by gabriel_sales | Aug 5, 2012
In the last six, months, we have seen a big jump in iPhone and iPad opens in our email blasting efforts. After following up by phone, we have noticed that many of my “opens” did not even see the email. We’ve since learned that iPhones open emails differently than other email applications.
For Mailchimp, per their site, they “use a tiny, one pixel graphic (or web beacon) that gets downloaded when a subscriber turns on images to track which emails have been opened and which haven’t. When someone uses their iPhone to open your email, it automatically opens images, downloading the tracking graphic. Most email applications turn images off by default and force users to click a button to display them, resulting in lower open rates. This can result in an inflated percentage of iPhone users showing up in your User Agents stats. We’ll see every user who uses their iPhone to open your email, but we only catch the subscribers that turn on images in other email applications.”
This completely aligns with what we have seen by follow-up calling. So take it easy on your reps if they are not converting the “opens.” I would not stop calling on them, as the probability that that “opens” actually opened is greater than those that do not show open, and typically we have found that those folks are still with the company. So, this is definitely better than straight cold calling.
Question: What is the ultimate solution?
Answer: Aligned Sales and Marketing Efforts
In a nutshell you cannot give up on any one tactic. You simply need to be more diligent. We do recommend making sure your videos and emails are designed for mobile and as another quick tip you can monitor Google Analytics and the time emails are opened with your email blaster to judge if mobiles are actually opened or not.
If you are interested in seeing if your efforts pay off, Gabriel Sales, outsourced sales company for B to B sales and marketing automation implementation specialists, we recommend indulging in a marketing automation tool. Pardot is our platform of choice. For more information on marketing automation see our blog on Marketing Automation for B2B Sales and Sales Small Business.
by gabriel_sales | May 1, 2012
Outbound calling on Inbound leads is radically different from straight cold calling. It takes a personality that is more customer service focused (the rep truly needs to want to help) and that needs to take priority over setting the meeting on that first live contact. This is especially true with a lead that has been in a marketing automation nurturing campaign. Here are some B2B sales tips for outbound follow up on inbound leads.
Your sales rep needs know that the prospect is coming from an online source. This means they understand that the prospect is researching and has already more than likely downloaded multiple content pieces—some from you and some from your competition. The reason that person is researching online is that they don’t have a proclivity to speaking with sales reps or it could be too early. So understand that this is probably not how they would prefer to be contacted and they are probably (or would rather have) an email contact vs. direct contact like a phone call. So as a best practice as an outsourced sales and marketing company we find you should do both:
- Make your initial follow-up contact via an email. Share your name and a little reminder of the content piece they downloaded.Let them know the reason you are contacting them because you have helped other people solve a similar problem. Let them know and offer up some additional content in the email.
- When you get them on the phone make sure the rep knows what they have already researched and what piece of collateral they have already shared.
- If you are using a marketing automation platform make sure the rep has access to all the pieces of content they have already consumed.
- When you follow up stress the fact you have helped others solves similar problems.
- Finally always have script ready. Nothing is worse than being caught off guard.
If you want to see if we can help you get more out of your inbound efforts and are curious if an outsourced sales and marketing company can get you on a faster track to sales results feel free to contact us for a quick consultative call.
by gabriel_sales | Mar 27, 2012
Most people in sales are constantly looking for new ways to generate B2B leads. B2B Demand Generation can be quite difficult at times, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. This blog gives you seven simple methods to reach new B2B sales prospects. If this blog is too basic for your needs we invite you to check out our B2B Demand Generation Blog Topic area or our B2B Demand Generation Knowledge Center.
Cold Calling
True, it is one of the oldest and most hated methods. However, when it is done properly, cold calling can be a highly effective means of reaching new prospects. As a B2B lead generation and demand generation company we still believe that there is no better way to target specific decision makers. It has been proven that making consistent calls produces consistent leads. However it is now one of the most expensive investments. For detailed ROI analysis and recent cold call benchmarking check out our Cold Calling is Not Dead but You Need To Be Smarter! blog.
Email Publications
With email publications and email newsletters, you can easily reach thousands of people at each publication time. You can collect names and emails through your website, or a variety of other means. Business owners and sales representatives can (and should) create their own newsletters, which can include tips of the trade or news from your industry. It is likely that you will eventually gain a few customers using this method simply by staying top of mind.
Mass Mailings
While most field reps do not fully grasp the benefits of this method, there is whole industry of people who sell like this, which is called direct marketing. The success of using sales letters comes from sending a well-written letter to a number of high quality, or targeted, prospects. We use this as an outsourced B2B lead generation tactic when there are just a handful of decision makers inside Fortune 2000 companies. We have found that the often hold onto a brochure in a file and will reference at a later date. However we do recommend you customize the intro letter.
Advertising/Internet Advertising
While this method can generate large numbers of leads, it must be done right. Otherwise, you can spend tons of money with no results. Start by looking for publications that already serve your specific audience, and use ads that motivate people to action. Try to stay away from pushy, big company style image-based advertisements.
Internet advertising is more suited for independent professionals and smaller companies. Search engines can generate leads by creating ads from within your website. You are able to develop highly targeted and qualified leads by determining what keywords are most used by your prospects. The longer the tail of the search and the more niche your solution the more we recommend Pay Per Click.
Live Seminars
This method allows you to find leads very early in their buying process. It is important to pitch a solution to a problem that you know your targeted audience already has. The cost for seminars is inexpensive (including equipment, promotion, room rental), and the price jumps down even further for teleseminars. Having your top executive conduct the seminar can sometimes help pull in more prospects.
Trade Shows
This method is not always as successful as the others on this list, but can still be helpful if your company has the extra time and money to expend. If you can find an event that coincides directly with the interests of your target audience, trade shows can produce leads. However, the quality of leads may be lower because trade shows are more often attended by the influencers than the decision-makers of a company.
Complementary Partner Referrals
This method differs from industry to industry, but results in the highest quality leads. It is important, for B2B sales, to build relationships with other companies who sell to the same people you do. By partnering with other businesses who operate in the same industry, you can begin to share information and prospects, which makes everybody happy.
Want to explore B2B lead generation and demand generation in greater depth? CLICK HERE to go to for additional B2B demand generation resources. CLICK HERE to view our How To Build a B2B Demand Generation video. To schedule a free pipeline velocity and benchmark review please click here.
by gabriel_sales | Mar 20, 2012
In a previous blog, we discussed the importance of landing pages in B2B Demand Generation. Having a flashy layout or cool graphics can help grab your visitor’s attention, but what we have seen in the data as a top B2B demand Generation Company is that what the page actually says in much more important. This blog outlines the basics of how to make the most of your B2B Demand Generation landing pages, by detailing specific content related issues. If this content is a little too basic for your needs we invite you to check out our B2B Demand Generation Blog Topic area or our B2B Demand Generation Knowledge Center.
Here are seven B2B Demand Generation tips for creating effective and persuasive landing pages.
- Align content with keywords. The reason for having landing pages, is that they are content-based. This means that when a visitor clicks a link to “lead generation”, they should land on a lead generation landing page, not a home page. Sending your visitors on a wild goose chase to find the information they are looking for is likely to fail, so make it as easy as you can for them.
- Have multiple landing pages for each of your products, services or campaigns. Directing people to their specific interests makes it easier for them and gives you credibility. You can use Pardot to create landing pages specific to each campaign, which has an easy-to-use drag and drop tool designed to generate multiple pages with no coding required.
- Know who you are talking to. In addition to pages categorized by campaign, you should create audience-specific landing pages as well. Different content appeals to different people, what appeals to IT personnel may not appeal to the marketing team. If you take this into consideration and build your landing pages accordingly, your visitor will be much more likely to convert, as you are already speaking their language.
- Decide what you want. You have to figure you what you want your visitors to do once they come to your landing page. Are you satisfied with people reading certain content, or do you want email addresses as well? You can get both by offering content as collateral for contact information.
- Make sure you have a clear goal. Try not to overwhelm or confuse your visitor with many different options on the same landing page. Pick one specific action as the goal of each landing page, and make it obvious. The goals should always be B2B Demand Generation of Sales Qualified Leads.
- Simplicity and transparency are key. Be clear and concise with your language; using simple “if/then” statements work well. For example, say something like, “If you fill out this form, then we will send you a white paper about a specific topic.”
- Remember to use the right keywords (the keyword for this page is B2B Demand Generation) to get a slight SEO lift for your overall website.
For more information on building effective landing pages, please visit our blog titled “The Importance of Landing Pages” or contact Gabriel Sales directly.
If you’d like look at B2B demand generation in a little more depth we invite you to check out our CLICK HERE for our Knowledge Center dedicated to B2B demand generation. For a quick overview of how Gabriel Sales creates and integrated inbound and outbound machine CLICK HERE to view our How To Build a B2B demand generation engine. To schedule an appointment for a free pipeline velocity review from Gabriel Sales, please click here.
by gabriel_sales | Mar 13, 2012
This blog looks at the purpose and function of landing pages and their importance as a B2B lead generation tool and touches on how you can leverage landing pages to find new prospects and close deals. If this content is a little too basic for your needs we invite you to check out our B2B Demand Generation Blog Topic area or our B2B Demand Generation Knowledge Center.
Anytime a visitor reaches your website from an outside link, they have found a landing page. Recent market research has shown that improving the quality and function of landing pages can be a low cost way to help companies improve prospect conversion rates and B2B demand generation efforts lead generation. However, as a top B2B demand generation company we have found that only attention grabbing, well-designed landing pages effectively find prospects and qualify leads.
When it comes to any type of professional or personal relationship, we generally accept the importance of making a good first impression. If you want someone to buy something from you, this becomes absolutely crucial. In this sense, landing pages can be compared to the many entrances to a Macy’s department store. Regardless of what entrance you choose to walk in, Macy’s has a colorful or stylish visual display waiting to greet you. When creating a landing page, you want to create the same effect. You want to find the right balance between showing off your newest and most impressive goods and offering something for everyone. Borrowing another tactic from a Macy’s entrance, you can offer multiple incentives or enticements on your landing page, which are aimed at motivating people to buy something.
It is also helpful to think of the people visiting your landing page like Macy’s customers. Some Macy’s shoppers are simply there to look around, and do not plan on purchasing anything. Others will not be your target audience, and some will have entered the store by mistake. A few will be genuinely interested in a purchase, but are not yet ready to buy. These are not the people you want to target when it comes to your landing pages. The type of customer you are looking for is the one who walked into the store knowing what they were looking for and already has an intention to buy. These are the customers you are most likely to persuade, because you have already determined they have an interest in your offering.
Another way Macy’s strategy can be applied to landing pages is with upkeep and customer service. Macy’s constantly updates their store displays and product offerings, and offers their customers new discounts and deals. Landing pages should be treated with the same constant care and be updated frequently to keep current with market needs.
While creating an effective landing page is key step in quality lead generation, it is not the only method available (other ways to generate leads are discussed here). However, we recommend as an outsourced B2B demand gen company that well designed landing pages should not be underestimated as an easy and effective way to transition prospects to leads to qualified leads to customers.
If you’d like to know more about B2B Demand Generation Outsourcing, Outsourced B2B Lead Generation or Sales & Content Basics, to check out our CLICK HERE for our Knowledge Center dedicated to B2B demand generation. For a quick overview of how Gabriel Sales creates and integrated inbound and outbound machine CLICK HERE to view our How To Build a B2B demand generation engine. To schedule an appointment for a free pipeline velocity review from Gabriel Sales, please click here.
by gabriel_sales | Feb 17, 2012
Lead generation sales and basics
B2B sales companies have come up with a variety of ways to generate more leads, and building a successful campaign requires that companies carefully and strategically choose a method that addresses their specific goals. As an outsourced sales, and outsourced marketing firm this is part of our series to educate customers not experienced in sales and marketing with some of the B2B Lead Generation Fundamentals to help them make an informed decision about outsourcing to generate leads. This blog discusses the differences between hard and soft generation methods, as well as when each is appropriate for use.
If you would like meatier content on Lead Generation we invite you to visit our knowledge center devoted to B2B Demand Generation.
The first thing to do when coming up with a generation strategy is to clearly articulate you goals. These should be both quantitative and qualitative. How many leads are you trying to get? What kind of sales to you need to generate? Who is the audience you are trying to focus on? How early or late in the sales cycle do you want your leads to be? What are you willing to pay for a lead?
These questions are important to ask because how you choose to generate leads will affect the number and quality of your leads. Soft strategies tend to generate large numbers, while harder strategies tend to generate a higher quality.
The Soft Offer
Soft offers pull in high numbers with an incentive that has very little perceived risk. If you use a sweepstakes type strategy, and offer free tickets to the Super Bowl, you are likely to get an unprecedented number of respondents. However, most of these leads are likely to care more about football than your product or service, and few will convert to qualified leads. One example of a soft offer that we have seen work is gift cards or a free iPad. As an outsourced lead generation company we have found that this is sometimes a great way to generate a quick opt in database..
This method should be used when companies are looking to get leads earlier in the sales cycle. It also requires more time to weed through the large numbers to find qualified leads. This approach is best when trying to jump-start your sales or create a lot of activity.
The Hard Offer
Hard offers produce fewer respondents, but the leads that are generated are much more likely to be qualified. By offering something that has a slightly higher risk, or involves some type of commitment, you are likely talking to someone much further along in his or her sales cycle. Hard offers can include invitations to webinars, an audit, a consultation, etc.
Use hard offers when you want to target prospects further into the buying cycle, or do not have the time to weed through large numbers looking to qualify. The leads you generate with hard offers are much more likely to convert to closed deals, so take this into consideration when engaging with them.
When it comes deciding which method will be most effective for your company, knowing who you are talking to is key — A hard offer is appropriate if trying to target buying executives, while you might want to try a soft offer if you want to talk to marketing teams. Figure out the type of lead you want and determine what is valuable to this type of person. If you can make your offer appealing to your desired leads’ interests, your campaign is likely to be successful.
Gabriel Sales has over 12 years of experience as an outsourced generation company. For more B2B lead generation fundamentals please feel free to visit our Blogs on Sales and Content Basics.
