Subscribe in a readerWhere's the B2B Do Not Call List?. It happened again. An annoying call from a telemarketer. Keelan from AccuTax began his pitch by saying, "This is not a sales call." [Church of the Customer]
While the National (US) Do-Not-Call Registry primarily covers residential phone numbers; Jackie Huba of the Church of the Customer, offers a great view on the damage telemarketing causes in business-to-business relationships. Don't call people who haven't given you specific permission to do so or you risk destroying a profitable relationship before it starts.
Use direct mail for prospecting, or something less intrusive, telemarketing is useless in the business-to-business world.
Yes, I said it. Telemarketing or blanket cold-calling might be profitable from a return on investment prospective, but it destroys potential relationships. Consider giving the prospect a reason to call you. Use direct mail or response based marketing to extract qualified leads for your business-- you can target publications, events, and other advertising channels based on segments of your existing customer base.
Often leads from telemarketing programs aren't as highly qualified as leads from direct response methods that require prospects to take action. It is important to make the most of your website or other mediums to gather information about prospects.
If you want to give them a call, do so only after they have given you permission. This permission can be gained by a prospect checking a box or returning a reply card that specifically states you'll call them. Sometimes talk can cost you more than it's worth if prospects don't want to hear from you.
Build customer relationships from the start by leaving telemarketing to some less informed company. Choose direct response methods that obtain permission before picking up the phone to call a prospect. It's better to start off doing what the prospect requests, than interrupting their day with a telephone solicitation.
/ customer-relations | interaction-points /
By Justin Hitt at November 23, 2003 1:51 PM
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» Bad Advice on B2B Lead Generation from Ask Justin Hitt Blog
What some guru's will tell you about b2b lead generation will get you ignored and shutout from reaching real executive level decision makers, here is what to avoid. [Read More]
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