Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Better B2B Appointments Through Better IT Customer Services

Better B2B Appointments Through Better IT Customer Services

When it comes to B2B appointments, getting business prospects to sign up to your deal can be pretty hard. Well, it really should not come as a surprise. Doing such a campaign in the IT services industry rarely brings a lot of results. Of course, the resulting deals you get from the sales leads you have been working on can pretty much pay for your operations, with a lot left over as profit.

The key here is in customer service, the art and science of pleasing customers, and getting them to come back for more. 

If you want your B2B lead generation campaign to be more successful, you really need to work on your customer service skills.

For one, you should learn how to respond properly. A lot of deals from B2B leads fall through due to poor response from the marketing team. Remember, they have made an effort to reach back to you. So you should also make an effort to give an appropriate reply. Not only is this good business etiquette, it would also help open up new conversation opportunities with your prospects. The more you talk to them, the more you help them, then more willing they become in terms of closing a deal with you.

Second, understand and acknowledge that there is a problem. When business prospects come to you with an issue, you should acknowledge it appropriately. After all, they would not be complaining or saying anything if there is no problem to start with. Whether what they say is right or wrong, you can decide the veracity of their claims by careful examination. After you gave gone through the facts, it is the time for you to come up with a working solution.

Proper escalation is the third point you need to consider in a successful B2B appointment setting campaign. There will be problems and issues that would be beyond your skills, or perhaps your understanding. When that happens, you should know how to properly escalate the issue, giving it to another team to handle. If you do it right, your prospects would even be grateful for you handing their concerns to those in the know.

Fourth, learn how to properly apologize. This is true if the fault is yours. Actually, this is the one thing you should do when it is your fault. Think of this as a dynamite with the fuse lit. You would want to snuff the sparks out, saving you from a messier explosion. When we put it in a business sense, this meant expressing humility and assuring the aggrieved party that you are going to solve the problem. And when you promise something, make sure you deliver.

Lastly, go down to their level. You are not some overlord who supervises the lives of businesses under your wing. You are a business partner who could help to gather more sales leads, therefore increasing their profit margins. When they have issues, solve it with them.

In this way, you can see more success in your B2B appointments.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Six Leadership Skills You Need In B2B Appointment Setting

Six Leadership Skills You Need In B2B Appointment Setting


B2B appointment setting is a marketing process that could really be a problem for some marketers. You see, for it to be successful, you need to make it stand out. Now, you might have a good calling list that your telemarketing team can use to identify and generate B2B leads, but there is no assurance that you will be successful in your marketing efforts. This is something that requires management and leadership skills that not every business manager really has. But even if that is the case, you can always do something that can make you a better manager and leader. These are skills that you can develop, one that will be a great help in your overall marketing efforts. And what could these be?

Surround yourself with smart people – yes, you may have a really good business idea, or your products is selling well, but if you do not have other people who can help you with these activities, then you will not be able to carry out your marketing plans properly. This is no one-man show, mind you. This is something that calls for everyone’s involvement.

Be accountable – accountability is a very important business skill that you have to develop. By being accountable to every action that your company makes, you enhance the image of your company in the market. Remember, image is everything in a business, and it takes time to build up a really good reputation.

Showing gratitude – when something good is done for you, it is only courtesy that you express your gratitude as well. This is a good way to build a reputation in both the community and inside your own company. It also sends a good message to the recipients of your gratitude that you are there watching what is going on in your company.

Inspiring everyone – be it when it comes to selling, you need to be inspiring. A little charisma can go a long way in your appointment setting efforts. You see, an inspiring businessman can compel people to buy from you or sign up for a deal. This is something that you can do.

Sensitive of your surroundings – time and the environment are two very important factors in a business, ones that you should take serious consideration. You should know that your sales leads prospects value their time well, which means you have to make every second that you spend with them count. Otherwise, it would just be wasted. And you do not want that to happen.

Staying positive – the thing about a B2B lead generation campaign is that stress and poor results can cause you to lose momentum or focus. More likely than not, you might want to give up on the campaign all together. But if you believe that everything you do matters, then you will be able to keep going.

In any case, if you possess these above skills naturally, then you will be able to handle your B2B lead generation campaigns. And even if you do not have them in your nature, you can always cultivate them.