In one of our 360 Leads blog, we dispelled the negative connotations around telesales and explained why it’s an effective lead generation channel.
No one knows this better than sales lead generation companies. They are on the front lines (and on the phone lines) putting this method into practice everyday for 360 Leads and our clients. From companies in the manufacturing industry, to technology, agriculture, law firms and more, our sales lead generators connect with prospects across a wide variety of industries everyday.
Daisy Sidhu has been a sales lead generator with lead generation company 360 Leads for nearly five years. She was recognized as our Employee of the Year for 2017. Daisy is one of the first steps in connecting sales clients to their target customers and has been consistently successful at it. Here are Daisy’s top tips for calling prospects and making telesales work for your
Be organized
“In my daily routine, I have to have my calendars ready, I have to know the availability of the sales reps or any changes,” Daisy said.
“It’s about organizing, you can’t just think ‘ok I’m going to work on Jacob, so I’ll just pick up the phone and start dialling’ – no, there’s more to it and my daily routine is not always the same, there are always changes coming on. You must be flexible.”
As clients are based anywhere from Canada, the United States and even Germany, Daisy says she always reviews not just who the sales reps are, but where they’re located and when they are free to meet prospects. She is in constant communication with team members to ensure everyone is on the same page. You can’t book a meeting or sell anything if you don’t have all the right info readily available.
Manage your time
“We get our weekly schedule with what campaigns we’re working on and who we’ll be calling. Right now I have 3 clients,” Daisy explains.
“I always try manage those hours and to keep in mind what is the best time for me to call for (certain clients) to book an sales appointment and what time will I be able to get a hold of the prospect.”
How do lead generators know when to call? It takes some experience, Daisy says.
“We work with a wide variety of clients; IT, transportation companies, manufacturers, service companies with each client you slowly, slowly figure out what’s the best time to get a hold of a prospect.”
For example, if you’re trying to get a hold of someone who works office hours you may not reach them after 9:30 a.m. Knowing the key times to call sales leads prospects helps Daisy divide her time between clients, allocating certain hours and time slots in her day for each client.
Don’t take it personal
“You need to be friendly and you need to be able to take the negative and the positive,” Daisy said.
“Sometimes they hang up on me, or right away they say ‘take me off your list, don’t call me again.’ I say it’s ok don’t take it personally, just move on to the next one. You can’t take it to heart because there’s a 100% chance that the receptionist of the next person on the next call will be equally as nice and it will make up for the previous bad experience you had.”
As a representative of not only 360 Leads, but the client as well, Daisy said it’s best to communicate in a conversational friendly manner, no matter what the B2B sales prospect’s response may be. While it’s easy to get disheartened by a bad call, take Daisy’s advice:
“Each call is a different experience and to be honest, I learn from each experience and I apply it to the next call.”
Make every call count
“A lead generator is not necessarily picking up the phone and making an enormous amount of calls – one call after another, it’s not a race, it’s slow paced,” Daisy said.
“I try to take it easy, make friends and make each call count. That’s what I always say, make each call count.”
Making a call adds a personal touch. While it may be the first time talking to a prospect you must converse as though you have done so many times with this person, Daisy says. At the end of her calls, Daisy always asks for the prospect’s email address. By already connecting through a call, a prospect is more likely to remember you and your company.
If you want to learn more about how telesales can help your lead generation, contact us today.
