In today’s world, where digital and social media are so dominant, some marketers argue that traditional forms of marketing are no longer relevant.

But telemarketing, one of the oldest methods of direct marketing, is still widely used by SMEs to generate new business opportunities.

The most successful mid-sized or small businesses will use a combination of online and offline marketing strategies, based on the type of audience and the marketing techniques they respond to.

B2B telemarketing takes a more tailored approach to outbound prospecting, which can warm up a lead faster. Furthermore, you can determine whether a lead is appropriate right away.

Learning how to channel the value you bring to your clients and prospects is the key to developing an effective telemarketing campaign.

Here are 5 telemarketing tips to help you effectively use telemarketing to build a strong sales pipeline.

1. Be able to identify your clients

Don’t make the mistake of thinking your product or service is for everyone. Marketing campaigns that target a specific demographic are the most successful.

Discover who your target audience is and learn as much as you can about them. Making sure you are speaking with the right people requires updating and maintaining your database.

You should create a prospect list that includes individuals who fit your target demographic.

You can then create an offer that aligns with their specific needs and provides a solution to a problem. This way, you will be seen as a reliable consultant rather than a marketer trying to make a sale. When you focus on specific needs like service for law firm web design by Digital Silk, you become well known for your particular service so clients can identify you more easily.

It’s a great idea to ask a telemarketing company like More Than Words for assistance, if you are unsure about the best way to target your audience.

2. Plan ahead

Identify your goal before you begin telemarketing.

By focusing on clear, specific goals, you can simplify the planning process and make sure your campaign achieves the best possible results.

3. Create your own telemarketing script

It is often useful to use a telemarketing script to guide your conversations with customers. Reading a script word-for-word makes it difficult to build rapport with prospects, so many marketers choose to create an outline rather than a strict speech.

Make a note of the points you want to emphasize in your script and make sure your conversation hits on those while giving your caller the opportunity to speak freely, covering all the points that are important to them.

This process of a typical telemarketing call can be divided into four stages:

1. Opening:  Telemarketers need to open a conversation, capture a potential customer’s attention and get past any gatekeepers in this stage.
2. Identifying: This involves asking questions to identify the prospect’s specific requirements.and potential solutions.
3. Establishing competency: Here you highlight your own capabilities, expertise, and achievements.
4. Next steps: After identifying what they care about and explaining what you can provide, arrange a next step, such as a meeting or a phone call to move forward with your sales team.

By developing a script based on the template above, you’ll be able to manage conversations effectively.

4. Make your prospects’ pain points your priority

It can be difficult to sell to a prospect when they already use whatever it is you are selling.

There may not be much desire to change suppliers if the current provider is doing an adequate job.

Knowing your differentiators and asking good questions can help you identify possible pain points and encourage buyers to take action.

It helps your sales reps if they know what a potential client’s pain points are before they make calls. You should make notes and update your contact list as you learn this information during calls.

This will ensure that no matter who speaks with the client in the future, they’ll have all the information they need to close.

5. Make sure you ask good questions

It’s a harsh reality of cold calling that people are not interested in you or your business. It doesn’t matter how good your products or services are, or how much better your business is than your competition. They just want solutions to their problems.

Instead of giving a sales pitch at the beginning of the call, focus on asking questions instead. Getting to know your prospect’s problems allows you to adjust your message accordingly.

By asking open-ended questions, you’ll get accurate details from your prospect that will help you determine what your business can offer them. Your call should be concluded with a clear request for what you would like – be it a follow-up sales meeting, an appointment to give a quote or a completed sale.

More Than Words offers outsourced B2B telemarketing campaigns for clients seeking a competitive edge. Creating new appointments and leads, generating extra revenue, and cleaning and improving client and prospect databases are our clients’ top priorities.

You should let us know what you want to accomplish with your marketing campaign when you get in touch. To discuss B2B telemarketing ideas, call 0330 010 8300.