Often times when programs are running well (steady lead rate), our clients are less engaged. It certainly understandable, as most marketing professionals are overloaded and running from fire to fire, so when a campaign looks good, there a tendency to disengage. However, that can lead to complacency and ultimately can result in missed opportunities.
Consider this real-world example,
On a recent series of lead generation campaigns, we were yielding solid lead results, which fell within the benchmarks set forth to define success. The programs were producing and our leads were strong. So, what was the problem? As part of our normal process, we ask our clients to listen and calibrate calls with our team in order to hear direct feedback from the market, as well as to see if there additional positioning or messaging relating to products/services that we can refine or improve. Since the program was going well, our client was somewhat reluctant to listen to calls since other priorities were pulling their attention. However, after some nagging on our part, we got together and listened to several calls. As a result, our client product manager pinpointed an opportunity for us to expand our messaging to include another product set. Immediately, we implemented scripting modifications and set up a training session on the new products with our agents. The end result? Our lead rate jumped from a very acceptable 12% to an outstanding 23%.
The lesson from this example is that even when your programs look good on paper, you should take an active role with your telemarketing team (whether internal or outsourced). Here are some things that you should always do:
- Talk weekly at a minimum. Always have a weekly meeting with our telemarketing management team to discuss results, market feedback, analysis, and open action items.
- Have an open communication with your sales team to receive their feedback on leads on an ongoing basis (See tip #3 on our previous blog Bridging the Gap )
- Provide ongoing training. Never assume that you can provide your telemarketing agents with product training one time and they are set forever. At a minimum, provide training on a quarterly basis and when there are new product announcements.
- Listen to calls. Hearing feedback directly from your market is very meaningful and in many cases will give you ideas that expand or improve your efforts
- Continually ask your team and yourself how you can improve. Even when your program is producing solid results, take a step back to see if you’re missing anything that could improve results, your customer experience, processes, etc.
Bottom-line, there no