This will help develop mutual respect and trust, which will make your loyal followers turn to you when they need your services.

Find Your Voice

What is your company’s personality and culture? How do you and your fellow employees want to be perceived by your clients? Marketing content with a distinct “voice” may make a big difference in how your brand is perceived over time. Consider your end objectives, and advertise your products accordingly. Developing a kind and friendly online persona will help establish trust and is effective for content destinations, while adding wit and a sense of humor indicates fearlessness and aggression and can work well for an agile, young technology start-up or an eCommerce brand with a young target audience.

Have you had success with these content marketing tips? How have they helped drive your business objectives? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook.