What the Most Successful B2B Marketers Have in Common

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What the Most Successful B2B Marketers Have in Common

How do you know when customers are ready to buy a product or service you are selling? In the B2B marketing world, there are a variety of ways to measure customer interest.

Successful B2B marketers have a lot in common. One thing they have in common is that they employ many of the same tools to gauge customer interest in their products or services. If you are a B2B marketer, you might want to consider using these tools, as well.

What follows is a list of what the most successful B2B marketers consider to be the gold standard when it comes to B2B marketing tools and trends:

    • Lead Generation. Content marketing is considered by B2B marketers as the cornerstone of any successful marketing strategy. Content marketing has long been considered an extremely reliable method of increasing interest in a product or service and shows no signs of slowing.
    • Analytics and Data Visualization. The popularity of marketing dashboards is on the rise as B2B marketers lean toward the use of tools that give them at-a-glance views of key performance indicators for their CRM and campaign data.
    • QR Codes. Despite a surge in new mobile technology, cross-channel QR codes are still important because, among other things, these codes allow for digital tracking of non-digital marketing channels.
    • Telemarketing. Time and time again, telemarketing has proven to be an exceptional marketing tool. Telemarketing is especially effective when developing intent-targeted marketing campaigns. It also helps to drive conversion rates.
    • Brand Awareness. When B2B marketers focus on increasing awareness of their brand and improving customer experiences with their brand, profits increase—substantially.
    • Social Media Monitoring. B2B marketers who closely monitor their social media sites are able to determine with more accuracy what their customers are looking for in a product or service. Such monitoring also helps them to be more proactive if they detect customer dissatisfaction.
    • Email Service Provider (ESP) Technology. Many of the most profitable B2B companies use ESPs to manage and distribute software-based services and solutions to their customers across a wide area network from a central data center.

Marketing to other businesses can be a particularly difficult task. In order to get it right, there will likely be a great deal of trial-and-error. If there are lessons to be learned from the most successful B2B marketers, it is wise to pay attention to these lessons to improve your own B2B marketing efforts.

The Great B2B Telemarketing Debate: Script or No Script?

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The Great B2B Telemarketing Debate: Script or No Script?

For as long as telemarketers have been making B2B calls, the debate over whether or not it is better to have a script has been raging. Unfortunately, there will probably never be a clear cut winner of this debate.

Those who tout the importance of scripts will tell you that a quality script is built around a specific target audience and allows telemarketers to get their marketing message out during each and every call. The key they say is to make sure that B2B scripts are consistent; get the same message across; help the target audience to solve a specific problem; and are built around key points that can referred back to again and again.

Proponents of B2B telemarketing scripts say the most effective scripts have the following elements:

  • The telemarketer establishes his or her credentials at the beginning of the call.
  • A value proposition is established in clear and simple terms. This involves letting the person on the other end know that you understand their problem and are currently helping people solve that same problem.
  • A closing paragraph that allows a telemarketer to reinforce the value proposition, using a few points that resonate well with customers.

Even those who believe that a telemarketing script is essential to high value B2B calls acknowledge the necessity of sometimes going off script. In such cases, however, it is important to have scripted answers for the most common questions that may lead off script. They do not advise going into significant detail about a particular product or service, however, since this is the job of the salesperson who will receive this lead once it is fully qualified.

Those who believe that scripts are unnecessary cite the following:

  1. Scripts are too formal and telemarketers are unable to sound natural when reading
    from scripts
  2. It is difficult to build rapport using a script
  3. Scripts lead to lower value outcomes
  4. Scripts always signal a sales pitch which puts people off
  5. Unexpected questions cause scripts to fall apart
  6. Telemarketers work best when they can be flexible and are not bound to a script

Proponents of script-free B2B telemarketing will tell you that calls need a compelling introduction that scripts simply do not allow. They also say that the key to high value sales through telemarketing is the result of a conversational approach which involves active listening. They add that telemarketers have a harder time responding to questions when using a script.

No matter what your thoughts about using a script for your B2B telemarketing calls, it is essential to measure the results of all of your calls—scripted or unscripted. Only then will you know what is resonating with prospects.

Why Building Your Own B2B Database Makes Good Business Sense

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Why Building Your Own B2B Database Makes Good Business Sense

In order for B2B companies to stay competitive, they need data. Without data, companies will have a difficult time bringing current customers the products and services they need and want. They also will have a hard time converting prospects into customers.

While some businesses will buy data from third-party services, this can be expensive. Further, if you are able to purchase particular data, you can be sure that other companies are buying the same data. This makes that data less valuable because more people have access to it. Further, the businesses whose data is being sold may become weary of being contacted by multiple B2B companies.

In light of these facts, it make sense to build your own database. This can be down in a variety of ways. Here are three very effective ones:

  1. Telemarketing. Every time that a telemarketer makes a call, a capture system can be put in place to make sure that you gather pertinent information. This information includes things like promotions, new hires, resignations, changes in contact information, etc. Basically, anything that allows your company to better target a particular business can be gathered through telemarketing.
  2. Thought Leadership. When companies put out valuable content which includes a capture form, content can be exchanged for information about a business. Companies can then follow up with those businesses that meet the parameters of their target audience.
  3. Through a CRM. When you build a customer and prospect database within a customer relationship management system (CRM) you can refresh information in this CRM when necessary. This process can be done in-house or contracted out. When data is refreshed through a CRM, you will be able to build a specific database with information on a business, including who has moved up, on or out of that business.

B2B companies that use high-quality, targeted data are able to connect with more of the right-type of businesses and achieve a higher number of well-qualified leads. While this data may not be easy to come by, it is well worth the time and investment.

Likewise, purchasing poor data, or the wrong data, will mean failed marketing campaigns. It also will mean that companies will not be able to gain traction with customers or prospects. Finally, it can severely damage a company’s reputation in in the marketplace.

B2B vs. B2C Lead Generation

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B2B vs. B2C Lead Generation

When it comes to lead generation, many companies fail to make the important distinction between B2B and B2C clients. While it’s common mistake, it’s also a costly one.

Even though both are technically customers, forging relationships with individuals and companies involve different approaches. In order to ensure that you are connecting with your B2B and B2C prospects in the right way, it is vital that you understand the differences between the two. What follows are some of most significant differences between B2B and B2C customers and how that effects your lead generation efforts:

Length of the sales cycle: The B2B sales cycle is usually much longer than the B2C cycle. Therefore, more time and effort will need to be devoted to B2B lead generation efforts. B2C purchases tend to be quicker and do not usually involve long-term contracts.

Audience: B2C lead generation is directed at a broad audience because of the volume of people you are targeting. B2B lead generation efforts, on the other hand, are focused on a smaller pool of decision makers so need a more personal and targeted approach.

Purchase habits: B2C customers will do a great deal of research before making a major purchase so they will want to read lots of content and have access to product information and reviews. B2B customers respond better to promotions or offers that hit them when their contract with a competitor ends or during specific purchasing phases.

Decision factors: B2C lead generation works to build personal relationships so that when a customer decides to make a purchase, they know who they can trust. They also are more focused on price since they are spending their own money. When it comes to prices, B2B customers and prospects will take for granted you are giving them the best possible deal.

Response to telemarketing: Sales calls are expected in the world of B2B lead generation. B2C clients are less responsive to sales calls so it is important to tread carefully. Asking for permission via social media, for example, can help B2C customers and prospects be more responsive to sales calls.

Product knowledge: B2B lead generation efforts often involve answering very specific product questions so it is vital that B2B marketers know their product inside and out. B2C marketers also need to answer questions but these questions are usually less in-depth.

When it comes to lead generation, your marketing approach must be tailored to your particular prospect. Understanding the subtle differences between B2B and B2C customers will go a long way toward making your lead generation efforts successful.