Month: February 2022

Choosing a B2B lead generation company to work with can be difficult, especially if you’re not well-versed in the field. 

With all of the options out there, it’s hard to know where to start. This post will help you narrow your search by helping you identify 5 of the most common red flags we see in other B2B lead generation companies. 

By following these tips, you’ll be able to avoid or get out of an existing relationship with subpar B2B lead generation companies while saving you time and money. 

 

1. Lack of Transparency

One of the biggest red flags to look out for is lack of transparency. 

You should be wary of any B2B lead generation company that isn’t transparent about how they are gathering and building your lead sheets. These companies often produce lists of low-quality, low-value, irrelevant, and even outdated leads and contact information. 

A quality, just worthy B2B lead generation partner will be transparent with their data and processes, in order to build trust with their clients (you!) and drive the best results possible. 

With B2B Only, we will be more than your dedicated outsourced lead generation company. We work hard to build a partnership with our clients, from writing cold calling scripts to vetting leads before calling the lead list.

 

2. Making Guarantees That Can’t be Guaranteed

One of the easiest red flags to spot with B2B lead generation companies is when a company guarantees results. 

With lead generation, there’s never a guarantee of producing a set amount of leads each month. Any B2B lead generation company that promises you a specific number or range of monthly leads or guaranteed leads in a set period of time is probably not the most honest company to work with.

At B2B Only, our focus is on consistency and quality. We are transparent and upfront with our clients in that we can’t guarantee or promise the number of leads they’ll get each month. 

However, we can promise you that we’ll use our experience, skills, software, and our signature internal quality assurance processes to not just give you “good” leads ––– but the best and most qualified leads for your business.

 

3. Failing to Report KPIs or Sales Metrics

 A sign of a quality B2B lead generation company is that they will consistently track, benchmark, and report on their clients’ key performance indicators (KPIs). 

It’s a major red flag if your B2B lead generation company or partner does not track or report on your KPIs. You can’t know if B2B lead generation services are a success or failure if you aren’t tracking results and the exact dollar value that their services are bringing to your business.

You’ll never get radio silence from B2B Only. Not only do we track your business’s KPIs, but we also send reports and break them down for you if you have any questions.

 

4. Not Understanding What They’re Selling

Good salespeople research their clients, and the products and services their clients are selling. 

If the salespeople at the B2B lead generation companies aren’t taking the time to ask questions in order to fully understand your business and your goals, why would you work with them at all?

When you outsource lead generation to the salespeople and prospectors at B2B Only, you can expect us to become outsourced experts on your product or service. Right off the bat, our team strives to learn everything we can about your product or service, your business, your goals, and more.

 

5. Not Generating Leads That Fit Your Company

B2B lead generation companies should be committed to generating qualified leads for businesses. But not all leads are equal. If you’re getting leads that aren’t the right fit for your business, then your lead generation company isn’t doing right by you.

B2B Only uses a proven vetting system and our own internal quality assurance process to ensure all leads are qualified leads for your business.

 

Find a Better B2B Lead Generation Company at B2B Only

No B2B lead generation company is perfect. Even the best teams in the business may have hiccups from time to time but shouldn’t take away from their transparency and results in providing qualified leads for your business.

If you’re seeing several red flags, you might want to consider contacting a better B2B lead generation company.

B2B Only is that company. We create a partnership with your business from the very beginning. We’ll work with you, not against you, to ensure we know your products, services, and your business’s goals — inside and out — so that we can help you generate qualified leads.

For more information about our B2B lead generation program and other services, contact B2B Only.

The cold-calling script is used as a guideline for the salesperson to follow on a  call. It lays out who they are and why they’re calling, how they’ll introduce themselves and what their offer will be, etc. 

In this article, we’ll discuss 10 key elements of high-close rate cold calling scripts, which you can use to guide your own cold calling scripts. 

 

1. Research Everyone on Your Prospect List

Before you start writing your cold calling script, you should go through your prospect list and research each individual prospect. 

With social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, you can get some or verify basic details about your prospect — their name, place of work, job title or position, level of seniority, location, and even their interests.

Don’t just research the individual prospects you’ll be calling — do some extra digging to learn more about each business on the list, too. Even though some businesses may seem to offer very similar services or products, there might be some subtle differences that can be addressed in your cold calling script.

Getting as much information as you can about prospects will help you write the best possible cold calling script, leading to better conversations, higher close rates, and more new business for your company.

 

2. Write a Strong Introduction

When it comes to cold calling, first impressions matter. 

How you introduce yourself will set the tone for your upcoming cold call. The information you include in your cold call script’s introduction matters. 

At the bare minimum, a successful cold calling script (and the cold call itself) should include the following:

-A greeting (i.e., hi, hello, etc.)
-Your name
-The name of the company you’re working for
-The type of industry your company is in
-What product(s) or service(s) your company offers

Ideally, this introduction should be roughly one sentence in length. It shouldn’t be a 20-second elevator pitch. Here’s a sample of what a strong introduction could look like:

Hi, my name is David Crow and I am with B2B Only, a B2B lead generation company that specializes in cold calling, telemarketing, and appointment setting.

You can easily identify the greeting, the cold caller’s name, his company, industry, and the services offered, all wrapped up in one neat sentence.

 

3. Give the Prospect an Out

This might sound counterintuitive, but you should give the prospect an “out.” But why? 

If the prospect doesn’t have time to sit down and listen to your pitch, they’re less likely to truly listen to what you’re saying. It shows prospects you care about their time and don’t want to waste it. Most importantly, giving your prospective an “out” gives you the opportunity to schedule a future call.

You can give the prospect the ability to drop the call by simply asking if they have a certain amount of time to spare. If they do not, ask them when is a better time to call. 

Although many studies suggest cold calling during certain times may lead to better results, there is no one single “good time to call” for everyone. Everyone’s schedules are different, and this applies to prospects, too, of course.

 

4. Pique the Prospect’s Interest

Now that you’ve gotten your introduction in, it’s time to pique the prospect’s interest. There are several ways to do this, such as:

-Sharing a powerful statistic, testimonial, or review
-Identifying the business’s pain points
-Telling a brief but engaging story related to the prospect and their business as well as the service/product you’re selling

There’s more than one way to skin a cat. That saying has a direct application to how you can get the attention of your prospect. 

These are only a handful of ways to pique their interest. You may also want to write multiple versions of the cold calling script that features some of these different attention-grabbing strategies, to see which works best.

 

5. Pitch Your Value-Based Proposition

Assuming you successfully captured the prospect’s attention, you’ve arrived at what is likely the most important part of your cold calling script: the pitch.

With the pitch, you need to remember you’re trying to do more than sell a product or service. You’re explaining to a prospect what is in it for them. 

How is the product or service going to help their business? Why should it matter to them? These are the questions you need to keep in mind as you pitch to the prospect.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of me, me, me when selling your product or services, but you need to avoid that.

Your knowledge of the product or service needs to be as deep as the Mariana Trench. Now is your time to go in-depth about how this product or service will specifically help the company — not just about how great your offering is.

 

6. Keep it Conversational

When writing your cold calling script, make sure it’s written on a conversational level. You don’t want to be too casual, but you don’t want to come off as too high-level, either. 

Keep the tone conversational and at a level that’s easy for just about anyone to understand. Avoid getting too technical about your service or product right off the bat.

 

7. Ask Open Ended Questions

Adding open ended questions to your script gives you 2 main advantages during the actual cold call:

 

A. More In-Depth Information About a Prospect

Since open ended questions go more in-depth than a “yes” or “no” question, it gives you the opportunity to learn more about a prospect on top of what you already know. This can be a big advantage for when you talk to the prospect again for a follow-up appointment or call. 

 

B. More Time to Get the Prospect to Warm Up to You

Open ended questions give you more time to have a real conversation with a prospect. These are questions that allow both you and the prospect to think, reflect, and talk on a more personal level. 

Most cold calls are not going to be successful on the first try. You need to get the prospect from cold to warm, and the ability to ask them in-depth questions will help you do that on later calls.

 

8. Be an Active Listener

The tricky thing about cold calling scripts is that they are often one-sided. You can’t go in knowing what the prospect is going to say. So you need to listen to what they say and listen closely. 

One way to be a good active listener is to take notes as the person on the other end talks. These notes can be used for later follow-up calls as well.

 

9. Include a CTA

 A great cold calling script should include a clear and concise CTA — a call to action. 

Your CTA is a closing statement with the intent of getting a prospect to take action. Examples of CTAs include:

-Scheduling a meeting or appointment
-Signing up for a free trial of a service
-Free samples of products
-Making a phone call or email to request more information
-Registering for an email list
-Downloading a free ebook

Be sure to have a call to action ready to go in all cold call scripts. Your prospect needs to know what it is you want them to do, so make it clear what that action is. The easiest way is to just ask them.

 

10. Prepare for Multiple Scenarios — and Going Off-Script

Your cold call is definitely not going to go exactly as your cold calling script will direct you. That’s why one of the most important elements of a strong cold call script is to be ready to adapt to different scenarios.

Think of cold calling scripts like a flow chart or a “choose your own adventure” type novel. There are many different routes the conversation can take, and it’s good to be prepared for as many as you can be.

At the end of the day, no flow chart is going to fit all situations you’ll experience on a cold call. So you need to be ready to go off-script. 

 

Contact B2B Only for Cold Calling Expertise

Cold calling scripts are powerful tools for warming up prospects, generating new leads, and growing sales for your business.

But successful cold calls really need an experienced salesperson or prospector on your end of the call. 

Unfortunately, developing cold calling skills and experience doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years before anyone can truly be an expert at cold calling.

At B2B Only, our prospecting and cold calling sales team have at least 15 years of experience in the industry. Our expertise and experience can help you navigate the ins and outs of cold calling — without you needing to write a cold calling script.

For more information, contact us today.

Many outbound marketing strategies are designed to get prospects out of their comfort zone. This is typically done by interrupting them with messages that they might not otherwise be receptive to. 

Outbound lead generation methods like this do work, but it’s hard to get these messages to stand out in the cacophony of other voices competing for prospect attention. 

Question: What if you could make your outbound lead generation strategy more effective?

The best way to generate leads and close B2B sales is by implementing outbound lead generation campaigns that keep prospects engaged without making them feel pressured.

Here are a few ways you can do that:

 

Vet leads for quality

Not all leads are quality leads. 

That’s why you need to spend the time and resources necessary to qualify leads before you begin any outbound lead generation campaigns. This will help ensure your outbound lead generation efforts are focused on prospects who are actually interested in what you have to offer.

B2B Only’s rigorous quality assurance process helps make sure you’re targeting the vetted, qualified leads for your business.

 

Use multiple marketing channels

When it comes to outbound lead generation, there are many different channels you can use to reach your audience. The key is to find the ones that work best for you and your business.

Here are a few popular outbound lead generation channels to consider:

 

Cold emails

The “cold” in “cold emails” means you are reaching out to a prospect you’ve never spoken with. 

This prospect could be interested in your products or services  — but there’s also a chance they might not be. That’s why it’s important to vet prospective leads first.

That aside, cold emails can be an effective outbound lead generation channel. The downside of cold emails is that prospects can easily ignore them, move them to their trash folder, or flag them as spam. 

 

Cold calls for outbound lead generation

Cold calls may not be the most popular method for outbound lead generation, but they are a uniquely effective outbound lead generation channel. Unlike cold emails, cold calls are far more difficult for prospects to ignore.

Cold calls allow you to nurture leads in a more personal manner and eventually close sales. They can help you establish a relationship with prospects that you would not be able to via cold emails or certain inbound marketing strategies.

 

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an invaluable tool for B2B marketers. 

It’s a great place to start outbound lead generation campaigns by identifying potential leads and building relationships. You can research those potential leads on LinkedIn before you reach out to them through a cold call or cold email. You can even send them a message on LinkedIn.

 

Build a relationship with prospects over time

It may seem counterintuitive, but progressively building relationships with prospects can help increase your chances of closing more deals in the future. 

Why is that? People are more likely to buy from someone they know than strangers who cold call or email them once or incessantly.

Don’t expect prospects to be interested in what you’re offering on the first point of contact. It will likely take several cold calls or emails before they express interest. Take time to nurture those prospects into leads by building a relationship with them.

Nurturing a positive, long-term relationship with prospects can help really help you grow your business in the long run, especially in the world of B2B sales. 

 

Contact B2B Only for more information

Let our team at B2B Only help you close more B2B sales with a successful outbound lead generation strategy. Contact us today for more information.