There are still some industries which are heavily influenced by door to door sales. The medical and dental industries are two great examples, which tend to demand a more personalized relationship with their sales representatives, labs, providers and partners.
That being said, many companies targeting these industries do not have the manpower to send out sales agents to all dentists and/or doctor offices within their targeted geographies to establish this type of relationship. Even those that do will often be stopped at the front desk receptionist and unable to speak with someone of higher-level authority.
If you’re seeking to expand your business, and are looking for more effective ways of reaching your prospects, teleprospecting is certainly worth investigating. The goal of teleprospecting is not to replace the door-to-door salesperson; rather it’s to make them more efficient by scheduling appointments with interested decision-makers and influencers.
While results may vary depending on the type of company, TeleNet has achieved excellent results for several dental labs targeting dental offices with teleprospecting. Here are some highlights…
• High Conversion Rates: on average, 20% of completed conversations result in an onsite or phone appointment. These conversion rates are increased when coupled with an offer.
• 80% of those who are not ready for an appointment, are interested in additional information (great for nurturing!)
Offers and product/service details that are sent solely by snail mail can often be thrown away before they ever reach the intended recipient.
• In our calling efforts following direct mail, we found that only 30-40% of contacts actually viewed the mailer
• Up to 30% of those who viewed the mailer, but had not taken action, agreed to an appointment once on the phone with our teleprospector
• An additional 20-30% of contacts, who had not seen the mailer, agreed to an appointment through the teleprospecting.
Even companies with excellent market penetration have had success with teleprospecting efforts.
• How well do you know your customers?
• What percentage of their business are you getting?
• Are certain offices doing less business with you than previously? Where are they going and why?
Whether you are looking to deepen relationships and business potential with existing customers or expand your current footprint, teleprospecting could be the best way to do that quickly.