Tuning into a webinar hosted by Firstwave last week, I heard a new statistic quoted by BearingPoint’s Global Director of Integrated Marketing, Paul Dunay: “B2B marketers are reporting a 60% increase in the length of the buy cycle because of the down economy” (Dunay noted MarketingSherpa as his source). Obviously this is not a positive statement for those trying to sell products and services. However, it does give us, as marketers, a renewed sense of purpose. Our role in the sales cycle is even more critical than ever.
As an expert in teleservices, I’d like to offer some ways that telemarketing can help to shorten the sales cycle and provide meaningful data to marketers on how to position their products and services within the ever changing market.
Real-time Market Feedback: The advantage companies have when they engage their prospects in conversations is the ability to ask pinpointed questions in order to better understand the market pain points, critical business issues and situations. While a web form can certainly capture data points, a two-way conversation allows appropriate follow-up questions and also captures information that is not easily conveyed in a checkbox. If you are conducting a telemarketing campaign, ensure that you are asking your market questions way beyond