Avoid Being “Reactive” For A Successful Teleprospecting Campaign
I’m sure it’s happened to everyone at some point in time. It can be easy to think that if you don’t acknowledge a problem, it doesn’t actually exist. I have done it many times on many occasions. For example, I get into my car and the flashing service engine light comes on. I think, well my car is driving fine so there is no problem here. One week later my car doesn’t start when I am already running late to a meeting – now it’s an even bigger problem. Or that time I went on a ski trip even though I had a sore throat and came back with a 102 fever for quarter end – not smart. These are all “red flags.” While not setting an appointment for my car or going on that ski trip may have had its short term benefits, the later consequences overshadowed these benefits.
The same holds true for a teleprospecting campaign. To ensure the success of a project, everyone has an important job to do. Communication can be so important to get this job done. If you are picking up on one of these “red flags,” it is important to address this immediately.
Here are a few important things that should not be ignored:
List Status:
It is crucial that an inside sales rep communicates their list status. It can take quite some time to pull new data and lists. Waiting until a list is finished can slow down activity and be detrimental to a project. That being said, it is also important to address the quality of the list before it becomes a problem. The worst thing an inside sales rep can do is blame low performance on list quality when this could have been addressed much sooner in the game.
Low response rate:
Avoid spinning your wheels with emails and voicemails that don’t work. If you are getting to the end of your call plan too often with no response, make sure to revamp your emails and voicemails. Don’t wait for your performance to suffer before strategizing on new messaging that will make you more successful. Pete Gracey had some great tips in his recent post 2 Rules to Email By for Successful Sales Prospecting.
Qualified out prospects:
If the majority of your conversations are turning out to be qualified out, communicate this with your sales team. Strategize on better verticals, organization sizes, or geographic regions to call into.
These are all examples of road blocks that may seem minimal or inevitable at the time. However, to deliver the highest form of success it is crucial to never wait until these “red flags” affect your performance. Stay ahead of the game and your competition by proactively ensuring your project is in the best position to succeed.