B2B Telemarketing Essentials Before You Make Your First Call

Business-to-business (B2B) telemarketing is usually an acquired taste. Even if it’s your cup of tea, sharpening your skills is essential to keeping it enjoyable, especially in the B2B world.

B2B sales, whether inbound or outbound, take time. Building strong telemarketing skills can help you forge deeper connections with prospects and successfully navigate those long sales cycles. At its core, telemarketing is about making a positive impact with every interaction.

Every interaction you have with a prospect is crucial. When you give them the right inputs, you can close deals faster. Ultimately, this gives you more time to gently push other deals forward, moving you up the call center leaderboard.

In this article, we’ll cover the top skills B2B marketing and sales professionals need to generate leads effectively.

What You Need to Know About B2B Telemarketing Before You Dial

B2B telemarketing services involve selling products and services to another company via phone. Today’s telemarketers use channels beyond phones to establish deep-rooted relationships and move buyers toward deals.

B2B telemarketing is no longer limited to using phones as a channel. It includes engaging prospects through email marketing, social media, text messages, and any other channel they can access.

The best telemarketing sales agents use outbound contact center solutions to manage interactions across several channels from one place. This ensures they are more efficient in their workflows.

Below are a few things you should keep in mind when building or navigating a career in B2B telemarketing.

Understand target buyer profiles and pain points

Deeply understand your prospects’ responsibilities and the uniqueness of their challenges. It’s also important to work on your ability to empathize with others.

Julie Corliss, Executive Editor at Harvard Heart Letter, believes we should learn to challenge our conscious and unconscious biases to build empathy. This is something you will get better at with practice.

Deliver value proposition and business impact

When you connect with a prospect, clearly explain how your product or service addresses their challenges. The communication should include a tangible impact similar users have observed after using the service or product — for example, a high return on investment or efficiency gains.

Keep in mind the three core elements of value proposition — resonate, differentiate, and substantiate.

Familiarize yourself with your CRM and phone system

If you, or someone on your team, have spoken with a customer before, take that conversation forward rather than starting a new one. The CRM system can provide details about past interactions with the prospect. This helps you make better follow-ups while delivering an excellent experience to potential clients.

Use the click-to-dial feature of your phone system. This saves you time, especially when making hundreds of B2B telemarketing calls weekly. The phone system will also help log calls for easy tracking later.

If you don’t have a phone system yet, consider Nextiva’s VoIP phone service. It easily integrates with a CRM to help you manage all your interactions in one place.

Hear what a Nextiva user says about its phone system:

Ensure compliance with industry regulations

Stay up to date with the telemarketing regulations that are relevant to your industry. For example, check that you comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act or General Data Protection Regulation.

It’s advisable to get context for calls and follow appropriate call times and contact procedures. For example, avoid calling prospects after 6 pm. And, if a recipient asks to be removed from your calling list, do it. Ignoring these best practices can ruin your chance of developing a relationship with a customer in the future.

Engage across multiple channels

Not everyone loves to be contacted by phone. If you fail to get a response on this channel, try reaching out via email, LinkedIn, text message, or even WhatsApp. The choice of channel will depend on the industry you’re in.

Aim to determine the channels that work for your prospects in the early days. This allows you to focus more attention on these channels to achieve the expected outcomes. Your CX platform will automatically track all interactions, keeping you informed for the next time you have a conversation.

Significant Challenges in B2B Telemarketing

Below are some challenges of B2B telemarketing you might face in your day-to-day role.

The shift from cold calling to multichannel engagement

Using multiple channels may not seem attractive when you have extensive cold-calling experience. Although it may involve playing far from your strength, today’s buyers want this option. They prefer async communication via email, chat, messaging, or social media. Some buyers expect a phone call will put them under pressure to buy. They prefer more space when making informed decisions.

According to a survey, business owners prefer to be contacted via email or phone, and some wish not to be contacted at all. To succeed, you must make it easy for prospects to find you through multichannel engagement strategies.

Async channels give potential customers the space they need. Pairing calls with email and social touchpoints helps reduce that feeling of pressure, as buyers get the time they need to respond or make a decision.

Complicated decision-making

A company’s purchasing decisions depend on various factors, including the size of the deal, the added value, the departments involved, and the impact on compliance. These factors have become more complex with time.

When making purchases, 46% of business owners are greatly influenced by other owners who are using the product or service. This means developing strong relationships with your prospects goes beyond closing the deal. These people become reliable references when other potential customers are considering purchasing.

A company’s employees also influence decision-making. Stakeholders rely on the vendor to educate them about the product or service, but other business owners and employees influence the buying decision. This increases the number of actual stakeholders in a business deal. In working to close deals as a B2B telemarketer, it pays to develop good relationships with those who influence decisions as well as the company’s buyer.

AI and automation in telemarketing

While moving toward better efficiency with automated systems, the personal touch has been compromised. Although advanced features like lead scoring and predictive dialing improve efficiency, they sometimes overshadow the human aspect of telemarketing. Callers start relying on automation way too much, overlooking the reality of how buyers are navigating the sales process.

However, with AI, these systems have become more intelligent and well-equipped to serve customers. You have the functionality to complement phone outreaches with automated personalized follow-ups. This helps you become more efficient while automating engagement on other channels.

Greater emphasis on personalization

Personalization is critical in cold calls and warm calls. These days, random cold calls don’t make positive impressions of your brand. When you call buyers, they expect you to tailor the outreach based on their business.

This means you’re expected to research prospects before reaching out. If you’re contacting them for the first time, it helps to familiarize yourself with their background, getting a rough picture of their role and the challenges they face that would encourage them to consider your solution.

If you’re reaching out as a follow-up, refer to your phone system or CRM to get a clear picture of the previous conversations. This allows you to customize your calls with the context needed to deliver a pleasing customer experience.

Prospect fatigue and call avoidance

The number of cold calls a decision-maker receives daily depends on their role, the size of the team, and the industry. In most cases, there are many. With this daily flood of calls and emails, many buyers are reluctant to get on a call.

To engage this fatigued prospect, you’ll need some creative strategies, to ensure you provide value in every interaction. This will allow you to differentiate yourself from others — which becomes easier when you start engaging prospects on multiple channels.

How Today’s Buyers Expect You to Contact Them

We live in a curiosity-charged, attention-starved world. To get buyers to listen, you must tune your communication to their preferences. Here’s what you should consider:

Timing

When you’re operating across time zones, the prospects’ business hours might differ from yours. It’s important to reach out at a time that aligns with their business hours. The workweek structure can also vary. Many businesses have a Monday to Friday workweek; however, in some countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, businesses operate Sunday to Thursday.

Of course, certain businesses need to operate 24/7, 365 days a year. With a hospital, for example, you need to dig a little deeper to understand the working schedule of the person you’re trying to contact. Respect the timing and schedule calls based on your prospects’ location.

Personalization

When you do make your call, it shouldn’t come across as if you’re performing a routine task. Your reason for reaching out should be personalized, that is, strong enough to engage the prospect. For example, if your business involves simplifying global payments, reaching out to a consulting business with a value proposition of saving X% on transaction fees would interest a potential buyer. That X% and your timing will play a critical role here.

Reaching out around the end of the month might get you more attention, as that’s when most service businesses do their invoicing. The cost-effective deal or extra compliance benefits you deliver will depend on the potential buyer’s location, market competition, and the prospect’s unique pain points. It’s best to reach out after completing as much homework as possible around these areas.

If you’re contacting a business as a follow-up, it’s best to reference:

• Past emails
• Past chat inquiries
• Social engagement on LinkedIn
• Some recent industry updates since your last conversation

These elements help to warm up the call, making it more personalized for prospects.

Conversation length and value

Experts suggest that “one hour of cold calling daily can generate two extra weekly meetings.” This highlights the potential of cold calling and the importance of tracking your time. Keeping conversations short and value-driven will help you make a stronger impact and generate more meetings.

Bear in mind that customers don’t have time for long-winded pitches. In fact, 80% of cold calls fail in the first 30 to 90 seconds. This is why you need to be mindful of how you pitch. Make it short, sweet, and tangy. Short reflects the time taken to convey the value proposition, sweet refers to the benefits, and tangy represents the elements that will excite potential buyers and leave an impression. For example, you might offer a time-limited added value to all buyers who onboard within the same month.

Focus on solving a prospect’s specific pain points rather than giving them a broad overview of your product. Assess the interest level and proceed accordingly.

Communication channels

B2B telemarketing is more than simply making phone calls. It involves a mix of calls, emails, social media, and even voicemail as a channel to nurture business relationships. Depending on the industry, some also incorporate text messaging and WhatsApp or iMessage.

B2B buyers prefer to have options. For example, when you use voicemail as a follow-up to a missed call, it’s an opportunity to get your point across. If a buyer is interested, they will return your call, helping you avoid a missed opportunity because they didn’t pick up the first time.

Communication is about getting your message across. It’s not limited to any one channel, language, or anything that detracts from its purpose. Use all your available channels judiciously to engage prospects where they’re active.

How to Prepare a Telemarketing Team for the Perfect Cold (and Warm) Call

Here are a few tips to help your team prepare to deliver the perfect cold and warm calls:

Use scripts to inspire, NOT force

Communication should be natural, especially when it comes from an actual human being. Scripts should inspire people to explore the best communication methods without limiting them.

Otherwise, buyers begin to see you as a robot and avoid sharing information that doesn’t fit your algorithm (script). In your scripts, provide different ways to introduce the product or service that will create brand awareness. Offer value propositions and cover pain points, the call-to-action, and the next steps.

Below is an example of a telemarketing script. While you may wish to use this as a starting point, be sure to customize your script to fit your product, industry, target audience, location, and other factors that influence communication.

Practice role-playing scenarios

Roleplaying is an excellent way to prepare for actual calls and, most importantly, objections that come on those calls. It helps you experience situations in a setting where it’s okay to make mistakes as you learn and practice your improvisation skills.

Use previous call recordings to engineer situations where you had difficulty dealing with prospects. Simulate such situations and take feedback from the team on what could have been better. This will help you grow as a B2B telemarketer.

Use CRM data and phone system features

Use technology to improve your efficiency. Features like auto-dialer or click-to-dial will allow you to reach out to prospects faster. A CRM integrated with your phone system will keep track of all interactions with potential buyers, supplying you with details of all historical conversations in one place.

This also helps you discover trends and opportunities, clearing your way to maximize the outcomes of such calls in the foreseeable future.

Prepare for common objections

Proactively analyze conversations to discover areas where you face the most blockers from your prospects. For example, you might find “We already have a vendor” or “Not interested” are common. Involve your team in rehearsing how to deal with these responses.

Buyers have become so used to callers pressurizing them that when you accept their objection, it immediately makes them less defensive. For example, when a buyer says they are not interested, responding with “I appreciate your sharing your preference — I’ll make sure you don’t get more calls from us” can make them open to hearing what you have to say next.

Use reframing techniques to turn objections into opportunities for further discussion. For inspiration, check out our resource on overcoming common sales objections.

Track KPIs and use data to improve performance

There are many metrics you can track to self-assess your performance and make conscious improvements. Ideally, keep track of the call conversion rate, first-call resolution rate, and average duration of the call to consistently measure your success quantitatively.

Voice analytics software can help you further improve your skills in B2B telemarketing campaigns. These technological telemarketing solutions can be used to monitor critical KPIs.

Best Practices for Prospecting in B2B Telemarketing

Below are some best practices that are useful in B2B prospecting before you make calls and conduct outreaches.

• Qualify lead before calling: Prioritize high-value prospects using lead-scoring models while conducting outreaches. Assess their fit and behavior to avoid wasting time on low-quality leads that don’t match your ideal customer profile. Focus on qualified leads (high quality) as much as possible.
• Do your homework diligently: Before you reach out to a prospect, conduct thorough market research on their industry and competitors to get relevant updates. This will help you tailor your message appropriately. Tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator will help you get in-depth insights that might interest key decision-makers in the target market.
• Create a multi-touchpoint telemarketing strategy: Think beyond calls. Look for other ways you can reach out to your prospect to improve your chances of success. When they miss a call from you, drop them a voicemail. When they miss your message, engage with them on social media. Think creatively.
• Follow up religiously: B2B deals take time to close. It’s best to send thoughtful follow-ups after 24 to 48 hours of the initial conversation. Consider incorporating a sequence-based follow-up plan. For example, you start by giving them a call, then you send an email, and, finally, you drop them a message on LinkedIn. The key is not to appear too pushy but rather act as a support system.
• Track and optimize outreaches based on metrics: Use analytics tools to track conversion rates, lead response times, and call outcomes. A/B testing scripts and outreach sequences are good methods of identifying what works best for your target buyers. Don’t shy away from automating tasks like appointment setting or lead nurturing.

Nextiva’s Business Phone System Is Your Agent’s Best Friend

B2B outbound telemarketing is a rewarding area to explore and master. Modify your strategies based on insights from this article and use the best practices to improve your skills.

On this journey toward increased efficiency and impact, you can rely on Nextiva’s business phone system to match your pace. It offers the analytics you need to improve, presents your progress on a user-friendly interface, and takes your business further with the help of actionable suggestions generated by the system.

Book a demo with Nextiva and make the most of your skills in B2B telemarketing.