As we enter our fourth week navigating the business marketing world in the midst of a global pandemic, here’s a summary of what we’ve learned, and how B2B marketers can effectively and responsibly utilize teleservices to continue to drive sales predictability.
Focus on how you can help
Many of our clients, particularly in the technology industry, are uniquely positioned to help businesses be successful in today’s very challenging climate. Messaging should be focused on how your products and services can help organizations, particularly when speaking with “in the trenches” decision-makers. Moving staff to remote positions is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what IT decision-makers are dealing with – they’re also looking for ways to quickly improve productivity, efficiency, automation, speed, security, etc. Succinctly positioning how you can assist with Covid-19 business continuity plans (BCP) will open doors to a meaningful and relevant dialogue. Even if you don’t offer technology solutions specific to BCP, think about ways your solutions can help in this time of need and focus your messaging around that.
Be prepared to talk…and listen
SIP orders and travel restrictions are keeping many business decision-makers at their desks, whether onsite or remote. As such, we’re finding many people willing and able to talk in depth about their situation, plans and priorities – these lengthy conversations are most often with those who are not intimately involved with Covid-19 BCP initiatives. Here’s where it’s important to ask open-end questions and listen keenly; as information gleaned now will help to fill your pipeline gaps down the road. Think of this as your opportunity to obtain valuable intelligence to build your nurturing content and create a very relevant messaging strategy for sales predictability in the upcoming months. Here are some relevant questions to ask, which will help build your funnel both now and later…
- What projects have gotten bumped up in priority?
- How has the pandemic changed what you thought you would be doing in 2020?
- What initiatives have been placed on hold? What were you hoping to accomplish?
- What are you researching or looking to learn more about now?
Consider financing offers
Under normal business situations, if a defined need and use case exist, along with a desire to act, a qualified sales lead is born. However, currently some businesses and public sector organizations are expressing a hesitancy to release dollars even for planned and previously funded initiatives. While developing a human-touch nurturing strategy will be very effective for keeping these prospects warm and engaged, integrating messaging around financing offers, particularly payment deferral or relief programs, will help to move more prospects into your funnel sooner, creating better sales predictability.
Keep steady with your outreach for sales predictability.
When so much of the business world is uncertain, consistently employing proven strategies like teleservices, will provide positive long-term results. That’s not to say each day will yield uniform output. Over the last 3 weeks, we’ve seen our highest single-day metrics of the entire quarter, as well as our lowest. We had appointments pushed out, and we’ve scheduled urgent, same day appointments as well. While the short-term is unpredictable, consistently communicating with your market now will lay the foundation for a predictable sales funnel in the near future.
Outsourcing teleservices can provide you the consistency that will keep your funnel strong. Contact an account executive for a pilot sketch today and read on for additional B2B outreach strategies during these unique times: