Increasing revenue and measuring ROI are key objectives to any telemarketing campaign. In Lead Generation, you often hear aboutÒbridging the gap” andÒclosing the loop” as ways to accomplish this goal. It important to make sure that you are involving the sales team as you embark on a telemarketing lead generation initiative. Here are important questions to ask the sales group before and during your teleprospecting activity:
Development – The sales group should be brought in to identify what information is important to them and what makes a lead qualified from their perspective. Discussion topics should include: What criteria should be included in order for a lead to be qualified? Is there specific information that will help during the sales process? What will be the sales follow-up process on the leads? When and how will the sales team initially reach out to the prospect? Note: understanding the sales follow-up process, will help your teleprospecting team set a clear next step with the prospect.
Post-Launch – Set aside some time for your marketing and sales teams to get together post campaign launch and review the initial leads that have been qualified from the effort. Does the sales team deem the leads as qualified? What information is most helpful? How have the follow-up calls been to date? This will help you identify whether or not your teleprospecting team needs to tweak the information they are gathering or possibly add a couple of questions to enhance the follow up calls.
Follow-Up – After the sales feedback has been implemented, it important to regroup and discuss how the sales team is feeling about the leads after recommendations are shared. Is anything being left out as a result of the changes? Are lead acceptance rates satisfactory? Are leads moving through the pipeline?
It important to engage the sales team early on. You should not wait until the telemarketing effort is over. By then, it too late! You should be cautious not to rely only on the CRM for lead feedback. Communicating directly with the sales team will be much more valuable. It ideal to receive continuous feedback from the sales team to ensure that marketing and sales stay on the same page.