In Part 1 of our series on B2B lead generation services, we explored the critical role of interrupting communication patterns to successfully engage busy prospects. We highlighted the importance of presenting a compelling offer and navigating common obstacles that can hinder sales efforts. Part 2 delves deeper into actionable strategies for preparing your team to break free from routine approaches and adapt to varied customer scenarios. Keep reading and we’ll equip you with essential base frameworks and insights you can incorporate into your B2B lead generation services to focus your efforts, simplify your messaging, and improve your results.
Prepare for Success
I recently saw a funny Tweet (or whatever it’s now called on X). It read, “The trick to appearing well read is to read…” Along those same lines, there’s no substitute for a well prepared salesperson who has been educated and coached to navigate wide and varied customer scenarios and is capable of building interest based on unique and nuanced situational queues, information, and social connection. And before you say it, I know, I know, the deep knowledge and sales process is for the senior sales executives in your organization, the closers–not the lead generators and appointment setters, but it sure is helpful to know what you’re talking about and why it matters when all your customer wants to do is hang up the phone and get back to their day. But the best sales people know it doesn’t have to be this way.
Reframe your Sales Process to Increase Success
Anticipating resistance and interrupting communication patterns that hinder progress are crucial skills for any successful lead generation strategy. Here are some pro tips to help you master these aspects and maximize your B2B lead generation efforts:
1. Research for Personalization: Before investing your time into dialing a segmented lead list of prospective clients, invest time in thorough industry segment research. Make sure your callers understand the industry-specific challenges they are likely to discover. Teach your team stories re: how your company has previously helped clients in this specific region/vertical resolve these common issues, and the questions we would need to ask to figure out how to best identify a specific need. Even though you’re likely dialing off of a list that shares certain characteristics, no two businesses operate from the same point of experience or hold the same sense of what constitutes value. The best lead generation companies personalize their approach to each call by teaching active listening with an emphasis on solving difficult or nuanced business challenges. The fun thing about treating your lead generation efforts in this way, is that it makes it a much more social, interactive, and engaging process as opposed to simply performing a script! This proactive approach demonstrates credibility, builds trust through thoughtful lines of questioning, and increases the likelihood of discussion and enthusiastic engagement from your prospective customer.
2. Identify and Address Objections Early: Anticipate common objections that prospects may raise and address them preemptively. Whether it’s concerns about cost, compatibility, or ROI, having well-prepared responses shows professionalism and confidence. By acknowledging and resolving objections early in the conversation, you can keep the focus on the value your solution provides. There’s no magic matrix of questions you need to be able to answer, just sales wisdom from generations of professionals running into the same obstacles again and again. The problems and questions aren’t much different from organization to organization or from one offer to the next, but the answers will be entirely unique to your company’s products and services. If you’ve got an interest in working through this specific area of concern, we offer a program called Touchpoint Consulting where we perform a full lead gen/sales process review, gap analysis, and sales training.
3. Tailor Your Messaging: Avoid generic pitches that fail to resonate with your audience. Tailor your messaging to align with the prospect’s unique business challenges and goals. It’s helpful if you have segmented lists where you group companies by region, industry, company size, revenue, etc. to help start with a message that will resonate and interrupt routines. Highlight how your product or service addresses their specific pain points and delivers tangible benefits. Better yet, specifically note how you’ve helped companies like theirs before. And if you don’t know the size or specific niche for a business, just ask! It will help you adapt your approach. Remember this isn’t some tired old numbers game B2B lead generation services script, this is off-book, fully engaged, trust-building, high-touch alternative to those stale and tired old processes. It’s a full brain activity, so if there’s any trick to being successful here, it’s this—hire curious people who love getting to know others and teach them everything about what you do. This simple act of adapting your approach to each and every caller demonstrates understanding and relevance, fostering deeper engagement. It will also naturally make you stand out. Oh – and don’t save your best information for later in the call, top load the conversation with big impact statements and communicate value right at the top of every call. Start with your strongest material!
4. Listen Actively: Effective communication is a two-way street. Practice active listening during conversations with prospects. Pay attention to their concerns, priorities, and objectives. By demonstrating empathy and understanding, you build rapport and create a more collaborative dialogue. This approach not only strengthens relationships but also uncovers valuable insights that can guide your sales approach. Part of active listening is feeling when you’ve achieved your goal and connected with your prospect. At this point, qualify the lead, book the appointment and allow the end of your call to simply affirm their decision to speak to an expert. I can’t find the exact quote I’m looking for, but it’s something along the lines of, “once they say yes, say thank you and be quiet.” Here’s an Inc. article from 2019 I came across that did a really excellent job of exploring this idea even though it wasn’t the exact source I was hunting: https://www.inc.com/jim-schleckser/when-you-get-sale-stop-talking.html
5. Educate and Provide Value: Position yourself as a trusted advisor by offering valuable insights and educational content. Share industry trends, best practices, and case studies that illustrate the impact of your solutions. Providing relevant information demonstrates expertise and builds credibility, making prospects more receptive to your offerings. If moving your sales practice away from a traditional features and benefits-focused approach is difficult to imagine, start with something simple like just educating your prospect on how a company of the same size and industry niche achieved a measured improvement or result that would be of interest to them. Focus on evidence of your product or service value, not the product itself. One of our best marketing executives always promoted this point regarding B2B marketing: “We don’t sell B2B, we sell B2B2C.” the 2C append emphasizes that in our messaging, we must help our customer understand how the solution helps their customer. This seemingly small pivot in perspective has helped us achieve huge results in the lead generation we perform for our company and on behalf of telesales clients. Guaranteed, there’s a similar small change you can make in your own communications for a HUGE result.
6. Utilize Multiple Channels: Diversify your outreach strategy by leveraging various communication channels. While cold calling remains effective, incorporate email marketing, social media engagement, and networking events to reach prospects through their preferred channels. A multi-channel approach enhances visibility and increases touchpoints, reinforcing your message and strengthening connections over time. Take a quick survey of your coworkers and simply ask, “Who here checks their voicemail (there’s a surprising high percentage of people who never listen to a voicemail message, though I’m still looking for solid research to back any of the many percent stats you can find online)? Who only reads the transcription of your voicemail? Who makes a habit of reading every email you receive? Do you check every text message?” Think about your own habits and think about how your own biases and habits have been formed to protect your time and to not rob you of your attention.
If you haven’t already read part 1 of 2 re: “interruption” click here.
If we accept the widely circulated wisdom that it takes seven (7) brand interactions to develop awareness and trust ahead of converting a new customer sale, it would make sense to incorporate branded content in support of outbound telephone calls to affirm your value proposition, have your prospect interact with your blog or website, and give them a chance to interact with some preliminary written or rich-media material ahead of their meeting with the sales “closer” you’ll be handing off to. Sending links or collateral through a text or an email in support of a meeting is a great way to extend your conversation and build a bridge to that next interaction. And making sure that your prospect has access to your website, customer testimonials, case studies, etc. will just help build your brand credibility between touchpoints. The best way to make this work is to ask them for permission to send info over so they’re anticipating it and so there is an understanding of why you are sending what you’re sending.
7. Follow Up Strategically: Effective follow-up is essential for nurturing leads and maintaining momentum. Develop a structured follow-up plan that includes personalized touchpoints tailored to each prospect’s journey. Whether it’s a follow-up call, email, or personalized content, consistent and timely communication demonstrates commitment and reinforces your interest in their business. And please, please, please – never make the mistake of saying, “Just following up.” Any sales managers reading this just cleared their desks in a fit of rage lol. Have an agenda and a reason for every touchpoint. When possible, schedule next steps. But don’t let the calendar control you. You’re in control to shape and guide the relationship at a pace that fits your prospect. Remember, we’re getting to know each other on both sides of the conversation. Understanding, appreciation, and relationship can be immediate or it can take time. Be open and responsive to both scenarios. Concerned you’re calling too much or don’t have a plan, check out this blog re: Do’s and Don’ts for Outbound Calling.
8. Continuous Learning and Adaptation: The B2B landscape evolves rapidly, requiring a proactive approach to learning and adaptation. What worked well six months ago might not deliver the same results today (especially with budgets shifting to test and adopt features of AI). Outbound campaigns are natural environments for split testing, so keep that in your back pocket if your results ever dramatically shift and you need to retool. Stay informed about industry trends, competitor strategies, and evolving customer expectations. Embrace feedback from prospects (see #2 above if this point isn’t clicking) and refine your approach based on insights gathered from successful and unsuccessful interactions.
By integrating these pro tips into your B2B lead generation strategy, you can anticipate resistance, overcome communication barriers, and enhance your ability to cultivate meaningful relationships that drive successful sales outcomes. Embrace a proactive, personalized approach that emphasizes value and understanding, positioning your business as a trusted partner in your prospect’s journey to success.
For more insights and expert guidance on optimizing your B2B lead generation efforts, visit AnswerNet.com today. Or if you prefer, feel free to call and connect with one of our outbound lead generation sales experts: 800-411-5777.
