The Benefits of Picking Up the Phone When Finding Leads

For many businesses, harnessing the power of the humble telephone call can be difficult. Small businesses may feel too inconsequential to approach potential clients and big companies can struggle to find experienced staff that can generate legitimate leads. But no matter the industry and no matter the organisation, it is a fact that securing genuine leads can result in genuine sales.

Picking up the phone can allow companies to directly target potential clients, thus greatly increasing the chance of filtering genuine leads from dead ends. In addition to benefitting the company, clients truly appreciate knowing that they are not simply being contacted as a result of a random cold-call.

Preparing staff fully and comprehensively for such marketing strategies is equally as important as pinpointing ideal clients. Aiming to produce relaxed, polite and informed telemarketing that avoids stilted and scripted delivery is a must. Indeed, the time taken to research exactly who these prospective customers could be is more than worth it - and it will be more than compensated for as there will be fewer wasted phone calls, empty conversations or fruitless pursuits.

A phone call to a prospective customer can be even more effective if it is a follow-up to an initial communication in an alternative format such as an e-mail or a leaflet. Not only does being able to refer to this previous correspondence make for a perfectly natural gateway into a productive phone call, it also leaves soon-to-be clients 'warmed up' as it were. No matter what the preliminary point of contact was it must be followed up with the most effective piece of marketing: a phone call to precipitate potential business and profit.

A less obvious benefit of approaching customers over the telephone is the status that it can afford companies of all sizes. With many industries becoming saturated, standing out from the crowd is of escalating importance. Take IT for example: a broad business of many facets populated by everything from large corporations to independent sole traders. How can these smaller operations dare to compete with the Goliaths of the industry when it comes to pitching to clients? An IT telemarketing approach, particularly as a follow up to the afore-mentioned introductory contact, can give the illusion of being of comparable size to competitors and thus creating a level playing field.

Although it is important to be reflective when it comes to approaching customers over the phone, particularly when knock backs occur, it is worth noting that even negatives can become positives. There is little else in the world of business that can provide such immediate and forthright feedback as telemarketing. It affords an opportunity to readdress clients' needs, update information and gain an insight into offers made by competitors.

Gary Henderson is a business adviser, specialising in the computing sector. Whether it is through direct mailing, IT telemarketing or trade fairs, he has been helping companies attract and retain customers for over ten years.