Making the Most of Teleprospecting Lists
In my first video
webcast, I spoke about the importance of developing and establishing the value of your product/solution, knowing who your target market/prospect is, as well as investing in a good marketing list prior to moving forward with your next teleprospecting campaign. Building off the importance of a good marketing list, we all know that no matter how hard we try, the prospects are not guaranteed to be the right person within the organization.
There have been many occasions when I am required to follow up on marketing lists which contain prospects with unrelated titles, bad phone numbers or no email address provided. Pending on how you generate your marketing list, be it from whitepaper request or tradeshows, there is little you can do to alter the contact information that is provided. More often than not I have found that what sparks an individual’s interest is to stay on top of the technology; therefore we need to take what we have to find the right person. Don’t waste your investment; make the most out of it!
We teach our BDR’s the skills needed to be resourceful and make the most out of poor marketing lists. There are a quite a few ways to do so.
0# - 0#'ing is one of the most commonly used tactics at AG Salesworks. Once you have left a voicemail for the prospect who attended your show, 0# to speak with the person who covers that extension. If it is a direct colleague of the prospect, confirm that they are the appropriate person to speak with regarding XYZ topic. If they are not, asked to be referred to the appropriate person. If you are re-routed to the operator, inquire if they know who the appropriate person is regarding your solution, or at least ask to speak with someone else in “John Stiles” department.
Check Duplicates – Having invested many years in building out our use of Salesforce.com, AG Salesworks has accumulated a plethora of contacts within different companies. Utilize the knowledge that has been established by previous work and reach out to alternative contacts. Always reference your initial contact to add credibility to your call, but do your best to confirm that the person you are reaching out to is the right person to speak with.
Jigsaw.com – My secret is out! I am in LOVE with Jigsaw.com! It’s a great site to use to find the contact information for obscurely titled prospects, or to find the contact information within a company that just will not direct you further throughout the organization. Updated regularly by sales reps like you and me, the contact information often includes direct dials and confirmed email addresses – we all know how frustrating it is when the best piece of communication you have (email) is bounced back.
Top Down Approach – One of the best ways to find who is the appropriate person to speak with regarding the management and evaluation of a certain area is to be referred by the C-Level or VP-level prospect. As
Craig mentioned in his
latest blog, the best way to do this is through simplicity! “I hate to bother you, but would you mind referring me to the person who oversees secure content delivery”? Those high level, extremely busy prospects will appreciate your directness and respect for their time and will most likely refer you to the appropriate person within the organization. When they do refer you, make sure to reference that in your follow up voicemail/email. Anything that can add credibility to your messaging will help you disposition the prospect faster and find more opportunities.
It can be very easy when you have a list of 200 people to move on to the next prospect, but don’t! Utilize the investment you have made and the resources that you have to navigate and find the appropriate person within the organization. There have been enough experiences in my time of cold calling to justify these habits - and you will find them too!